Hey guys and gals,

I recently purchased a JVC GY DV500 w/ stock Fujinon lens w/ low hours of use, and in excellent condition. I normally shoot weddings with PD150/170's but a great deal came my way.....too good to let pass for the DV500.

I know HDV is here....and why would I invest in SD, well.....my 35 already booked client's for next year booked under my current SD gear.....and the fact is, the deal I got was more less a steal.

My question is very specific so please stick to what I am asking, please....no debates on gear....HD or SD. I am well educated on both formats.

I know some of you use a JVC DV500, I forgot who in particular......so, I would love to know your experiences with this camera....good and bad. Anything you would like to share about the DV500 would be much appreciated!

I know there are replaced versions of this camera but I really want to know about the JVC DV500 and 500u, not the newer models.

Thanks all!

Ive sold many in my time, and theyre a BRILLIANT unit, what did you want to know in particular?

If i was to shoot with an ENG type again, id definately go the JVC units over the Sony's. Built MUCH better, many more picture options, and use up about 30% less power..

As an interlaced ENG with a 1/2 CCD you WONT need lights, even with gain at +18, the image is sharp and very contrasty.
Be carefule of WB though, even with 3.2k preset indoor, it can come across as being slightly cold, especially with glass or water backgrounds.
umm.. what else..
If u need a battery, Swit make a good generic...
umm.. what else?? with the lense, u can get urself a nice wide adapter to bolt onto the Fujinon if need be.. or u can jsut change the lens itself. Be aware, Fujinon lenses are about the 2 to 3k AUD depending on zoom range, but the sharpest bit of glass i saw (from fuji) was the 17x wide.. u can also bolt on a canon.. which id recomend if wanting to go the remote route. Now teh canon remotes are like a motorcyle handle.. absolutely ASTONISHING control.. all off the tripod.

umm.. what else???

IN low light, this is Kind.. even better than the DSR350 (which is what its matched up to compete with) and colour saturation is far more accurate on the whole. It takes small and large tapes (u prolly already know this) i cant recall if it has a DVCam mode, but i dont think it does..
umm..

what do u wnt to know? Maybe i can be more specific about it if i knew what u were wanting to know.
My expereince with it was about 8 or so months until they bought out the 16:9 version of it (5500) I used it on a couple of jobs, but mainly i learnt how to use it to demo and sell it..

Joe,

The JVC DV-500 is an excellent unit. I've shot dozens of weddings with a PD-170/150 as a second cam. AWB accuracy is MUCH better indoors than the PD-170s in my experience- though not as good as my old JVC X2. PD-170 is a good match for the DV500 outdoors or well lit situations, but the DV500 will blow away the PD-170 in low light and produce far better color accuracy in moderate or low light. The stock lens is decent, but a good (faster) upgrade lens will give you better low light capability and wider view.

Another great feature over the PD170 class cameras is the instant manual exposure/gain/focus control that come in handy for ever changing wedding conditions. You will find however, the DV500 is VERY slow to power-up compared to the PD170/150. I wish the DV500 had the color flip out viewfinder the PD's and newer DV5000 has. The stock B&W viewfinder is crummy.

I find the DV500's default blacks too heavy for my taste (I keep the side-mounted black level switch in the 'up' position). I have also reset the default gain controls to 0,3, and 9. I have often found a gain of 15db unusable.

The auto audio levels of the camera also work extremely well.

Mike Jensen
Jensen Wedding Films
Sacramento, CA

Peter and Mike....thanks for the info on the DV500, I'll be giving it some some test shoots soon enough.