Well that's rather spooky... I posted the message that started this thread in August of 1999, went out this afternoon and purchased the JVC, got home to play with the new beast, and up popped your message.(posted 8729 days ago)Yes, compuvice has the best price I've run across on the camera. I went ahead and got it at a local pro video shop that still had one camera left with the special rate (including the Fujinon lens). It was slightly more than compuvice, but I was in a hurry. But, FYI, Compuvice has fantastic service.... I think you'll be really happy with 'em.
As for the quality, I'm playing now. You should know that the mic isn't exactly stellar. I already have a Samson wireless lav I'm going to be using with the camera, but I'll probably also fork out the $ for a good short shotgun mic (like the Sennheiser K6/me66 combo).
Hope you're enjoying your new toy/tool as much as I am :-)
Cheers, - John