JVC GZ-HM550 High Definition Camcorder

32GB Internal Flash Memory and SD/SDHC card slot 10.6 Megapixel Back-illuminated CMOS Sensor 15x Dynamic Zoom Wireless Bluetooth Compatible Advanced Image Stabilizer (A.I.S.) Super LoLux Time Lapse REC Auto REC Seamless Black Recording Face Flow Thumbnail 2-way Grip Belt One Touch Export One Touch Upload to YouTube (HD Compatible) Direct DVD Creation with SHARE STATION (Both Standard DVD / AVCHD discs) 24Mbps High bit rate Recording Face Detection KONICA MINOLTA HD LENS Laser Touch Operation( with Sub-trigger and Zoom function) Everio Media Browser

• HD Camcorder Black

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JVC GZ-HM550 High Definition Camcorder

Very good video quality great price great features

I've had this camcorder for about a week now and so far I am pretty happy with it. The one thing that really strikes me as odd is selling a HD camcorder but not including a HDMI cable in the bundle...? Playback of the footage recorded on a full HD tv via RCA or even component cables isn't going to result in good picture quality. My mini-HDMI cable should be delivered in the next day or so and then I'll be able to really evaluate the video. So far the video looks much better on my computer monitor than it does on my 52" 1080P LCD TV.



Also the camcorder ships with the video quality set to XP instead of the highest quality UXP. When setting quality to UXP it gives a warning that UXP video files can only be written to Blu-Ray which of course makes sense. However the bundled software will automatically downgrade the UXP video files to XP quality if you want to write to DVD and then you'll still have the higher quality UXP for future use. Seems odd to not record in the highest quality as you can always downgrade the footage but you'll never upconvert to true full HD quality if recording at lower quality.



So far I am not impressed with the photo quality of still images but I haven't played around with the settings much yet. The handful of stills that I've taken have turned out grainy and dark. In dedicated image mode you can take 9MP stills while when taking snapshots in video mode you are limited to 5MP. So far I think all of my stills were taken in video mode.



The camera has some great features that I've not yet played with nor am I sure I ever will. The time lapse is a great feature but unless there's a spectacular sunset or something I'm not sure I'll have much use for it. Same for the auto record feature interesting to have but what are the practical applications? I suppose I could set it up and see how often my dog moves around during the day when we're not home. One thing with both of these modes is that the LCD must remain open if you close the LCD the camera shuts off completely.



The battery that comes with the unit doesn't last very long - roughly 45 minutes. the built in memory can hold about 2.5 hours worth of video at UXP quality so the battery is by far the limiting factor in your usage. If the video via HDMI turns out to be as good as I hope I'll be investing in a higher capacity battery and a stand alone charger. Out of the box the battery only charges when the power cord is plugged into the camcorder itself.



The software included is very easy to use and has some neat organization methods of displaying video files in a calendar layout by month day and hour which it makes it easy to locate your files.



The software has options for converting the video to a number of different media and file types. You can write the files to Blu-Ray DVD and AVCHD disc (DVD media). It also has the ability to convert video for upload to You Tube iTunes and can also convert to .wmv for use on computers and upload to other sites such as Facebook. The conversion process lets you choose the video size you want and at least on my PC was pretty quick to process.



I'll try to update this review after I am able to test the video via HDMI and use more of the features.



UPDATE 3/24/2010: Recorded a school concert last night and the battery lasted for 1.5 hours of nearly constant recording. This was much better than the capacity I noticed earlier when recording 5 or 10 minute segments spread out over a couple of days.



UPDATE 3/28/2010: Video quality via a Category 2 mini-HDMI cable is much better than via the cables included with the camcorder. My TV indicates a full 1920x1080 video resolution although it doesn't indicate if it is 1080i or 1080p. The box indicates that the camcorder has full 1080p output but I can't verify that for sure.



I've had a chance to take some more still images both in video and in the dedicated photo mode. Given the right lighting images in both modes are usable. Images taken in dedicated photo mode are of higher quality which is to be expected since they are 9MP images instead of the ~5MP images you get in video mode.



All in all I'm more satisfied with camcorder now then I was when I initially posted this review. I'd rate it at 4 1/2 stars if possible.More detail ...

JVC GY-HM100U - Camcorder - High Definition - professional - widescreen - optical zoom: 10 x - supported memory: SDHC - flash card

Incredible piece of equipment

This is the camera I've been waiting for for 7 years. It has everything I've wanted: Incredible HD quality direct MOV/Final Cut Pro-ready file creation SDHC card usage a decent built-in mic... It has taken the quality of the video work I'm doing to a whole new level. I could not be happier with this camera except if I had a 2nd one to do simultaneous 2nd camera angles in the studio...



I am trying to make my filming worthy of the quality this camera produces!



This is pricey but worth it.. so if you have the $$ don't hesitate to buy this thing you won't be sorry.More detail ...

JVC Everio GZHD7 3CCD 60GB Hard Disk Drive High Definition Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

Great Consumer HD Solution

If you are more than a casual video user or if you have bought a video camera more than twice in the last 10 years I would say that you probably need a high end HD camera to satisfy you. For me someone who has only owned 1 other video camera in the last 10 years I find this camera to be amazing. I do not shoot professionally and if i did there are many great HD solutions in the 3-6 grand range. Since this is not my business and I do not have money to burn this was the camera that satisfied all my needs. Those needs were: no tapes large hard drive HD quality or something far far better than my old mini DV camera. I also needed to be able to archive the files on my mac which is a dual 800mhz G4 and possibly edit on the mac in imovie. This camera does all of that and quite easily I might add.



I had no problems installing the codec that came with the camera for quicktime. Once I opened a clip in quicktime it did not play properly however once I imported it into imovie it worked fine. I edited simple edits added new audio and was satisfied for what I need. After all all I will be doing with this is shooting the wife and kids.



JVC recommends A 1.25 Gigahertz G4 or higher so do not complain about the camera not working smoothly on your mac unless you meet those requirements. They are stated on the GZHD7 box. I suggest the newest mac with 2 gigs of ram at least. In my experience more RAM makes all the difference in the world. Eventually I plan to get a new mac to be able to handle the footage.



I have a 1080i sony plasma TV. The picture looked great. There was some banding of subtle gradients I shot. It was acceptable to me. Also the banding was not apparent on my mac in imovie. I think because my TV is already 2 years old it is not up to the same standards as the GZHD7 camera and my mac. Bottom line is the camera was producing better images on my mac than on my TV. Now all this is nonsense because I will be using this to mostly shoot video of my family and friends for recreational use. Compared to what my dad shot of us when we were kids and then the sandy grainy video we used in the 90s this camera is AMAZING. The quality is good enough for me and I would also add that any film student on a zero budget could easily get by with this. Like I said earlier if you have the means and require perfect HD video spend the few extra grand and go for the gold.More detail ...

JVC Everio GZ-HM400 High-Definition Full HD AVCHD Flash Memory Camcorder with 10MP Still

Excellent camcorder

Purchased this camcorder for $699 from Amazon just after Thanksgiving. Have used it in several scenarios:



1) Indoor low-light: As other reviews online have said there is some noise in the image in low lights levels. The manual controls can compensate some but this is the weak point of the camera. I will say it is still order of magnitude better than my old MiniDV camera.



2) Indoor well lit: I recorded an event at my church with adequate indoor lighting and the image quality was great! The Optical Image Stabilization feature worked amazingly to take a lot of my hand shake out of the image even at a long zoom.



3) Outdoor daylight: Image quality is like nothing I have ever seen in a home camcorder. Really amazing HD quality video - in full light situations I don't think you'll find a better consumer camcorder.



I use a Mac w/ iMovie '09 for video editing and the Mac had no problems seeing the camcorder and transferring the video for editing. Because of that I can't comment on the "one touch" features of the camera that work only with Windows.



Only complaint is the menu system (laser touch) - the touch strip is a little over-sensitive but with a little practice time I'm doing ok with it. The manual dial on the front of the camera body below the lens is much more accurate and is a great feature for adjusting focus and brightness and the large zoom rocker is very well placed and easy to use.



Was also pleased that this camera came with a 2hr. battery instead of the typical 1 hour found in most other brands and models.



Overall very pleased with this camcorder.More detail ...

JVC GZ-HM1 High Definition Camcorder

Greatest Camcorder I've Ever Owned

After very careful study and consideration over the last several months I decided to go ahead and go with this JVC GZ-HM1 rather than the Canon HF S21 or Sony HDR-CX550V.



One of my main concerns was low light shooting. Although I believe that both the Canon and JVC to be similar in their great quality picture during normal lighting conditions unfortunately the Canon does not have a backlit CMOS sensor introduced this year by JVC and last year by Sony.



In the end I was left debating between this JVC and the Sony. The Sony has a larger and much more beautiful 3.5" touch display opposed to the 2.8" display on the JVC (the JVC uses nice touch sensitive buttons which keep the screen clean and smudge free which is also a good feature). Also the Sony offers more automated features for novice users.



I went to a local camera store and tested both units using a very high quality HD display and connected both camcorders via HDMI. The quality and clarity of the image on the JVC unit was far far superior and text/minute details at a far distance that weren't legible on the Sony were clearly legible on the JVC. The manual controls and physical button layout as well as the awesome zoom rocker really set the JVC apart from the Sony. The general sensation is that the Sony model was packed with gimmicks and designed to be "idiot proof" while the JVC was designed to be controlled by the user and is fantastic for someone who isn't scared of manual controls (not to say that the automatic mode isn't good).



The more I use it the more I love it...More detail ...

JVC GZ-HM550 High Definition Camcorder

Very good video quality great price great features

I've had this camcorder for about a week now and so far I am pretty happy with it. The one thing that really strikes me as odd is selling a HD camcorder but not including a HDMI cable in the bundle...? Playback of the footage recorded on a full HD tv via RCA or even component cables isn't going to result in good picture quality. My mini-HDMI cable should be delivered in the next day or so and then I'll be able to really evaluate the video. So far the video looks much better on my computer monitor than it does on my 52" 1080P LCD TV.



Also the camcorder ships with the video quality set to XP instead of the highest quality UXP. When setting quality to UXP it gives a warning that UXP video files can only be written to Blu-Ray which of course makes sense. However the bundled software will automatically downgrade the UXP video files to XP quality if you want to write to DVD and then you'll still have the higher quality UXP for future use. Seems odd to not record in the highest quality as you can always downgrade the footage but you'll never upconvert to true full HD quality if recording at lower quality.



So far I am not impressed with the photo quality of still images but I haven't played around with the settings much yet. The handful of stills that I've taken have turned out grainy and dark. In dedicated image mode you can take 9MP stills while when taking snapshots in video mode you are limited to 5MP. So far I think all of my stills were taken in video mode.



The camera has some great features that I've not yet played with nor am I sure I ever will. The time lapse is a great feature but unless there's a spectacular sunset or something I'm not sure I'll have much use for it. Same for the auto record feature interesting to have but what are the practical applications? I suppose I could set it up and see how often my dog moves around during the day when we're not home. One thing with both of these modes is that the LCD must remain open if you close the LCD the camera shuts off completely.



The battery that comes with the unit doesn't last very long - roughly 45 minutes. the built in memory can hold about 2.5 hours worth of video at UXP quality so the battery is by far the limiting factor in your usage. If the video via HDMI turns out to be as good as I hope I'll be investing in a higher capacity battery and a stand alone charger. Out of the box the battery only charges when the power cord is plugged into the camcorder itself.



The software included is very easy to use and has some neat organization methods of displaying video files in a calendar layout by month day and hour which it makes it easy to locate your files.



The software has options for converting the video to a number of different media and file types. You can write the files to Blu-Ray DVD and AVCHD disc (DVD media). It also has the ability to convert video for upload to You Tube iTunes and can also convert to .wmv for use on computers and upload to other sites such as Facebook. The conversion process lets you choose the video size you want and at least on my PC was pretty quick to process.



I'll try to update this review after I am able to test the video via HDMI and use more of the features.



UPDATE 3/24/2010: Recorded a school concert last night and the battery lasted for 1.5 hours of nearly constant recording. This was much better than the capacity I noticed earlier when recording 5 or 10 minute segments spread out over a couple of days.



UPDATE 3/28/2010: Video quality via a Category 2 mini-HDMI cable is much better than via the cables included with the camcorder. My TV indicates a full 1920x1080 video resolution although it doesn't indicate if it is 1080i or 1080p. The box indicates that the camcorder has full 1080p output but I can't verify that for sure.



I've had a chance to take some more still images both in video and in the dedicated photo mode. Given the right lighting images in both modes are usable. Images taken in dedicated photo mode are of higher quality which is to be expected since they are 9MP images instead of the ~5MP images you get in video mode.



All in all I'm more satisfied with camcorder now then I was when I initially posted this review. I'd rate it at 4 1/2 stars if possible.More detail ...