hovers.org » JVC http://www.hovers.org Independent reviews Thu, 11 Feb 2010 09:12:45 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 JVC Everio GZ-HM200 http://www.hovers.org/jvc-everio-gz-hm200/ http://www.hovers.org/jvc-everio-gz-hm200/#comments Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:55:21 +0000 admin http://www.hovers.org/?p=313 JVC Everio GZ-HM200 is a new midrange camcorder aimed at semi-professionals. The camcorder is extremely easy to use and offers plenty of features making it very good value for the money.  Since it is available is three colors you can get the right one for you.

JVC Everio GZ-HM200 pros:

JVC Everio GZ-HM200 thumb

+ 2.7-inch screen
+ 20x optical zoom
+ Outstanding color accuracy
+ Dual SD/SDHC memory card slots
+ Good auto mode
+ Easy to use manual mode
+ Taking photos while recording videos
+ Excellent image stabilization

JVC Everio GZ-HM200 cons:

- No 24p or 30p frame rates
- Poor low light sensibility
- No flash for the still photos
- Port covers feel cheap


The design:
JVC Everio GZ-HM200 measures  54.5 x 65 x 122.5 mm and weighs 310 grams. The camcorder is available in blue, red and black. The Konica Minolta HD lens has 20x zoom and automatic cover. The front of the camcorder is dominated by the lens, but you can also find the video light and the microphone there. The right side of the JVC Everio GZ-HM200 houses the speaker, hand strap, USB port and the DC-input cover. The left side features the LCD chamber with plenty of controls and HDMI and Component-out terminals, SD/SDHC card slot and AV-out. The back of the camcorder houses the battery pack, strap adjuster, Start/stop record button, and lamps indicating memory card access and power status. On the top you can only see the zoom toggle and photo shutter button, whereas on the bottom merely the tripod mount along with the battery release switch.

JVC Everio GZ-HM200

Performance:
The JVC Everio GZ-HM200 records videos using the AVCHD compression and 24 Mbps bitrate so it is good that it keeps to the standards. Although the JVC camcorder has a selection of quality settings it cannot record videos in standard quality. The editing software that you get with the JVC Everio GZ-HM200 has only some basic functions and is quite straightforward. The camcorder records videos to SD/SDHC memory cards and if you decide to use a 16 GB memory card you will be able to record up to 80 minutes of videos in the best quality. Features such as exposure, white balance, focus, or shutter speed may be controlled manually, but as most camcorders the JVC Everio GZ-HM200 has no manual control over aperture.


Video quality:
The JVC Everio GZ-HM200 has very good color accuracy and equally good saturation levels. Only the lack of any color adjustment tools might be disappointing for more professional filmmakers. But as everything is fine just how you get it – including low noise levels – it should not bother amateurs. The motion is better than in comparable camcorders, such as JVC Picsio GC-FM1, or Sony HDR-TG5V. The sharpness of the videos is good, although high end camcorders may do better. Poor light performance was ok, but nothing special. Colors are still accurate, although not as much as in good light.

Still photo quality:
The JVC Everio GZ-HM200 has very little features for still photos and as it can take only up to 1920 x 1080 images (slightly over 2 megapixels) and mobile phones can do better it is hard to imagine that anybody would like to take photos with this camcorder. Especially that is lacks any ISO control, and has no built-in flash.

JVC Everio GZ-HM200 features and specifications:

  • Still Image Format

JPEG

  • Digital Video Format

AVCHD

  • Exposure Modes

Program, automatic

  • Shooting Programs

Spotlight, portrait mode, night mode, sports mode, twilight mode, snow

  • Shooting Modes

Digital photo mode

  • Digital Zoom

200 x

  • Analog Video Format

NTSC

  • Optical Sensor Size

1/4.1″

  • Optical Sensor Type

CMOS

  • Color Support

Color

  • Media Type

Flash card

  • Camcorder Sensor Resolution

3.05 Mpix

  • Widescreen Video Capture

Yes

  • Face Detection

Yes

  • Enclosure Color

Onyx black

  • Lens System

Konica Minolta
Filter Size
30.5 mm

  • Zoom Adjustment

Motorized drive
Optical Zoom
20 x
Lens Aperture
F/1.9-3.2

  • Auto Focus

TTL contrast detection

  • Focus Adjustment

Automatic, manual
Focal Length
2.9 mm – 58 mm
Type
Zoom lens – 2.9 mm – 58 mm – f/1.9-3.2

  • Features

Built-in lens shield

  • Additional Features

Auto power save, Dolby Digital AC-3 (2 channel) recording, face detection, YouTube capture mode
Digital Still Camera Function
Yes
Low Lux / Night Mode
Yes
Built-in Light
Yes

  • Display

Display Format
123,000 pixels
Display Form Factor
Rotating
Type
LCD display – TFT active matrix – 2.7″ – color

  • Memory / Storage

Image Storage
JPEG 640 x 480 ¦ JPEG 1440 x 1080 ¦ JPEG 1920 x 1080
Supported Flash Memory
SD Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card
Other recently reviewed camcorders:
Panasonic HDC-TM300, Canon Vixia HF S11, JVC Everio GZ-HM400, Sony HDR-TG5V, JVC Picsio GC-FM1

]]> http://www.hovers.org/jvc-everio-gz-hm200/feed/ 0 JVC Picsio GC-FM1 http://www.hovers.org/jvc-picsio-gc-fm1/ http://www.hovers.org/jvc-picsio-gc-fm1/#comments Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:25:02 +0000 admin http://www.hovers.org/?p=308 JVC Picsio GC-FM1 is an ultracompact HD camcorder offering outstanding video quality and excellent portability thanks to its minute size. The camcorder has interstice design and metallic finish yet it does not feel too reliable. If you want to know if it is worth its price of $199, read on.

JVC Picsio GC-FM1 pros:JVC Picsio GC-FM1 thumb

+ Very good color accuracy
+ Smaller than competing camcorders
+ Excellent sharpness
+ SD/SDHC memory card support
+ Good automatic white balance
+ User-friendly
+ Stereo audio recording

JVC Picsio GC-FM1 cons:

- High noise level
- No manual controls
- Unresponsive rewind and fast forward controls
- Audio quality is not that good
- No optical zoom


The design:
JVC Picsio GC-FM1 measures 53.0mm x 97.0mm x 17.0mm and weight 95 grams so it is really minute and even smaller than many point and shoot digital cameras. The camcorder is built of good quality materials and it is finished with flashy metal so it is a real eye-candy.  The front of the camcorder houses the he fixed f/2.8 lens and the microphone. On the right side of the JVC Picsio GC-FM1 you will see the AV-out port, HDMI terminal, speaker and the USB connector. The back houses the 2-inch LCD display, and all the controls: the power button, playback mode button, delete button, D-pad, charge lamp, reset pinhole playback index button and the video/still photo switch. The left side features only the macro switch and the wrist strap. The bottom houses the tripod mount and the SD/SDHC memory card slot.

JVC Picsio GC-FM1

Performance:
The small camcorder is capable of recording 1080p videos at 30fps and 720p films at 60 fps. In low light the camcorder does a really good job for such a small device. Both saturation and color accuracy are good and the noise level is even better in low light than in bright light. The camcorder uses the MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 codec so editing the videos should not be a problem. The maximum video resolution in 1920 x 1080 – it is full HD. Since the JVC Picsio GC-FM1 has no built-in memory ice can record films only on SD/SDHC memory cards, but that should be quite comfortable as their price drops and capacity rises all the time. The camcorder has no optical zoom whatsoever, and only 4x digital zoom.


Video quality:
The videos captured with the JVC Picsio GC-FM1 have excellent color accuracy and good saturation levels. Although the noise tended to be too high it was nothing out of the ordinary for this class of camcorders. The films are smooth in both frame rates and they looks really sharp. In fact the JVC Picsio GC-FM1 has better sharpness than the majority of ultracompact camcorders.

Still image quality:
The JVC Picsio GC-FM1 has four different photo sizes with the maximum of 8 megapixels.  The photos are taken in the 4:3 ratio and you can shoot macro photos. However, the overall still image quality is rather poor and the camcorder performs in video mode much better than in the still mode.

JVC Picsio GC-FM1

features and specifications:
Camera
Image Sensor
8 Megapixel 1/3.2″ CMOS
Zoom
Digital 4x
Image Stabilization
Digital Image Stabilizer
Recording media
SD/SDHC Card (not provided)
Monitor
2.0″ Color LCD
Video Recording
Mode
1080p: 1440 x 1080p / 30fps / 12Mbps, 16:9
720p: 1280 x 720p / 60fps / 12Mbps, 16:9
VGA: 640 x 480 / 60fps / 4Mbps, 4:3
QVGA: 320 x 240p / 30fps / 0.7Mbps, 4:3
Format
Video: MPEG-4 AVC / H.264: MOV, Audio: AAC
Still Recording
Mode
8M: 3264 x 2448, 4:3
5M: 2592 x 1944, 4:3
2M: 1600 x 1200, 4:3
0.3M: 640 x 480, 4:3
Format
JPEG
Connectors
HDMI™ out (Mini), AV out, USB 2.0/1.1
Others
PC Software and Instruction Manual (pre-installed in internal memory)
Continuous Operation Time
Approx. 96 minutes
Provided Accessories
USB Cable, AV Cable, Hand Strap

Other recently reviewed camcorders:

Panasonic HDC-TM300, Canon Vixia HF S11, JVC Everio GZ-HM400, Sony HDR-TG5V

]]> http://www.hovers.org/jvc-picsio-gc-fm1/feed/ 0 JVC Everio GZ-HM400 http://www.hovers.org/jvc-everio-gz-hm400/ http://www.hovers.org/jvc-everio-gz-hm400/#comments Sun, 27 Sep 2009 10:32:46 +0000 admin http://www.hovers.org/?p=128 JVC Everio GZ-HM400 is a younger and bigger sibling of the JVC GZ-X900. The new camcorder features 32GB of built-in memory, excellent adjustment dial and improved low light performance.

JVC Everio GZ-HM400 thumb

JVC Everio GZ-HM400

JVC Everio GZ-HM400 pros:
+ Excellent design, fingerprint-proof body
+ Low noise levels in bright light
+ 32GB of internal memory
+ High speed recording
+ Adjustment dial allows for precise control
+ Abundance of still features
+ 1/2.33-inch CMOS sensor

JVC Everio GZ-HM400 cons:
- No 24p or 30p frame rate
- Noisy image in low light
- Few aperture options
- high noise level in still photos

The design:

JVC GZ-HM400 measures 67mm x 72mm x 141mm and weighs 485 grams with battery. The front of the JVC GZ-HM400 is dominated by the 10x optical zoom lens, but it also houses the built-in flash for still photos and the set button for the adjustment dial. The right side of the camcorder houses the hand strap, whereas the left side features the 2.8-inch LCD chamber with plenty of controls and USB port, SD/SDHC card slot as well as the power on/off button. On the back of the JVC GZ-HM400 you can see the battery pack and two port chambers hidden under protective covers. The top of the JVC camcorder is full of different things: there the built-in mic, hot shoe, zoom rocker, photo shutter button, memory access lamp and power/charge lamp. Also the aperture priority, shutter priority and user assignably button can all be found there.

JVC Everio GZ-HM400 silver

Performance:

The JVC GZ-HM400 is capable of recording Full HD video at 1920 x 1080 with a 60i frame rate. And if you decide you want to have some fun you may make use of the slow motion mode available in three options in the JVC GZ-HM400: 120fps, 300fps, and remarkable 600fps. The camcorder is equipped with 32GB of internal memory which suffices for almost three hours of videos in the highest quality – 1920 x 1080 at 24Mbps. As there is plenty of manual controls: focus, shutter-priority, exposure,  white balance and aperture-priority, you can achieve really interesting results if you know what you’re doing. And if you don’t the easy mode will do everything for you so you can just point and shoot videos.

Video quality:

The JVC GZ-HM400 has very good color accuracy in good lighting conditions and it keeps the noise at very low levels. As the camcorder can record full HD 1080/60i and is offers 3 low-quality slow-motion options you can always tamper with it a bit. The motion is outstanding and it can even be called the best out of all camcorder released this year. Unfortunately, in low light the JVC GZ-HM400 does a bit worse. Almost all colors seem too pale and the manual white balance makes image look greenish. Also the noise is clearly visible in low light.

JVC Everio GZ-HM400

Still photos quality:

Manufacturers are always outrun each other and just recently as we reviewed the Canon HF S11 we were so pleased with the quality of 8 megapixel still photos taken by that camcorder. And now the JVC GZ-HM400 offers 9 megapixel still photos with abundance of features. The still photos quality is quite good with nice sharpness and accurate colors, but sometimes too much noise.

Selected JVC GZ-HM400 features and specifications:

  • Format

Video
Video: [AVCHD] MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, Audio: Dolby Digital (2ch)
Stills
JPEG

  • Storage Media

32GB Internal Memory
SD/SDHC Memory Card (not supplied)

  • Image Sensor

1/2.33” CMOS, 10.3 Megapixel

  • Lens

KONICA MINOLTA HD LENS

  • Zoom Ratio

10x Optical / 15x Dynamic / 200x Digital (max.)

  • Video Recording Modes

UXP: 1920x1080i, Avg. 24Mbps (VBR)
XP: 1920x1080i, Avg. 17Mbps (VBR)
SP: 1920x1080i, Avg. 12Mbps (VBR)
EP: 1920x1080i, Avg. 5Mbps (VBR)

  • Still Image Sizes

4:3
3456×2592 / 3072×2304 / 2592×1944 / 1600×1200 / 640×480
16:9
3456×1944 / 3072×1728 / 2592×1456 / 1920×1080 / 1280×720

  • LCD Monitor

2.8” 207K-pixel Color LCD

  • Interfaces

HDMITM Out (mini), AV Out, Component Video Out, USB 2.0/1.1, Headphone Out, Microphone In, SD/SDHC Card Slot, DC In

  • Power Consumption

4.0W

Other recently reviewed camcorders:

Canon Vixia HF S11, Panasonic HDC-TM300

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