JVC GZ-HM300 Dual Slot High Definition Camcorder

Would be great if Low-Light video was better

This camcorder seemed like a great deal with a 20x optical zoom HD filming Time-Lapse and CLAIMS of super low-light performance.



Reality: Low-Light performance is TERRIBLE !!! Horribly grainy pictures in even moderate lighting. Inside at night with normal lighting from 3 overhead lights plus a lamp on the video is grainy and washed out. The video looks like the sample pic in their description that shows what it should NOT look like. This thing has a TEENY TINY little sensor. There is no way this could ever take good video in low or moderate light. I bought this to take video of my soon-to-be-born first child which will be mostly indoors with normal lighting. To use it for this purpose I would need to invest in several industrial-strength halogen lights and aim them all at the baby at the same time to illuminate him enough.



Outside this takes good video assuming there is plenty of light.



The time-lapse feature seems awesome at first but it sucks down the battery very quickly unless it is plugged in. The screen must be kept open while filming or else the camera will shut off. Why not have a time-driven system that only turns on the camera for a few seconds at a time which would vastly improve the battery life???



This camera is HD but it is 1080(i)... Interlaced and not full true 1080p. The description is misleading when it states that it can PLAY BACK in 1080p... they don't come right out and say "oh but by the way it only records in 1080i." Quite misleading.



This cam does not come with a HDMI cable (most in this price range don't either). It does come with a RCA type connector and usb cable. This is an HD cam WHY oh WHY would I EVER choose to use an RCA cable to watch it??? I can't even tell you if it takes decent hi-def video because I can't hook it up properly to my HD tv. Should really INCLUDE HDMI CABLE... they could include one for very cheap since they would be buying them in bulk at probably 50 cents apiece.



I returned this the day after I bought it. I have ordered the Sanyo FH1a instead which has a MUCH larger sensor and is actually CHEAPER now than this JVC! Whatever you do watch some youtube videos showing demo videos of the actuall camcorder you want to buy BEFORE you purchase.



This gets 2 stars one for good zoom and one for time-lapse. But this cam really is 100% worthless indoors. I tested it indoors first at Best-Buy but they have those very bright ceiling lights so I was unaware of how bad this cam really is.More detail ...

JVC GZ-HD620 120 GB High Definition HDD Camcorder

Fantastic Camcorder That Can't Be Beat For The $$!

I needed a good quality high definition camcorder for a small business on a tight budget. This new JVC GZ-HD620 is a great little camcorder for the money. It is a BIG Technological Upgrade from last years JVC HD Model i had bought from Sam's club and returned soon afterword. It focuses very well on far away moving objects and the color and clarity can't be beat even in indoor low light situations. The zoom is very smooth too.



I have not installed it's software because i use another production program. I just copy it's .MTS video files to my computer hard drive and then produce them into flash media files that i can self stream to my client's websites and on eBay and Craigs list ads. I am posting a review later today with actual HD video taken with this camcorder at [...]



Overall I am very impressed with this camcorder and give it a big thumbs up and 5 Stars! And also a big thumbs up to Amazon.com for the easy order process and fast shipping! Thank You from the Website Doctor.. :)More detail ...

JVC GZ-MG750 80 GB HDD Camcorder

Excellent camcorder at a great price!

This is a wonderful compact camcorder for filming family and sporting events. I prevously had a Sony handcam which uses DV tapes but it finally broke down after 10+ years. This JVC camcorder is about 1/4 the size and weight of my previous one so it's handy to put into my purse. I also looked at the new Sony handycams but I was not impressed by their image stabilization. The JVC camcorders were much better. The controls are pretty easy to operate. I read the manual front to back but I was able to show my husband how to use the basic controls in 5 minutes. He probably could have figured it out himself since it's fairly intuitive. I like how the camcorder turns on automatically when you open the screen. We tape our daughter's gymnastic competitions so the 45X zoom is fantastic since the equipment is usually far from the spectators. The zoom button is a little hard to operate with your right finger since it's also holding the camcorder but you can also zoom using the screen. The picture quality is fine if you want better you might want to get the HD version. For the price it's definitely a good buy.



The only disappointment for me is that JVC camcorders output in their proprietary .MOD format which is not readable on my old MAC 10.4x Tiger OS. I found a s/w program that supposedly converts various formats that the MAC can read but the output resolution was awful. I ended up using the JVC supplied Pixela s/w to create a DVD that I can play on the TV. The Pixela s/w is OK and you have to do some reading in order to figure out what you want to do but it does the job. I wish I can use iMovie on the MAC since it has more features and is easier to use.More detail ...