JVC back in the game?
/JVC back in the game?
Maybe that's not the fairest title for this post.. The HD250U is a sweet camera but it's a bit of a niche ENG thing and isn't really a direct competitor of the Panasonic HVX200A or Sony EX1. When I say "back in the game", I'm referring to the ongoing competition between Sony and Panasonic for the hearts and minds of the digital filmmaking community. The small camera devotees - the dvxuser.com crowd. The users that really brought lens adapters for small cameras into the mainstream. This area of the market really has been a Sony vs. Panasonic game for the longest time but JVC recently made a few announcements that might put an end to that.
These new offerings from JVC are the shoulder-mounted GY-HM700 and the handheld GY-HM100U. These cameras both have an impressive list of features but the point that grabs me first is the lens feature of the HM700 – similar to the upcoming Panasonic HPX300 – it uses a 1/3” B4 mount which can also be adapted for use with 1/2” and 2/3” video lenses. That’s fine and dandy but JVC also makes the HZ-CA13U Optical PL Adapter, which works beautifully with 16mm film optics. A lightweight, shoulder-mounted camera that you can put just about any lens on without a massive, cumbersome adapter = !!!!!
The HM700 and 100's major departure from to the older JVC ProHD cameras is that they both shoot Full Raster 1080p Final Cut Pro files directly to common SD cards. In the past the argument against JVC is that its version of HDV hasn’t been well supported in the NLE. That said, the decision to eliminate wrapped file formats in favor of something that can be brought into FCP immediately without any conversion seems like a good one. The new 35mbps codec IS proprietary but it’s based on MPEG2 Long GOP, which at this point is the most universally accepted HD compression. According to JVC’s literature, the files are drag and drop directly into FCP6 where they are ready to edit without any unwrapping or transcoding. The exact same files can also be recorded to card in ISO Base Media folder/file architecture ensuring compatibility with PC-based NLE’s. In addition, the HM700 can optionally record to SxS cards with add-on hardware making it even more versatile.
I’ve always liked the functionality and ergonomics of JVC’s cameras but have never really been blown away by image quality. I haven’t seen anything from these two yet but I have high hopes for them. Sony and Panasonic have dominated the small and medium sized camcorder competition for so long that it’s refreshing to see someone else put out a product that can potentially hold their own against the more widely used models.
Features at a glance:
JVC GY-HM700
-B&H Price 6,995
- Compact Shoulder-mounted ENG style camcorder
- Industry standard bayonet lens mount (B4)
- 1/3” 3CCD Optical System
- Full HD resolution images
Professional recording with selectable data rates up to 35Mbps
1920 x 1080 (1080p24/p25/p30, 1080i60/i50)
1280 x 720P (p60/p50/p30/p25/p24)
- Native file recording
Native Final Cut Pro format (Edit immediately without conversion or transcoding)
ISO Base Media Format (ensures compatibility with NLE's)
.MP4 file format (Available with optional SxS Media Recorder)
- Records to dual hot swappable SDHC memory cards and/or optional SxS adapter
- Variable frame rate recording
- HDSDI output
- Extensive image customization modes (gamma, matrix, knee, detail, etc.)
- XLR inputs with phantom power
JVC GY-HM100U
-B&H Price 3,495
- 1/4” 3CCD chipset employing spatial offset to arrive at HD resolution
- Full HD resolution images
Professional recording with selectable data rates up to 35Mbps
1920 x 1080 (1080p24/p25/p30, 1080i60/i50)
1280 x 720P (p60/p50/p30/p25/p24)
- Native file recording
Native Final Cut Pro format (Edit immediately without conversion or transcoding)
ISO Base Media Format (ensures compatibility with NLE's)
- Records to dual hot swappable SDHC memory cards
- Extensive image customization modes (gamma, matrix, knee, detail, etc.)
- XLR inputs with phantom power
Now learn more at the JVC site:
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