 Very good, especially for the price |
| Review Date: April 12, 2009 |
| Reviewer: AC, |
| This camcorder records stunning video especially in well lit settings. The quality of the video rivals the HD you see while watching your favorite Television shows. There are many settings to choose from. Menu navigation is effortless. The laser touch scrolling is also very nice to use. It gives this camcorder iphone like menu navigation functionality. The hard drive and SD Micro card can be mounted by a PS3 for quick and easy play back. Still pictures are not perfect, but very close. There is so much to love about this camcorder. I paid $699 at BestBuy last week. I have been testing it like crazy before the 14 day return policy expires. I will not be returning this product. |
Excellent CMOS Camcorder // Good JVC Quality
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| Review Date: May 8, 2009 |
| Reviewer: JuanGuapo, Los Angeles, CA |
** UPDATE 9/5/2009 **
Since my last review, we have taken this camera on many family get-togethers and on our summer vacation to northern California. We had an excellent trip and caught just over 70min of crystal-clear video on this little gem. When we got home, I offloaded the video on to my 15" Macbook Pro for a change since I usually use our desktop (20" iMac 2.66Ghz, 4GB RAM) to handle video editing. Since I use iMovie '09, the transition between using the iMac and the Macbook Pro is completely seamless; moreover, I use a Seagate FreeAgent Go for Mac 320 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive-Silver ST903203FJA105-RK as my video drive for editing. The drive makes it easy to move data back/forth between computers, and iMovie '09 lets you edit right on the drive itself. I digress.... Anyway, it took nearly an hour to offload all the AVCHD video footage from the camera b/c the files have to be decompressed so they can be edited--this is par for the course of any AVCHD camera, unless you are using a program that can edit AVCHD files (I believe Final Cut Pro can, but I'm not going to spend the $$$ for it yet). I had iMovie offload the files in full quality (1920 x 1080, not 540p which it recommends) and used the files to make a DVD for our parents. The video files looked perfect and had very bright, colorful shots of our vacation--my mother even called to say that she couldn't believe how bright the pictures were. Yes, it was that good.....even on a simple DVD (not Blu Ray). You can burn a DVD of your HD movies, but you will no doubt lose quality in comparison to a Blu Ray. However, the quality is still very good on DVD nonetheless.
Battery life has thus far been very good, although I am starting to shop for an extended battery for it. The lens has stayed remarkably clean considering how much use it has gotten; I clean it with a can of compressed air and a soft, damp lens cleaning cloth.
Wind noise was a minimum most of the time, although I did have to turn on the wind noise option to block some of it out at times. In low light situations, it will tend to get a little grainy so I recommend having the LED light on if possible.
All in all, I stand by my 5/5 star review of this camera since it has performed very well and handled a lot of the rigors of travel better than I would have expected. This camera has been a great purchase for us so I wholeheartedly recommend it.
** UPDATE 5/11/2009 **
Oh how I wish I could post a HD video sample. We took this camera with us to my Mom's house for Mother's Day and the video (esp. outdoor) was just priceless quality; I am amazed at how much detail shows on our 42" Plasma HDTV (42" Samsung 1080i)--it just "pops" and hows every possible detail. The sound pickup was excellent and did not require any sort of modification in iMovie '09 for crisp sound; it picks up every voice, tone, and even helicopter in the distance. ;)
As a Mac user, I cannot recommend this camera enough; it really is a simple camera to use and my wife and I are thrilled with it.
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My wife and I were looking at getting a camcorder to take with us on vacation. After doing a plethora of research, we finally decided on the JVC Everio line and chose the GZ-HD300 60GB HD Camcorder.
I haven't owned a video camera since my vintage RCA VHS shoulder-mount video camera. There are many types of camcorders available, so I was choosy in balancing form/function vs. price. I looked at Sony, Canon, and JVC , and finally went w/ JVC.
When I opened the box, I was happy to see everything was plainly laid out and easy to identify. Cord...check....camera...check...battery...check...manuals...check.
The battery was dead so I had to plug it in; powered it on, and it fired right up. Within 5min of opening the box, I was shooting video. I was impressed at the simplicity of the camera and didn't start to read the manual until the following day--it's that easy to use. Everything is well placed and easy to read/understand. Clearly JVC engineers did their homework about how to make something as technical as a video Camcorder easy to use.
Works great with our 42" 1080i Samsung Plasma HDTV with the included component cables. The camcorder is also HDMI-compatible (mini adapter is needed).
We own/use Macintosh in our home, so I cannot comment on how well the included, pack-in software works on a PC.
** ILIFE/IMOVIE '09 USERS **
CORRECTION: Before you shoot video, make sure you do use image stabilization in iMovie '09; it works just fine on the camera, but do not use stabilization in iMovie '09.
Here's a link that explains it: [...]
I am using this camera with a Intel iMac 2.66Ghz w/ 4GB RAM, Leopard 10.5, and iLife '09. All cables are included in the box, so hook-up to the iMac took less time than finding an available USB port.
iMovie '09 had no problem at all reading the AVCHD content from the camera, and gives you three options; Import, Import All, or Archive Camera. Instead of writing a whole tutorial on how to use iMovie, all I'll say is it works very well with iMovie '09 and I've had no problems w/ video.
As I said earlier, this camera is not compatible with the image stabilization feature in iMovie. Apple also suggests turning it off in iMovie due to limitations using CMOS-based cameras.
Here's a link explaining the "rolling shutter" effect... [...]
All in all, a great camera. We've been very happy with it.
CORRECTION: Image stabilization on the camera works just fine w/ iMovie/iLife '09; just be sure not to use image stabilization on camera AND use it in iMovie '09. Apple is clearly aware of it and it is and has a link explaining the issue (see below). |
A beautiful, logical Hi-Def Camcorder
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| Review Date: June 1, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Diana de Avila, Malta, NY USA |
This is the nicest and smallest camcorder I have ever had the pleasure using. A true pleasure it is! It even makes my Panasonic HD Palmcorder (SDR-H200) look large!
The body is plastic but appears to be extremely durable. I would hate to drop it even though it feels heavy and extremely solid. The Konica lens is also a plus and worth mentioning. No lens caps with this camcorder, the lens cover is built in (an extra blessing when keeping features in mind).
It comes with paper manuals in multiple languages as well as an application CD with a media player and a calendar app and easy upload to YouTube. If you fancy making YouTube videos, this camcorder is for you.
Everything is very "touch" sensitive and oriented. There is a Touch Sensor on the side of the LCD screen that provides the way to work through sub-menus. This sensor is really, really cool and works great! Out of the box. I did not find it difficult to use and was able to employ the "Easy Start Guide" to get started recording right away (after a recommended 110 minute charge of the battery).
Initial set up of the camera is very logical and works through a menu system. Date and time settings were easy (and the easy start guide and the actual manual is very well written). This camera could be easily used by a hobbyist such as myself. I am technical, but I do not feel that the camcorder requires a huge amount of technical knowledge. Read and follow the manual ... and you will be set. For more savvy users, I! think this camcorder will reach you, too. It's remarkable
The manual and easy start guide relay the importance of making backups of your video projects (to a PC or external HD). I think this is a very good thing to reiterate and I was glad to see it placed in the manual.
Looking at the LCD monitor and seeing all of the different symbols can be daunting! If you are a hobbyist like I am, you may want to take the time to really delve into the manual and see what this camera is capable of and what you will be able to do with it. The symbols make sense and the manual will help you make sense of them.
Along with being a high-def camcorder, you get a wonderful point and shoot camera
At first, I had a very difficult time steadying this camera with my own hand to take any still photographs and noticed that the pictures were really blurry. I realized quickly and with reading deeper into the manual that I did not have the Digital Image Stabilizer on (DIS). This made all the difference in the world for the video and although it says it does not work with the stills, I noticed they were better (perhaps less movement by the subjects).
The colors are bright, and I love the touch buttons. I find the Touch Sensor (it's a slider that really allows you to navigate through the menus) one of the most ingenious ideas I have seen implemented on an electronic item. When opening the screen, the camcorder turns on automatically.
This is a sweet little camcorder that I think just for ease of use alone is totally worth the money. Also keep in mind you get a SD card slot and an internal 60GB hard drive. Plenty of space for hours of recording without having to lug around large media. I noticed that the battery power got eaten up pretty quickly. It's worth having a spare and keeping the charger handy. It never hurts. The hi-def functions must be a power hog--understandable. Keep it in mind when you buy.
One last thing, I am a MAC and PC user but decided to go with the MAC and bypass the enclosed software after playing with it on my PC and having a couple of USB recognition problems on my Vista laptop. Mac makes thing much easier. Uaing iLife's iPhoto and iMovie on the Mac made using this device a snap. No recognition problems whatsoever. It's one of the things that makes me love MACs more and more.
Kudos.
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Great HD camcorder at a great price.
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| Review Date: June 17, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Bearcat, Ohio |
There are many super detailed and lengthy reviews for this camcorder already so I will try to sum up my impressions in a shorter amount of space.
Size: Super small. Could fit in a womans purse. Great for travel.
Features: This has everything an average camcorder user would want. 60gb hard drive, good zoom range, option to use a memory card, photo capability, solidly built and feels good in the hand. The blue "slider" to the left of the screen is more of a gimmick than something super useful.
Video: I think any non-professional would be very pleased with the video quality on this camcorder. I have a top of the line Sony HD camcorder and this compares favorably to it while being hundreds of dollars cheaper. Many options for changing video quality and settings. Overall video quality is very good. Pictures are average but then again you shouldn't be using this to take the family portrait.
Software: Not great. I would recommend finding a different software solution for this camcorder. Keep in mind that HD files can be large and make sure the software handles the video format.
Overall: I think this is a great camcorder for the price. It keeps up with my top of the line Sony HD camcorder for hundreds less and is much smaller. 60gb is more than adequate space for most. This camcorder has plenty of bells and whistles. If this had been available when I bought my Sony I would have saved the money and bought this camcorder. Very impressed. |
As an amateur videographer I find the HD300 ideal: user-friendly and good quality.
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| Review Date: July 16, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Jim, |
I've owned the JVC Everio GZ-HD 300 60GB camcorder for one and a half months. I have used it extensively during that time to record video at the highest quality setting, and I've been mostly pleased and impressed with the results. (I experimented with recording at lower quality settings and saw no reason not to always use the highest.) I took a few still pictures to see what the image quality is like. I had low expectations for that and those low expectations were met, e.g., as compared to the image quality of my Lumix FZ28. But that's of less than trivial concern to me, as my interest in owning the HD300 is to record video, not still images.
I've used some of the video I've recorded to create short movies with Adobe's Premiere Elements 7 software. I've viewed some of the recorded video directly from the camcorder on an HDTV via an HDMI cable (which is not supplied with the Everio), and I've viewed footage on a non-HD TV via the supplied component and AV cables. In all cases I found the image quality excellent, the best of course being on HDTV via an HDMI cable. I made DVDs of two of the short movies I made with Premiere Elements 7 and have viewed them on both a TV and a computer. One DVD turned out excellent, the other didn't, and I am reasonably certain that this is due to problems having nothing to do with the camcorder itself (but with settings in Elements 7 which I've yet to learn to master).
Video recorded on the HD300 in low-lighting at the highest quality setting is grainy. Video recorded where the only light on the subject is from the Everio HD300's LED light (a handy feature which can be set to on, off, or automatic), is grainy. I think it this is to be expected for a camcorder in this price range, but I mention it anyway. Video that I recorded outdoors on bright days under a clear or hazy sky came out exceptionally clear and not at all grainy.
I've had to practice using the zoom lever so that I can zoom more smoothly. I suspect that there is a mechanical limit to how smoothly one can zoom on a camcorder in this price frange. The HD300 has a fairly generous 20 times optical zoom, and for those who may not understand the difference between optical zoom and digital zoom, optical zoom uses a camera's lens to bring subjects closer while digital zoom only simulates optical zoom by enlarging a portion of an image, usually at a discernable if not striking loss of image quality.
I cannot fit my hands into gloves smaller than extra large and my fingers are a tad fat. I nevertheless have had no problem at all using the "Laser Touch Operation" sensor to the left of the LCD monitor. I found it intuitive to use right out of the box as soon as the HD300's battery was charged.
Because my hands are large, the grip strap is less comfortable for me to use than it would otherwise be (and in fact relatives with smaller hands have told me they find the grip strap comfortable when it is adjusted for their hand). Therefore I normally keep the grip strap adjusted so that it lays flat against the camcorder's body, leaving a loop at the end that I can slip over my wrist, and that works fine for me.
While I've used the HD300 with a tripod a little bit, I have mainly used it in hand-held mode, and unless I use two hands and my elbows against my chest to form a kind of tripod (a technique many binocular users use), I find it difficult to just hold it up in the air with one hand and keep it as steady as I'd like. That lack of steadiness shows up when I view what I've recorded.
The JVC GZ-HD300 is a hard disk camera, meaning that (except when a micro SD card is used) it records video and still images directly to an internal hard disk. Hard disk is one of several media formats that camcorders use for recording. One advantage of hard disk drive camcorders is their storage capacity. With 60 GB (gigabytes) of storage capacity, the HD300 can record 25 hours of video at the lowest quality setting and 5 ½ hours of video at the highest. Another advantage is that the user doesn't have to carry tapes, memory cards, or discs around (though as I note above, the HD300 can record to micro SD cards).
A disadvantage of hard disk drive camcorders compared to solid state drive camcorders (which record to flash memory) is that the moving parts of hard disk drives are subject to bumps and are less durable than solid state or flash drives, which have no moving parts. Another disadvantage is that hard disk camcorders can heat up considerably (there is a warning about this on the bottom of the HD300), and are more limited as to the minimum and maximum temperatures in which they can operate than are solid state drive camcorders. And, solid state drive camcorders can start up a bit faster than hard disk drive camcorders.
I'm very pleased with the HD300. I find it ideal for my non-professional reasons for wanting a camcorder with an optical zoom; recording excellent quality video (assuming sufficient lighting) at gatherings with family and friends, recording in nature and when traveling, and recording excellent quality video that I can play with in video editing software. |
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