In this review I show off the camcorder itself, show some video and pictures I took with the camcorder that show off the features, and discuss the software limitations.
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First off, this camera is tiny, especially considering the fact that it has a 60GB hard drive. The size rivals most SD card-only cameras. I assume it uses the same type of tiny shock-resistant hard drive found in MP3 players. The camera is even pocket-size if wearing loose fitting pants or pants with roomy extra pockets, like cargo shorts. Setup was simple. I inserted the battery, plugged in the power cord, and waited until the charging light stopped flashing. You simply open the LCD to turn on camera. There is no optical viewfinder. The LCD is big and bright, although not quite as clear and sharp as some of the competition. There is a vertical touch-sensitive laser scroll strip on left of LCD and touch-sensitive soft buttons along the bottom. The laser scroll strip is very responsive and becomes quite intuitive after you get accustomed to it. Menu items are logically arranged and easily accessible. The most often used items, such as video and sound preferences, are at top of menu, making them quickly accessible. Scrolling through the menu is accomplished by simply sliding finger up or down laser strip. The laser strip can also be used to zoom the lens in addition to using the switch atop camera. The LCD cavity also houses the power-off button, a mini-HDMI port, component video out connector, a button that enables switching between micro-SD and internal HDD, and additional buttons for playing and exporting video. There is a still picture snapshot button atop camera next to zoom toggle. The tiny form factor fit comfortably in my grip. The adjustable hand strap has a locking clasp that easily snaps open for quick adjustments. It can also be extended and converted for use as a wrist strap for carrying the camera. It also includes a small remote with basic features.
Performance
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The camera powers on quickly and is ready to shoot in seconds. There is no noticeable lag waiting for the hard drive to spin up. The hard drive is silent and is never interfered with recordings. The auto-focus performs okay in most circumstances. AF performance varies with distance and lighting. Shooting objects at full zoom and close-up (3 feet or less) seems more challenging for this particular auto-focus compared to other cameras I own. The face detection feature works well at identifying and tracking faces, even in cluttered shots, although it does have a difficult time keeping up with rapidly moving targets. Shooting footage of my kids, moving rapidly about, caused the face detection to lose target several times, although reacquisition was fairly quick. Despite this fact, the hard drive-based camera is able to keep up and maintain a decent level of detail in high-definition with constant hand/camera movement. Video shot in well lit conditions was clear and sharp. The camera exhibited good color balance with crisp true colors, decent saturation, accurate color reproduction, and good white balance. The camera also shoots in 24Mbps UXP (ultra high definition) mode. If shot in bright ideal conditions, the video in this mode is quite stunning, especially for such a tiny camera. Indoor and dimly lit video was not as nice. The video was much softer and noticeably noisier. Colors were also more washed out and adversely affected by indoor lighting. White balance took a nosedive. My white walls took on the orange color cast by the overhead incandescent lighting. And the luminance of the lights caused ghastly glowing effects on the walls as well. To be honest, I was a bit surprised after viewing the very first footage I shot with the camera, which was indoors with medium lighting. Video shot in even lower light (a 32" television and one lamp) was really bad. The video was so grainy, I had to double-check to make sure I was shooting in high definition. For comparison, I checked older footage from a standard-definition mini-DV camera previously shot in the same location with even less light and footage from a Panasonic SDR-H40 shot in similar light. The mini-DV footage was actually better, however, the Panasonic experienced a lot of the same issues as the JVC. The JVC was actually clearer in some instances and showed fewer video artifacts. So although indoor/dim light is not the greatest, I'd be hard-pressed to call it the worst. The camera does offer manual controls that can be used to improve indoor performance. There is a button right on the LCD that allows switching between manual and fully automatic. I tried it and with a little fiddling, significantly improved my indoor performance. If you're the fully-auto type, this camera will definitely force you out of that comfort zone if you want decent indoor performance. If that seems too daunting, then you will definitely want to use the built-in light for all but the brightest indoor filming. One area where the camera excelled was sound. Sound was crisp and clear with no virtually no interference. The camera even did a very good job of recording ambient sounds during outside filming one early morning. I heard every little sound of nature. Birds chirping near and far, insects, etc. Normal sounds are nice and clear with no harshness. If you close the LCD, the camera will enter standby mode, conserving battery life. To turn camera off completely, you have to hold the power button for a few seconds. The 60 GB hard drive is fast enough to keep up with various recording conditions and offers more than sufficient space for an entire vacation worth of recorded memories. You won't have to worry about running low on space unless you allow footage to accumulate over time on camera. However, if you do manage to run low on space, or simply prefer, micro SD is another option. The minimum specs suggest class 4 card or higher for normal video, class 6 minimum for UXP mode. This will help you avoid potential problems like drop-outs. Frankly, I wouldn't go with anything below class 6 for either mode. Unfortunately, class 6 micro-SD cards are not the most common thing in the world to find. In fact, I'm pretty sure you can check most stores in your area and they won't carry a class 6 micro-SD. They'll likely have Class 6 SD or SDHC cards however. I don't know why JVC opted not to go with the more popular regular SD. Nonetheless, if you need additional storage, micro-SD is also an option, thus causing JVC to label it a "hybrid" camera. Still shots are adequate but unremarkable. I wouldn't use this as my primary still camera but it works in a pinch. Shot Video/still footage is organized as thumbnails on the LCD when the user enters playback mode on the camera. The laser strip allows you to quickly navigate through the various thumbnails to select, play, and delete clips.
Exporting and Saving Footage
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The camera can export footage to both Mac or PC, external recording devices such as DVD/Blu-Ray/VHS recorder, or another camcorder. You can also play footage directly from camera on your television using the mini HDMI or component connections. The component cables are included, however the mini-HDMI is not. JVC also offers a direct to disk device, but a Mac or PC should be sufficient. Exporting to a Mac is relatively easy enough with iMovie. In fact, there is no bundled software for Mac. The bundled Pixela Everio MediaBrowser HD software for Windows (only) is severely lacking. It is primarily used for extracting, backing up, and organizing files from the camera. I do like the fact that it neatly organizes your videos chronologically (reminds me a little of Picassa, only for videos) and makes it easy to find specific footage. It also remembers which footage was previously backed up from camera and only imports the new footage. Unfortunately, that's about all the good I can say about it. Footage is backed up as AVCHD (H.264) files with a .mts extension on your computer. This will likely be a little confusing to people who have used standard definition hard drive cameras or mini-DV in the past. You cannot browse the camera in Windows for footage like you can with a standard definition hard drive camera because Windows does not recognize the .mts format. When files are backed up to your computer via MediaBrowser, they appear as an unknown file type to Windows. Unfortunately, this also means neither Windows Media Player nor Windows Movie Maker recognize the .mts file format as well, rendering them useless for viewing or editing. You will need an AVCHD compatible video editing application to manipulate and edit the files. MediaBrowser has a built-in viewer, however, viewing H.264 files will likely be a stuttering pixelated mess unless you have a powerful video card and computer. That rules out most average desktops and laptops. I used the viewer on a pretty decent laptop with a dedicated video card (256 MB RAM), Intel Centrino 2 CPU, 4GB of RAM, and 64-bit OS. The majority of the videos were watchable, however, certain videos with fast movement or camera shake, were a bit choppy in spots. I also tried it on a mid-level laptop with integrated video using shared system memory. The videos were much worse, very choppy, and basically unwatchable (unless you were deliberately attempting to give yourself a headache). MediaBrowser can convert the .mts files to Windows viewable video files, however, your choices are extremely limited. You can either choose to convert to a tiny (320X240) .mpg file, or export to iTunes for conversion to Quicktime video. Neither of which produced desirable results. MediaBrowser also allows you to "edit" movies, however, this is limited to simply cutting out unwanted footage. Lastly, MediaBrowser allows users to burn the video files to a DVD disk, which can be performed with files saved on the PC or directly from the camera. For some people, this may be adequate. Not everyone wants to be Steven Spielberg. Most users just want to shoot decent quality video, have the ability to remove footage of that crazy uncle (every family has one) embarrassing himself at the 4th of July cookout, and burn a DVD for watching later. This program will do that. It just doesn't do much else. Mac users on the other hand, have it much better off with iMovie. iMovie can open, view, and edit the AVCHD files. Mac users don't need any bundled software because they already have software that's pretty much better than anything the camera makers are willing to bundle anyhow. If Windows users wish to go beyond the very limited capabilities of the bundled Pixela software, they will have to invest in some type of third-party AVCHD compatible video editing or conversion software like Corel VideoStudio, Sony Vegas Movie Studio (Platinum or Pro), Cyberlink PowerDirector, Adobe Premier Elements, etc.
Summary
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To sum things up, is this a perfect camera? No, especially if you compare it to some of the other models on the market. It doesn't have the "professional grade" quality lens or features of some of the competing models. In addition, indoor/low light full-auto performance is less than stellar, especially for an HD camera, and the included software for Windows users is pretty weak. That being said, this camera does have two factors going for it that merit consideration: size and capacity. It's a consumer-grade camera, so let's look at the real reason the average consumer buys a camcorder: to record and document memories. A lot of times, those memories are going to be on the go. A wise art teacher once told me the best camera in the world is the one you have with you when needed. This camera packs tons of storage into a tiny body rivaling SD-only and similar sized videocams with far less flash memory. You can take this on vacation and feel confident it is small enough to carry everywhere yet capable of capturing all your trip memories without the need to offload footage or add memory. Yes, there are larger much higher quality alternatives, but smaller and lighter is sometimes the better trade-off. Anyone who has ever spent a few days chasing kids all over Disney World or a water park can bear witness to that fact.
In a nutshell, this camera shoots decent to very good outside footage and average to poor (depending on circumstances and whether you're willing to compensate in manual mode or use the built-in light) indoor/low light footage. On the other hand, it's small enough that you're more likely to carry it with you to capture any footage at all. If you're looking for a tiny pocket-size videocam with acceptable performance and a nice little feature set, this is worth a peek.
Buy JVC Everio GZ-HD300 60GB High-Def Camcorder (Red) Now
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.Read Best Reviews of JVC Everio GZ-HD300 60GB High-Def Camcorder (Red) Here
** 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).
Want JVC Everio GZ-HD300 60GB High-Def Camcorder (Red) Discount?
Overall this camcorder is very easy to use and well designed and thought out. It produced high quality video for me under most conditions. In a very small package you get HD quality video a 20x optical zoom, and user-friendly design. Indoor quality was not as good as outdoor shooting (common to most every camcorder) but much more than acceptable.Pros:
Sharp, clear, outdoor video. The first afternoon I had the camcorder I was shooting outdoors and creating AVCHD DVDs. The DVDs looked great on my HDTV. They had the sharpness, clarity, and depth you expect from an HD broadcast. I use a PS3 and it had no problems playing the disc whatsoever.
Easy to use navigation finger pad and laser touch. The user interface was very easy to get use to and worked great for me. On the left side you have the laser touch that I found quite easy to get use to for me to do exactly what I wanted to do. You also use thumb pads that are very responsive. The end result is an easy to navigate set of options.
Good smooth focusing. Most of the time people shoot with automatic focus so the focusing is important. This camera has a better than average for HD 20x optical zoom. Outside I had a fast response to focusing when zooming. More importantly for me, when I burned the DVDs and played them back the focusing was smooth. Other digital camcorders I have used I would get an unpleasant visual sensation when focusing in, not the HD300. That is not to say that it doesn't have to refocus, but that the transition is much smoother than other camcorders I have used. I was also able to get focused closeups of butterflies on flowers.
Well thought out user features. There are number of good and useful design features with this camcorder. First the strap is excellent. It includes a clip that you can open and close for very easy adjustment for people with different hand sizes. My wife and me both get a great fit, very easily. Start up is great. Opening the screen turns on the camera and opens the lens cover. A short everio startup screen appears but you can start shooting in seconds. When you close the screen you can leave the camcorder in quick start mode so the next time you open the screen it is ready to shoot without showing the everio startup screen. Closing the screen closes the lens cover automatically.
Software is basic but does what it is suppose to do. I used windows Vista and had no problems with software. Very basic software but it was easy to use from the get go and let me create DVDs with no problems. It also let me upload to Youtube very easily. Something I had never done before. It was great as I was able to share video with friends and family around the country. One odd thing with the Youtube upload was that at 50% done the software seems like it freezes up. The progress counter stops, things start blinking. The first time it happened I cancelled the operation. Then it happened again and I left it go and it has completed the upload every time. The software asks for your Youtube id and password and it is right there in your account when it finishes.
Cons:
You cannot create AVCHDs in the highest recording mode UXP. The UXP mode records at 24mbps, however when you select UXP it gives you a warning, DVDs can not be created. In the user manual it confirms that UXP can be used for playback and for storage and then playback. Since I primarily use a camcorder to create DVDs to store and share memories this means I will not be using UXP. XP and SP both produced high quality video though. If you have a Blu-ray burner I believe you can create Blu-rays in UXP. XP records at up to over 17mbps.
Poor manual. Most manuals nowadays with electronics are longer than War and Peace. This one is too short. It does not go into using manual mode and different scene shooting modes for instance. Nor does it list an option to cut down on wind noise for sound recording (that worked pretty well). Many other options are not mentioned. What this means is the user needs to play around with all of the menu options to see what the camcorder is capable of. Not hard to do, but no reason not to include a more informative manual.
Indoor recoding. I hesitated to put this as a con because all camcorders I have ever used do not produce as good results indoors. There is a reason that Discover HD looks so amazing most of the time, it is being shoot outdoors. Even TV quality HD cameras do not work their best indoors except with Hollywood level lighting. I thought the results were overall good with the HD300. During daylight indoors the quality was pretty crisp and sharp. At night it was grainy. However color reproduction was good indoors during daylight and nighttime. You are not going to get as good quality as outdoors though
Mixed-bag.
Sound recording. Overall I was able to get some pretty great sound. Much better than camcorders I have used in the past. However when you zoom the microphone zooms as well. This is good if you are recording say a baseball game and want the sounds from the game. But I do a lot of `narration' where I am zooming in and out but the sound I want is my narration. It would have been nice to be able to turn off the zooming mic when possible. Also you can not attach an external mic.
Conclusion.
This is a small but powerful workhorse of a camcorder with a lot to recommend it. The camcorder is very easy to use, great menu interface, super compact, good smooth zoom, nice amount of HDD storage (7.5 hours in XP), good basic software included, and really nice video quality under most conditions. It is remarkable what you get in so small a package. I am not a videographer as much as someone who wants to create video to share and remember. And I like that video to be as high quality as possible straight from the camcorder. This camcorder does that very well. It lets you easily create high quality AVCHD DVDs to store and share memories.
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