Gy-hm100u

[thomas.jack.moore]

Has anyone seen this new JVC camcorder? I know they seem to be focusing on Final Cut - and I use CS4- but has anyone seen a review where they have actually used it and are not just reselling JVC talking points? I'm looking to move my HV30 to a backup and get a new camera.

Any help would be appreciated.

T. J.

[DaFireMedic]

It hasn't actually been released yet, so I doubt you will see any actual user reviews. Until we actually see its performance, it will be difficult to see how it compares to the HMC150, FX1000, etc.

[Rumpelgeist]

I think you can do better for $4K.

[Eugenia Loli-Queru]

Your question has nothing to do with editing, so please use the right subforum next time.

[DaFireMedic]

Footage:

JVC GY HM 100 Demofootage Testsession on Vimeo

[spideralex90]

@DaFireMedic, that's some really clean footage. This camera still impresses me, i'd say it'd be 4K well spent but like someone said you probably could do better, but the ease of editing and such would be great. I wonder how the shotgun mic is. They had no audio in that test.

[DaFireMedic]

that's some really clean footage. This camera still impresses me, i'd say it'd be 4K well spent but like someone said you probably could do better, but the ease of editing and such would be great. I wonder how the shotgun mic is. They had no audio in that test.

I have no doubt that image quality will be very good. The big question is how the 1/4" sensors perform in low light. I wasn't expecting the Sanyo to do so hot in low light but it did. This one may do well also, we'll just have to see.

[Rumpelgeist]

No matter how good the footage is, $2K is the max for this cam. For the money JVC wants, the HMC150 is a much better choice, unless you want a really small camera, but even then the HMC150 + the HF100 will be a cheaper combination.

[Ian-T]

I agree.

[dcloud]

I love the .mov - final cut wrokflow though

this captures 4:2:0 right?

[DaFireMedic]

this captures 4:2:0 right?

Yes

[Paulo Teixeira]

So far the price is a little under $3500. It may get ever lower in a few months after the release.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/597842-REG/JVC_GY_HM100U_GY_HM100U_ProHD_Camcorder.html

[Jedd]

This cam is really similar in size to the Sony HVR-A1U, which I own. For video journalism and documentary work, size is really important. I love having a small, light camcorder that still gets great picture (thought admittedly the A1U is crap in low light). JVC's answer to the A1U class of camcorders seems to be a strong one.

Main differences? Solid state recording is the most obvious one, the A1U uses tapes (HDV). 3 CCD is the other obvious difference. The A1U uses 1 CMOS (although it's 1/3"). Less notable differences: optical stabilization on the JVC, only digital on the A1U. The JVC has a handle, which is nice. 24p on the JVC, but this isn't important to me. The viewfinder on the JVC looks larger, and cups around to block out light. Fancy auto-focus on the JVC, but I don't know a whole lot about how good this is. Both have 10x zoom, both have detachable XLR inputs.

I'll wait for reviews to come out before I even consider upgrading to this cam. But if it does well in low-light and the price drops below 3k, it's definitely worth thinking about. Please post reviews here if you find them.

[Rumpelgeist]

Focus assist on the A1/HC1 is rudimentary and works only in pause mode. JVC's focus assist with color peaking over B/W image is the best, IMHO. AFAIK, the FX7 has the same focus assist feature. If you don't care for 24p, why don't you look at the FX7? It is probably about the same size as the HM100 with the handle/XLR attached.

[Jedd]

Focus assist on the A1/HC1 is rudimentary and works only in pause mode. JVC's focus assist with color peaking over B/W image is the best, IMHO. AFAIK, the FX7 has the same focus assist feature. If you don't care for 24p, why don't you look at the FX7? It is probably about the same size as the HM100 with the handle/XLR attached.

The FX7 looks pretty big to me, compared to my Sony and this JVC. Have you seen the pics of the JVC in the palm of someone's hand? The body of it is the same size as some consumer cams, similar to the A1U. The size is the essential selling point for me. Weight too.

Thanks for your feedback on the focus assist. For documentary work I use both manual and auto focus depending on the situation, but a reliable auto focus would really be great.

[Rumpelgeist]

The FX7 is not THAT big. The FX7 without a hood is about the same length as the A1 with the hood and a large battery (the FX7 has a deep cavity for a battery, so it does not stick out). I personally like the way it is designed. You will feel at home after the A1, because it is like the A1 on steroids. Couple of more buttons, bigger LCD, better focus assist, top handle, but otherwise very similar. I think it is the smallest camera to look and feel like a professional one.

If you are ok it being tape-based, having no built-in XLR mixer and no progressive recording, than I think it is the best value for $2K. I have the HC1 and I would buy the FX7 myself if it were tapeless and offered progressive recording. I don't care for XLR, if needed I can use an adapter or use a radio mic, so lack of XLR is not an issue for me.

For around $3.5K the HMC150 looks like a better camera than the HMC100 to me. But it is bigger too.

[Jedd]

Thanks for the suggestions. I think I'll call Samy's camera and see if they have any of the above mentioned in stock. It would be nice to handle them all and see the bulkiness of each one. I'm starting to do more serious work, and I gotta move up from my 1-chip soon (although my A1U has served me very, very well). But besides coveting the HVX200 for a while now, I haven't been keeping up on the latest camcorder technology. That's a big camera too, I know, but the quality is just incredible.

XLR is pretty important to me. I have a Rode NTG-1 that gets very good audio, and I even use that mic for many of my interviews. It would be a shame to part with it.

[mbwkrause]

I own the HM100 and all I can say is it´s the best thing since the invention of sliced bread... Honestly though, it fits my needs perfectly and the image quality is superb. Much better than anything I have seen from the HMC150 - except for low light were the HM100 performs pretty much like a XH-A1, so okay, but not stellar. I sure wish it had a better place iris ring and there are some other quirks. But the overall form factor is great and the codec/workflow is a dream and so much better than having to deal with odd HMC150 files or even - er - tape...

[Jedd]

Can you post some test footage from it? I'd especially like to see how it does in low light, if you can.

[Rumpelgeist]

> I own the HM100 and all I can say is
> it´s the best thing since the invention of sliced bread.

I hate sliced bread, but I take it that you actually like your HM100.

> [in] low light the HM100 performs pretty much like a XH-A1

Seriously? The XH-A1 is considered pretty good in low light. So in a way this sounds like a praise. But everyone says that the HMC150 is better in low light than the XH-A1.

> the codec/workflow is a dream and so much better
> than having to deal with odd HMC150 files

It seems to me that for Mac users the HM100 is better, because it writes to native Mac files. But for me, for example, AVHCD workflow is better. I have a pretty powerful computer and I use Vegas, which has native support for AVCHD but as far as I understand no native support for MP4. It should support MOV, but at 35 Mbps preview must be even slower than AVCHD at 17 Mbps. AFAIK, Vegas 9 supports MP4 natively, but I am not going to upgrade again anytime soon.

So, for me the HMC150 offers better workflow, AND it has bigger chips, AND more buttons AND it is cheaper. Well, it WAS cheaper, but now the price hiked back to almost $3.5K. Should have bought one for $3.1K a month ago.

Could you post couple of files in MOV and MP4 wrappers for me to try in Vegas?

> or even - er - tape...

Ditto. See the sig below. But for almost 2x difference in price between the FX7 and the HM100 one might agree to compromise on some features. I am still waiting for Canon to release an AVCHD cam in the form-factor of the GL-2 with insides of the HF-S100. This is exactly what Panasonic did with the HMC40, it took the SD300 and put it into a larger body with couple of more buttons. This is what JVC did with the HM100, it took 1/4-inch chips from the Panasonic HDC-SD1 and put them in the HD7 body. How hard can it be?

[mbwkrause]

So far I have only one lame low light example that you can´t even watch in HD because I´m too cheap to pay for Vimeo: Bainbidge Island Ferry on Vimeo
From what I read, the HMC150 is better than the A1 in low light and ergo would be better than the HM100... As for the workflow: I use Vegas 8.0 right now and don´t plan to upgrade any time soon. I shot in .mp4 and used the free Sony XDCAM file browser. The re-wrapping takes only a few seconds and everything runs fine on my dual core Centrino Thinkpad. If you are a PC user you can also spend 80 bucks on the Calibrated Software's XD Decoder which will allow you to just drag and drop the .mov files into your Vegas timeline.

[Rumpelgeist]

Actually, I am interested in raw files. And I don't care for their visual quality. Thanks for the hint for the Sony XDCAM browser. What does it rewrap MP4 into?

[mbwkrause]

I know you are, but I don´t have any right now and would not have any way to share them anyhow. But you can get some here: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/jvc-gy-hm-series-camera-systems/146467-downloadable-hm700-35mbps-clips-testing-your-nle.html They are from the HM700 but technically they are identical with the HM100 files.

[Jedd]

I was the one asking to see footage. Thanks for posting it by the way. You know, YouTube allows you to upload HD now ... up to a 1GB file. Don't need a Plus account or anything (although the HD videos on Vimeo still look better).

If you have any other HM100 footage online, I'd love to see it.

[Rumpelgeist]

Cool, thanks. So, which format are you exporting to for use in Vegas? It seems that the clip browser supports variety of formats.

Yep, YouTube supports HD, which looks slightly better than Vimeo's but takes longer to buffer.

[Jedd]

And it takes me THIS long to realize that I can just search Vimeo for HM100 and get 23 videos of footage. Fail.

[Rumpelgeist]

And it takes me THIS long to realize that I can just search Vimeo for HM100 and get 23 videos of footage. Fail.
Are they any good? Oh, I can do the same search too :)

[Jedd]

Are they any good? Oh, I can do the same search too :)

Guy putting gel in his mohawk, apparently recording with full auto ... ok not the most useful example, but I guess that's 1 down, 22 to go ...

[mbwkrause]

I don´t right now. But did you see this?
JVC GY HM-100 shot at 720 60p rendered to 24p Day & Night on Vimeo
YouTube - JVC GY HM-100U : 720p50
JVC GY-HM100 HM100 Low light footage on Vimeo
http://philipbloom.co.uk/2009/04/17/review-of-jvc-gy-hm-100/

[mbwkrause]

I shoot .mp4 and re-wrap them in the clip browser.

[mbwkrause]

Due to popular demand the footage is on Youtube now too:
YouTube - Bainbridge Island

[Rumpelgeist]

I shoot .mp4 and re-wrap them in the clip browser.
Rewrap into what?

[mbwkrause]

into .mxf to use on the timeline.

[Maxwell]

This camera looks beast! If I had 4,000 bucks I would buy it in a snap. I guess the downside is that you need a super computer. Uh oh AVCHD.

[spideralex90]

This camera looks beast! If I had 4,000 bucks I would buy it in a snap. I guess the downside is that you need a super computer. Uh oh AVCHD.

Careful what you say about AVCHD, from experience i can tell you, you'll be torn to shreds! :)

[Maxwell]

LOL I heard it doesnt have as good of quality as tapes? Also I wont be the only one torn to shreds, my computer will become mush. Hmmm. Super computers anyone?

[DaFireMedic]

Careful what you say about AVCHD, from experience i can tell you, you'll be torn to shreds! :)

Lol....come on, thats not entirely true. (Not entirely.....:hv20-smilie03:)




LOL I heard it doesnt have as good of quality as tapes? Also I wont be the only one torn to shreds, my computer will become mush. Hmmm. Super computers anyone?

Theoretically, it has better quality than HDV. In real life, it appears to be at least as good visually, depending on the camera.

You don't need a super computer to edit AVCHD natively per say, but the faster the better. I remember not too long ago when people were saying that you needed a super computer to edit HDV (which was sort of true at the time). AVCHD is going through the same thing. My 3 yr old dual core laptop struggles to edit AVCHD natively, but it can be done. Its just much easier to transcode to Cineform or proxy edit. My quad core desktop does a much better job handling it natively, and some of the newest computers can cruise through it now like HDV. But overall, HDV is much easier to edit.

So it won't turn your computer into mush, but it will stutter unless you have at least a newer quad core or above, or transcode.

But the Gy-hm100u is Mpeg-2 based, so you wouldn't have to worry about it anyway.....:hv20-smilie77:

[Maxwell]

God I want this camera so bad. XH-A1? Nah. I look to my right see my little HV30 with a Rode Videomic attached to it. LOL. But then again 4,000 bucks? Is it really worth it. You could probably rent an even better camera for cheaper than 4,000. F that I still want it. Mwhahaha.

[dcloud]

avchd will trounce hdv on footage with a lot of details and movements but if theres not much movement on screen, their pretty much equal visually...

but avchd helps in chroma keying

[Maxwell]

Oh so I guess there could be a debate between AVCHD and HDV?

[DaFireMedic]

I look to my right see my little HV30 with a Rode Videomic attached to it. LOL.

The HV30 still rocks, more than 2 years after the HV20's release. Don't be in too big of a hurry to drop major cash on a prosumer camcorder, unless you have plans to earn money from your videos. I'm still amazed at what the HV20/HV30 can do in skilled hands.

[dcloud]

Id like to see a low light comparison with an hv20 v hm100u

[Rumpelgeist]

I think that the HV will win in low light competition.

[Maxwell]

Of course I am in no hurry to go buy this camera. I have only made 1 short on the HV30. And just some test footage. I have plenty of things to do with this camera. It is a great camera and my opinion. Well I think it is because this is my first camera. But yeah I am going to have to wait a while before I drop a lot of dough on a camera. So does the JVC camera shoot in 24p?

[marquesj75]

From what I've seen and heard the hm100 does a very good job in low light for 1/4 inch sensors. Equal to the canon xh-a1, so I can't imagine how the hv20 would be better.

[mbwkrause]

I can´t do a direct comparison since I sold my HV20 but the HM100 is way better in low light than the HV20. And you are able to control the gain without a cell phone :-) JVC really did a great job with this little beast and I am not the only one who is surprised what you can get out of a tiny chip. I sure wish it would be bigger but the HM100 still is the best cam in the $3,500 class IMO, especially if you take the form factor into account. I just came back from a seven day camping trip with tons of very nice stock footage from our hikes. Just throw the HM100 and a Camera Craddle in your backpack and you are good to go for miles and miles without breaking your back.

[politikill]

Are you on crack ? This cam dosen't even compare to the xha1, I compared them before I bought the xha1s. There really isn't even a comparison. I would shoot with an hv30 before using this cam. Big deal, about exposure, It's so easy to work around that it's a non issue. Although I have 20,000 watts of light if I need it, but thats beside the point. This is a 1,000 dollar cam at best.Sorry to see you get taken by JVC!

[Maxwell]

I don't understand you guys and low light? Aren't you always supposed to have plenty of light when shooting? Wow, the HM100 beat the HV20 in a low light competition. @krause wow your lucky to have the HM100 is it better than than the XH-A1?

[marquesj75]

Politikill, what does the hv30 do better than the jvc hm100?

[mbwkrause]

politikill: Film a running person in front of a leafy tree with lots of wind and watch how the A1 codec breaks down. Doesn´t happen with the HM100. But I´m glad that you like your cam, no reason to behave like an ass* though. I liked the A1 too when I had it. And I probably would still use it if it were smaller and would record on SD cards.

[Maxwell]

The HV30 isn't better than the HM-100. If it was the HM-100 would cost way less than 4,000.

[redfalcon]

This is a 1,000 dollar cam at best.Sorry to see you get taken by JVC!

What you're paying for with this camera is the codec. 35mbps instead of 25. It's the same codec used in the Sony EX1 and EX3, which have been a phenomenal success. That extra bitrate makes a lot of difference.

The dealbreaker on this cam is the 1/4" sensors. The camera will sell well, but if they had put a single 1/2" sensor in it, they wouldn't be able to keep it on the shelves.

[DaFireMedic]

The dealbreaker on this cam is the 1/4" sensors. The camera will sell well, but if they had put a single 1/2" sensor in it, they wouldn't be able to keep it on the shelves.

If they would have done that, I would likely have sold my HMC150 and bought one, so long as they kept the same price.

[dcloud]

if 24p on 5d comes out.. this thing is dead! well maybe not totally.. im really excited on these new stuff coming out... now all i have to do is earn enough to buy these awesome gadgets.

[Maxwell]

So is there 24p on this camera?

[Jedd]

So is there 24p on this camera?

Yes, it has a 24p mode.

[Maxwell]

Oh man this makes me want to buy 1 even more. What do you guys think: HM-100 vs XH-A1?

[Jedd]

Oh man this makes me want to buy 1 even more. What do you guys think: HM-100 vs XH-A1?

Really depends on what you're going to be using it for.

[spideralex90]

Oh man this makes me want to buy 1 even more. What do you guys think: HM-100 vs XH-A1?

Personally, the HM-100, regardless of the small sensors, it captures a very clean picture plus the easy file format is very handy. Although the manual control on the XH-A1 seems a little easier to deal with, just because they have more buttons and multiple lens rings. However the form factor of the HM-100 is very nice.

[Maxwell]

Yeah that's exactly what I was thinking Alex the Manual control on the XH-A1 seems great. Well Jedd how about for making short films what would you say?

[areté]

has anyone mixed the footage from the hm100u WITH the hv20/30/40? a friend has granted me access to the 100u this weekend for a webseries. But i'm also in the middle of making a short for a dance company i work for, which is shooting on saturday. the short is split into three sections, the second section was fully shot on hv30, and i'm wondering if it would be a good idea (or just too much work and hassle later) to shoot section 3 on the hm100u. any suggestions? also, any workflow suggestions for mixing the two or pointers on any other posts to look at that might already answer that question? :)

thanks!

[MrGibbs]

Any news on comparing the HV20 to this HM100?

[Jedd]

Any news on comparing the HV20 to this HM100?

It would be nice if someone compared their low light performance. Anyone?

[Jedd]

Yeah that's exactly what I was thinking Alex the Manual control on the XH-A1 seems great. Well Jedd how about for making short films what would you say?

Sorry, just noticed this. Between the two, definitely the XHA1 for filmmaking. If you're doing news gathering, video journalism, or documentary work, the HM100 could be pretty cool for its portability. And solid state and FCP files makes editing a snap for quick turnaround. But against the larger cams in this price range, that's really all it has going for it.

If you're thinking about the XHA1, I definitely recommend taking a look at the HMC150. It's just a fantastic camera. Ultimately, don't make a decision until you get a chance to go into a camera store and play around with the camcorders. Having used both the XHA1 and HMC150, though, I can say that they are both excellent cams and you can't go wrong with either one.

[cgbier]

Stupid question: This cam can shoot about any framerate under the sun. Are there still E and U models?

[MrGibbs]

It would be nice if someone compared their low light performance. Anyone?

Hi, I'm a little late in the fight, bu I saw the test on slashcam.de and the low light performance of the HM100 is ridiculous. Was there a problem in the way they tested the camera?

See the test here: http://camcorder-test.slashcam.com/compare-44c294608d5c14eb54cff7acf0c7a014.html

[Jedd]

Hi, I'm a little late in the fight, bu I saw the test on slashcam.de and the low light performance of the HM100 is ridiculous. Was there a problem in the way they tested the camera?

See the test here: http://camcorder-test.slashcam.com/compare-44c294608d5c14eb54cff7acf0c7a014.html

That was done in auto-mode, so it's possible the HV20 compensated more by bumping up the gain. Then again, I've heard that the HM100 low light performance is pretty terrible. Also remember, the HV20/30 has a 1/3 inch chip, larger than the HM100's 1/4 inch chip(s).

[cgbier]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oy-_-e8Xq4