- Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 13 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
-
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful
4.5 stars
"Confused by all the negative comments, very good camera"
Pros: Highly adaptable, light weight
Cons: Auto setting is not worth using
Summary: While I know there are many excellent so called prosumer camcorders out there, the JVC GZ-HD7 is up there. Iâ??m perplexed by the range of negative comments floating around the web so I thought Iâ??d add my two cents, both of negative and positive attributes Iâ??ve found.
Firstly Iâ??ve been using this camera in combination with a black MacBook 2GHz with 2GB RAM, upgraded 185GB HD running OS X 10.4 with FCE which I use for editing. Iâ??ve had this setup for about a year now to make short films and documentaries, and find this set up with the GZ-HD7 to be excellent. I can not comment on how it works with a Windows machine or other editing software.
One of the first things which I find easy with the GZ-HD7 is operating it. It is light but feels very solid in the hand, the controls are well laid out and logical in their positions. I find the manual focus ring a little long in manipulating, so to use it well I need it mounted on a tripod. The operating system is very clear and logical in flow, again well designed. One criticism is I did not realize at first how limited the Auto setting is, and to really tap into what this camera can do, one needs to get familiar and comfortable with the Manual setting. Another criticism, though I think most of the postings online Iâ??ve read are way overblown, has to do with the OIS, there is clearly shake when zooming in and none when zoom is wide. However I find the large number of negative comments on this odd, since the distance one must zoom to notice the shake is significant e.g. the object is a quarter mile off. I suppose if one were shooting wildlife off at some distance this would be a serious issue, but when I mount the camera on a tripod there is no discernable shake. Another issue which I find irksome is the lack of an audio out, however anyone worth their salt will tell you the AV jack is the audio out, you just need a four post adapter (or make one yourself) for your headphones.
One of the smoothest operations of this camera (though Iâ??ve seen as a common complaint), has to do with JVCâ??s .TOD file format and transferring video. While I think the user manual which comes with the camera nearly worthless, JVCâ??s online video instructions for transferring recordings to your computer are very clear, basically to transfer HD to your Mac you need to be recording in 1440 CBR, the following link to the instructions is clear http://media2.jvc.com/camcorder/macHD.mov so I think if you follow it youâ??ll have a pleasant experience.
If you want to record in 1920 x 1080i youâ??ll need MPEG Streamclip free from the apple website http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/video/mpegstreamclip.html which is a handy utility to have anyway.
Over all, I find the large number of complaints to be mostly by people looking for a quick fix to their frustrations and not taking the time to get to know this camera.
- 2 replies to this review
-
Thank you, John, for posting this review. You've made some excellent points. Your response to the "headphone out" issue noted in other reviews is exactly what I expected to find from someone who understands the camera. I've never worried about OID, as anyone should understand that OID is a consumer convenience, not a videographer's necessity.
-
Thank you John Painter My elderly girlfriend wanted a camera for our next holiday and she does not have a computer nor access when away, so I suggested this one to her due to the burner capability and via tv whilst on holidays (as they are always available). I have started to learn about it today and we managed to have a great tripod and bag thrown in with the deal and walked away with an extra long battery for under $900AU so I felt it was terrific value and when we learn how to use it we will gain immensely from the home videos of our great adventure to bring home to the children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Through the Kimberleys in the great North West of Western Australia is not something that an 80 yr old lady does every day, so to prove to the children what she actually achieves and the humour and personality she possesses will be our reward. Thanks for your review and the effort you took to add it here.
