JVC Everio GZ-HM200 user reviews (Blue)

Pros his tiny hi def camcorder for a few days. but I must tell you that the test dvd's that I made were very impressive....this little hi def
camcorder truly is a diamond in the rough

Cons havent found any yet

Summary excellent value for the money

Updated on Jul 2, 2009

well...I've shot some more HD Test videos.......and burned them to DVD using the supplied JVC Software.and I must say that the 1080P Performance of thistiny camcorder really are Impressive
and the fact that I could get a 20X Optical Zoom as well is just a added plus.........i cant wait to take this little camcorder on my next cruise vacation.........

Updated on Jul 23, 2009

well i decided to go out out a bit furthur and purchased the corel Video studio pro2 software.as I discoverd that the supplied software from jvc is very limiting, And I like creating video productions with fancy wipes fades Etc.......
I hihgly reccomend getting the corel software.I must admit..it may take a little while to learn how to use it.........but the results are well worth it........

Pros High Quality Bit rate 24Mbs
DUAL SD card capabilites
20x Zoom (The highest in HD) for consumer camcorders.
Great software

Cons None, except that I'm waiting for one.

Summary High Bit rate of 24 Mbs while some brands are still at 16Mbs.This means better quality especially where details are needed and fast scenes.

Wow 2 SDHC cards can be used. Ideal when travelling and it will be cheaper to buy 2 x 16GB SD cards than it is to buy 1 x 32GB SD card at the moment. Even when 32GB drops use two of them later on. Great idea.

I found out than you can connect this camcorder to some extenal HDD's or some external Blu-Ray burners.Best to see their website for more info.

The software allows for You tube, iTunes upload and burn to DVD,AVCHD DVD disc or Blu Ray if you have a burner.

It also has the largest zoom for a consumer camcorder 20x.

After reading all this on their websites it sounds like the camcorder to go for if you are after a memory card camcorder.

Pros 24mbps HD
Small
loght
easy to use on screen controls
easy controls
manual focus
face recognition
2 SD card slots
Easy to use
LED light
Carrying strap
can charge from USB
Can back up to USB hard drives.

Cons Battery life could be better (bigger batteries available)
No internal memory

Summary I've not used it in anger yet but these are my initial impressions.
I initially bought a dinky non HD Sony memory card camera as a replacement for my old brick. Despite being 8 years on, hoth having zeiss lenses and both being Sony, the picture was considerably worse than my 8 year old Sony DV camera. So much for progress.
Comet helpfully let me swap it for this (plus a few quid obviously). Full maks for service though.
Anyway - the JVC. Being HD, the picture quality is excellent. I've not tried 24mbps, but the lower setting is very clear and makes my old Sony look poor by comparison. Note - the manual recommends a class 6 card for 24mbps and most shops seem to only sell class 4's (online there is no price difference so I've ordered a class 6 16Gb card for the same price I paid for an class 4 4Gb). Also, in HD, the 4gb card they sold me will only record 30 mins (20 on max) so get yourself a 16Gb card.

Make sure you get a card with the camera as, unlike some, there is no internal memory at all, so it won't work without.

2 card slots means you can buy x2 cheaper cards rather than 1 larger one. It will also allow you to 'hot swap' allegedly but I can't see many home users needing this.

Filming is simple point and shoot as you'd expect, with complex features (most settings have a manual override) all hidden in the menus. most controls can be accessed via the touch sensitive buttons on the bottom of the screen and the touch slider (which has a funky blue light that follows your finger). The slider also allows you instant access to features such as zoom and face recognition, which is easier than using the zoom button on the top and avoids that shake you get when you have no adjust your hand to reach it.
The side handle is tensioned by a cord so you have the choice between a side handle, wrist strap or both.
Stills are only 2Gb but I have a proper still camera for proper pics and 2Gb is fine for snaps.
For uploading, you can't put the card straight into your PC as most (mine anyway) won't read HD format, but the camera conveniently powers from USB as you upload so there is no advantage to transferring without the camera. I've read a critisim that it doesn't have firewire but being SD driven rather than tape I can't see why you'd want it.

The only problem I've found so far, is that my 3Ghz P4 cpu can't cope with the recordings. Loading into Pinnacle, it's jumpy whereas it used to fly with standard DV. So I may end up needing to upgrade my PC - but then thats progress.

Pros Too many pros to list. Super light. The picture quality is awesome, even in low light. I've been using mine since January. I use it for my TV show, and am so impressed. The microphone is ok, and I would love the option for an external mic, but don't ha

Cons Editing software ***********. (oops) LOL Seriously, I bought Corel Studio Pro X 4 and I love it!! Other con is no night vision. They say it's good in dim light, but I don't think it is...but it's ok, because I shoot a lot during the day. But if you

Summary Great camera for the great price, (and I did my homework before I bought it, too!!) I spend at least a week on things before I buy them...so I've done a lot of the leg work for ya... If you buy a tripod, make sure it's got a quick release on it... That's about it. If you want to see video I've done with this my youtube channel is ranchgoddess. The Floyd Fest and the Smith River were done with the Corel software, and the rest were done with the crappy editing software that comes w/the camcorder. (not recommended...) Ciao!!