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JVC Everio GZ-HM1
Review: JVC Everio GZ-HM1 (AVCHD)
We’re seeing a flurry of higher-specification high definition camcorders which offer increasingly high capacity flash memory storage, high recording bit-rates and the kind of improved connectivity we’ve been requesting for a long time. Will JVC be able to stand up to aggressive competition with its new Everio GZ-HM1 flagship?
On the face of it, JVC’s new Full-HD camcorder has everything going for it in what is an increasingly competitive market. Straight out of the box it certainly looks the business, and its rugged yet pleasing body styling will grab the attention of potential users looking for a video camera that exudes an air of professionalism.
JVC Everio GZ-HM1S
However, even with such advanced features as an impressively large single 1/2.3″ 10.3 megapixel CMOS image sensor, 64 GB (Gigabytes) of internal flash memory and “Super Lo-Lux” low light performance, JVC’s latest premium HD camcorder will find it hard competing with the likes of Panasonic’s HDC-TM700, Sony’s HDR-CX550 and especially the upcoming Canon LEGRIA HF S32.
First Impressions
Removed from its packaging for the first time, the Everio GZ-HM1 certainly looks every bit as good as its competitors. Considering its size and the fact that it houses flash memory, it’s surprisingly heavy; its eye-catching two-tone aluminium and black trim body style has harder lines than either of its main Panasonic or Canon equivalents, but general handling is good and it sits well on a good sturdy tripod. What does tend to spoil its appearance somewhat is the LED flash light, which appears to be stuck onto the left side (from the operator’s point of view) of the lens, as indeed is the knurled manual control dial, which is located directly beneath the light. These are situated immediately in front of the generous 2.8” LCD monitor which features main control buttons along the bottom of its frame and a LaserTouch control strip up its left edge. More of that later.
JVC Everio GZ-HM1S
However, it’s nice to see a large see-saw Zoom rocker sitting on the upper rear of the main body; larger zoom rockers of this sort make zooming much more controllable, especially when fine slow zooming movements are required, and it’s also good to see an easily accessible set of external connections, such as microphone input, headphone output, mini-HDMI, AV-output socket (cable to connect to analogue video devices supplied), USB and AC supply socket. All these are all situated in sensible and obvious locations such that you don’t need to play “hunt the socket” when needing to plug something in quickly.
Given that the product uses the now-ubiquitous AVCHD format, we can expect to see very good full high-definition pictures and sound being produced by this camera. Thanks to a single image sensor measuring almost 1/2” and JVC’s own proprietary “K2” image processing technology, the pictures really are impressive when shooting at the higher quality settings. The HM1 offers four quality settings, of which a 24Mbps record/replay bit rate is the highest.
The recording modes offered by the Everio GZ-HM1 are as follows:
- UXP: 24Mbps
- XP: 17Mbps
- SP: 12Mbps
- EP: 5Mbps
All modes use the MPEG-4/AVC H.264 video compression system. Dolby Digital 2ch audio is compressed at 48kHz, 256Kbps. All video compression rates are VBR (Variable Bit Rate).
The HD recording mode is 1080/50i only, with no 50p progressive mode as offered on competing products. The Konica Minolta HD lens offers 10x optical power zoom as well as a 16x Dynamic mode (whatever that is) and also 64x to 200x Digital Zoom modes. There’s the option to switch in a visual grid to aid composition as well as the option for users to save personal preference settings to specific buttons.
High Speed Recording and Time-Lapse Modes
Two features which didn’t have time to test properly are High Speed recording – providing options to record with a shutter speed of 100fps, 250fps and 500fps – and Time-Lapse recording as well. Both options are menu-selectable, with the latter providing 1 second, 2 second and 5 second interval recording. As you’d expect from a product at this price-point, the HM1 offers full manual control over focus, exposure and white balance. 2-channel Dolby audio recording levels can also be manually adjusted when coming from either the built-in microphone or an optional external mic connected to the accessory shoe on the roof of the body. Exposure can be controlled either by Manual or Shutter Priorities, and camera shake can be minimised thanks to an impressive OIS (Optical Image Stabiliser) function.
In addition to its internal 64 GB flash memory, the HM1 also offers the means to record and replay HD movies and digital stills to a full-sized SDHC memory card, whose upward-facing slot is found on the top left of the main body. Maximum recording times when writing to the internal memory are 5 hours 54 minutes at the full “UXP” 24 Mbps setting and 2 hours 40 minutes when writing to a 32 GB SDHC memory card. These times increase dramatically with lower quality (higher compression) settings. Its Lithium-Ion battery is claimed to provide 1 hour 10 minutes of typical usage (although we stretched that much further by careful operation) and at less than 2 hours it’s quick to recharge.
General Handling and Useability
In general, the HM1 handles very well. It’s comfortable to hold whilst shooting hand-held and it definitely suits tripod-mounted usage. On the downside, the HM1 has no electronic viewfinder, and the LCD doesn’t offer touch-screen navigation (touch a screen icon to make selections or adjustments to settings) either. Instead, it relies upon a blue “LaserTouch” strip running up the left of the LCD frame. It isn’t easy to use and not as good as touch-screen systems now commonly employed elsewhere. Secondly, the upward-facing stereo microphone is so susceptible to even the lightest wind noise that shots containing perfect visual content are invariably ruined by wind noise.
It should be noted that the HM1 does in fact have a “Wind Cut” option in the recording set-up menu but, in truth, this is little help when the wind is blowing at even a moderate rate and there’s no substitute for either a properly protected external microphone or some protection over the camcorder’s own microphone itself. If you’re in the market for one of these models, please consider buying an optional external microphone as well – and get a decent Windjammer for it too! You won’t regret it.
However, where it does score positively is its low-light shooting capability; shooting in full Auto mode indoors and in conditions of mixed evening light will produce very acceptable pictures, but the surprise comes with images shot in virtually no light. The pictures are grainy (as to be expected) but still eminently viewable.
Conclusion
The pictures produced by the JVC Everio GZ-HM1 when shooting in 24Mbps full-HD mode are most impressive and look particularly good when displaying on a large LCD or Plasma TV. General handling and user-friendliness is good, despite the less-than-perfect LaserTouch-based navigation and awkward scroll wheel control which makes manual focus and exposure adjustments difficult when actually recording. It’s also a pity that many exterior test clips were let down by wind noise buffeting (as demonstrated on our movie insert), which can only serve to indicate that an external microphone with effective wind-jammer is an essential accessory for all users of the premium-grade product. It doesn’t make sense to splash out on such a high-spec model only to tolerate such poor sound reproduction. Despite these shortcomings, it’s an impressive model from JVC that stands up well to the competition and one which we recommend.
You can read another review of this product at Testfreaks
Summary: JVC Everio GZ-HM1
- AVCHD Full-HD 1920 x 1080 recording
- 1/2.3″ CMOS image sensor
- “Super LoLux” Low Light recording
- 10.3 Megapixels still image resolution
- 1080/50i specification recording
- 62GB Flash Memory and SDHC Card recording/playback
- Mic input, headphone output, built-in accessory shoe adaptor
Reviewed by Colin Barrett, SimplyDV. Text copyright Colin Barrett/SimplyDV Ltd 2010. Main product images courtesy JVC UK Ltd. Featured video Copyright ©2010 SimplyDV Ltd.
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