JVC GY-HM100U ProHD Camcorder

Comments about JVC GY-HM100U ProHD Camcorder:

I shot 2 video clips with it, one in very low light and the other in a park. The performance was great

Comments about JVC GY-HM100U ProHD Camcorder:

When I first got this Camera I was pumped. The camera is light, and easy to use. I would suggest buying or making a stabilizer for the camera since its so small, it is hard to not have a shaky video. The camera does not do well at all in low light.
I will admit that I have talked to others about this camera and no one seems to have the same trouble I do. Here is my problem with the camera. When recording the camera will stop and a screen will come up that says something to the effect of "Media recovery needed" It goes on to tell me that if I don't press ok and process the media, it will be lost. I press ok, depending on how long I have been recording it can take anywhere from a few seconds to a minuet. Once it is done it says I can record again. However, sometimes it will let me record again, and other times it will keep bringing this screen up until I switch SD cards. I have tried countless different SD cards with the same results. I finally sent the camera in to JVC, they cleaned the camera and reset everything. When I got it back it seemed to work fine again. About a week later the same problem started to happen again. I tried a different brand and a higher class of SD cards. This made it so that it didn't happen nearly as often. But the problem continued still. By this time I had had the camera for about a year (I use other cameras as well, and I could not always recreate the problem when needed to show someone what the problem was). Since the warranty had run out, JVC won't help me try to fix the problem unless I pay for it. I admit that I got a lemon, but this has made any kind of live shoot with the camera impossible cause your never sure when it will quit recording. Imagine shooting a wedding and right when the groom kisses the bride your camera stops recording... there's no explaining to the bride how you missed that moment! I have thought about buying new cameras, and my company wanted to buy a second HM-100, I had to insist that we not go that way again, and quite frankly I wouldn't recommend this camera to anyone else. When it does work without stopping it gets really good quality footage (in good light) and if your using FCP then transferring data is so quick and easy that its unreal.

Comments about JVC GY-HM100U ProHD Camcorder:

This little camera is a real powerhouse for the money. It offers a variety of HD formats to shoot... all with the convenience of SD card media storage. The picture quality with the 3CCDs is outstanding. It does have some difficulty in handling low light situations. These can usually be compensated for by switching to the manual mode, boosting the gain and opening the lens. This is pretty standard photo/video procedure but we are so used to everything being automatic that I've seen some complaints on this. If you plan to shoot in extremely low light, then you may not want this camera.
Shooting in the MOV format makes getting files into FinalCut X a breeze. It's the native format. You can start editing instantly.
Controls as small, but very usable. AE programs are quickly accessible with control right on the viewfinder.
The camera is extremely light weight since it doesn't require any motorized tape mechanism. This makes it a little tricky to hand-hold steady shots. It just takes a little practice and the OIS works adequately.
Just finished shooting a documentary in the mountains of Haiti where I needed to backpack all my equipment. This camera fit perfectly into the backpack camera case and gave me picture quality that matches the quality of the larger HD cameras my counterparts were shooting in the cities. If you can't tell the difference, why pay the difference.
The included shotgun mic has good response and the on-board xlr inputs makes adding external mics easy. It's a little awkward with the mic cord attached to the top of the camera instead of the bottom, but it's a convenience trade-off for the compact size.
So why 4 stars and not 5? I never give anything 5 stars unless is also cooks breakfast and does my laundry.

Comments about JVC GY-HM100U ProHD Camcorder:

The camera was used as the primary camera for a documentary production in less than ideal (when is it ever ideal?) conditions. The ability to control exposure/audio, and the fairly extensive customization options were very helpful. One needs to have fairly small fingers to work the various controls and an excellent memory to remember where various commands are hidden. The low light performance of this camera, as others have pointed out, is not very good at all. The focus can be a little tricky, and the variable speed zoom is variable to be sure, but extremely difficult to control. The LCD viewfinder and the LCD screen have horrible resolution--one might need to purchase an attachable field monitor if you need to get better feedback on actual image quality. Workflow is great for Final Cut; to preview materials on your computer without Final Cut requires acquiring the appropriate codecs for QTime.

Comments about JVC GY-HM100U ProHD Camcorder:

Wonderful camera for a reasonable price. But had trouble finding a low cost editing program that would open the Quicktime files on my Mac. Had to choose Apple's reasonably priced Final Cut Pro which will open Quicktime (or what are actually EXDCAM EX files) flawlessly.

Comments about JVC GY-HM100U ProHD Camcorder:

I'm a professional photographer that has had to train one man band reporters how to use this camera. I use the full size model 700 and have a panasonic dvx-100B that I use for my freelance work. My main complaint is unlike the panasonic it feels like they decided to just randomly put the controls wherever they had room on the camera body. It's a pain to switch over from automatic to manual controls and it needs to be reset every time you turn the camera off and on. Anything shot with the automatic controls turns out horrible. Adjusting the manual settings takes forever and can really hurt you in the field when you only have a few seconds to grab a crucial shot. The body is flimsy, the focal length is horrible and performs horribly unless you get familiar with the controls and have a lot of time to shoot. Unless you are a professional working on a project where you have a lot of time to set up the camera, stay away from this piece of junk.

Comments about JVC GY-HM100U ProHD Camcorder:

I've been looking for a small, pro-level camcorder for event, documentary, promotional, educational, and personal use. This camera meets and exceeds my needs is all areas. The criteria that I used in search of this camera were:

- Compact & Lightweight
- Full Manual Control
- Focus Ring
- Eyepiece w/ adjustable focus
- Discreet XLR Inputs & Shotgun Mic
- Use of Inexpensive Media (SDHC)
- Easy ingestion into Final Cut Pro
- 24p, 30p and 60p Modes

The GY-HM100u hits the mark in all areas. I was expecially impressed that Apple had licesned the .mov format to JVC for this camera. With this feature, there is NO TRANSCODING when ingesting footage into Final Cut Pro. I Simply Drag the files from the SDHC cards into my hard drive and they are instantly available to edit in FCP.

The only downside about the camera for me is that the manual adjustments to shutter, EV, and iris are a little cumbersome, located on the rear of the camera by the battery. With a little practice, reaching them becomes second nature.

Overall the picture quality is absolutely stunning at all quality and size settings. 24p looks great. I've even used a few tricks to get smooth slowmo after shooting at 60p in both 30p and 24p timelines. Again, this footage looks amazing.

The XLR inputs were another big factor in my purchase. I'm often using multiple professional mics. This camera can accommodate 2 discreet channels of audio, or a stereo pair.

I have multiple JVC Data Batteries. I would suggest purchasing multiple batteries as even the high capacity batteries available from JVC can be eaten up quickly. They can be found online for $20-40.

Again, overall this camera met and exceeded my expectations. It is a timesaver! I'd reccommend this camera to anyone looking for a high quality, low cost, compact, versatile, and professional video solution.

Comments about JVC GY-HM100U ProHD Camcorder:

I was looking for quality, all I got was meh. The camera performs the same as a high-end consumer camera, shouldn't be considered of a professional standard. It does however have great compatibility with sound equipment, the main reason I bought this to film my documentary, I ended up using it for a few low-end adult films. Not to be used in low-light, period. The camera feels cheap and performs alright. Also to note is the useful racks on the top for mounting other equipment such as lights.

Comments about JVC GY-HM100U ProHD Camcorder:

Met our need to connect to church camera system as a handheld and a stand alone pro camera for interviews

Comments about JVC GY-HM100U ProHD Camcorder:

What's amazing about this video camera is that it works flawlessly with Final Cut Pro on the Mac since the files it records in is .mov. One literally pops in the SDHC (class 6 or higher) into the Mac, drag the movie files into Final Cut and you're editing. It's literally that simple. No changing of settings because Final Cut recognizes the native files. Don't let the size fool you, this is an amazing camera with a lot of pro features. It also feels solid in the hands. The best feature for me is the focus assist. Just like what it means, this feature enables you to express your artistry by helping you manually focus on any subject in the frame. The color highlights around the subjects confirm you are focused. Just one of the many great features.

It's poor in low light, but there are manual settings that could easily fix it. The instructions were not written well, especially in the audio section.

Comments about JVC GY-HM100U ProHD Camcorder:

I love this camera so much, I bought a second one. Why?

First, I love the form factor. This camera is small and light, but still heavy enough to give you that steadiness in your hand-held shots.

Second, I really love the workflow. This camera, as you know, records footage onto SDHC media as Quicktime movie files. The convenience of dragging and dropping my shots right into my Final Cut timeline is wonderful. No more waiting for my footage to ingest. No more time spent converting AVCHD files into ProRes... WONDERFUL!

Of course, picture quality is top notch. For me, the only downside is the camera's low light performance. The 1/4 chips are great, but 1/3 would've been nicer.

Comments about JVC GY-HM100U ProHD Camcorder:

This would be a great product, except it's meant for Apple computer users. If you don't have an Apple, don't bother buying this camera. It's meant to use with Final Cut Studio, and that particular software won't work on a PC. Unfortunately, I had a PC and it's almost impossible to find the right software and codecs to edit the video.

Comments about JVC GY-HM100U ProHD Camcorder:

I must say, it's a nice little camera.... but so far pretty disappointing. First, it seems all plastic and I'm just waiting for it to break. Terrible unless you have plenty of light in an interview compare to my old Panasonic 100. And here's the big one... wanting to use it for webcasting... the smart guys at JVC made it so the USB out does not have video. So there's no way to use it, unless you go out and spent a few hundred more on an HDMI converter box. This baby is going back first thing in the morning.

Comments about JVC GY-HM100U ProHD Camcorder:

I bought this camcorder in July 2010. It came with UK firmware version 1.10 which solves the interlacing frames when shooting progressive issue that JVC were notified of in late 2009. It's good to see that this issue was addressed by the company and a fix was applied to new cams being sold. Therefore don't be put off from buying based on the previous review by Robert regarding this issue. In short, whilst zoom is limited (it works ok using the rocker)and the recessed lens makes it tricky to apply filters, overall the cam is really good. Controls are small but workable (including those at the back of the camcorder) and once you get used to them the results can be great when shooting in manual. Its fun and easy to use and the macro mode is a great feature to obtain some trick DOF shots. Low light is also good with gain added. If this is your first pro camcorder you won't be disappointed in my opinion.

Comments about JVC GY-HM100U ProHD Camcorder:

I started out with a GL2 in college before moving on to an assortment of Pro Canon camcorders, and as a full disclosure, JVC has always intrigued me. Now that I own a HM700U, in addition to the HM100U, I am very partial to the JVC brand.

When I am limited to one camera for a shoot, surprise, surprise, I'd pick the HM100U any day... it's a real joy to shoot with. If someone didn't tell you it was a professional tool, you might think it is a toy because it is that fun to use.

Don't get me started on how easy it is to interface it with Final Cut!

I get fantastic picture quality out of it in any light and the controls are laid out in a very logical fashion. If you want something with more of a lens, then get something else, but if you think you can get by with the advertised features of this camera, I wholeheartedly recommend it.

(Not a big downside: The shotgun operates on one of the SLR ports, so if you have a stereo SLR device to plug in, you have to unplug the shotgun).

Comments about JVC GY-HM100U ProHD Camcorder:

Great little camera. Shoots about as good and a lot easier than my JVC GY-HD250. I use it to shoot events and short videos. I like that it has an optional XLR input I can use when I need and remove when I don't. It's a small camera so if your not careful it shoots like one.

Comments about JVC GY-HM100U ProHD Camcorder:

I owned this one, sold it a few weeks ago and bought Canon XF100. Canon is much better camera for the money. It has real controls, real adjustments for picture profile and twice as good codec. In fact XF100 makes this camera look like a toy. Being owner of the two my advice is not to spend the money on this piece of junk. JVC released this camera and even though filming community was asking for fixes through firmware, the company decided to ignore them all. Also JVC never issued a recall for a know interlacing issue: when you shoot 30p with 1/30 shutter it interlaces the frames. You have to send it back to the factory, but JVC did not even bother announcing it to the customers. If you want to waste your money on a camera, that looks like "was tossed five to five on Friday night" go ahead. I sold my unit, bought Canon XF100 and I do not regret my decision.
I should have known better- after having numerous breakdowns with my HD100 from JVC, I should have never trusted that company. In short- I will never buy JVC camera again

Comments about JVC GY-HM100U ProHD Camcorder:

I love how easy it is to just pick it up and go. All the necessary functions aren't hidden in an endless web of digital menus that I can't find quickly on the fly. The biggest negative is the codec for my editing. I had to find it on google.

Comments about JVC GY-HM100U ProHD Camcorder:

Semi-Professional shooting for Churches and Special Events

Easy to setup and use, great picture for the price. I purchased the Wide-Angle lens and It literally competes with the higher end cameras for about 1/2 the price.

Haven't found any dislikes yet.

Comments about JVC GY-HM100U ProHD Camcorder:

I make shorts films about my family our vacations and more.
Very nice picture quality, small size.