JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder

Comments about JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder:

Sufficient lighting is the key to always getting the best from this camera. And outdoors or in a studio-type environment is where it captures superb 3D footage. It is somewhat noisy at lower light levels.

I've used it for several months mainly as a 2D camera until recently. Now I'm starting to do much more 3D capturing and editing. The results are amazing once you understand both the cam and the different rules for shooting in 3D. Properly composing your scenes and limiting camera movement/travel are both extremely important.

So if you have good lighting or are shooting outdoors, this is a revolutionary piece of 3D gear. Use it properly and your audience will be amazed! Just don't expect quite the same performance from it as a non-3D cam with a similar price tag.

IMHO, this JVC is a 3D instrument that should be employed more like a movie camera rather than a top prosumer cam for general use.

Comments about JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder:

I am now 90+ years of age and always been a bit of an entrepreneural. Even as a young teenager I would bore my parents with my version of surround sound. I have always wanted to bet involved with 3D and was excited to spot your product on the internet.
So far, it is even better than I expected.

Comments about JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder:

Not sure why the commenters below had a hard time with this camera but here's a take from someone who shoots for a living...

As of late, the term 3D has caused bitter blog battles -- fan boys (and girls) fighting tooth and nail as to what medium better illustrates a story -- traditional 2D or this 3D "fad." I was not one to take sides so easily. I love the way a 3D production can bring you right into the story and I also love the way 2D allows the comfort of just watching it happen. As an indie filmmaker and corporate videographer, I hesitated to accept the medium as a tool, regardless of the amount of money being spent by theaters to deliver the goods, the lower prices of 3D TVs and the enormous budgets being thrown at 3D productions.

That has all changed. I have taken a side thanks to JVC and their new low-priced prosumer 3D camera -- the GY-HMZ1U. There are a ton of reviews with numbers and charts and images blown up 900%. I won't repeat those here. This is about the fun and freedom this camera offers and just what can be done with this little jewel.

While attending the Createasphere Entertainment Technology Expo last September I made it a point to head over to each manufacturer to check out the latest and greatest gear. A whole aisle of 3D rigs dragged me in drooling -- just thinking about how I could make that next "blood hit" pop in my next short film. Then reality hit. These rigs were gigantic, needed two very expensive cameras and were extremely cost-INeffective. Post looked like a nightmare. You had to have a tech on hand just to adjust the rig -- Even the rental fees were crazy. The single camera offerings from most of the other companies were somewhat impressive but overpriced for someone hesitant about getting into shooting 3D. I turned a corner and then it happened!

There I stood, shown on a nice big monitor, live for all the expo to see in 3D! The folks at JVC had simply plugged the tiny (by comparison) GY-HMZ1U directly into the display and man, was it impressive! I moved closer and the camera automatically adjusted to account for the movement. The representative handed me a pair of 3D glasses (although none are needed when using the camera's LCD monitor) and I was sold on 3D and it's future. Finally, just about every indie filmmaker can afford to get into a market begging for content. Oh, and there's almost no learning curve!

Alan over at JVC was generous enough to lend me the camera the day it was released to shoot some examples. Unfortunately, timing was not kind and I was not able to dive in as deep as I would have liked -- although I was able to shoot an entire local destination pilot on it! Luckily, this thing is simple straight out of the box. A quick skimming of the instructions was all I needed to start filming everyone and everything in 3D. Rarely did I shoot in 2D mode but it's there if you want it.

The camera has two separate 3.3 megapixel image sensors capable of capturing a full 1080 signal. 3D files can be captured in two ways -- MVC or side by side as an AVCHD file in half resolution. There's a big blue lighted button on the back that easily shows what mode you are shooting in. There is ample manual control to adjust everything you need to -- including just how "3D" you want your image to be. But the fun starts right out of the box in full auto. For those just starting out with this technology, auto works just as good in 3D as on any 2D camera.

To top it off, there are a few amazing features of this camera that I feel the need to mention. The first is the glasses-free 3.5 inch LCD display. It's amazing the depth you can see in this display. It's bright and I was able to watch the entire day without eyestrain. There are optimum angles of viewing though, so it takes some getting used to it -- about 10 minutes worth. Switch it to 2D display (available when shooting in either 2D or 3D format) and you will be treated to one of the clearest LCD images you will ever see.

Second, the internal stereo mic. This thing is amazing for a camera of this sort. Crystal clear. The big advantage the GY-HMZ1U has over it's predecessor and competitors is the included XLR adapter handle. It relieves you of the need to buy an external adapter. I wish they had made it a hard link to the camera as opposed to the ⅛ inch plug but I did find it handy since my "run-and-gun" style of shooting had me using a Rode mic with an ⅛ plug. I was able to plug directly into the camera and still use the handle. More than ample, professional quality sound.

Lastly, post was a breeze with the splitting software provided. The software divides the MVC file into a right and left image allowing you to bring both sides into your NLE software and adjust. I edited easily on my PC and output to "red and green" to view on my 2D monitor. If you're lucky enough to own a 3D tv or monitor, you can plug the camera right in and view the recorded image or just view your edited MVC output right on the glasses-free LCD on the camera. Of course, there's always the option of just outputting one channel to satisfy all the 3D hold-outs too!

Image stabilization, multiple shooting modes, 30i, 60i, 24p, 64 gigs of internal memory, amazing low light performance, a weight of a little over 2 pounds with the handle, 5x to 10x optical zoom -- all these incredible features make this camera one I will keep in my arsenal! Now, off to create some much needed 3D content!

Comments about JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder:

I'm an event videographer that started with the Sony VX-2000 and has used about a dozen or more cameras since then. This might be the worst low-light camera I have ever used. Even my Canon HV20/30/40 did a better job. I shot some some stuff of the kids in the pumpkin patch a few months ago and the footage looked great in broad daylight. As soon as you start to lose even a little light, things turn ugly. I can't believe that this "pro" camera gives you this little. I understand that 3D is what it does and there aren't many cameras out there right now, but this is extremely limiting. I have just about given up on it and plan on selling it. I have had to many "moments" that were lost because they looked decent on the LCD, but very grainy in post. Hopefully we will see something at CES/NAB this year that will improve on this. I also won't be looking at JVC anymore. This was my first and probably last JVC camera. I can't believe they charged a few hundred dollars more than their consumer model and call it "pro". Very disappointed.

Comments about JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder:

I've been using this camera's predecessor for some time now in creating corporate videos for trade shows. It's limited in its functionality but it's far and away better than its competitors' models of near pricing. I've seen many people complain that the MVC video can't be altered. This is true with the software JVC includes, which is paltry at best. I found, very quickly, a solution to this: An enterprising codec developer created and sells a small program just for this. If you look up "MVC to AVI" on Google, his programs can be found at 3DTV.at. I believe the program was thirty dollars. Pretty cheap when you consider what it does. So I bought his program, bough Cineform's NEO ($299.00)and my workflow was complete. I take the muxed Cineform 3D files and edit them with Adobe Premiere Pro 5.5. The Cineform NEO program adds options into Premiere such as 3D Color Correction, Parallax control, etc. My clients are well happy and are fairly stunned upon seeing the 3D videos of their products.

Comments about JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder:

The camera is great for its price range, but this is not an new camera, just the consumer model with a few extra functions. The updates to this camera really should have been a firmware update for the JVC GS-TD1.

Despite what the other review says, the footage can be edited, using the included software to split the MVC files into left and right files, which the consumer model is not able to do with MVC footage. The 60i files do not get erased when switching to 24p; in playback mode, the camera simply won't show any footage or photos shot in a different format than the current record settings. Switching back to 60i will reveal all those shots and make the 24p ones hidden on the in-camera playback.

However, this can hardly be called a Pro camera. The addition of XLR inputs comes as a separate adapter. No external mic is included and the audio levels can only be adjusted through the menus. Aside from the addition of a screw hole to mount the adapter, the body appears identical to the JVC GS-TD1. Most of the features are the same, including the wonky touch screen interface (whoever thought putting a touch screen on a 3D camera was a good idea...), the poor low light sensitivity, barely functional autofocus, inability to manually set both the F stop and "brightness adjust" at the same time. The addition of zebras is nice, but the 3D screen locks itself in left view only when the zebras are turned on, so you can't adjust the parallax when using all of the camera's "pro" settings. There is also the addition of "Cinema", a function which, according to the manual, "Adds a movie-like effect to images". This could really use some further explanation as I couldn't tell the difference.

Overall this camera is an improvement over the consumer model, but by a very small margin. It is worth noting that Cyclopital3D's adapters for the JVC GS-TD1 will also work with this camera.

Comments about JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder:

Read manual. Many CAN'T's cannot copy or use any MVC (higher res)files. Cannot shoot stills in Cinema or MVC mode. What's the point. Changing 60i to 24p automatically erases all files!!