I am an amateur when it comes to cameras, camcorders and the like. I'm basically a point and shoot type of customer that wants a good quality camcorder for recording our families activities. This is an outstanding camcorder for the money! First and foremost it takes very good quality videos. While I'm sure the videos aren't the highest of hi-def possible keep in mind this is a $300 and change camcorder. The video quality far outshines your standard camcorder. The two other features the time elapse and the motion detection both work very well, although outside of surveillance I'm not sure what the use of either is. The motion detection might be handy at something like a basketball game where you would point it at one end of the court and only capture the action when it's on that end. The only con I had with the camera wasn't really the camera's fault. I couldn't get the Patriot 16GB memory card to work consistently. I bought the Transcend cards and they work perfectly.
Reality: Low-Light performance is TERRIBLE !!! Horribly grainy pictures in even moderate lighting. Inside at night, with normal lighting from 3 overhead lights plus a lamp on, the video is grainy and washed out. The video looks like the sample pic in their description that shows what it should NOT look like. This thing has a TEENY TINY little sensor. There is no way this could ever take good video in low or moderate light. I bought this to take video of my soon-to-be-born first child, which will be mostly indoors with normal lighting. To use it for this purpose, I would need to invest in several industrial-strength halogen lights and aim them all at the baby at the same time to illuminate him enough.
Outside, this takes good video, assuming there is plenty of light.
The time-lapse feature seems awesome at first, but it sucks down the battery very quickly, unless it is plugged in. The screen must be kept open while filming or else the camera will shut off. Why not have a time-driven system that only turns on the camera for a few seconds at a time, which would vastly improve the battery life???
This camera is HD, but it is 1080(i)... Interlaced, and not full true 1080p. The description is misleading when it states that it can PLAY BACK in 1080p... they don't come right out and say "oh but by the way, it only records in 1080i." Quite misleading.
This cam does not come with a HDMI cable (most in this price range don't, either). It does come with a RCA type connector and usb cable. This is an HD cam, WHY oh WHY would I EVER choose to use an RCA cable to watch it??? I can't even tell you if it takes decent hi-def video because I can't hook it up properly to my HD tv. Should really INCLUDE HDMI CABLE... they could include one for very cheap, since they would be buying them in bulk at probably 50 cents apiece.
I returned this the day after I bought it. I have ordered the Sanyo FH1a instead, which has a MUCH larger sensor, and is actually CHEAPER now than this JVC! Whatever you do, watch some youtube videos showing demo videos of the actuall camcorder you want to buy, BEFORE you purchase.
This gets 2 stars, one for good zoom and one for time-lapse. But this cam really is 100% worthless indoors. I tested it indoors first at Best-Buy, but they have those very bright ceiling lights, so I was unaware of how bad this cam really is.
Buy JVC GZ-HM300 Dual Slot High Definition Camcorder Now
It was a tough choice, but I feel confident that I bought the right camcorder. The timelapse function was the main factor in my search, but don't feel that I sacrificed much else in this decision (except for horrible low-light sensitivity).My only real regret about this camera is the output file format. The software allows for some output options, but the .mts file format is not compatible with most apps. Apparently, the HD output will not be as good as what you see thru the camera playback. The software assumes that you will be burning the videos onto DVD, which is OK if you don't care for HD. I'm still not sure if full HD playback is possible without the camera as the player. There are some conversion programs out there that will allow the videos to be edited with the popular editing apps, but I don't yet have any experience with such conversions. This is the biggest problem with the JVC GZ-HM300.
Good zoom, excellent resolution, and good battery life. Now, if I can only get that HD video out into the real world.
If I'm wrong, please someone set me straight...
Read Best Reviews of JVC GZ-HM300 Dual Slot High Definition Camcorder Here
Before I begin I'd like to point out I paid $120 for a recertified version of this camcorder. That included the battery, manual and all the cords. If I had spent $1,000+ for this camcorder my review probably wouldn't be as positive as it is, but considering the performance of other ~$100 camcorders this is by far the best camcorder you can buy.Probably the best feature of this camcorder is the 20x optical zoom. A good zoom is absolutely necessary on any camcorder. I've noticed some other brands of HD camcorders are only 10x or 12x and they still want $800+. I have no idea what people are thinking when they buy a camcorder with only a 10x zoom. That's fine for a birthday party or indoor home movies, but if you're recording a school play or soccer game you're really going to miss not being able to zoom in and see your child's face as they deliver their lines or score the game winning goal and smiles at you from across the field. Five or ten years ago every camcorder was 40x zoom, not sure why we've fallen back to only 10x but I'd like to see this trend reverse.
I've read other people complaining about the low light abilities of this camcorder. I'm not going to lie, I've seen better, but most modern HD camcorders don't seem to handle low light well, you'll have to pay $1,000+ for one that does a really good job of low light. When I say low light I don't mean christmas morning home video, I mean turning off the lights when presenting a birthday cake or sitting around a campfire. It does have a feature where it will record in low light but it slows down the framerates to the point where it's not useful unless no one is moving. There's video examples on youtube of this camcorder in low light if you'd like to see how it does. If you really want good low light you're only real option is a Sony HD with nightvision.
The dual SDHC slots are great. I only bought one 16gb which lasts about 90 minutes at the highest quality setting, 120 at 2nd highest, 180 minutes at 3rd or up to 7 hours at the lowest quality. I never record at the lowest quality, everything so far has been highest or 2nd highest and I can't tell the difference in quality between 1st and 2nd. So far I haven't needed more than 2 hours of recording before I could get back to a PC but it's nice to know I could spend another ~$20 on 16 more gb and record at the highest quality for 3 hours.
Nice thing about a flash memory SDHC camcorder like this instead of a hard drive model is if I had to I could just put another SDHC card in there but once a hard drive is full it's full, you have to download everything first to a PC.
When you connect it to the PC it gives a few options. I've always chosen upload to PC or backup to PC (not sure of the difference), but it does list record to DVD as a option. Not sure how that works, I'll have to select that sometime and see what it does. I don't use the software that came with the camcorder, I've always used Windows 7 to transfer the files over and edit them with Windows Live Movie Maker and upload them to Youtube in 1080 HD.
Another concern when choosing the amount of memory you need is to decide now what you want to do with the video. If you put your videos on DVD or Blu-ray or just leave them on your computer there's no problem, but if you upload them to youtube or other sites than just 30 minutes of HD video is 5 gigabytes which takes several hours to upload even with a fast internet connection. So if you do decide to get a 32gb card or two you might also want to call your ISP and ask them how long it would take to upload 32gb of video, you might be surprised when they tell you a day or two.
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I have read some of the negative reviews posted for this camera as well as the HM320 and HM340 (which are identical cameras with built in flash memory). First, I think the "haters" need to understand where this product is positioned in the market. This is a mid-level consumer grade HD camcorder, that has been market down to ~$200, making it an entry level price. If you want to compare this camera to flag ship Sony and Canon cameras, the "haters" can fairly say that those cameras are superior in most respects and they are welcomed to buy them for an extra $600 to $800. This JVC Everio GZ-HM series of cameras will give roughly 75-85% of the performance of those cameras, for a fifth of the price. I have had roughly 8 camcorders, and I currently own a Canon HG10-which was the top of the line Canon two years ago. That camera still takes the best video footage I have ever seen short of a professional grade camera.In outdoor shooting, the JVC looks very good--so long as the zoom is kept below 8X, unless you're using a tripod.Because this camera has a small sensor, using zoom above 8x does reduce the quality of the video, although it is still very watchable. The lack of optical image stablization does the quality of the image as well, but none of its competitors have optical image stablization and you will need to spend an additional $400 to find a camcorder that offers this feature.
As far as fit and finish is concerned, the camera is SMALL--it is basically a smidgen larger than a Flip UltraHD camera and weighs about an ounce more. This camera can fit in your pocket, although you will get a slight bulge (not a bad thing for some of the guys out there). The camera seems to be solidly built, although it is mostly plastic. I would have preferred a mechanical lens cover as proposed to the manual clip on cover that can be easily lost. It's not the end of the world--but for a camera with a list price of $399.99--this is a bit cheap. Although the camera does have a multi-function on/off button, turning the camera on or off is as simple as opening and closing the lcd screen. The camera is equipped with not one, but two SD card slots. I purchased two kingston 32gb class 6 and a cards for $49 each here on Amazon, giving me 63gb of storage--more than enough to cover any trip. If you run out of space, just throw in another SD card and keep shooting.
The user interface is a little difficult to operate. I am not a fan of the "lasertouch" functionality, which is nothing more than a capacitative strip on the side of the screen. It's not particularly sensitive and I find that make the wrong selections half the time. I would definitely prefer a touchscreen or a joystick control like the one used by Canon on its R-series of cameras. Once you managed to navigate the choices, however, you have a wide array of settings, including manual white balance and focus settings. I have found that, for the most part, you're better off just leaving the camera in full auto mode and only tinkering if you're in some oddly lit room.
When this camera launched, it had a list price of $399.99. I found the a factory reconditioned version of this camera online from another retailer for $125.00 and snapped it right up. Currently, fresh new cameras can be had for $175-$210. This puts the JVC in the same price range as the Sony Bloggie Touch, Flip Ultra HD, Mino HD, Kodak Playtouch and Playsports etc. Those are cheap, entry level packet cams that can't come close to matching the JVC in terms of quality or performance (and aren't much smaller). If you can buy this camera for $225 or less, you got a good deal.
If you would like to see some sample footage, I posted some test shots on youtube:
Update 7/28/11: My review and comments regarding the JVC Everio GZ-HM300 remain the same, however, I am reducing the rating from five stars to three. Assuming you intend to buy the JVC new for ~$200, there are currently better options available. The Sony DSC-HX7V or WX9, both are compact megazoom point and shoot cameras that have the ability to record video and 1080i at 60fps in AVCHD at a 24mbps bitrate or, in the case of the HX9V, at 1080p at 60fps at a 28mbps bitrate. Both Sony's are excellent point and shoot cameras and the video quality is outstanding. Both sony's use superior quality lens and have some of the best optical image stablization on the market. I have seen the HX7V for as low as $249, with case and 4gb card at a big box store (currently using a $30 instant rebate). The HX9V sells for around $348. Also available is the compact Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX9, which has the same video capability as the HX7V and sells for less than $200 on Amazon (including optical image stablization). All three cameras have better video performance, take beautiful photos and provide custmers with a better value for dollar than the JVC. Based on this new competition, I can no longer recommend the JVC (the Sony's are that much better).
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