JVC GZ-HM550 High Definition Camcorder

I’ve had this camcorder for about a week now and so far I am quite satisfied with it. The one particular thing that actually strikes me as odd is selling a HD camcorder, but not like a HDMI cable in the bundle…? Playback of the footage recorded on a full HD television through RCA or even component cables isn’t going to result in very good picture top quality. My mini-HDMI cable need to be delivered in the next day or so and then I’ll be able to genuinely evaluate the video. So far the video looks considerably far better on my laptop or computer monitor than it does on my 52″ 1080P LCD Tv.

Also, the camcorder ships with the video quality set to XP, as an alternative of the highest quality UXP. When setting good quality to UXP it offers a warning that UXP video files can only be written to Blu-Ray, which of course makes sense. However, the bundled application will automatically downgrade the UXP video files to XP good quality if you want to write to DVD, and then you’ll nevertheless have the increased good quality UXP for future use. Seems odd to not record in the highest good quality as you can constantly downgrade the footage, but you will never ever upconvert to true complete HD good quality if recording at lower quality.

So far, I am not impressed with the photo top quality of nonetheless pictures, but I haven’t played about with the settings much however. The handful of stills that I’ve taken have turned out grainy and dark. In dedicated image mode, you can take 9MP stills, even though when taking snapshots in video mode you are restricted to 5MP. So far I feel all of my stills were taken in video mode.

The camera has some wonderful features that I’ve not however played with nor am I sure I ever will. The time lapse is a great characteristic, but unless there’s a magnificent sunset or a thing I’m not confident I’ll have a lot use for it. Very same for the auto record function, fascinating to have, but what are the practical applications? I suppose I could set it up and see how often my dog moves around for the duration of the day when we’re not house. One point with both of these modes is that the LCD need to remain open, if you close the LCD, the camera shuts off totally.

The battery that comes with the unit doesn’t last very extended – roughly 45 minutes. the built in memory can hold about two.5 hours really worth of video at UXP quality so the battery is by far the limiting factor in your usage. If the video via HDMI turns out to be as very good as I hope, I’ll be investing in a greater capability battery and a stand alone charger. Out of the box, the battery only charges when the energy cord is plugged into the camcorder itself.

The software program included is very easy to use and has some neat organization strategies of displaying video files in a calendar layout by month, day and hour which it makes it simple to find your files.

The application has alternatives for converting the video to a quantity of different media and file varieties. You can write the files to Blu-Ray, DVD and AVCHD disc (DVD media). It also has the potential to convert video for upload to You Tube, iTunes and can also convert to .wmv for use on computer systems and upload to other web sites, such as Facebook. The conversion process lets you select the video size you want and at least on my Computer was pretty fast to procedure.

I’ll try to update this review soon after I am able to test the video via HDMI and use more of the features.

UPDATE three/24/2010: Recorded a school concert final night and the battery lasted for 1.5 hours of almost continual recording. This was significantly better than the capability I noticed earlier when recording 5 or 10 minute segments spread out more than a couple of days.

UPDATE three/28/2010: Video high quality by way of a Category 2, mini-HDMI cable is much much better than by way of the cables included with the camcorder. My Tv indicates a full 1920×1080 video resolution despite the fact that it does not indicate if it is 1080i or 1080p. The box indicates that the camcorder has complete 1080p output, but I can’t verify that for sure.

I’ve had a possibility to take some a lot more nonetheless images each in video and in the devoted photo mode. Given the appropriate lighting pictures in each modes are usable. Pictures taken in dedicated photo mode are of increased good quality, which is to be expected since they are 9MP pictures rather of the ~5MP images you get in video mode.

All in all, I’m more happy with camcorder now then I was when I initially posted this assessment. I’d rate it at four 1/2 stars if feasible.

This is the 4th video camera that I’ve purchased more than the years and I’m amazed at the advance in picture quality and functions. The HD image is outstanding, the low-light capability is jaw-dropping and the still images are virtually as very good as my Sony Cybershot (but I’d use the Cybershot for images I want captured in the very best good quality).

The 32Gb flash memory storage is pretty very good, and is expanded with the SDHC card slot. Much less fragile than constructed-in challenging drives, the flash memory makes the camera potentially more durable and extended-lasting. Correct now significant capacity cards are very costly but rates are already dropping now that SDXC cards are creating an appearance. It would have been great if the camera was future proofed by incorporating SDXC compatibility but I guess that will be an upgrade for subsequent years model (SDXC cards will hold up to 2TB of data!!!).

On the downside, I’m not overly impressed with the image stabilization. On a camera this light and small camera shake is a actual concern and the electronic stabilization is nowhere near as excellent as the optical image stabilization I had on my old Panasonic. I would guess this is a problem with all these miniature video cameras although, and most likely not isolated to the JVC Everio range.

If you acquire this camcorder make sure you get at least 1 added battery – preferably the larger capability BN-VG121. The tiny battery that comes with the camera won’t do you considerably excellent when it runs out right after in beneath an hour. And if you are like me and have the camera on whilst you wait to record a very good scene or occasion, that could imply it runs out when you haven’t recorded a complete lot.

On a related concern I was disappointed that no separate charger is supplied, you can only charge the battery in the camera. You can get a standalone charger but it isn’t cheap – and for the income JVC could have created it vehicle and mains compatible and capable of holding two batteries at the identical time. My old Panasonic had that luxury so this is a step backwards.

On balance even though I’m a lot more than content with the JVC GZ-HM550 and would advise it to any person who is looking for a compact high good quality HD camcorder. Even on a 50″ plasma screen the picture top quality is startling, and low light pictures aren’t grainy and colorless as they have been with my earlier cameras.

To start, I rank my own video experience as rookie… but I adore the technical side of new gadgets. My HD journey actually began in Jan 2010 with the JVC Everio model GZ-HD320 from Finest Acquire. I promptly took this camera back primarily due to the poor low light overall performance. I did however like the really feel and operation of the camera, and felt kind of sad that I was returning it.

I subsequently located out about the new line of low-lux models, and last month took my odds on the GZ-HM550. Low light recording (indoors) was genuinely critical to me, and this model had the biggest backlit image sensor of the complete Everio line (.429″ diameter). Although I have no comparison to any other makes of camera, the low-lux HM550 far outperformed its predecessor (HD320) in moderate/low light. In brilliant outdoor light, the video is completely crisp and clear.

As for physical attributes, the camera is actually small and light. Virtually too little as the buttons for zoom and record are situated about mid-palm making it not entirely ergonomic for individuals with large hands or extended fingers. The laser touch menu bar and linked buttons are straightforward to use and need only a really light touch to activate. There are LOTS of menu picks and possibilities – and these can be tricky to uncover till you get some practice. Some menu screens can be difficult to navigate whilst recording in the heat of the moment – but practice and figuring out what, exactly where, and how to use the cameras settings is completely important. The time lapse and auto record characteristics are completely cool! Obtaining a clock in the field of view in the course of time lapse adds a entertaining small twist. The high speed video (600 fps) sounds great, but is in fact sort of lame – the resolution goes way down – to a point exactly where most detail is entirely gone. Absolutely nothing like you would see on MythBusters. I don’t know if I’ll ever use this functionality. The on-board flash is fantastic for regular camera photographs! And due to certain lighting conditions, this is occasionally a far better option than capturing a video nonetheless. Even so… the auto-concentrate for stills can be slow, at times one particular to two seconds before obtaining a “green light” to shoot. Unless you have a very patient photo subject, this delay can at times mean missing your shot. Bluetooth/GPS?? I have not used the characteristics but. Oh yea, and energy up time is pretty quickly, specially fast if the camera is nevertheless in sleep mode.

The video editing software (Pixela) that came bundled with the camera is completely bare bones and is only excellent for dumping “boring” unedited video to disk. I am making use of Pinnacle Studio Ultimate Version 14 for video editing and disc creation. The Pinnacle software runs -75. Professional editing application of this variety enables you to trim video files, make title screens, montages, add sound effects, and music, add audio and video transitions from clip to clip, and all sorts of other cool stuff. The genuine “movie magic” is in the post processing. If you do not care to be artistic with your video, then the bundled Pixela computer software will do just fine.

I’ve realized that contemporary digital cameras are not as easy as the older analog (VHS) style. I’ve had to acquire the camera, then a new (more quickly) laptop or computer, and then particular editing software program to get the video I needed. Not recommended for the faint at heart. But for the gear-head techno geek, this camera is rockin! I totally love it – and whilst the camera has its annoying tiny quirks, to me there are just “little”. Being powerful with this camera all boils down to understanding the gear. I’m just maintaining my fingers crossed that it holds up and lasts mechanically and electrically.