http://www.jvcpro.co.uk/jpe/en/default/article.3.html

I must emphasise that although JVC claim that the HM700 and HM100 produce quicktime files that will sit on your Final Cut Pro timeline with no rendering…that’s perfectly true but there is a compromise and that is the way the file is brought in.

MPEG-2 is directed at broadcast formats at higher data rates; it provides extra algorithmic ‘tools’ for efficiently coding interlaced video, supports a wide range of bit rates and provides for multichannel surround sound coding. That’s the official line…

How does it affect you…I have been forced to use Final Cut Studio 3 without my AJA io HD therefore forcing me to ingest footage via the SDHC card itself, I soon discovered a very dark side to editing without my trusty AJA Pro-Rez box. My first serious filming with the HM100 was at my sons wedding in Italy and as I knew I was going to be busy I decided to edit a 2min sequence to upload onto Exposure Room.

Everything went fine till I used a program called “Looks” this is a program from Noise Industries that gives your footage a certain look…I added Looks to my footage and pressed render all…to my amazement I got a box telling me that my MPEG2 footage was conforming, the two minute sequence took almost one hour to render.

Since then I have re-installed my Leopard/FCP-2 hard drive to use the AJA box again and hey presto as if by magic my HM100 footage is now ingested via Apple Pro-Rez and no more MPEG2. As an aside I was filming a theatre show using a Sony EX-3 and a JVC HM100 at 1080 50i and you cannot tell the cameras apart, except for one tel-tail sign…the EX-3 suffers from IR discolouration on the blacks turning them a brownie red, the HM100 having a CCD gives me perfect blacks. Fortunately the HM100 is on wide and the EX-3 is tight so the problem is minor.

The moral of the story is do not be fooled by the hype …you can edit MPEG2 on a FCP timeline as long as you do nothing to it…and don’t expect to be able to use 2 HM100/700s ingest via the SDHC and try to edit a two camera multicam edit…IT WON’T WORK (WRONG IT DOES). The only way to ingest HM100/700 for two camera editing is via an AJA io HD, Express or a Matrox MX02.

Although I would still advise ingesting via a Matrox or AJA as Pro-Rez I was mistaken by telling you not to use HM100/700 as a multicam edit….

SEE HERE… http://www.hdwarrior.co.uk/2009/10/15/multicam-indeed-works-with-jvc-hm100-mpeg-2-file/

I spoke to Philip Bloom about a month before the wedding to see if he recommended the Canon 5D Mk11 for filming the wedding but the 8min restriction would not bode well for the ceremony and the speeches. I also discovered that it’s very difficult to use the 5D as a film camera and a stills camera at the same time so I decided to use it for it’s main use as a stills camera.

I plumbed for the new JVC HM100 instead as I am a lot happier with technology I know and runs for more than 8mins at a time. I received the camcorder less than a week before I left for Italy not giving me time to get to grips with it’s foibles like the exposure wheel on the back of the camcorder.

It’s main problem is that everything is sub miniture so all the buttons are half the normal size but as long as you don’t have fingers like Desperate Dan then you should be fine. Although I already own a Sony EX-3 I did not want to lumber myself with such a large camera and tripod which is why I settled for the HM100.

I love the petiteness of the camcorder and the fact that it performs almost as good as the EX-3 excluding low light shooting. I was going to Italy after all at the height of the summer why should I need lights. For most of the wedding day it performed beautifully but due to a cock up with the start of the speeches remembering the ceremony did not start till 5pm and the dancing was to take place inside the dimly lit hotel, I got 98% of what I needed barring the 1st dance which I opted to use the stills camera by then totally forgetting Mr Blooms words “The 5D Mk11 is great for filming in low light”. In part two I hope to show you some footage but for now I need to get to Edinburgh to enjoy a days Power learning with Larry Jordan.

Monday

So why would you want such a small camcorder ? Good question… maybe  I should turn it around, why would you need such a small professional camcorder ? Take me as an example, I have bought this camcorder because there are so many occasions that lugging the Sony EX-3 around can and is often tiring, I still need the quality of the EX-3 in a smaller package. Before I get a sackful of comments giving me the “how can a 1/4″ camcorder be as good as a 1/2″ it’s a matter of perception. Firstly remember the EX-3  is about 2 years behind the HM100 in technology and recently reviewing the HM700 allowed me to see just how far JVC have come in solid state technology.

This cracking wee camcorder will never be an EX-3 but I defy you to tell me which footage is Sony and which is JVC. I needed the following specs…Full HD and 720 50P both come as standard with the HM100. XLR audio is important to me, the HM100 has dual phantom powered XLRs. SDHC is a great format, cheap and most important to me it allows me to have an archive one of the major drawbacks with Sony’s SxS card ” Far too expensive for archive purposes”. Archive is a must for me, when I went down the solid state road I was horrified at the shear lack of thought companies like Sony had put into archive…for years we were all used to transferring our programs onto the computer and setting the original master DV tape on a shelf knowing you could use it again if so needed.

The lightness of this camcorder makes it a joy to use and better still as my friend Philip Bloom found out people think you are a punter not a professional so you don’t get the same level of harassment as you would using an EX-3. So it’s not good in low light well that’s to be expected but it more than makes up for it during the daylight hours when I my case it’s most needed. It has a 10x zoom and not to hot in the wide angle department but I have a 0.7x WA attachment by JVC coming to me in the morning so I will update you tomorrow evening.

Tuesday

The 0.7x wide angle converter arrived this morning and the verdict is a big thumbs up, the camcorder is very lacking in the WA section and this extra 0.7x lens is just the job. Amazingly I have discovered that JVC seem to have left off  a port allowing the use of LANC control for the lens this is a minor point but one option I will personally miss. Getting back to the WA lens I wish camcorder designers would take on board how stupid the camera looks with a gap between the prime lens and the screw on, after all the WA lens has been around for a while so the designers could have taken this into account when designing the camera.

I also got a 3″ Hoodman loupe which will be great for keeping daylight off the LCD, I also ordered  a “camcorder mount strap” but the unnamed dobbers sent me the 35mm strap for the 5D Mk11, I have been promised it will arrive in the morning.

The WA lens does affect the f stop ratio when fully zoomed in by about 2 stops but it’s nice to have the full use of the 10x zoom ratio. I am about to upgrade my computer to the latest Final Cut 7 so I will give you a final account of the camcorder on the timeline tomorrow.

Wednesday

Help Ma Bob… It took well over 3 hours to run a fresh install of the new Final Cut Studio 3, most of it being audio loops, anyway I stuck the SDHC card into my reader and brought ten .MOV files into FCP-7. Dragged a file onto the timeline and played back with no GREEN, ORANGE or RED render indicators… fantastic. Oh, one down side, I got the camcorder mount strap today and attached the Hoodman onto the LCD to discover it causes a vignette effect if you don’t position the hood correctly, though you don’t seem to be able to get rid of it completely…I wasn’t  expecting that problem, it kind of took away the gloss of using the Hoodman.

Thanks to AJA… I cannot see my final output on the 37″ LCD…yet, but I can view the camera footage onto the LCD via the HDMI connector on the back of the HM100. I will not get to fully play with the HM100 till Saturday when I will be attending a Scout reunion at Auchengillen. The weather does not look too promising for Saturday but I will post some footage on Saturday evening for you to view.

Saturday

Sorry but my niece Jill had her baby 3 days early and put everything back a day, glad to report that baby Charlotte is doing well (5lbs 5ozs) and mum is also doing well.

Look under “VIDEO REVIEW TAB” at the top of the page for the video review of the HM700

I have spent a crazy two days reviewing the JVC HM700 camcorder, thanks to Mitcorp, Glasgow for their demonstration model. It’s a camcorder I thought I would like due to the fact I have had 3 JVC camcorders in the past and without exception have been great camcorders.

For those of you wanting to know does it work with the MxM cards ? All will be revealed in my extensive review. I decided to go to Edinburgh to film some outdoor shots and got more than I bargained for.

How does it compare against the Sony EX-3 in low light ?  What do the 3 different colours mean ? Watch this space.

Look under “VIDEO REVIEW TAB” at the top of the page for the video review of the HM700

Look under “VIDEO REVIEW TAB” at the top of the page for the video review of the HM700

JVC provides an exciting glimpse into the world of ultra high resolution imaging with a live demonstration of its KY-F4000 real-time 4K camera. Live 60p images from the KY-F4000 are displayed on JVC’s new 56-inch LCD panel with 4K resolution. This compact camera features a single 1.25-inch CMOS image sensor of 3840 x 2160 pixels, capable of producing live images with 4 times the resolution of full HD.

The KY-F4000 features ultra high resolution imaging, with a 60 progressive frame live output capability, including HDSDI Dual Link (4:2:2/10 bit 4 ch) and DVI Single Link (4:4:4/8 bit x 4ch). The camera also features a built-in genlock input, HDSDI 1080 (60i/59.94i). Additional specifications include an RGB Bayer color filter, switchable 60p/59.94 frame rate, and for the demonstration, a Nikon F-mount is used.

The two-piece design of the KY-F4000 includes a compact, lightweight camera head at 6.6 lbs, which is ideal for pan and tilt mounting applications. The CCU processor can be separated from the camera head at a distance of 328 feet.Other 4K cameras on the market, such as RED and Arri, are primarily used for cinema applications which do not require live signal output. This makes JVC the unique choice for high-end applications including:

• Teleconference - Corporate/military conference systems can fully utilize 4K display systems (already installed) with cameras that can bring a new level of realism to remote conferencing.
• CAD/Design
• Distance Learning - 4K imaging can provide the ultimate real-time experience in a learning situations especially those involving live demonstrations and procedures.

“By including real time output for display or transmission, the engineers at JVC are really thinking ahead,” says Edgar Shane, senior product engineering manager of JVC U.S.A.. “Where other 4K cameras on the market have been designed for cinema and are processing at 24p to 30p, we are offering full 60p output, with live transmission capability, because we believe that’s the future of ultra high resolution.”

With the demonstration of the KY-F4000, JVC is positioned to be a major player in the 4K arena. JVC is currently shipping a 4K D-ILA projector, the DLA-SH4K. The addition of a 4K camera and 4K LCD monitor brings full capture capability and further display options to the product line. The KY-F4000 will be available in April 2010, priced under $200,000.

Ricky Gervais “Are you avin a laugh”….It’s a joke, it must be or have they headhunted the Panasonic design team, who in their right mind would buy a breadbox for under $200.000. JVC have been looking at my “Comic” section and took the “Design” sketch seriously. Poor RED they must be shaking in their boots. PS. Put me down for 12 breadboxes. If this is a genuine prototype it gets my UGLIEST CAMCORDER FOR 2009 AWARD.