JVC GR-HD7 Camcorder Review
By David Kender
Reviewed.com Editorial Staff
August 14, 2007
JVC’s GZ-HD7 is a powerhouse camcorder that offers a solid package of handling, manual controls, and features. Then why do HDV camcorders costing hundreds less produce better looking video? The problem, once again, might be JVC’s determination to forge its own path rather than follow the pack.
The GZ-HD7’s imaging specs make great promises: three 1/5-inch CCDs which (through some complex optics) add up to 2.27 megapixels. A three-chip construction usually results in better color than a single chip, and we found nothing to complain about in that regard. The colors are more saturated than you would see on a pro camera, but consumers will love the richness.
The real problem with the video is the compression. Rather than hopping on the popular AVCHD format or falling back on the old familiars like HDV, the GZ-HD7 uses an arcane compression called MPEG-2 Transport Stream in its highest quality setting. This makes finding an editing solution difficult, and causes the video to take on a lot of artifacting – blocky, pixelated chunks around moving objects. The artifacting wasn’t as bad as the MPEG2 we see in standard definition DVD camcorders, but it wasn’t as good as HDV camcorders like the Canon HV20.
It’s a shame to see performance fall short of expectation, because so many things on the GZ-HD7 were done right. The camcorder fits like a dream in your hand, more similar to a scaled-down professional model than a scaled-up point-and-shoot. Button placement is excellent, particularly the focus controls, which are vital for any high definition camcorder. Included are a focus ring and an advanced peaking tool called Focus Assist, a feature that colors the in-focus areas of the shot in your choice of red, green, or blue.
In fact, the entire manual control suite is quite good. In addition to the focus controls, the GZ-HD7 has external buttons on the rear for Aperture and Shutter Priority modes. Most camcorders tend to bury these in the menu, if they offer them at all. For the less technically-inclined, a simple exposure compensation button is located there. Other manual controls include a 10x optical zoom (200x digital), white balance, zebra patterns, sharpness, tele macro, and color bars.
For those seeking simple point-and-shoot operation, there are certainly better and cheaper buys. The strengths of the GZ-HD7 revolve around the manual controls. However, even pros don’t want to mess with settings all the time. For those moments, the camcorder does an adequate job. We liked that the auto exposure usually brought out detail in shadows, but conversely, it’s more likely to blow out highlights. The auto white balance tended to warm the image a little too much.
The JVC GZ-HD7 captures video and stills to a non-removable 60 GB hard disk drive (HDD), one of the largest capacities available in this medium. Shooting in the highest quality and in high definition, the HDD can hold about five hours. However, the battery will only see you through 76 minutes. Extended life batteries are available and recommended. Still photos and smaller video clips can be saved to SD/SDHC memory cards, though none come included in the box.
In the spectrum of HD camcorders, the GZ-HD7 is really a niche item. It’s a compelling camcorder for power-users, but the majority of users want something smaller and easier to edit. The GZ-HD7 has lower quality shooting modes that are similar to HDV files, but why would you spend this much money and not shoot in the best quality? Fortunately, JVC has announced a slimmed-down sibling model, the GZ-HD3, which addresses most of these complaints.
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