Does anybody in the US have them in stock yet? I have an order with BH but no dice so far. Also: Does anybody know what the difference between the US model and the European model is?
Thanks,
Matthias

I compared the specs page on the two models, and it appeared there were no differences, except in the order details were listed.

It seems the only difference is the markings, the manual, etc. I don't know if there is any recording capability on the camera that would have to be disabled for European import. (i.e. some feature that has tax on it causing two product numbers and price levels like with the HD100.)

I also had an order with B&H, but since I needed the camera this coming week and for some reason JVC is silent on actual release date in the U.S., I canceled the order. I believe I may still buy the camera, but I will wait until it is actually released. and we see how it works out in the real world.

Does anybody in the US have them in stock yet? I have an order with BH but no dice so far. Also: Does anybody know what the difference between the US model and the European model is?
Thanks,
Matthias

When did you place your order at BH? I placed mine on 4/25.

I pre-ordered (and paid) the HM100 from B&H on January 30. I canceled the order this week.

I suppose its normal for JVC to keep everything secret from end users, but I am surprised that the dealers don't have any info about when the cameras will actually be available.

Wednesday B&H was still saying the end of April, which obviously is past... unless its April 2010.

I put my order in even before Jack...

I put my order in even before Jack...

When you do get it post an update since you will probably be one of the first.

I just checked with BH and they say they expect a shipment by the end of the week. Don´t know how reliable that information is though...

B&H has them now, I just ordered one, to arrive on Thursday, whoopee!

Tapeworks Texas Inc has inventory available with a sell price of $3495.00
Please contact us Toll Free 866-827-3489

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Scott Cantrell
Tapeworks Texas Inc - DVinfo Sponser
tapeworksscott@sbcglobal.net

Finally my order got shipped out too. Should be here on Friday, if UPS doesn´t screw things up...

I got mine this morning and I am really impressed. It was smaller than I thought it would be but the image quality was higher then I thought it would be. Very nice and wonderful. The shotgun mic is alright but the preamps in the camera are pretty good so adding a nicer mic will really make it great. I have only played with it for a few hours and it will take a few real jobs to really understand it but so far it is great.

I held one in my hands this morning. Texas Media Systems has a few in stock here in Austin Texas.

Check out my blog to see some pictures:
The JVC GY-HM100 & JVC GY-HM700 | The MindWarp Blog (http://www.mindwarpentertainment.com/blog/2009/05/the-jvc-gy-hm100-jvc-gy-hm700/)

I just got it this morning, shipped overnight from B&H.

So far my initial impressions:

Actually a bit bigger than I thought, but much lighter than I thought it would be, a little over 2 lbs, so that's nice.

Of course the main reason I got this camera is the CCD sensors (no jellocam like my EX1) So my main opinion of the camcorder will be the image quality, which I don't know yet because I haven't shot anything with it yet.

A couple things I don't like so far - Zoom rocker is cheezy and the zoom behavior isn't as smooth as I want, no histogram, display has a lot of info I don't need, or nothing, no exposure percentage area, no continuous aperture control (it's a little up/down switch), the LCD could be higher res, no magnified focus helper.

Thinks I do like: Seems fairly ergonomic, overall feels solid but not too heavy, like the hood and the bayonet works without having to separately unscrew something, it twists off but also seems solid, the focus assist is kind of cool, makes everything black and white except for the in-focus peaking.

I'll have more comments later. The 2 things that made me want this camera: The CCD Sensors, and the XDCAM EX codec workflow -- even easier than the EX1, can drag and drop into FCP! (haven't tried it yet but I think it will work fine). As long as the image is acceptable everything else is gravy.

Tapeworks Texas Inc has inventory available with a sell price of $3495.00
Please contact us Toll Free 866-827-3489

Best Regards,
Scott Cantrell
Tapeworks Texas Inc - DVinfo Sponser
tapeworksscott@sbcglobal.net


Picked my GY-Hm 100 up today from Tapeworks Texas thanks Scott..

For the 5 or so people in the world who now own the HM100...would you say the "performance per pound" (PPP) of this camera is unmatched by any other camera, bar none? I'm willing to put up with some quirky stuff like the iris being controlled by a wheel on the rear and the focus ring being an infinite spin if its image is amazing. Or do you think the Scarlet will blow this camera out of the water with the PPP equation above?

For the 5 or so people in the world who now own the HM100...would you say the "performance per pound" (PPP) of this camera is unmatched by any other camera, bar none? I'm willing to put up with some quirky stuff like the iris being controlled by a wheel on the rear and the focus ring being an infinite spin if its image is amazing. Or do you think the Scarlet will blow this camera out of the water with the PPP equation above?

I think you are comparing apples and oranges here. Scarlet is supposed to be cheap indy movie camera, HM100 is "cheap" ENG camera. Your decision should be based on your type of work. If you are into indy fiction RED should be considered more. On the other hand if you do ENG or shooting for paying client HM100 or 700 is most likely your choice. Like anything, it's a tool, so pick a tool for the job. IMO HM100 is overpriced for what it is, but I need it for a job fairly soon.
Seems that the "ingest" process of RED into FCP is kind of pain. HM100 is seamless and since I need to do daily edits on short time line this is much better tool for a job.

I hear what you're saying. My concern is more with the ergonomics, thus the strange "performance per pound" stat, which really says it all. If a camera is too heavy to hold for a day, then I'm not really interested. That's why I've pretty much avoided all the latest stuff that one holds out in front, rather than on the shoulder. Those would be back-killers to me. If the HM100 is only 2 pounds and delivers a big bang for that 2 pounds, as opposed to Scarlet's what, 5 pounds? for a comparable image, then I'll go with the 2-pound wonder.

HM100 is 3.1 lbs with cards and battery and sound handle. In my case I also have to add wide angle lens attachment, so it might be roughly 3.5 lbs. I think ergonomics will be decided by the shape and weight distribution. EX1 is not that heavy, but hell to hold for any longer periods. I try to avoid hand-held shots anyway.

If the HM100 is only 2 pounds and delivers a big bang for that 2 pounds, as opposed to Scarlet's what, 5 pounds? for a comparable image, then I'll go with the 2-pound wonder.
I've shot with this for 2 days, about 2 hours on the card. I don't know about the RED scarlet. I do believe the RED's use CMOS, which I think provide better images 'for the buck' than CCDs, with a bit more 'organic' film look rather than 'videoish' (some may disagree though...)

The unit without the sound module is 2 lbs 3oz without the sound module/handle. It will be my 'B' camera and I won't use it for primary sound. If I want better controls and I don't mind the extra weight and infrastructure, I'd still probably use my EX1. All the little things I've taken for granted, such as the information displayed on the LCD, is sorely missing from the JVC. These are things, I think that are 'software' and could probably easily be added to the JVC maybe someday there will be but I doubt it. So far jury is out on my impression of the images of this camcorder. I wasn't totally blown away by the little I've reviewed the images, I wasn't blown away by the first images from my EX1 either until I learned how to use it. I'd say image-wise my new $1000 Canon HFS100 probably has a better image, though I haven't done a A/B test yet.

My 2 main reason for getting the HM100: CCD's and XDCAM EX workflow. For some special applications where movement is an issue, the CMOS is too 'jelloy' and CCDs aren't.

If you don't care about the CCD or the larger 'workflow' required by RED, the RED will most likely be a better image than the HM100. However the Scarlet is vaporware and will be until it comes out. I'll be posting more as I use it more and more.

The XDCAM EX workflow, in my opinion is the best 'bang for the buck' out there and that should be a determining factor, especially if you shoot and archive a lot of hours.