Hey all, new to the forums, but excited to get to know everyone.

I'm planning to purchase a JVC GY-HD100U in the next couple of days hopefully and I'm looking for some suggestions (with explanations) as to what accessories I should definitely consider right out of the gate. This is my first professional grade camera and it's definitely a change from the prosumer world I've been living in.

I see a lot of talk about the Anton Bauer system, would love to know more about that and whether or not it's necessary. I've also heard a lot about the Firestore system and would like to know more about it. Also any specific tripod recommendations, etc would be helpful.

Basically, what do I need to know/have in order to get the most out of this camera out of the box?

Thanks in advance!
Evan

Can you even buy the 100 model anymore? They updated that to 110 a couple of years ago. Although I own the GY-HD100, and still use it, there's just no way I'd be buying one these days. There are way too many other newer and better options on the market, including those offered by JVC itself.

Thanks for the reply, yes I'm looking for a USED GY-HD100U. From what I've heard you're not going to find a better option for under $2000, which is how much I've seen HD100's going for lately. Am I wrong to think that it's still a viable option?

Evan,

What do you do? Are you making a living shooting video? What do you plan to use the camera for?

We have the HD100 and HD200 in my facility, as well as other cameras, like the sony HD1000, as well as 2 DVX100s.

If we have an idea of what you plant to use it for AND what you expect from it, a lot of us can give you inputs.

Right now I am waiting for my Canon 7D.

Ted

Thanks Ted, here's a little more info.

I'm currently a website developer and graphic designer who's been dabbling in video for the last couple of years. Here recently I've been making plans to do more video work including a project I'm working on right now which is going to be a straight to DVD documentary. I also plan on making more films in the future as well as doing commercial production work and the like.

I currently have the Panasonic HDC-SD1 and I've hit the ceiling of that camera's capabilities several times. I'm looking to get something with more PRO features (XLR audio input, better stock lens, etc) so I can bump up the quality of my productions. I've seen lots of footage from the HD100 and I'm excited about achieving that quality. I want my productions to have the cinematic quality that the HD100 seems to produce, and while I know that the lens has almost everything to do with that I don't have the money to spend on a great lens right this moment and the stock lens on the HD100 seems very nice.

My current budget for the camera is around $2000 and from what I've seen I'm not going to get a better camera for less.

Let me know your opinion, I'd love to have it!

As an example, here is one of my more recent projects, a simple promotional video for a fundraiser in a local town.

Running For Something on Vimeo

It's a good price for that camera, I think. The lens is certainly nothing to write home about. It suffers from some serious color aberration issues (purple fringing around edges of subjects, primarily). It's also not particularly wide, which may or may not confront you in your work.

The stock battery that comes with the camera will run for about an hour. I recommend you consider a move to the Anton Bauer adapter plate. Of course, this means an additional expense that will have a major impact on a $2,000 budget. A single Titan charger and Dionic battery will set you back an additional amount, to be sure. But, it's really necessary. There are also other battery mount options.

Tripod-wise, anything with a fluid head will pretty much work. The camera is very light, even with a Dionic battery and a Firestore unit mounted (if you elect to go hard drive instead of tape). I already had a good broadcast tripod, but I hear the Libecs are a good alternative to the cheaper Bogen/non-fluid head options.

I basically do commercials and corporate AVPs in my department.
I do however, have a consumer department in our facility that handles events, (weddings,etc.) That said, I have afeeling about the nature of your work.

Ok, heres my take. While the HDxx series cameras are great. They do have limitations. I for one made 3 units of 35mm adapter which i HAD to add to the front of the JVCs to give a more cinematic "feel" by having shallow DOF.
I go bare stock lens for run n gun documentaries.

The stock lens are sharp and good as long as you dont shoot full open as it will produce CA.
CA will go away at around f2.8.

The stock lens and 1/3 chip combination have deep DOF.

The HD100 is a power hog with its stock batteries. You will need more than 9-10 pieces of the stock battery to get you through a day, -barely. In order to have practical use of the hd100 you will need to add 3rd party battery like IDX or AB. Theyre not cheap.

The HD200 we have gets by with 2 Dionics AB battery.

If you buy a used JVC HD100, you wont have an idea of how used the heads are. The HD100 is prone to dropouts thats why most JVC HDxx users HAD to invest in an external recording devics like the Firestore. I have the FS4HD.

The HD100s also plagued with SSEs, at least in some models. This is the Split screen effect caused by the 2 processors not "in-sync", for lack of a better term.

The HD110s and HD200's dont have this problem.

Bottom line, if your starting as a lean operation, you might want to go with the smaller tapeless cameras. The HD100 was the first of the proHD line in this form factor. It has a lot of issues and I recommend getting either the HD110, HD200, or the panny's HMC 150.

Ted

Thanks so much for your thoughtful response Ted, I had wondered if the HD110 might be a better option, sounds like it. Most of the kits I've seen include the AB system so I assumed it was pretty much essential. I had already planned on getting a Firestore as well, just makes sense when you look at the cost of the tapes over time.

Definitely buy a system with the AB battery system. Just for kicks, I removed my AB system and tried to run my HD100 on the stock JVC batteries. What a joke - I can't believe anyone actually does that. In actual use you'll get maybe 45 minutes on a battery. My AB Dionic will operate it for about six hours.

All-in-all, the HD100 is the best camera you can buy for under $2k. I love the operation of it, love the image, and I love the professional "look" of the camera (an under-appreciated aspect.)

Keep in mind there is no auto-focus. I use my camera mostly in a studio setting, so that's not a problem.

Thanks for the info Chris, it's nice to know that the original battery setup won't work very well. At the very least I would need to buy multiple batteries and later upgrade to AB or something similar.

No auto focus eh? Is this the case for the HD110 as well?

Hi Evan,
All the posts to your question are noteworthy.
In particular on a used HD 100 you want to know the hours on the tape head (particuarly if you plan on shooting to tape.) There are other options including Firestore, Adobe On Location etc. Depends on the what the bulk of your work is.
You will definitely need to invest in other power options beyond the stock battery which is practically useless. AB/IDX...your choice and budget.
If at all possible, at this stage, I would be looking at a used HD110 or above (I own and use an HD 110u and it's still going strong).
Another note that will get you up to speed on this system is to invest in Tim Dashwoods DVD (find info on this forum) It is an invaluable resource especially if you are new to the JVC format and system. Also check out the stickies at the top of this forum for scene files by Tim And Paolo...also invaluable to saving you time getting up to speed with what these cameras are capable of!
Cheers and good luck
Jay Webster
Director/cameraman
New York

That is correct, these cameras are manual focus just like professional film cameras.
Jay Webster
Director/Cameraman
New York

another thought. if you get the JVC HD100 or 110 and you can't find one that comes with AB or IDX battery system, you could get Impact stock replacement batteries still. 3700ma as I remember, (about 1/3 more juice than the stock JVC batteries) and they were around $50 or $60 at BH/amazon.com and other places. Sort of a hassel, but you can pick up a half dozen of them for the price of 1 good IDX or good (not nicad) AB battery. I mean this suggestion as a more to get by for a while before you invest $1,000 more for battery system. Instead just drop $200-$300 in batteries Impact OEM type batteries. Switch tapes, switch battery. A pain, but I did it for a while before I got my IDX battery system.

Thanks a lot guys, appreciate all of the feedback.

If there's no autofocus how can one expect to get decent footage for less planned shoots like documentary filmmaking, etc? Sorry, I'm new to this :)

Manual focus is better than auto focus any day - but only in the hands of a skilled operator. I just finished two days of "run and gun" shooting at a NASCAR event, and the lack of auto-focus didn't phase me a bit. You get used to it and it sort of becomes part of you. Also, the JVC HD100 series has a focus-assist function that works very well.

I'm curious as to how you become used to it. Do you need to be looking into the eyepiece or at least the LCD, or is it a matter of estimating distances and adjusting properly on the fly? Probably a combination of the 3 I would guess. Are there any references you would suggest for getting used to life without auto focus?

This type of lens never has autofocus. Most pros who use this kind of camera actually started with other broadcast/industrial lenses of similar design, and I'm in that camp. You will need to get used to the tried and true method for those in the know - zoom all the way in to the end of the lens, then focus, then pull out to get your framing. This is always an effective method unless the subject or camera are moving against the focal plane.

Professional lenses like the Fujinon that comes with the HD100 have a servo/manual switch on the bottom allowing you to switch between the servo zoom rocker and manually adjusting zoom via the ring on the lens. You'll probably find that to be a helpful starting spot, where you can get your lens into manual mode, quickly crash zoom in for your focus, and then zip to your framing. It takes some practice, and I highly recommend you go out and try a lot before your first "on the clock" shoot.

But, in the end, you will probably end up liking manual focus on the camera a lot. It means your lens won't be "hunting" for the right focus as things move in the frame. One less thing to worry about.

I use the method Eric described - zoom in, focus, then pull out. The focus-assist is another method, as it changes the view to gray scale with a blue line around what is in focus. Some people don't like it, some do. I do like it.

One nice thing about buying used - you can typically sell it for the same price if you buy and decide you don't like it.

Regarding focus:
- stationary subject - zoom in to preset focus, pull out to frame
- moving subject - if you CAN zoom in to set, go ahead at every available opportunity, otherwise it's a combination of watching the image in the viewfinder and knowing the distance to "target" and adjusting accordingly. As well, knowing a lot about how to control focus using depth of field comes HEAVILY into play here. The more wide angle you are, the more likely you are to be in focus regardless of focus setting. As well, a stopped down lens (f8 and up) provides IMMENSE depth of field in a 1/3" camera.

Practice, practice, practice. It comes quickly but you NEED to put the work into it.

And make sure your lens is properly back focused or else any attempt to focus with be futile.

I have a HD110, and I know I'm faster and 90% of the time more accurate than any autofocus camera. Also, if you are in a wide shot, f5.6 or so and focus at say 10 feet, and everything is in focus. Just a FYI if you are ever shooting a wide shot and don't have time to focus.

Basically I use the focus assist, and I can focus quickly and easily on the fly for sports etc. You might get tripped up if you focus, then have to zoom in on the subject after you focused at medium, but often times in an uncontrolled environment you don't have the luxury of time to zoom in and focus. But the Focus Assist works great. Turns your eyepiece or LCD BW and anything that comes into focus will turn blue. You can select different colors and peaking levels. Basically it's the BEST focus assist of any camera I've seen for under $6,000 and probably higher. Just wish there was a 2/3 chip JVC Pro-HD. oh well, we can dream right?

I'd like to add this info since Alex mentioned the focus assist.
Turn down peaking. Not totally off but use just a little since peaking fools you into thinking the image is sharp when its not, also it makes the footage seem grainy when the recorded image is not.
use peaking with caution and with practice. Focus assist is better.

Thanks a ton for all of the info guys! I purchased an HD110U and a Firestore FS-4 from two different guys here on the forums and I'm absolutely thrilled to grow into this camera. I'm planning to pickup a few extra batteries initially, any idea if these 3rd party batteries for sale on eBay would work in the original charger? I'm thinking of this type:

BN-V408U REPLACEMENT BATTERY PACK FOR JVC CAMCORDERS - eBay (item 280408943806 end time Oct-15-09 03:49:53 PDT) (http://cgi.ebay.com/BN-V408U-REPLACEMENT-BATTERY-PACK-FOR-JVC-CAMCORDERS_W0QQitemZ280408943806QQcmdZViewItemQQptZBatteries_Chargers)

you need at least a v428. that 420 you posted will do but only for around 15 min.

I thought the factory battery held a charge for about an hour?

thats too optimistic. the jvc v428 will do 40ish on regular use. And thats when you dont use the LCD and servo too much.

As i said earlier, you would need 10 pcs of the v428 to get you through a day of shooting. Its math is off really cuz it takes 4 hours to charge buts gets sucked up in less than an hour.
DO NOT use 3rd party quick chargers for these batteries.
1. They will render your batteries useless in a short time, you'll see some bulging of the battery cases.
2. They can load abnormal charges blowing your camera fuse which has happened to a LOT of users here. -and to me. Good thing we have a capable tech support that can replace pcb fuses here where i live.

My advice to you is not to bother for this v428 replacement batteries even though they're cheap and go for the IDX type batteries or the anton bauer types. They charge fast and last a day.

In real use you will freak out and miss out on important shots due to constant swapping of batteries.

I've been there.

I have a JVC hd 100 I am selling. Only a few hours on it with 2 IDX batteries and charger, Protabrace bag, Filters, Focus 101 100mm tripod and tripod bag PLUS LOTS OF EXTRAS like 4 year warranty with free professional head cleaning. All EQUIPMENT IN NEW LIKE CONDITON not a scratch and all original boxes.

I have not posted yet but e-mail me.

Reason I am selling 1. finished shooting project and will be spending lots of time edting. 2. IRS is auditing me for $3000 but I am fighting it. 3. I have twin boys recently which keep me busy.

I am looking at $2400 for all. The tripod itself sells for $1400. and like I said all maintained professionally and is in new condition.

hopefully I will post in classifed soon with pics.

Hey all, new to the forums, but excited to get to know everyone.

I'm planning to purchase a JVC GY-HD100U in the next couple of days hopefully and I'm looking for some suggestions (with explanations) as to what accessories I should definitely consider right out of the gate. This is my first professional grade camera and it's definitely a change from the prosumer world I've been living in.

I see a lot of talk about the Anton Bauer system, would love to know more about that and whether or not it's necessary. I've also heard a lot about the Firestore system and would like to know more about it. Also any specific tripod recommendations, etc would be helpful.

Basically, what do I need to know/have in order to get the most out of this camera out of the box?

Thanks in advance!
Evan

Evan, go for it!

The HD100 if the Model A of HD cameras, and will continue to be used for many, many years to come. And yes, as other have posted, you will need either the IDX or Anton Bauer battery system (most used ones already have the battery plate on them).

Things to watch out for are the "split screen defect" which should have been fixed under warranty, but may have been neglected, and JVC won't fix it for free out of warranty, and make sure the Firewire port is not fried.

Other than that, GREAT CAMERA!

BTW, it does have autofocus, it's called your left hand :)

Just an update guys, I purchased the following from guys here on the forum:

JVC GY-HD110U w/original accessories
Anton Bauer kit with gold mount, charger and 2 batteries
Firestore FS-4 60GB with 3 batteries

I also picked up this tripod Davis & Sanford | Pro Vista Tripod with FM 18 | PROVISTA7518B (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/243272-REG/Davis_Sanford_PROVISTA7518B_Pro_Vista_Tripod_with.html)

Should all be here by the 21st, can't wait!

Then you're good to go! welcome to the prohd club.

Just remember, never plug anything on the camera firewire port while the camera is ON. Always turn it OFF before you attach anything on the firewire port. Do this religously and you'll be safe.

My next advice to you once you have your unit is learn about checking your backfocus so you will be sure to get a sharp image from your lens.

Second, try to look at the sticky at the top of this forum section and look for the right scene files to use with this camera, since out of the box, the image might not be to your liking. I suggest you try tim dashwood's recipes.

Good luck,

Ted

Thanks Ted, I forgot to mention that I also borrowed Tim Dashwood's DVD from a friend, already learned a ton and haven't even got the camera yet.

Definitely buy a system with the AB battery system. Just for kicks, I removed my AB system and tried to run my HD100 on the stock JVC batteries. What a joke - I can't believe anyone actually does that. In actual use you'll get maybe 45 minutes on a battery. My AB Dionic will operate it for about six hours.

All-in-all, the HD100 is the best camera you can buy for under $2k. I love the operation of it, love the image, and I love the professional "look" of the camera (an under-appreciated aspect.)

Keep in mind there is no auto-focus. I use my camera mostly in a studio setting, so that's not a problem.

I'd echo these comments - I shot a feature w/ the 100 (it premieres next week) and I'm very happy with it. SSE not an issue unless very low light (my movie was shot almost entirely at night and we had maybe 3-4 shots w/ SSE). That said, it is a light hogg - hard to run and gun with no lights.

Other than that, I love the camera. Both the image and form factor are pretty much unbeatable for $2K. I've thought about selling mine for a Mark II/D7, but I just can't do it. The 100 is tough, makes very good, true HD pictures and def has that "Wow - their shooting a movie" factor. Easy to use and there's lots of color combos thanks to people like Paulo, Tim, etc.

Also, no frakin jello-cam effect.

MUST have the Anton Bauer or IDX battery pack though. The supplied battery I have last about 20 minutes. The IDX will go several hours with heavy use.

john

"MUST have the Anton Bauer or IDX battery pack though. The supplied battery I have last about 20 minutes. The IDX will go several hours with heavy use."

Definitely!
Don't even think about taking this camera out on a job without either AB or IDX power!
Jay Webster
Director/Cameraman
NY

Thanks guys, I did end up getting the AB Gold Mount which came with a couple of VERY old AB batteries that are pretty much useless. I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with these 3rd party batteries that work with the Gold Mount?

4500mAh Battery for Anton Bauer Digital Dionic 90 NEW - eBay (item 380164200152 end time Oct-31-09 19:30:38 PDT) (http://cgi.ebay.com/4500mAh-Battery-for-Anton-Bauer-Digital-Dionic-90-NEW_W0QQitemZ380164200152QQcmdZViewItemQQptZBatteries_Chargers?hash=item58838d56d8)

Anyone know what sort of performance you can get with them?

it's a decent $400 battery 90 wh, but for $525 you can get 140 wh. thats new at one of our sponsors sites...

Sorry Alex, I don't understand. The ebay link I posted was a buy it now $125 battery that's supposedly compatible with the Gold Mount. I was wondering if anyone has any experience with these.

as an old AB kind of guy first let me say I've never used the knockoffs you linked to so this is a one sided opinion.

First these batteries are not the same as an Anton Bauer just the same as most of the Steadicam knockoffs are not the same as a brand named Steadicam. AS I recall the batteries in question will not charge on an AB charger, I will guess they do not run as long and if something goes wrong with it who do you call. I've used Anton Bauer service on a few occassions and they are great.One call, send it in, get it back it works. While the Anton Bauer products are pricey (and some say over priced) when you buy a top of the line anything that has a solid reputation and solid service to back it up you are not spending money you are investing into gear that will outlast a lot of the cameras you'll use it on.
For the money you might spend on the knockoffs which you might have to buy 2 times as many as the original AB batteries, for my money I'd get the ABs. Heck get 2 Dionic90s and a Trimpak14 and you'll roll pretty much all day without worrying about running out of batteries.
Now before anyone jumps on me about my statement I am NOT talking about the IKAN stuff. I have never looked at nor used the gear so I can not speak to it, I am only talking about the EBay specials that the OP linked to.
I know one guy that had the particualr batteries in question and after using them for a short time (maybe a month) he got rid of them. That's all I'll say.
YMMV!

Sorry Alex, I don't understand. The ebay link I posted was a buy it now $125 battery that's supposedly compatible with the Gold Mount. I was wondering if anyone has any experience with these.


Evan, sorry, slow internet last couple of days. (broadband is slower than dial up right now) gave up waiting to get to the link for ebay and read the AB D90. Hmmm got to the ebay site this morning. 4500 mAH. pretty low. by my math mAH/1000 x voltage this gives a WH of 64.8 for this aftermarket battery. The AB that it is standing in for is 90 WH. My IDX Endura 7s are 71 WH and last me (on my JVC HD1110) maybe 2.5 hours with tape, LCD open, 48v phantom and topping off power to my battery powered FE DTE drive via powertap. IDX batteries (incompatable with your system) are $200.

So the math is that its a cheaper battery, but probably not a bad deal. I noticed that the battery indicator is more like an IDX (cheaper) where you press the (check) and you get a led read out of approx how much storage left. The AB has a nicer battery reader. This AB knock off shows 5 position. my IDX shows 3. More is better.

so no, no experience here. But if may very well be worth the gamble for 1 (ONE) to check it out if no one here has any first hand knowledge. At best it will be 1/3 less run time and warranty could be tricky a year from now. Cheaper but decent battery. You might be able to get 2 tapes off with it with standby time before swapping to 2nd or third battery for the day. For the money it's hard to beat for the wh, so if 1 works, then get a few more since.

Thanks guys, I did end up getting the AB Gold Mount which came with a couple of VERY old AB batteries that are pretty much useless.

so which models of old AB did you get? Trimpack 14 or Dionics?

Thanks a lot guys, appreciate all of the feedback.

If there's no autofocus how can one expect to get decent footage for less planned shoots like documentary filmmaking, etc? Sorry, I'm new to this :)

Oh that's funny, do you mean to say that you dont know how to focus a camera? You certainly wont be able to use the JVC if thats the case.

Funny or not, OP's not the only one that thinks AF cameras are a necessity.

A few years ago I was talking with director David Lynch about digital vs. film (he had just shot "Inland Empire" on mini DV), and he said that from then on, he would only shoot on digital, and ONLY with cams that had full autofocus capabilities.

Does that mean David wouldn't be able to use a JVC HD100? I think not.

We all have our own personal comfort zones...

so which models of old AB did you get? Trimpack 14 or Dionics?

The system I got came with an old Magnum 14 and a Trimpack 14. The Trimpack no longer holds a charge and the Magnum gets about 2 hours give or take.

Oh that's funny, do you mean to say that you dont know how to focus a camera? You certainly wont be able to use the JVC if thats the case.

Go ahead and laugh all you want. I have worked with lenses on still cameras and I'm fine with manual focus on those, but I didn't have any experience with using manual focus on a video camera. Since then I've got the HD110u and I'm having no trouble at all thanks.

Do I understand correctly that any 1/3" bayonet mount lens will work fine with this camera? I know I can get into Letus adapters, etc but I'd love to start by finding some lenses that can replace the lens that's currently on the camera.

no not all lens will work. the lens mount has to fit and the electrical connections also need to be the correct ones for everything to work properly.
if you put a lens on that doesn't have the right e-connections you could have a problem.

Evan,
I sent you my number in a PM before. Don't be afraid to use it. I can answer a lot of these qestions over the phone. If you deleted it, just shoot me a PM and I will be happy to answer all that I can.