And yes, I did ship it back.

Now you'll have to charge another battery as you anxiously re-read the manual (smile), or did you buy a second? I'm thinking of ordering another off the same ebay seller as the price was cheap and the battery is working well. Wouldn't mind a backup of the AC adapter, too.

Sure hope you get a SD card this time. :-)

I have a few places with online space.

I have 2 domains plus a .mac account (which gives me 500 megs). My 2 domains have a fair bit of free space on their server, one is actually just sitting there with next to nothing on the server as the site is under construction right now. The other is close to full as its my own company website (surprising how fast 800megs gets used when you have a site that deals with video).

Nice work, Greg. Liked the school board videos and the title work. Plus, the JVC HD1 on your Bridal Fair 2007 newsletter. :-)

I'd like to be able to get the quality and size as the Apple site's FCP ads without people having to wait forever. Example:

http://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/action/?movie=coenbrothers

The quality of the clips on the apple site are always top notch. May have to see if i can grab one of their clips and figure out how it's encoded.

Also just got a call from UPS and it looks like my camera is at the border so it should definitely be here tomorrow. Hope it gets here before I have to go to a meeting in the afternoon!!!

so i was looking at the apple video files and i checked out their 720p movie trailers to see how they were encoded. Looks like they use the H.264 codec at 1280 x whatever (depending on the trailers aspect ratio). The bit rate is pretty high at just under 6000kbits/sec. Not sure if the quality that comes out of the HD1 can compare to the footage that they are using but im definitely going to see if I can mimic their settings when I encode to see the quality difference. Being that its a progressive camera should definitely help.

Looks like they use the H.264 codec at 1280 x whatever (depending on the trailers aspect ratio). The bit rate is pretty high at just under 6000kbits/sec.

Shouldn't you be standing by the door waiting for a package? :-)

Just found a discussion on this very topic on Apple's site (I'm still reading it):
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=3631304�

This clip was included as part of the discussion as another example. I liked it and include the link for those that might like to see it without reading the thread there:
http://web.mac.com/captmench/iWeb/Site/Movies/6E576238-7758-4413-BAF4-513D2FB63057.html

well the camera just got here .. WOOHOOO!!! So im getting my batteries and a fresh tape and going out to play. Will see how this thing performs, it sure does feel nice in the hands though. Has a nice weight to it.

Got my capture to work dudes!!!! It was a stupid transfer panel that was noncompliant I guess with the camera or something. I plugged it into my motherboard and then break out box and voila!!! Capture city with scene detection!

I hadn't I guess read fully through the manual so I discovered the navigation feature! That is great for playback or searching a clip. Now I need to read up on how to basically fast forward to the end of a clip in navi and then I will be in buisness!! LOL

Gregg! Your going to love your cam! I think it is great. And I was asking, and maybe I didn't ask correctly because there are online free servers correct? Where I could upload footage? But then again, you have your camera now, so that isn't necessary... LOL

Enjoy!

well the camera just got here .. WOOHOOO!!! So im getting my batteries and a fresh tape and going out to play. Will see how this thing performs, it sure does feel nice in the hands though. Has a nice weight to it.

Congrats! You're official now. We'll have to teach you the secret handshake now. :-)

well im going to actually post a clip. Did the compressing with 'compressor' and its in the H.264 codec. The link is...

http://www.videopartypatrol.com/frog.mov

Its just a small clip of our neighbor playing with a small frog that she found. Make sure to save the file to your drive as it doesnt play well within a browser window.

Also I picked up one of the Steady Stick Compacts and it works really nice.

well im going to actually post a clip. Did the compressing with 'compressor' and its in the H.264 codec. The link is...

http://www.videopartypatrol.com/frog.mov

Hey, that looks pretty nice. Definitely sharp. How do you like the results?

I haven't shot anything with mine in a few days due to other projects. Hoping to go play a bit this weekend with it.

Also I picked up one of the Steady Stick Compacts and it works really nice.

The Davis & Sanford one? Saw those on ebay and have been debating on getting one. Don't need one yet but I like the idea. Here's an animated GIF showing it for anyone interested:

http://images.channeladvisor.com/Sell/SSProfiles/50058397/Images/2/SteadyStickAnim.gif

A few days ago I took a break and was sorting through my drives and found some old (2001) footage I shot with my old Canon Optura (original model, that I let collect dust and later sold) and going down memory lane. Mumbled to myself that if I knew then what I know now I wouldn't have sold that camera to get the one I replaced it with.

Yesterday, I found a guy selling the same model Optura with a Canon stereo mixing mike (?) for $40! At that price I just HAD to buy it. Camera and mike are mint but no manuals or charger/AC adapter so I have some more shopping to do.

Now I'm all set for that one-man three camera shoot. :-)

the image is definitely nice and crisp thats forsure, so far I am quite pleased with the camera. The Steady Stick is nice and they have added an extra arm to the device which can be used as a small monopod for low shots (as the arm is only about 12-15 inches long), a swing out arm for helping to steady your shots, and can also be used to put on your shoulder so that the camera not only rests on your hips but your shoulder. So all in all not to shabby for 99 bux.

And its always nice to have multiple cameras. As of now I have

JVC GY-HD1u
JVC GY-DV300u
Sony TRV-17

And two digital SLRs
Canon 10D
Canon 300D

I seem to be one of those people that just has a real problem getting rid of old equipment.

Also I did some encoding on the macbook (frog clip) and the laptop handled the footage quite nicely. I then captured some footage on my PowerMac G4 (1.25ghz) and it surprisingly handled the footage. The only thing is of course rendering which will be an absolute killer on the G4. But its nice to see that I can work on it. Again an older machine that I just cant bring myself to get rid of.

the image is definitely nice and crisp thats forsure, so far I am quite pleased with the camera. The Steady Stick is nice and they have added an extra arm to the device which can be used as a small monopod for low shots (as the arm is only about 12-15 inches long), a swing out arm for helping to steady your shots, and can also be used to put on your shoulder so that the camera not only rests on your hips but your shoulder. So all in all not to shabby for 99 bux.

I'll consider getting one myself. Going to wait to see the type of shooting I'll be doing before accumulating a bunch of neat tools I'll never use. Right now I expect my video shooting will mostly be lit and tripod shot (note to self: remember to turn off OIS when on a tripod), so a Steady Stick won't be needed...yet.

And its always nice to have multiple cameras. As of now I have

JVC GY-HD1u
JVC GY-DV300u
Sony TRV-17

Cool. We can team up and do a two-man, six camera shoot. :-)

Felt nice to play with the Optura today (kludged a charger to charge the very dead batteries). Really prefer the Optura's 35mm camera type form-factor to most vidcams. Very easy to hold steady and shoot smooth with. Now I need to remind myself that the JVC is the "A" camera and I need to master it, so put the Optura down.

Also I did some encoding on the macbook (frog clip) and the laptop handled the footage quite nicely.

Great! Internal or external hard drive? Just curious as I'm always hearing about things that won't work that people that don't know that seem to be doing everyday.

I then captured some footage on my PowerMac G4 (1.25ghz) and it surprisingly handled the footage. The only thing is of course rendering which will be an absolute killer on the G4. But its nice to see that I can work on it. Again an older machine that I just cant bring myself to get rid of.

Newer than my dual 867 G4, rendering time is coffee and break time.

Then, I have several PowerPC Macs and a G3 tower still. I use those for my "bill by the hour" jobs or when clients are here, watching over my shoulder. Just kidding. :-)

well it looks like im going to have to get a hold of B&H on Sunday as there is a dead pixel just slightly off center. Cant see it while recording but when playing back the footage on the HDTV can see it very clearly. It really stands out when shooting with less light as its very prominent. Very sad. So hopefully they dont have some crazy thing that 1 dead pixel doesnt warrent a return. Will see when I call them.

And a 6 camera shoot would be plenty of fun!!! The most ive ever been involved with is a 4 camera shoot and that was pretty nice. And even better to edit, as you always have at least one cam thats getting a nice shot.

So I guess Ill let you all know how my dead pixel issue goes and what resolves out of it.

Question for "Damon Gaskin", how long did it take for the RMA with your camera? Did you have to pay anything upfront to ship it or how did that work?

And in regards to what drive im using on the macbook, Im using the internal 5400 drive and it seems to be working just fine. It may choke if Im doing multiple video layers but we will have to see. I can see having to pick up a newer mac come this fall. Wouldnt that be to bad :)

Greg: I had the replacement the next day. We ordered it next day Saturday. We did not have to pay for the new camera while the RMA was being transmitted(had to jump through hoops though and pitch a b##ch). They paid for next day shipping for the RMA and also for the new camera to come to us. But once again, I had the new camera the very next day. It wasn't easy either for that setup and I am sort of displeased with the whole ordeal we had to go through and the calls back and forth for a whole afternoon. I spoke with four different reps and my friend spoke with another 3. We had three different order and RMA numbers and the person my friend spoke with was not very nice. It was not a pleasant order process with B&H this time around on this order. But at the same time two things; this was the largest order we had placed with them, and this was not what I was used to when dealing with them on previous purchases and returns.

The odd hours, the memory card experience(had to make like four calls betwen B&H and JVC only to speak back with B&H and someone to say after 30 seconds that they would mail out a replacement little 8MB card), being placed on hold for extended periods of time after only being asked one question over and over and over regarding the return, and lastly, the return/exchange experience all together has really made me not want to mail order again. I guess though that I should be greatful. I have never had any return problem via mailorder up until this point. With that in mind, I suppose I was overdue.

But their RMA process when it was finally done was easy.. They give you a sheet or should I say email you a RMA sheet, you indicate the reason for the return or exchange, include that in your box along with a copy of the original sales invoice, attach the UPS label they also will email you on the return box(that is, if they give you that option), take it to your local UPS and your done for the return.

I am not sure, or should I say they probably will not do this on average to be honest with you, so I would not hold my breathe. Ours, as a manager I spoke with in the end advised, was "a special circumstance" for this policy.

But that is our story.

well it looks like im going to have to get a hold of B&H on Sunday as there is a dead pixel just slightly off center. Cant see it while recording but when playing back the footage on the HDTV can see it very clearly.

Bummer. I don't have an HDTV and probably won't for a while yet. Like I mentioned previously, I'm getting the extended warranty so if I later discover a problem it will be covered that way. It's good you found the problem early.

And a 6 camera shoot would be plenty of fun!!! The most ive ever been involved with is a 4 camera shoot and that was pretty nice. And even better to edit, as you always have at least one cam thats getting a nice shot.

No kidding. I can image that having footage from four cameras to work with would be nice from a selection point of view, might also be a syncing challenge. I'm just hoping my two camera ideas work well, will probably have to be in DV mode until I learn this stuff better.

And in regards to what drive im using on the macbook, Im using the internal 5400 drive and it seems to be working just fine. It may choke if Im doing multiple video layers but we will have to see. I can see having to pick up a newer mac come this fall. Wouldnt that be to bad :)

Thanks for the info. I've always read that you had to have 7200 rpm for video but no one ever said what would happen if you used a 5400 rpm. I know I saw "drive too slow" warnings on a guy's notebook but he was trying to record direct to disk and he said the drive speed of the notebook's drive was 4400 or 4500 rpm (I think).

Hope you have a smooth exchange experience.

yeah i hope so too. I cant see them giving me any issues since it is actually a defect. I just hope they get it all happening nice and fast. I did find a piece of software that is used for fixing dead pixels on your footage. So even after the RMA I may look into buying it. I believe its around $40 and works for Final Cut Pro 4 or 5. My other camera has a dead pixel on it so that would help me fix that. Seems to work really nice.

Ive included a link just in case any of your cameras get this problem

http://www.digital-heaven.co.uk/fcplugins/dh_reincarnation.php

Has a nice little video clip to show you how easy it works.

I did find a piece of software that is used for fixing dead pixels on your footage.

That looks pretty cool and less effort than my Magic Marker on the screen approach. They have some other interesting items, too. I assume there's one for Windows, too. Thanks for sharing the link.

well i contacted B&H today in regards to my camera and they seemed pretty good about everything. Was only on the phone with them for about 10 minutes. They sent me an RMA form and gave my their account number with UPS so that I didnt have to pay for anything. Looks like ill be without the camera for a week or so, but rather that then have a burnt out pixel.

I think I may not have gotten the 'run around' as I buy everything through my company and have bought numerous orders, some of them being a fair amount. It always seems to help when they think they are dealing with a company and not just one person.

Anyways Ill keep you up to date on how it progresses.

Also I went and filmed a buddy of mine get his black belt today (thought I may as well get a bit more footage before having to send the camera back). It was not overly well lit and I was pleasantly surprised as to how well it recorded. There were a few spots where it lost focus but quickly found it again once I stopped moving the camera.

Greg, I am glad to hear your experience was much better than ours! And I am sure that ordering history and through a company helps tremendously.. But I am also sorry to hear that you'll be without your cam for a week! That sucks! But I do agree also with you on it's better to be without it for a week and then to have the new camera... But yes, keep us updated!!!!!

And yes, the lowlight thing as Dave and I discussed and also I think Ken posted some clips previously, is blown way, way out of proportion on this camera. It simply makes and made no sense once I got the first one and immediately shot some clips of a room only illuminated by my halide on my fish tank(100 watts, but about 6 inches from water level and blue spectrum). I had really no noise as I followed instructions here and turned AGC off. I have some footage I shot yesterday in pretty much pitch black, so I am going to see how that looks when I injest it into the machine. But everything I have seen so far has been really impressive about the camera! Especially for the cost of it! When you factor into that, its insane..

People are just as I call them "on the bandwagonners or naysayers"! That is the only explination I can come up with other than "an agenda to ruin this camera's name". But I and everyone that has seen the footage from the camera think it looks great! I even had a guy(I don't care for him though for something he said that was really inexcuseable) ask me how much it ran and if it was only in NTSC as he is in PAL.

And dude, your using auto with that thing? LOL I think I used auto for the first time yesterday just to see how it would work. It was in the low light situation I mentioned and though it did not do too bad, from the lcd it didn't look as good as the manual focus and white balancing. I did this on purpose so I would not even get used to the auto functions at all. The thing I am trying to work on now and it will take time is if I can basically rack focus while zooming. If I can get that down, watch out...

But yes, keep us up to date with the rma and return! I am off. I have to clean up a few projects and burn a few dvd's. I actually now have burned 4 different little projects to SD and like the results for now! He he He I also have been experimenting with H264 exports and this looks to be the most promising little codec for great video quality(yes, I am late on this one, but better late than never... LOL) and smaller file sizes... Anyhew!

Later man,

D

well the camera is all packed up and ready to go out first thing tomorrow morning. Kinda sad. At least I got a chance to play around with it for the weekend. Hopefully the next one that comes will be all good!!''

Also I went and filmed a buddy of mine get his black belt today (thought I may as well get a bit more footage before having to send the camera back). It was not overly well lit and I was pleasantly surprised as to how well it recorded. There were a few spots where it lost focus but quickly found it again once I stopped moving the camera.

Cool. I might have locked the focus but sometimes the auto stuff works pretty well. Wonder if adding a 10-20w video light would have helped. I've been thinking of getting a small fill-type on-camera light. I'll have to play with some follow focus stuff as shooting moving objects and manually focusing can be a chore.

I did some playing around shooting some backlit buildings locking the exposure for the zoomed in building exposure. Zoomed out and the sun lit stuff was very washed out. I unlocked the exposure and ran another test zoom and it look good wide and as I zoomed in the camera adjusted gradually enough that it looked like I was manually opening the iris. Not objectionable at all.

yeah i could have done a manual focus, but to be honest i kinda wanted to see what the camera could do. Plus they were moving around quite a bit and there was no place to really lock the focus. And I have a 5 watt light, 50 watt and 100 watt light. But again kinda wanted to test out the camera. Wasnt anything that was gonna be pro. Just did it so that I could test the camera and he could have a souvenir of the day. So it worked out pretty good. And definitely nothing that couldn't be fixed with a bit of color correcting.

And the camera is now gone. :(

Hopefully be back sometime next week.

by the way here is a link to the blackbelt clip.

Its not in full 720p but you can see the quality in non optimal lighting.

http://www.videopartypatrol.com/JPs_Blackbelt1.mov

sorry, that link isnt working. Ill post a new one as soon as it uploads.

And I have a 5 watt light, 50 watt and 100 watt light.

I don't have any on camera lights yet. I see 10w and 15w and I think of a 10w light bulb in a lamp and wonder if that could be any good. Am I mixing apples and oranges? I assume that I don't need a 500w on camera light. For regular stuff I'll be lighting the set but was thinking a light for general personal playing (annoying the dog, etc.) would be fun to have. What wattage should I look for -- maybe as an outdoor fill, too?

Just did it so that I could test the camera and he could have a souvenir of the day.

Definitely a GREAT souvenir. I have belts/sashes (none black) in several martial arts and someone taped one of my tests and I was real happy to get a copy.

And the camera is now gone. :(

The time will fly by.

I just had an interesting experience with B&H. Just received the Giottos quick releases and plates I ordered. The info on the site states "Mounts onto anything with a 1/4"-20 or 3/8" camera screw." They left off the "provided you buy or already have an adapter". I have two 1/4"-20 tripod heads I wanted these for.

I called and a "pro" support guy argued with me saying that I misread it. He said it does mount on anything with the proper adapters. He then suggested that I should have gone and looked at my tripods and known I needed to order a couple 3/8" to 1/4"-20 adapters. Huh?

Telling him the only way I'd have known that was if it said "Mounts onto 3/8" tripod screws, requires an adapter for 1/4"-20." got me put on hold. Then I was disconnected. I called back and got a message to call back during normal business hours. Grrr.

Dave: Its not the same B&H Imho... The "hold button" seems to be a new universal answer...

It seems that I may have lucked out with the guy that i got to speak with at B&H. The only thing that didnt work for me was that he gave me JVC's number so that if i had any further problems I could contact them, problem is that im in Canada so the number he gave wouldnt work. All I got was a message saying that I couldnt connect from my area code.

Does anyone know if the extra warranty that you can buy from B&H is worldwide or just for within the states? And how long after your purchase can you buy it?

And the karate clip is still encoding. I encoded it once but it squeezed into a 4x3 window. Not very pretty. So re encoding 16x9. Should hopefully be done soon.

Not sure about the other questions but I think someone mentioned you can purchase the JVC warranty up to the 90 days after you recieve your camera..

Does anyone know if the extra warranty that you can buy from B&H is worldwide or just for within the states? And how long after your purchase can you buy it?

This is for the U.S., which should cover you since you purchased it from a U.S. dealer. The extended warranty B&H sells is through Mack's Camera and Video Service center. You have 30-days from the original date of purchase (invoice date, not delivery date) to purchase and activate a Mack warranty.

It's a profit center for them and B&H (and other dealers that sell it) as a small percentage of cameras covered will ever be sent in for warranty. According to their web site it is a worldwide warranty, though. You may/may not need to send it to the U.S. I would think not sending it to New Jersey for a service would be to you benefit for less volume and wait time.

Surf and see what you find out. I found some complaints on time stiff was in the shop (not repaired by JVC) that caused me to want to go with another company.

http://www.mackcam.com/warranty.html

This should be JVC Canada's number: 1-800-964-2650 I'm kind of curious of what they say since you didn't buy from a Canadian dealer.

https://www.jvc.ca/en/consumer/service/warranty.asp

JVC, US has an arrangement with Satisfusion and they say that as long as your camera is covered by the manufacturer's warranty, you can buy an extended one. For the GR-HD1U that's 90-days (parts and labor, 1-year parts) from date of purchase. Once the manufacturer's warranty is over it's too late.

thanks for all the links. Hopefully I will never need them, but great to have.

Ive also reposted a bit of the karate video. Let me know what you think of the color especially in reduced lighting. I thought it looked pretty good. The clip is not in HD as file size does become an issue.

http://www.videopartypatrol.com/Blackbelt.mov

thanks for all the links. Hopefully I will never need them, but great to have.

You're most welcome. I'd call JVC - Canada, JVC - US, and Mack and see what your options are before the 30-days runs out. I'm not sure if Satisfusion will work with you in Canada but they might, ask JVC - US. I'll probably be signing up for the extended on mine soon, before I forget. The prices are reasonable and you can get 2-5 years.

Ive also reposted a bit of the karate video. Let me know what you think of the color especially in reduced lighting.

Looks pretty good. I'd expected white gi's, nice of them to wear red so you could check color in low light. :-)

Dave: Its not the same B&H Imho... The "hold button" seems to be a new universal answer...

I think it depends more on who you get to speak with. I called B&H again this morning, and got a friendly customer service rep. He transferred me to the same sales guy that argued with me last night. He started out like he did last night but must be in a better mood as he stopped himself, re-read the description, and told me I was right, the adapters should have been included. Told me to tell customer service that he said they are to comp me the adapters. They said they would and will fix the web site so it's not misleading.

well i just contacted JVC canada in regards to the warranty of cameras purchased within the US. This is what they said in their email.


"If the unit is purchased in the USA then no we do not cover the
warranty, you will have to call the USA at 1800-252-5722.

Thanks"

Just so everyone knows. Im going to try and contact the US JVC site and see what they have to say.

well i just contacted JVC canada in regards to the warranty of cameras purchased within the US. This is what they said in their email.

"If the unit is purchased in the USA then no we do not cover the
warranty, you will have to call the USA at 1800-252-5722.

Thanks"

Just so everyone knows. Im going to try and contact the US JVC site and see what they have to say.

That's kind of what I figured. I know some companies are very strict about their distribution channels. Nikon, for example, if you buy a grey-market Nikon product then the U.S. warranty is void. Canon, on the other hand, figures that as long as their name is on the product they'll cover it. They will not offer any extended warranties, etc. to grey market items though.

Some "creative" dealers are disguising their grey-market merchandise by advertising that it has a "U.S. warranty" knowing that's what most people here will look for. What they don't disclose, until after you get the items, is that it's a Mack or other repair place's warranty, not the manufacturer's.

JVC U.S. should cover you for the 90-days labor/1-year parts but you'll need to send it here.

This has me thinking about the extended warranty I want and questioning why I'm waiting, so I just called Satisfusion. Naturally, their systems are down so they'll call me back. :-)

I'm glad the extended warranty topic was brought up. I debated on getting one until I read about someone whose Firewire port died requiring a new PC board and what it cost to get it fixed -- $1,100 (Canadian). OUCH!

I called Satisfusion this morning and was told that they can not sell me an extended warranty on the GR-HD1 as it's been removed from their list, probably due to the original date of manufacture. That leaves Mack as the only option and they require that you sign up within the first 30-days (although I heard there's some leeway there) not 90-days like Satisfusion and since I ordered my camera on 5/9 that puts me at the end of the window. Had I waited longer I'd have been out of luck.

What's interesting is that B&H has raised the price on the GR-HD1 to $1,299.95 and the Mack warranties they're selling don't match Mack's price range coverage numbers. I called Mack to make sure I buy the correct one and they told me that for the GR-HD1 ($1,200 and less) I need their #1040 (B&H # MAEWVC42) 4-warranty which is $89.95 at B&H (going by the mfg number).

However, B&H is listing the Mack #1056 (B&H# MAEWPDVC4) 4-year warranty for $129.95 as the one for this camera and I think that was based on the camera's original sales price. Stranger, B&H lists the same Mack #'s for a variety of equipment price ranges, Mack's not sure why that is. VERY confusing.

Of interest is that the warranties include "One head cleaning per year at Mack Camera and Video Service." that didn't seem all that exciting until I was told by B&H (verified with Mack) that means a full cleaning; including CCD, heads, as well as a head alignment. That in itself is worth the price. Mack assured me that repair turn around time is usually two weeks if they have the parts.

I ordered the the #1040 warranty.

FYI: Steve Mullens "Tiny JVC Guide" tips on using the JVC GR-HD1 and JY-HD10 is still available:

"just send me an email. It's free."
d-v-c@mindspring.com
__________________
Best Regards,
Steve Mullen
Digital Video Consulting

__________________
"Sony V1 and FX7 HANDBOOK" at http://www.knowledge-download.com/V1-FX7

"EDITION 2: JVC ProHD HANDBOOK" at http://www.knowledge-download.com/JVCHDV

"Sony Z1 and FX1 Handbook" at http://www.knowledge-download.com/SonyHDV

Thanks for the info Dave. Sent an email and received a pdf within the hour. Definitely some nice information.

Thanks for the info Dave. Sent an email and received a pdf within the hour. Definitely some nice information.

And, here's another link+ for you in case you didn't have it:

http://www.proapptips.com
http://www.proapptips.com/proapptipsvideotutorials/Video_Tutorials.html

That is indeed very interesting that they raised the price on it now.. LOL The other thing thats interesting is that the newer HD7 is only 80 bucks more. LOL But as we all know, this camera is a hell of a deal, even at 1300 now!

The warranty information is also very useful, so thanks!

Damon

The other thing thats interesting is that the newer HD7 is only 80 bucks more.

I didn't like the looks or feel of the HD7, possibly because I wanted a bigger camera than I had and didn't want to go into debt to get it. Also, I'm not yet a fan of hard drives in cameras. Hard drives can and do crash. Haven't heard of any in vidcams yet but have in still cameras (PCMCIA micro drives). The thought of a drive crashing and taking all of my footage makes me shiver. Tape and solid state are my personal preferences.

Heck, when I shoot stills I quickly backup to a notebook and still keep the cards loaded until I can be sure I've stored those images semi-safely.

The Sony XDCAM EX has my interest for a future vidcam.

The warranty information is also very useful, so thanks!

Just activated the extended warranty. While I hope I never need it I do plan to take them up on the free annual cleaning and adjustments. That in itself was worth the price.

My BF and I used to be one of the very first owners but we sold it to buy a Sony FX-1. But I still have tapes of friend's weddings that I was never able to download to a computer. Does anyone in LA want to rent us one for a bargain basement price for a day?:)

Does anyone in LA want to rent us one for a bargain basement price for a day?:)

Hello Betsy,

A shame that you can't just use a "standard" DV type tape deck to play back and load these tapes and save some wear and tear on the camera's mechanism.

I've been passively looking for you for a bit. I really liked your comments to a old review (as did the two friends I sent it to) and was wondering what you were referring to in the following as it sounded interesting:

For example, after much experimentation with traditional filters, black stockings, brown stockings, and, on the advice of a well-regarded DP in the LA Times, plastic wrap, we found the best filter for our camera to control the light and the edge enhancement and to give it the best overall film look was a lens we cut out of a pair of Christmas glasses--you know the kind they hand out at holiday lighting events to make the twinklies look soft and glowy. The ungodly amount of edge enhancement actually seemed to help in this case, as the filter would have made things a bit soft otherwise.

I have no idea what type of Christmas glasses you were referring to. Can you shed some light on that for me? Thanks.

Hi Dave, thanks for being on the lookout, it's always nice to be wanted:) What we've used for 98% of the project is just two semi heavy standard filters--1 is a 1/4 Black mist tiffen filter and the other is a Tiffen Soft FX 3 filter--a white filter and--we always use these two AT THE SAME TIME and the combination of (it seems) expanding and moderating the darks and the whites for us gives it a more filmic look--much better than just using the cinegama options of the camera alone. I know they should cancel each other out but (again in our opinion) seem to work a certain magic when crushed together. Now our project is set at Christmas and has certain surrealistic scenes (a la Hitchcock's Vertigo) so sometimes at the cost of even more light reaching the camera we slap on yet another heavier portrait white filter on top of the other two in order to give one of the female characters even more of a glow (it's still not obnoxious, like when they smear vaseline and nylons over Cybil Shepperd's close-ups). Adding the third filter makes most long shots in dim light too soft--but the added third filter can be great for closeups. But my favorite lens trick is something that because it eats up so much light and is so pronounced we use sparingly is in deed taking out the lenses of holiday specs, that look like the old 3D glasses and that when you aim them at sharp points of light like Christmas lights, car headlights in the distance, and fireworks produce both softening and tiny holographic special effects (twinkling stars, the word "Noel" seeming to float and rotate around a sharp light source, etc.)--also because of the holographic process, it gives the whole area a subtle, romantic lavender-grey glow, and really mellows the image in a beautiful, dreamlike way. The little holograms don't show up unless you telephoto all the way into an individual Christmas light but if you're shooting in an area with a lot of twinkly lights they do have the added bonus of creating a certain extra halo effect. Oh, and the bonus of all these approaches if you use a lot of onscreen light sources is that all of the light sources soften and look to be part of the pictorial beauty rather than a blared-out eye sore. To be crude, it's a distant cousin to all those dreamy blurry, high-end soft core, French movies of the mid seventies that were in turn influenced by the flashback sequences in Godfather II. Here is a link to the Holiday specs: http://www.3dglassesonline.com/holiday.html

Hope this helps,

L,

Bets

Greg,

Not sure if you're still looking for clips but I stumbled on an ad for a JY-HD10 on ebay today that has some clip links:

Nice clean still: http://www.eyeofmine.com/jvc/hd/aa-pinkflower-water-HD.jpg

This one is of a Japanese garden that has a couple filters added and infrared (163MB):
http://www.eyeofmine.com/portfolio/multimedia/japangardens-hd.wmv

This one is a segment of Kart racing (61MB):
http://www.eyeofmine.com/portfolio/multimedia/buttonwillow-hd.wmv

This one is a nice home tour of a house I'd never want to leave (130MB):
http://www.eyeofmine.com/portfolio/multimedia/casa-hd.wmv

Overall, some pretty good samples.

Thanks for the links. Always enjoy seeing what others are doing with this camera. Im still waiting for mine to come back from the RMA. Been 2 weeks this Monday. Looks like it got stuck at the border for almost 4 days. Had to contact UPS for days before they finally released it. But at least its finally on its way back. So should have it early this week.

Greg
http://www.sandstormstudios.com

Powermac G4 1.25ghz (1.25 gigs Ram, 800 gigs HD)
Macbook Dual Core 1.83 ghz (1.25 gigs Ram, 240 gigs HD)

JVC GY-dv300u
JVC HD1u
TRV17

Well Greg, at least yours is on its way back. They don't even see one of ours as being returned.. This has honestly been the most traumatic mailorder that I have ever had from anywhere. I spoke with them(B&H) this morning and it appears, even afer I bugged the jerk that I spoke with for the second RMA number(he gave me the original one and ups label for this one) did not put notes in the system to show that we were sending the second camera back. This is after my friend spoke with them(the second instance they had her upset) and they were supposed to send a RMA number to include both camera's but they didn't, and that RMA only included the single camera. So I called them and spoke with the person that gave me the old order number/return number and indicated that there was going to be notes indicated that would represent the return of this camera. So now we have both a missing camera and also according to the person she spoke with parts supposedly missing..

This has been horrible to be honest.. I am really confused because I have never had this type of experience before. Its really, really bad...

Thats totally rediculous and unacceptable. I would be complely upset about that. That was a bit of my worry as well when sending back my camera. I spent every day tracking its progress and then when it said that UPS had delivered it, I sent an email to B&H to verify that they had received it and that the other one was on its way. The very next day they sent me a tracking number and out she went.

I think if I had a bad experiance like that it would possibly turn me off from buying from them. Unfortunately being from Canada the prices from B&H are what make it worth the risk.

Yes, Greg, I agree completely and to be honest, and I told the person I spoke with today, that I am "not" going to order with them when I get mine, but I truly as I told my friend today, am embarrased that I recommended them to her. She is a very mild lady, but at the same time, she's not a crybaby. The person that I spoke with that urked me the first time, he was really, really rude as I mentioned before, and if I were not such a stubborn person, I would probably have been disturbed by him also(just thinking to myself if she got someone like him).

But the "one hand doesn't know what the other one has or is doing" is really upsetting to me. I have to call them back tomorrow and I told the guy I spoke with today, and he brought this to the attention of his manager, that they "need" to do something tomorrow because as the rep stated himself "this is a mess and needs to be resolved". He appoligized, but as I told him, my frustration is not with him, but the fact that it seems like we are not only being jerked around, but their process is definately flawed. And also that while I am not sure this is the most expensive order they will ever take, they have botched this completely and resolution needs to be given. I also advised that I referred her to them and I am very sad that I did so, and would never refer anyone else to them because of this experience.


And yes, it is unacceptable! To be honest, its urking the life of me! I know for sure I will be submitting a complaint not only to them but also to Bizrate. I am not sure where else to go, but this has really angered me to the extreme, and worn out my patience..

I actually also am looking for other mailorder dealers that I can order my cam from. Any suggestions? I looked at Broadway and Adorama, but I am sort of afraid to after this. I have half a mind to just pay an extra grand and buy it directly from the Sony store locally. Yes, it is that bad of a taste in my mouth to be honest about this whole thing.. She is depressed and deeply upset about it, and I am just angry at this point.

It has ruined the whole excitement about getting new equipment and taking our editing and product to another level...

I just want to get her camera and then I will do what I need to for mine... But at this point, IMHO, they suck royally!!

D

well after 2 and a half weeks my cam is back. So far looks like all the pixels are good and none are dead. Have to put the camera through its paces with in the next few days.

I've been using mine quite a bit lately, it's working quite well. The built-in mike works better than I expected. I didn't need sound for what I was shooting but after hearing it decided that I'll turn the volume down and use it anyway.

I was shooting outside in the heat (108-degrees) with the camera on a tripod and no shade for either of us. The camera got pretty hot (as did I) but no problems what-so-ever. Going to get a piece of white fabric to put on it when it's sitting waiting for the next shot to be set up. Dusting off my Reflectosol square black umbrella and a heavy stand to shade me and the camera for next time, too.

I'm shooting this morning in a confined space and going to try using an Olympus 0.8x I have as the standard lens isn't wide enough for some things. The Olympus looked good in the tests I did in my yard so it should do fine. Wish I'd taken it with me Tuesday.

I wanted to go a bit wider than a 0.8x so I searched this forum for wide angle add-on lenses and ended up ordering a Sony 0.7x VCL-HG0758 (58mm thread) off ebay. Was going to get the VCL-HG0752 (52mm thread) but read that it might vignette at full wide. Interesting price range on those, I found a used one for $35, including shipping.

Not sure a 0.7x is that much wider than a 0.8x but at that price I figured I'd try it -- that lets me leave the 0.8x in my still camera bag. May look for a wider lens later, will have to see what kind of things I end up shooting. Saw some seriously bad distortion and focus problems (center sharp, edges way off) with some 0.45x ones so I'll have to do some research.

Wasn't thinking I'd need a wide angle with video as you can do a slow pan to show the things not in the frame. Discovered that's not always possible.

Also, discovered that the V428 batteries don't last as long in the heat as I'd have hoped. I have two but am going to get 1-2 more. Wouldn't mind a smaller AC adapter for long session indoor shooting -- no stopping to change batteries.

I'm learning and having fun doing it. Discovering that directing people and getting them to actually do what you asked is interesting. :-)

Well guys, gals, this will probably be my last post on the HD1 thread.

My friend has "finally" recieved her FX7, and I instantly fell in love with it. Tons of features(even more than I had read about) and the video is awesome, simply awesome... Hopefully there will not be any problems with this one as I don't think either of us can take another return with B&H. I ended up speaking with a manager by accident and giving him and earful of the situation(which he stated at the time was ridiculous himself), and he took care of it all and we had the camera the next day. I honestly saved his number in my cell as if I order my FX7 from B&H, I want to order it directly from him and not the reps(I really at this point don't have time or patience for a bunch of mess.. The patience has worn out)..

But to the day, there is still 50.00 missing from her credit card that they stated is going to be replaced next week.. So we will see.. However, I will find out and then report back to you all on it... It would be the final conclusion.. But IMHO they botched this one completely and the only saving grace is the manager I spoke with..

Damon