Welcome to the forum (now SD flash memory).

[Chris Hurd]

Howdy from Texas,

The word is out on this camera a little sooner than I expected -- which is a good thing -- so here's your dedicated discussion forum specifically devoted to it. Although I really don't expect very much play, considering it hasn't even been announced yet. But things should pick up quickly in mid-April, right around NAB (the biggest industry event of the year).

Someone out there might be wondering, why did I dovetail this board into our HDV Acquisition category, when I've got the Panasonic DVCPro HD / P2 camera way up at the top of the forum index in the DV Info Net News category. Well, the reason is simple... I don't have a proper category for the P2 camera yet. It's not HDV, so it doesn't belong here. The forthcoming JVC GY-HD100 *is* HDV however, so it fits in nicely with all the other HDV toys we've got going on around here.

Oh, and one more thing: I just extinguished a sorry attempt at spreading the flames of Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt over on our Panasonic P2 board. I'm not going to allow that to happen here, either. If you feel like you have to express fear, uncertainty and/or doubt about something you've never even touched before, well, DON'T! You won't know how good or bad 19mbps is until you've actually seen it. So, if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all. There's a fine line sometimes between FUD and speculation -- and I know you guys are smart enough to know the difference -- but I'll be watching this like a hawk anyway! So behave yourselves!

;-)

Enjoy,

[Heath McKnight]

This camera has a lot of interest for DP Jon Fordham and I, and we may use this camera to shoot a feature later this year. So you can be assured we'll be doing tests and reviews for you!

And of course, DSE will have all kinds of great stuff!

heath

[Joe Carney]

Based on the flash teaser, it has removable lenses. Very very cool.
btw over at another forum, nobody seemed to know (or admit) what the name was. Another scoop for dvinfo.

[Jacques Star]

From what i've read and seen, i'm not impressed.

The only HD cameras that i've ever shot with are the Sony HDW700A and it's newer version, the HDW730. Both 1080i HDCAM format cameras.

Of course, as would be expected, both are great cameras and look superb.

I've also gone to the Sony ZU1 demonstrations, and seen the footage from these HDV cameras.

Again, as is expected from Sony, the HDV looks beautiful on playback, and I see only a slight difference from HDCAM in terms of less color space due to it's MPEG compression. But, to the average couch potato, it's not that noticeable.

So, I see Dony's HDV as quite acceptable and actually usable as a cutaway camera for two camera shoots with an HDCAM and the HDV shooting cutaways, for example.

I've also used JVC DV5000's, mostly when I was in video school. I never really liked them that much. The picture quality is sharp, but not as good as a Sony. Also, the camera feels too cheap and plastic. I also always had mechanical problems with the VTR section, and the low light capabilities are sub-par.

JVC has always been, in my view, sub-standard in quality. Few broadcasters use them, and there's a reason for this. Sony and Panasonic, and Ikegami make much better cameras, that's why broadcasters buy them.

This is what I know, so my speculation is that this new JVC camera will be sub-standard as well. It's always been a poor performer in my book, so I doubt that anything will change with this new camera. They are cheap for a reason.

[Chris Hurd]

I disagree completely. You can't knock it until you've tried it. As far as the DV5000 is concerned, it has sold very well. It's not a question of whether broadcasters use them -- there's much more to the market than broadcast (which is a very small slice of the overall pie, by the way). Regarding the VTR section, why even bother using tape? With the DV5000, you have the option of going tapeless, as you will on the HD100. I think JVC is doing a lot of things right with this thing, and I'm anxious to see the results.

The Central Hall is my first stop at NAB.

[Heath McKnight]

I agree with Chris: don't knock it until you try it, though I'm very wary, after my experiences with the HD10.

heath

[Jacques Star]

Okay, the camera is not out yet, so I won't knock it, but like I said, i'm still skeptical.

On the tape issue, I agree that it's not ideal, but I still use tape myself, and it's going to still be around for a long time. Althought, i've thought about adding a DSR DU1 hard disk recorder onto the back of my DSR390. Still, i'd choose an HDCAM tape-based camera over a hard-drive based HDV camera simply because of better image quality.

In terms of features on this new HD100, i'd like to know things like: does it have auto tracing white balance? Will it take a memory card or stick for saving different camera setups such as gamma settings? What about black stretch and compress? Dynamic contrast control? These are features that I like to see, especially on the HD cameras that I use. What about the DSP? Yes, the DV5000 uses the same chips as the DSR390, but has a lower image quality because of it's lesser DSP. Well, we're not talking about that camera, so on to the HD100...

This camera will supposed to have only 1/3 inch chips. I commonly use 1/2 and 2/3rd inch chip cameras, which are much more sensitive to light and allow me to acheive a shallower depth of field on certain shots. They also allow me to use good broadcast lenses that give me very good control. No matter how much you try, you cannot get the same image from a 1/3rd inch chip than you can from a 1/2 or 2/3rd inch chip.

But, like I said, I will not judge yet. This you can be sure of. Let's wait and see...

[Chris Hurd]

Howdy from Texas,

<< Will it take a memory card or stick for saving different camera setups such as gamma settings? >>

Sean Dinwoodie's initial post regarding this camera referenced a "memory stick," which would be a Sony flash memory format. However I have reason to believe it will most likely be SD (Secure Digital) flash memory instead.

Regardless, I'm very excited about the prospect of removeable flash memory card for transferring custom presets, menu and matrix settings etc. from one camera to another. This is one of the key features I was hoping for in the Canon XL2. While it is possible to transfer custom presets from one XL2 to another via FireWire, I think the removeable flash memory format is a much more convenient option than hard wiring.

[Jacques Star]

That's true Chris, we'll just have to wait until NAB.

The JVC will be interesting.

I'm actually a 1080i shooter, and I have never shot 720p, so unless I will have a need for 720p, i'll go with a 1080i camera. And, when I do have few and far-between shoots for 720p, i'll probably just rent a Cine Alta or a Varicam.

But, i'll definitely check out the JVC booth at NAB.

Just last night, I went to a Sony demo of the Z1 here in Dallas. I was pretty impressed, as I even got to play with the camera. It has some really cool features, like a digital zoom on the viewfinder display for grabbing a better focus, and a non-perpetual zoom ring. I watched the 1080i video of some snow falling in Grapevine, and people walking briskly across the street, and there were no motion artifacts or blocking whatsoever. Sony did a really good job with the MPEG2 compression (which was originally a JVC codec, I do beleive) Anyway, it's a good camera for light travel and documentaries, where you want to keep a low profile, and don't want a large TV camera presence in the room.

By the way, did you know that Dallas has more film and video equipment, and post facilities than Austin and Houston combined? It also houses the only two film post and transfer facilities in the Southwest.

See you at NAB.