Specs for new GY-HM100 ProHD Camcorder
 

Anyone who attended the Final Cut Pro Supermeet during Macworld 2009 was treated to the unveiling of the new JVC GY-HM100 ProHD Camcorder.

So why was this camcorder revealed during an Apple related event?
Because this camcorder can record both 720p and 1080i/p directly to SDHC cards in Quicktime files ready for immediate use in Final Cut Pro. This marks the first time Apple has licensed Quicktime for use in a HD camcorder. (At the moment I believe the HDV codec (mpeg2 long-GOP) for Quicktime is used in this mode but will confirm tomorrow during my hands-on test.)

So what about all the other editing systems?
Besides Quicktime the HM100 also records to an "ISO Based" Mpeg-2 Long-GOP Media File Format at up to 35Mbps for compatibility "with all major non-linear editing systems." The 'rumour mill' suggests that this is actually Sony's XDCAM EX format so I would guess that if your NLE works with Sony EX1/EX3 footage it will also accept footage from the HM100.

What pixel dimensions, frame rates and bit rates can this camera acquire and record?
1440x1080/60i 25Mbps
1440x1080/50i 25Mbps
1440x1080/60i 35Mbps
1440x1080/50i 35Mbps
1920x1080/60i 35Mbps
1920x1080/50i 35Mbps
1920x1080/30p 35Mbps
1920x1080/25p 35Mbps
1920x1080/24p 35Mbps
1280x720/60p 19Mbps
1280x720/50p 19Mbps
1280x720/30p 19Mbps
1280x720/50p 19Mbps
1280x720/24p 19Mbps
1280x720/50p 35Mbps
1280x720/60p 35Mbps
1280x720/25p 35Mbps
1280x720/30p 35Mbps
1280x720/24p 35Mbps

Audio? UNCOMPRESSED 16bit 48Khz LPCM 2 channel. Balanced XLR, internal mic and 1/8" mini jack.

How many SDHC card slots? 2

How fast do the SDHC cards need to be? Class 6 at least... even for 19Mbps 720p. (I recently bought some 4GB SDHC class 6 cards from Best Buy for $19.99 each. By my calculations 4GB would hold about 22 minutes of 19Mbps and 12 minutes of 35Mbps.)

How big is the CCD? 1/4"

How about the lens? Built-in Fujinon 10x3.7mm (equivalent to 39mm~390mm for FF35mm) F=1.8
Manual or Auto Focus. Focus Assist as well. 47mm filter size. Manual Zoom (switch toggles ring for manual focus or zoom.)

How big is it? Approx 5.5" x 7" x 14" (The 14" length probably included the boom mic.)

Weight? Around 3.75 pounds with battery.

Optical Image Stabilizer Yes

LCD? 2.8"

Still photos? Yes works as a digital still camera that records jpegs. 1/4 to 1/8000 shutter speed. ISO100,200,400,1000, up to 1920x1080 resolution.

Outputs and interfaces? Component video, HDMI, USB2 (miniB), XLR, headphone 1/8", mic in 1/8", dc in.

Digital Signal Processor? Most of the same features as a HD200.
Detail, Knee Auto-80-85-90-95-100%, Gamma off-standard-cinema, Gamma level, Color Matrix, White balance A, B, preset and FAW.

Shutter 1/4 ~1/10000
Gain 0,3,6,9,12,15,18dB ALC
Three User Buttons assignable as FOCUS ASSIST,COLOR BAR,TC SETTING,TELE MACRO,LOLUX,ZEBRA,CLIP CONTINUOUS OFF,NONE

ETA? April 2009

Here's the link to the intro video: GY-HM100 Intro Video
Press release: JVC Press Release - New Final-Cut-Pro™-Ready Solid State Camcorders
JVC detail page: http://pro.jvc.com/prof/attributes/t...&feature_id=02

That's all I know for now. More tomorrow after I get it in my hands.

Tim,

Thanks for posting this. I look forward to your review.

This looks promising. I am not a fan of 1/4" chips, but I guess there has to be a draw back. You are getting a lot for a small price.

What is the footprint of the camera? How does it compare size wise to other cameras?

Thanks,

Daniel Weber

Approx 5.5" x 7" x 14"

I don't have specs of other cameras to compare but it looks thinner than the EX1 but possibly an inch or so longer.

From what I saw on the stage it seemed really small. I don't think it was 14" long (maybe if including the protruding mic?), it seemed to me to be about the size and shape of a Sony A1 HDV camcorder, maybe a touch bigger, no where near an EX1 from what I could see.

Thanks Tim for doing this, I'm intrigued by this camera. I need a CCD B camera for my EX1. I'm currently testing a Panasonic HMC150, which seems to be in the same class as this although with 1/3" CCDs. However the AVCHD workflow is harsh on Final Cut pro. I don't like the time to transcode to Prores nor the large Prores filesizes when compared to the XDCAM EX codec.

If the image quality of the JVC is at least as good as the HMC150 I'd get it. Will you have a chance to shoot and evaluate with the GY-HM100 and give us a hint about the video quality and feel? Perhaps comparing it to an EX1 or HMC150? Thanks for the help.

Yes I will shoot some footage. No I don't have any other cameras to compare at the moment.

I'm very interested in your tests on these two frame rates. Especially compared to 720p24/25 on the 1/3" chips that we have currently.

Thanks, Tim.

I am going to Berlin the middle of February to shoot some A scenes and a lot of B-roll for a web series. Please send me one of these cameras by the end of January to take with me.

Now I am taking a Canon XH-A1 and and HV-20. But back home I am using a JVC HD-110. I wish I could use this new camera and just shoot 1280x720/24p for everything, except what I will shoot at 60p for slow motion!

The version of this camera I saw a month ago seemed to be a bit smaller than a PD-150. In addition to all the format support, this camera seems to be about the perfect size and weight to work on a Merlin and all similar setups/situations where size and versatility are paramount. HD camera, steadicam, all media, sound gear (and even a Gitzo traveler tripod and 2180 head) in a 15 pound airline carry-on. This new JVC is just enough smaller than an XH-A1 (and way smaller than stuff like the EX1) to make it ultimately brilliant!

I believe Slumdog Millionaire marks the true and honest arrival of HD production, what with it's seemless integration of 35mm, digital, and digital SLR footage.

As web delivery and new media gains force, and new production styles become adopted, this new JVC camera fits into the scheme perfectly. An "A" camera for the discrete, and a "B" camera for everyone.

And uncompressed audio.

Sign me up, please.

GY-HM700 Features?
 

Was anything discussed on the other new camera, the GY-HM700 Features? 1/3 shoulder mount version with removable Canon lens? Do you or anyone think this means the HD-110 will be discontinued? If the 700 pans out to be what I think it might be, the 200 series might get dropped as well, or will the price of the 700 place it in the next higher bracket from the 200 series?

I think I'll be buying one of each this year. The 100 will make a perfect POV camera and locked-off high-Jib shot. Here's hoping the 700 comes equipped with analog component out and possibly HD-SDI out for multicamera live switched.

EDIT: Just noticed the 700 is spec'd with HD-SDI... YAY! Here's hoping they keep analog component as well for monitoring.

I've retracted a tiny tidbit of info regarding XDCAM EX until I can independently confirm it.

And yes there has been mention of a shoulder mount HM-700 with bayonet mount. We probably won't have specs on this until February.

Except for the audio section in the handle its shape reminds me a lot of the Panasonic DVC30 which also had 1/4" chips.

Full HD Everio Hybrid - GZ-HD7 - Performance

The HM 100: Looks like they used the base design from the HD7.

HM100 price?
 

I must be blind. Despite references by others to it's "low" price, I can't find anything here, in press releases, at the provided links or on the JVC List Price page that gives a projected price.

Anyone? Even a guestimate?

$4000 list price.

JVC | GY-HM100U ProHD Camcorder | GY-HM100U | B&H Photo Video


$3999.00 at B&H. Hopefully the price will drop.

When I saw this a few months ago, I was told that the XH-A1 was the base model used for specs and price level, and the new JVC would keep a similar price and improve on the specs. It seems to have done that.

At the show I saw the camera, I was specifically asked by the NJ rep about what price I was willing to pay.

This camera has some hidden value also. For example the 16 bit PCM sound. Also, to get both NTSC and PAL standards in the Canon cameras, you have to pay for a $500 upgrade. However, in the new JVC camera, you get everything, all standards. This is great for the low profile documentary where you may be shooting in both 60hz and 50hz lighting situations. The camera gives you everything you need to get good video that you can work with later. I am also very interested to see what the low-light features mentioned on the B&H site will produce video-wise.

This camera has the potential to sell cross-market. If there is a good volume, I would expect to see some price level drop. (The XH-A1s lists at $3999, but it has already dropped a couple of hundred in the U.S..)

Tim gets his hands on one of the only two engineering samples in the U.S.

Sorry for the grainy-grain, my digicam was set to high ISO.

I read several months ago that Sony did license XDCAM encoding to JVC.

It might have been on this very forum.

Even with the typical price drop off list, that seems incredibly expensive for a 1/4" sensor camera.

I hope it does well, but there just haven't been any sensor breakthroughs recently. So Im guessing poor or very noisy low light and marginal resolution.

Does anyone know the native sensor resolution, or did I just miss that?

Can you even get 20 to 35MBPS of real data off a 1/4" sensor block?

Sorry to sound so negative, but the 1/3" cameras performance seems to be the lower limit for a camera in this price range. Maybe I am missing the market.

Interested...
 

No, more than interested, a little excited by the prospects of this cam. Tim, now that you have had a chance to play around with it, any thing new to add? lowlight impressions? Noise? Does it actually record using sony xdcam ex?

Thanks

I was hoping it would be a bit less than $4,000, but it's pretty much in line with the prosumer HDV camcorders that Sony makes right now. $3,000 would have made it sweeter but I think there will be a lot of takers.

Re: 1/4" sensors: It's possible to produce a very good 1/4" sensor. After all a 1/3" sensor, which is now the 'gold standard' of the prosumer camcorders is only about 25% larger than a 1/4" sensor. With innovations in technology it's possible that a 1/4" sensor could be as sensitive, as color accurate, and sharp as a 1/3" sensor. It is possible to get true 1920x1080 off a 1/4" sensor block, the Sony HDV camcorders to this. I had a Sony V1U (now I have a Sony EX1), which did produce native 1920x1080 (just downrezzed it for HDV to 1440x1080) and it's sensitivity and detail, in my opinion, were wonderful. HDV is 25mb/s. And that was a 2 year old camera. By the time the JVC GY-100 comes out it's technology will be 2.5 years later than that camera. If it's images were as good as that one I'd be happy.

The proof will be in the actual image quality of this JVC. I'm suspect when a new camcorder is released, but there is no actual official footage shown, just pictures of the camcorder and specs. Personally, I see this as the 'little brother' to the 'game-changing' Sony EX series, same codec but smaller form factor.

At the LAFCPUG Supermeet, where the the JVC GY-HD 100 was announced, the Apple Final Cut Studio rep (forgot his name, but he's at all the Apple Final Cut Studio marketing events) showed some workflow with the new JVC and there were some scenes from New York city. I wasn't impressed with the images, but he was doing workflow discussion, rather than demoing the camcorder, and who knows if these images were actually shot with the camcorder.

I can't wait to see some video shot with this camcorder.

Tim?
 

So you got to hold it... any thoughts? Impressions? Low light? Specs on CCD? Anything?

Also am I reading it right the small one is shown first but not available till April, while the shoulder mount 1/3 CCD will be shown in Feb., but read to ship 1st? Is that right - or a typo.

The footage shown were those actually taken with the HM100. We received two working prototypes from our factory at the end of December and went to NYC to shoot, specifically to gather footage for the SuperMeet Final Cut editing demo.

The FCP demo was done by Richard Townhill, Director of Pro Video Product Marketing at Apple.

Correct: The GY-HM100 ships in April, while the GY-HM700 is due in March.

Craig,

Since this is out in the open that there's a shoulder mount version, we would be pleased if you'd at least release a photo of the HM700? I have the HD100 and HD200 so you can understand my excitement to the next evolution of the proHD line up.

please....

Ted

Craig, so you actually did shoot with this camcorder? Are you at liberty to tell us your impressions of it, say compared to some other camcorders, such as the Panasonic HMC150 or those with similar codecs such as the Sony EX series? What we saw at the Supermeet were basically previews inside of FCP, so not expecting full-quality images, therefore no way to really judge. Do you know if any footage is going to be available from JVC or anywhere anytime soon? Thanks for your contribution here.

Craig?
 

Are there going to be any demo units for studio evaluation in the LA area anytime soon? I work at KCET - PBS in Los Angeles and would love to look at this unit for an upcoming series.

And like the above posts - can either you or Tim give any info?

We're still waiting for the official pics to come from Japan. I'll post them as soon as I get clearance.

Promise...

We actually had a pro photog do impromptu shoot in NYC. We were only able to get handheld shots since, as you may know, tripods are a no-no expecially around Time Square and being so close to the New Year celebration. Also, we had only two days to shoot before we had to bring the camera to SF to test the workflow with Apple prior to the SuperMeet.

In short, the amount of detail in the shots were amazing. Lots of lines of resolution, and the imaging hasn't even been fine-tuned. We're still in the evaluation stage, so I can't go into specifics...

The ultimate plan is to post video clips from the cameras on our web site. We'll post to let everyone know when this happens.

Thanks very much for everyone's support. It goes without saying, but we built this one for you all.

Craig

We only have a handful of units and they need to go through testing before we release the shipment in April. The best way is to contact your local JVC Professional dealer and make sure they place their orders for these cameras so they have one to demo for you.

Do you think Neo Scene will work with the GY-HM100U on a PC and Adobe CS4, I hate to spend the $$$ to switch my editing system to an IMAC and Final Cut Express or Final Cut Studio.

PP CS4 supports the ISO 35Mbps MPEG2 platform, so I don't understand the necessity for Neo Scene.

Craig, I was very interested in this camera, until I saw the price tag! I don't think it's a full pro camera (like zoom and focus are on the same ring, ND filter has only 1 setting and so on). I think new Canon line-up has almost identical features for $2800 less.

The Canon products are very well designed. We've studied them for the HM100, as well as other cameras. Our aim was to raise the bar on the recording platform and workflow as well as imagery. I have the utmost confidence in our engineering team to bring an outstanding product to market. Also, we have integrated major technologies from two world-class companies. From my experience, that'll be hard to find at any price.

Craig how about loyal JVC customers trade ins?
 

Craig, would JVC consider trade ins on older JVC HDV cameras towards the new ones? (limited time window for the product launch date for instance) I would LOVE to trade in my original JVC HD10u for credit towards a HM100 to be the little brother of my current JVC HD110. Just thought I would throw it out there.

Thanks for your suggestion, Alex. We'll see what we can do...

I first saw the HM100 at a show (in a closed box) in Burbank a couple of months ago.

I was ready to buy one on the spot. The JVC rep how much I would be willing to pay for the new camera, and I said between $3500 and $4000.

I have an HD-110 with the expensive wide angle lens, and I want a small camera that shoots the same formats, and 60p as well.

Besides shooting at home, I am shooting in spots around the world, needing to carry everything in a carry-on (including a DSLR and lenses). I bought an XH-A1 for that purpose. However, it is just a bit too big and too heavy. I also need PCM sound, so I take a small recorder extra. I use a Merlin and the XH-A1 is just a bit large and heavy for the Merlin while traveling.

The tape of the XH-A1 is a safety net, but I am ready to get rid of the tape mechanism and carry a couple of tiny hard drives to off-load the SD cards to.

Their is nothing better than the XH-A1 in it's class, in my opinion. However, the new JVC HM-100 has features that tilt the scale for my needs. I can shoot 1280x720/24p and match the 110. I can shoot 1280x720/60p for slow motion. I have the higher bit rates and 1080 settings for shooting personal stock footage, matching other projects, etc.

Another nice feature is the two SD cards, making it much easier to slip out a card and hide it when stopped by the police in a foreign country and still has video (on the other card) to show as "proof" of what is being shot or to give up.

With the smaller diameter lens, I can imagine accessories (such as a wide-angle converter and filters) will be proportionately smaller and lighter.

I also noticed the single ring on the lens barrel, but I've twisted the wrong ring enough times on the XH-A1 when running around in a strange place, that a single ring with a switch (or however its setup) might be a welcome advantage. This and other such things will have to wait to be tried out.

The XH-A1 is such a great camera that I have no plans on getting rid of it. But I am budgeting to get an HM-100 sooner than later, because at this time it has many advantages for my particular situation.

I agree with the desirability of the two SDHC slots - why did Panasonic only put one on the HMC151?

A question for Craig - it would be extremely useful if you could make identical recordings on two cards at the same time, for reasons of (say) a pool facility and two organisations needing to quickly access the material independently. Is this possible with the HM100?

Additionally, is it possible to copy clips from one card to another?

I like this idea! I'd definitely trade in my HD200 for the HM700.

Remote zoom control?
 

Hmm. One thing that seems to be lacking is a wired port for lens control (zoom/focus) Lanc or 12pin fujinon. Or did I miss that?