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Hands-on with JVC Everio HD10, HD30 and HD40 camcorders
As chance would have it, Philips wasn't the only outfit in the Big Apple showing off new kit today. Engadget Classic moseyed on over to check out JVC's newest line of handheld camcorders, and while there weren't any real surprises, you know you can't resist taking a look.
JVC Everio HD10, HD30 and HD40 hands-on
We got a quick look at JVC's new AVCHD camcorders today, the GD-HD40, GZ-HD30 and GZ-HD10. Of note, the HD40 comes complete with a dock for extra hookups like FireWire, and the HD40 and HD30 can shoot video in MPEG-2 for higher quality and easier editing. JVC has done some serious work on noise reduction on all of the cameras, but from the samples shown, it comes at the cost of detail -- some of the vids we saw looked more like watercolors or 3D renders than true video. Hopefully that's something you'll be able to configure to your liking, and we're glad JVC is leaving MPEG-2 on here to avoid compression that might exacerbate the problem further. That said, most users are going to be very pleased with the kind of color and low noise they can get at night or in badly-lit rooms. The cameras are certainly small for their feature sets, but at about a pound apiece they feel pretty heavy for their size. Otherwise the build is standard JVC fare -- not too fancy, not too plain. We also got a chance to peep some over JVC's other new consumer gear, so check it out in the gallery below.%Gallery-25417%
JVC's trio of AVCHD 1080i Everio hard disk camcorders
JVC's disk-based Everio lineup of HD camcorders are being met by a trio of newcomers this morning. The 120GB GD-HD40 ($1,300) and 80GB GZ-HD30 ($1,000) offer 10- and 6-hours of full 1,920 x 1,080 / 17Mbps AVCHD recordings, respectively, from a 1/3-inch, 2.68 megapixel CMOS sensor -- a first for the previously all-CCD based family. They can also record in an editing software-friendly 27Mbps MPEG-2 TS format if desired. The AVCHD-only GZ-HD10 ($800) model scales back the disk to 40GB, the lens, LCD, and sensor to achieve the lower price tag. All three offer 10x, Konica Minolta HD optical zoom lenses, an accessory shoe, up-converted 1080/60p HDMI out, and a microSDHC slot. Available in August, that's when.
