JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder
 

Anyone tried it yet? It's in stock at B&H for $1795!!!!

Re: JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder
 

I've had a review unit for a few weeks and it definitely has a lot of great features for the price. My favourite is the timelapse intervalometer. It has full manual control of WB, aperture, shutter and convergence and the interaxial separation is 34mm.
The cons are that there is no +48V phantom power supplied by the audio unit and ergonomically it maintains the consumer form-factor of the TD1.

I am preparing a full comparison review of the Panasonic 3DA1, Sony NX3D and JVC HMZ1 for DV Info Net.

Re: JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder
 

We will have it on display, along with all of our 3D offerings, at the CCW / HD World show tomorrow and Thursday, October 12th and 13th at the Jacob Javitz Convention Center, NYC.

Hope to see you all there...

- Craig

Re: JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder
 

I have had it for about two weeks now and I'm not sure about it. I have split the images using the JVC utility, but they look a little "muddy". I've been using more prosumer cameras recently and I'm having a bit of trouble digging through menus.
I shot some footage yesterday in the early afternoon when we took the kids to a pumpkin patch. The footage looks a little grainy and I'm not sure if its something I'm doing or not. I'll be playing around with it more this week to hopefully figure things out.

-Chad Dyle

Re: JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder
 

Try turning the gain function off completely in the menu. I also found that in the late afternoon it would sometimes kick in unexpectedly and cause noise that wasn't visible until the footage was reviewed.

Re: JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder
 

Chad, please share some native, 3D footage with us!
I'm very interested in this camcorder.
Thank you.

Re: JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder
 

Tim,

I think I have the camera figured out and I just purchased your plug-in. So far things have been great and Stereo3D Toolbox LE is going to be a huge time saver. One quick question regarding editing though, should I trim the clips before running them through your plug-in or afterwards? I tried doing it afterwards and things go out of sync. Are there any tutorials on this?

Thanks!

Re: JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder
 

I still seem to be having some issues with this camera. I used it last weekend at the pumpkin patch with the kids and noticed that the video quality wasn't that sharp. I went through the menu and made sure the gain was off auto and did some more shooting this weekend. I'm still not happy with the results. I used it earlier today with some family photography and when I looked over the footage, I found that it still wasn't as sharp as it could be. We use more Prosumer cameras and DSLR's, but my 3 year old Canon HFS100 (and older cameras) are way sharper. This is a quick run through of the settings (all manual):

Scene Select: Off
Focus: Auto
Brightness Adjust: Manual
Shutter Speed: Auto
Aperture Priority: Manual (I keep it at 1.2)
White Balance: Auto
Backlight Comp: Off
Zebra: Off
Cineme: Off
Touch Focus: Off
AIS: On
Gain Up: Off
Wind Cut: Off
Grid: Off
System Select: 24P

I have uploaded one of the clips as both L/R videos and the original. If anyone has a clue as to why this is happening, I would appreciate it any ideas/thoughts.

You can grab the archive at http://www.chaddyleproductions.com/t.../3D/3DTest.zip

Thanks,

Chad Dyle
Dyle Films - Wedding/Event Videography

Re: JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder
 

I haven't looked at your clip yet but I can tell you that if you are relying on the auto focus while locking the aperture at F1.2 you are shortening the DoF and making it very difficult for the AF to choose the proper focus. I personally either put the camera into auto everything (shutter/aperture and focus) or manual everything. Focus is easy to set if you use the Focus Assist function. I have had great results so far in the centre of the image but I tend to keep the aperture at F4 when shooting manually. I have found that the lenses start to become soft near the left and right edges sometimes. I haven't quite figured it out yet.

Re: JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder
 

F4 seems to be pretty dark on this camera. I'll give it another try this week. I know that it isn't going to replace any of my current wedding cameras and I'm sure within 3 years they will be better in low-light than any of the other consumer cameras we have today.
If you do get the chance to look at one of the clips, let me know if you think that is the problem. I'll work on the focus as well.

Thanks again,

Chad Dyle

Re: JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder
 

How goes the review, Tim? I'm ready to upgrade to the HMZ1 from the JVC GS-TD1 and I'd appreciate any insights. I have the Cyclopital3D stereo base extender for my TD1, and I love it for many of the shots in my current project. The one thing I miss most with the TD1 is a 24p shooting mode.

Re: JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder
 

Yes, how goes the review, Tim?

I don't know why can be the image grainy?
It has back illuminated sensors, F1.2 lenses, etc.
I thinked, this cannot produce bad images!

Chad: i cannot download your file. Anyone else has some raw footage?
thx

Re: JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder
 

Anyone have any insight into the new Panasonic HDC-Z10000 ?

I'm using the Sony HXR-NX3D1 constantly now. It's a real work-horse, especially underwater. What the Sony leaves me wanting, however, is a wider angle lens, better low-light performance (it's VERY noisily in low light), and manual white-balance. Maybe the new Panny will, at least, improve over the Sony low-light performance and offer manual white-balance.

Re: JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder
 

From a brief report from a friend, the Panny may not be any better than the Sony (and maybe worse) in low light. He thinks it looks great in good light, and it has a full range of manual controls. He says it spanks both the Sony and JVC consumer 3D camcorders. No surprise there.

Re: JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder
 

Are these anectodal subjective reports or is this backed up in any way with comparisons using resolution trumpets and other objective and definable difference methodologies?

I for one, having owned several of these devices have done some rough (not rigid) testing and have found that there is a wide variance of performance between all of these cameras depending on whether they are tested under exterior or interior, low light, high highlight etc conditions. Since I did these tests for my own knowledge base, I haven't saved any of them, but they have colored my decisions on which camera(s) to use for differing situations.

Just to be a fanboy of one or another of the Big 3 manufacturers isn't enough to qualify a camera as "better than" or "equal to" - it takes a bit more effort than just viewing footage on a monitor.

If there is some test data that can be shared that bears out this response, I for one would like to see it.

Re: JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder
 

Just a quick first impression - nothing tested formally yet.

Re: JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder
 

Still not have any native footage :(
I cannot download Chad's file.
Anyone else has some raw footage?

Re: JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder
 

Sorry for the delay guys. I have uploaded a zip file with two different clips shot with the HMZ1u. Both were in good lighting conditions and I have already split them into L/R clips for you. Please don't post this link anywhere else.

http://www.dylefilms.com/files/HMZ1u.zip

Thanks,

Chad Dyle
Dyle Films - Wedding/Event Videography

Re: JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder
 

Thank you Chad.
Do you use this cam at weddings? How does it perform at low light?
The video quality is acceptable at least for me, i don't have a fullhd display, so maybe others
will see what i don't see :)
Only the 24p what i don't like now, because it was enough light so very short shutter speed was used->lack of natural motion blur.
(i think aperture was the smallest, and without ND filter correct exposure was possible only with small shutter speed. Right?). So what i like to see also is some 50i/60i footage. With fluid motion.

Thank you and happy new year!

Re: JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder
 

Prech,

The problem with 60i is getting it to Blu Ray. The camera was probably wide open (1.2) at this point. One thing to think about is that 1.2 on a 1/4 chip isn't the same as 1.2 on a 5D (maybe its the same thing, but the difference in chips makes it huge). I tried to use the camera for Christmas yesterday and ended up putting it down and using my older Canon. When viewing 3D on the cameras LCD, its hard to see how sharp everything is. You find yourself looking at the 3D effect to see if its working well. You can switch off to the L/R view which gives you more detail, but I still find it lacking. Some of the footage that I felt would look good ended up being grainy. I have tried the camera in full auto as well as manual. It just seems like this is still one of the earlier 3D cameras and needs to be used where it works the best, outside.
For the uploaded footage, it was shot at 24p, wide open (1.2) and the shutter was locked at 48. There were some slower moving rides and they were fine. I think both clips were used with the same settings (at least 24p, shutter 48).
The weather outside is horrible in New Orleans this week, I will try to get some more footage uploaded for you. Any requests?

Re: JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder
 

Yes, 3D Bluray in fullhd support only 24p. I don't understand why 50i/60i is unsupported.
If you want fluid motion, you have to go down to 720p at 50 or 60Hz.
But only viewing the 3D fullhd footage on computer monitor or with 120Hz projectors, 60i is far better
than 24p, especially with short shutter speed.
My "request" is just some 60i footage, record some moving thing, whatever you want :)

Thank you again!

Re: JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder
 

I will work on some 60i footage as soon as the sun comes back out. This is what I got yesterday at Christmas.

http://www.dylefilms.com/files/LowLight.zip

-Chad

Re: JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder
 

Here are a couple of 60i clips showing some kids crossing a tiny stream at the Missouri Botanical Garden:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/10982250/SG%...20%2897%29.MP4
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/10982250/SG%...20%2896%29.MP4

These are raw 60i clips straight out of the JVC GS-TD1. If you get an error, they haven't fully uploaded to Dropbox yet. Give them a little more time.These were early shots with my camera, taken in full auto mode, so some areas are blown out a bit.

BTW, Edius (3D editing software from Grass Valley) is now out in beta preview. It accepts the JVC mp4 clips natively and provides what looks to be the the most straightforward editing solution available until (if ever) Vegas supports the JVC format. It will be a free upgrade for owners of Edius 6. They have a "crossgrade" special through the end of the year, for users of most competing NLEs (Premiere, Vegas, FCP, Avid, etx).

Re: JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder
 

Here are some shots I got in the French Quarter this week. I will get the kids running around this week for some moving shots.

http://www.dylefilms.com/files/FQ.zip

Re: JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder
 

HI Chad, are you or were you able to properly split the JVC's MVC file into a SIDE by SIDE or into L/R eyes.

Please post your solution, i've been struggling with this for a few months, it seems that JVC has no support for this and the software that comes with the TD1 is crap and it seems like even the maker of that software doesnt support their own product.

thank you

Re: JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder
 

MVCtoAVI works well if you have the appropriate codecs installed. You can use Cineform Neo, but that costs. If you want to avoid the expense, you can use the free Matrox codecs:

Codecs.com :: Download Matrox Codecs 1.0 : Matrox Video for Windows (VFW) software codecs let you render and play back Matrox .avi files

I've used the Matrox MPEG2 I-Frame HD codec at 120-150 mbps (you can set it in the "Settings..." section of MVCtoAVI). It seems similar in quality to the Cineform codec at High quality. The downside is that the file size increases 8-10x. Pair those clips in Vegas and edit normally. Burn to Blu-ray 3D at 1920x1080 24p or export the 24p file to PowerDirector 10 and burn with menus.

I still prefer the simplicity and hard drive savings of being able to work with the JVC files natively in the 3D preview of Edius. It's sweet. Check it out at Grass Valley's web site. It won't burn Blu-ray yet (still in beta), but when it does it's going to be awesome for JVC users. I'm really happy with the 60i to 24p conversion, too. That's always been suspect with my old workflow.

Re: JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder
 

The camera shipped with a utility called 3D L to R converter. It imports the clips and batch exports them to L/R. I didn't even realize it was in the box until I read it somewhere else. I also contacted the rep I bought it from because B&H has an offer that will allow you to get a free training disc with the camera. They forwarded me the .pdf and I plan on filling it out this weekend and getting is mailed off.

Re: JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder
 

Is that utility available on the JVC website? I've never heard a reference to it before. If the split pairs are AVCHD and remain small, that's really good news.

Re: JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder
 

i run the JVC TD1 and the software that comes with is a joke. looks like your HMZ1U software can do more..such as split hte MVC to L/R - i culdnt find any dloads from JVC about this.

hmmmmm

Re: JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder
 

Thought I'd share a couple of clips shot with the Cyclopital3D stereo base extender and closeup adapter on the JVC TD1 - both taken at the Missouri Botanical Garden. These are raw clips (mp4s) from the JVC's memory card. Both show the fine detail the JVC is capable of capturing.

This clip is from the same location as the kids jumping across the stream, but in autumn. It was taken with the stereo base extender, which converts the interaxial separation of the JVC from 35mm to 140mm, lending a much greater sense of depth.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/10982250/SG%...0%28222%29.MP4

This was shot with a Marumi +3 macro lens and the Cyclopital3D closeup adapter. It's two bees in a very tight shot.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/10982250/SG%...0%28130%29.MP4

Re: JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder
 

BTW, JVC owners can simply copy these files onto the appropriate folder of their camcorder formatted memory cards and watch them in 3D on the LCD or through the HDMI output of the camera. Just make sure the card doesn't have a file named the same as either of these, or it will overwrite it. Be careful, though, if mixing files that are 24p with files like this that are 60i. There could be issues there I'm not aware of, since I can't shoot at 24p with the TD1. It's an easy way to check out raw mp4 files from other JVC users.

Re: JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder
 

I think a lot of TD1 users would like to use that "3D to L/R converter" - but does somebody know if JVC will make that available for TD1 users too? Would be great.

Re: JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder
 

Hi, Wolfgang. Didn't know you were over here. :)

I tried the utility and it doesn't work for TD1 files. It says the files were recorded with a "non-compliant device." Sounds like a marketing decision, to me, to differentiate the TD1 from the HMZ1. It's hard to imagine that the files themselves are different.

Re: JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder
 

Hi Joe,

from time to time I am here too. Not on a regulary base really.

That is a pitty - and I do not really understand why this utility is not available for TD1 user too. Would have improved the situation for TD1 user. But maybe JVC does not expect a lot of additional TD1 users.... and maybe there are some licensing costs for that utility.

Well, then there are only tools like the PD10 and the upcoming Edius 3D available for JVC TD1 user.

Re: JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder
 

As far as I'm concerned (for right now anyway) Edius is the best tool for TD1 users. I'm appreciating it more and more. I really haven't scratched the surface of the 3D adjustment tools, yet, but they appear to be first rate. If they include the ability to burn to 3D Blu-ray in the final release, it will be an all in one solution The motion results are the best I've ever seen for my TD1 footage (for 60i to 24p conversion).

Re: JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder
 

Well, in terms of the 3D plugin I think both Vegas and Edius are similar - but you are right: without an import possibility for the JVC files Vegas is no solution for TD1 and HMZ1U user. In terms of encoder quality that is hard to charge yet... but I am sure that Edius is a great premium product, has a rocket stability. Given the acutal issues with Vegas that is more important then ever. I hope that Vegas will improve stability again - and then we end up with two good 3D editors hopefully in the end.

Re: JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder
 

let me re-phrase what i meant in the other reply.

Yes i can play back the MVC files on 3D tv's if the camera is plugged in - yes.

What i need to be able to do is make a file format for these new 3D tvs that the user can take the file that he downloads, puts it on a USB stick/drive and plugs it into their 3Dtv and is able to play it back.

right now there is no such option to my knowledge that supports the native MVC file. If i can covert that MVC to the SIDEbySIDE, then that will play on 3Dtv's via usb stick/hard drive.

all i want to be able to do is deliver a 3D file to a 3D tv without too much degragation in the picture as of now this is the hurdle that i'm trying to jump over.

i will look into some of the options that you guys are suggesting, now that the holidays/new year celebrations are done

Re: JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder
 

At the moment, such an option does not exist. At least as far as I know. Even the new hardwareplayer with the latest chips will not play back native mvc files up to now. So without any conversion that will not work yet. The format mvc is so new, that even the most advanced nles have learned to read it recently only.

Re: JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder
 

^^ yes that's my issue, and the work around to transfer to SIDEbySIDE is still very wonky, but there are some really good hints in these threads which i will look into. I'll keep everyone posted on my findings.

cheers

Re: JVC GY-HMZ1U ProHD 3D Camcorder
 

Thanks all of you for the samples.
To me the sharpness is acceptable when outside.
But Chad's inside christmas sample is really horrible, not just
noisy, i see also strange smears. Even a 3 years old cam can do
better in this situation. I cannot believe to my eyes, when i read
comments like this at bhphotovideo:
"it's very good in low light and i see no grain."
"The night performace / low light performance in video mode is excellent."
"The deciding factors for buying this 3D Camcorder were:
1. Automatic paralex correction.
2. Low light performance at wide f1.2 lens.
Footage taken with this camcorder was better than what she saw with her naked eyes"

These people don't write about the JVC, sure :O

Sony TD10 is also so noisy in lowlight?

This cam is mainly for outside.
And for close objects, because the 3-4cm interaxial.
With the extender (is it really 1kg??) we can go to 14cm, this is
good from 5m to infinity. But what about the normal interocular
distance (6-7cm) for recording the most natural views? Impossible
with this cam.
Now i use 2 cameras side by side, so i can easily set 6cm, and
i love the natural depth. But i often need smaller interaxial for close
objects. So i think this cam will not replace my currennt setup, just
complement.

When creating L-R files with the JVC utility, both stream will be
recompressed or only the right?
What about the dynamic range? Which is better jvc or sony?
Which has slower zoom speeds?

thanks!