"Based on the solid ergonomic design of the popular GY-HM100, which is used by thousands of photojournalists at major media outlets around the world, the GY-HM150 is built to handle demanding news and production environments. Plus, a new encoder and digital signal processor, adopted from JVC’s 700 series cameras, deliver improved HD recording and add support for standard definition."

Discussion thread plus link to full press release and photos:

See you at http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/digital-video-industry-news/500493-jvc-unveils-new-gy-hm150-prohd-handheld-camcorder.html

Will move that thread out of News and into this forum in a few days.

Timelapse, remote control, iris ring ... it looks like JVC was listening after all.

We do our best...

Looking forward to hearing more about the remote control.

Will my dream for smooth zooms finally come true?!

We're working with a number of manufacturers, and we anticipate a great companion product to emerge.

But what about improved image stabilization? I've seen a couple of videos that indicate that the optical IS on the camera isn't that great.

I'm surprised that the image sensors were not upgraded. Especially considering the jump in MSRP from the HM100 to HM150. If your budget is in this range make sure you do your homework.

On the plus side is the XDCAM EX to SDHC cards workflow that can be dropped right into FCP without transcoding. That's the top reason to buy this cam.

One might think the small size and low weight would be an advantage, but I've found low weight (only relevant when handheld) to make it harder to keep steady with it's lack of mass. You'll want some kind of shoulder mount for it, so factor that into your budget. It's size also unfortunately means cramped controls.

I own the HM100 and find it to be an especially poor low light performer. For example, I shot a speech in a banquet hall (where I had no option to add lighting) and the blacks were so noisy that I couldn't bump the brightness or exposure in post without making it look terrible. This cam needs LOTS of light to produce decent video, which is why I would would question it's use for news. If you need to report something in the evening about all you'll be able to show is the reporter with the light on him/her. You're not going to get any of the scene. Poor low light performance is difficult for all camcorders I understand, but it seems like most of my gigs have a low light element at some point and poor footage is a personal gripe of mine with this cam.

My recommendation would be to take an SDHC class 6 or 10 card into the store (borrow one it you have to) and shoot some footage around the store, then drop the footage into your editor of choice and see what you think before you decide.

In my experience with the HM100 I feel as though this is more of a prosumer cam than what pros with diverse shooting conditions require. Spending a bit more to jump up to larger glass and sensors may be a worthwhile investment for some.

But what about improved image stabilization? I've seen a couple of videos that indicate that the optical IS on the camera isn't that great.

We've benchmarked the main models in the marketplace for this as well as other motor functions. OIS is an assist function, not a preventive capability.

I've seen some amazing video using a Merlin as well. There's a lot of great talent out there...

I'm surprised that the image sensors were not upgraded. Especially considering the jump in MSRP from the HM100 to HM150. If your budget is in this range make sure you do your homework.

On the plus side is the XDCAM EX to SDHC cards workflow that can be dropped right into FCP without transcoding. That's the top reason to buy this cam.

One might think the small size and low weight would be an advantage, but I've found low weight (only relevant when handheld) to make it harder to keep steady with it's lack of mass. You'll want some kind of shoulder mount for it, so factor that into your budget. It's size also unfortunately means cramped controls.

I own the HM100 and find it to be an especially poor low light performer. For example, I shot a speech in a banquet hall (where I had no option to add lighting) and the blacks were so noisy that I couldn't bump the brightness or exposure in post without making it look terrible. This cam needs LOTS of light to produce decent video, which is why I would would question it's use for news. If you need to report something in the evening about all you'll be able to show is the reporter with the light on him/her. You're not going to get any of the scene. Poor low light performance is difficult for all camcorders I understand, but it seems like most of my gigs have a low light element at some point and poor footage is a personal gripe of mine with this cam.

My recommendation would be to take an SDHC class 6 or 10 card into the store (borrow one it you have to) and shoot some footage around the store, then drop the footage into your editor of choice and see what you think before you decide.

In my experience with the HM100 I feel as though this is more of a prosumer cam than what pros with diverse shooting conditions require. Spending a bit more to jump up to larger glass and sensors may be a worthwhile investment for some.

If you study the specfications of the GY-HM150, you'll find that the feature set has been substantially increased. The DSP and encoder are now identical to our 700 series. We've also retooled the body to move the iris control towards the front of the camcorder. The additional investment enabled all of these features to be implemented to a chassis that has been widely accepted and is in use on a daily basis by professionals and educators that have tested a number of other manufacturer's products.

One of the features we had been lauded with is the use of 3 CCD's. It's imaging charateristics are desired by those who are familiar with the positive attributes of this technology, such as motion scenery and non-conditional shot angles. The particular imager system in the HM100 series enables the size and weight as well, which has been one of the selling points for a large number of users needing or desiring a lighter and more compact and mobile form factor.

Light level performance has a lot to do with physics, as a larger imager (or pixels) will yield a larger surface to gather light. The combination of an optomized lens with the imager provides the HM100 series camcorders with large venue production quality as the Miss Universe Organization has shown us. The Miss Universe Organization had come to us inquiring about the GY-HM100 initially because of the form factor, manual functionality and most of all the "direct to editing" workflow - What they found in over two years of production use is the camera's ability to cover a wide range of scenes from daylight to stagelight to still photography sets. There testimony and sample scenes can be viewed on our web site: pro.jvc.com

The use of lights in ENG and production is essential, and camcorders of all sizes can be equipped with lighting today. It's been frequently documented and taught as a necessary discipline that lighting is essential to storytelling and can dramatically affect the messaging of the image. The professional kits I've seen being used with the GY-HM100 have included a LitePanel Micro-like unit for this purpose. I've also seen amazing low light images from inside helicopters on night missions with stunning clarity on ABC Nightline shot with the GY-HM100.

I strongly agree that testing of equiment before making a professional purchase is essential. Knowing the gear that you'll be tasked to work with is a necessity in any professional realm. This way you'll be sure to know that the form and feature sets of the camcorder you finally chose are what you are comfortable with. The alternative is to gather as much information as possible to make your decision, and now more than ever there is a great amount of data available from manufacturers and end users alike to help with your evaluation process.

I really like what JVC did with the HM150. I have a HM100.

Question: I was wondering if the HM150 will be able to set the zoom speed via menus or user assigned buttons.

I'm very interested in this camera.
Came to within a whisker of buying an HM100. I like the pictures (I like lighting:)) the frame-rates, the SD cards, and the overall feel was ok too. But the combination of (I felt) poor aperture controls, and dodgy zoom (I've been an operator for twenty years, and I couldn't pull an acceptable zoom) put me off.
Here's hoping this will be significantly better at those two things! (And reasonable priced, mutter mutter:))

I found the User Instruction manual for the new HM150 at the following JVC link:

JVCPro-MSIS (http://www.service.jvcpro.eu/public/document.cfm?prog=InstrBook.cfm&Model=GY-HM150E)

WOW! JVC has made a LOT of small, important changes to the camera. The list Criag from JVC shared is just the tip of the iceburg. The camera has much better use of buttons and their placement.

#1 on my list: We now have the ability to change the zoom speed on the little knob on the LCD screen. You can set the speed from -2 -1 Normal and +1 (slow to fast) This setting also applies to the zoom speed on the remote control! Just what I was looking for.

#2 there is now Safe Mode/Aspect Markers on the display. You have many options (16x9 4x3 Center) on how you want them displayed. (See the attached Image)

Also, there is no more PHOTO mode.

I wonder if the filter thread is more sturdy or deeper than the HM-100? I had my wide-angle adapter fly off while covering an event with the HM-100 when someone inadvertently put up his hand in front of me and the adapter flew off. Lucky there was no serious damage to the thread, but the adapter now has a couple of dents. The lens seems OK though.

:-(

Is there a (US) ship date for this camera yet? This month, right? I am ready to purchase another camera but waiting to see if this will be the way to go - or if perhaps the Hm100 will take a big drop in price when the 150 ships...

I love the fact that the Hm150 will record to both cards simultaneously -a great backup for a paranoid wedding shooter like myself. (Still concerned about low light performance however.)

Ben, the GY-HM150U is scheduled to arrive in the US at the end of this month.

- Craig

I wish the battery would be a lot more 'heavy duty'. It doesn't last very long and I had to get the Anton Bauer Elipz to get a decent duration for event coverage. Does the 150 share the same battery?

Yes, all the accesories, battery, lens adapters, etcl are the same for 150 and 100.

Hello,

I am new to JVC as all my video cameras to date have been SONY. I await the HM150U as I see that it will have buttons for manual shooting rather than menu items. This is important to me. I noticed that in a review of the previous HM100 that a manual shutter control existed on the rear of the camera. Maybe I have missed it, but in reading the info available for the HM150U, I did not see anything about shutter control on the camera body. Will there be such a control element on the 150U as I have read there is on the 100?

I own a HM100U.

The shutter control on the HM150 is in the same place as the HM100. Rear button.
The HM150 now has Iris control up front near the Gain switch.

The HM150 has many more buttons for funcitons than the HM150.
HM100 had 3 user definable buttons, the HM150 has 6.

The HM150 is more "pro" and less "consumer" than the HM100.

Anyone tried one? :) How is the zoom... ? And how does the iris control feel? (It looks a bit amateur, a little wheel like the dvx100- but that worked ok.) The iris control on the hm100 seemed, in the viewfinder, to operate in visible half-stops, though this wasn't as apparent in footage.
A smooth iris control and decent zoom (that means: smooth take-off and stop, and NEVER 'jumping' between speeds) would make this a great option for what I'm doing.

I have read the manual posted on the JVC website.
The zoom can be assigned speeds -2 -1 0 +1 on the little stick on the screen and via remote control.

Not sure they changed the iris, it is 1/3 stops.

Assignable zoom speeds is a little worrying. What one really wants is a nice smooth control, not a range of speeds assigned on a dial or menu. Still hoping :)

I would like to see side by side footage from the 100 and the 150.

I being someone who bought a 100 in late July !

URGGGG.

Assignable zoom speeds is a little worrying. What one really wants is a nice smooth control, not a range of speeds assigned on a dial or menu. Still hoping :)

Rob, the rocker switch is still fully variable. You can do smooth zooms with it.

I was refering to the little knob on the screen. It used to be one speed only. Now you can ajust the speed of the knob. The rocker is always variable.

"the rocker speed is still fully variable"-
Hm. When I tested one, it was far from smooth. It stopped and started abruptly, and while zooming, instead of changing speed smoothly, jumped (noticably) at points I didn't seem able to control from one of the three speeds to the next.
Maybe it was set up wrong?! Or I was doing it wrong, I've only been an operator for 20 years :)

Ok, the Rocker is just like the HM100. Sounds like you don't like it.

I meant it is nice to be able to assign differents speeds to the knob on the fold-out screen.