here ya go

Shot from just after twilight through to complete virtual darkness

JVC GY-HM100 HM100 Low light footage on Vimeo (http://www.vimeo.com/4419535)

and also on youtube

YouTube - JVC GY-HM100 low light footage (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oy-_-e8Xq4&fmt=22)

Thank you Matt.

That was excellent footage.

I was staggered by the lack of grain at +18db. It certainly looked usable.

Can you give us your impressions of the low light, compared to anything else you use?

I'm comparing to a Sony EX, as I'm getting old, and am getting sick of carrying an out of balance, expensive camera around a dark reception with Australian drunks having a bit too much fun!

(Sorry, see you've answered this in another thread).

Many thanks,

Vaughan

Thanks Matt!

What fps and shutter speed were the cameras set at?


here ya go

Shot from just after twilight through to complete virtual darkness

JVC GY-HM100 HM100 Low light footage on Vimeo (http://www.vimeo.com/4419535)

and also on youtube

YouTube - JVC GY-HM100 low light footage (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oy-_-e8Xq4&fmt=22)

I kept shutter and Iris on AUTO but they would have been on 1/50th and F1.8 - this is the fastest they will go before image quality is compromised

I was in 720/50p mode for these shots

Great Footage....

Hi Matt San, please can you upload those Clips as nativ MP4 Files.

Greetings from Austria

MK

Great Footage....

Hi Matt San, please can you upload those Clips as nativ MP4 Files.

Greetings from Austria

MK

I can - but where to - they are HUUUUGE files

Hi Matt


File-Upload.net - Ihr kostenloser File Hoster! (http://www.file-upload.net) 100MB/File max limit

ok uploaded a 9 second clip with +9db gain 1/50 f1.8 720/50p

http://www.file-upload.eu/download-1615017/000_0082_01.MP4.html

Thank you for the footage. The mp4 file helped considerably although only VLC would open it.

The camera continues to impress me. The lack of noise at 9db is great. The vimeo file sort of blurs the grain and noise so it's hard to tell what 18db looks like but it is still impressive. The auto focus seemed to have a bit of a problem, even with wide shots, but other cameras do the same thing in twilight shots.

How is the responsiveness of the zoom/focus ring? Does it have a mushy feel or do you find it connected to movement in the lens?

yea AF did struggle sometimes on the wide shots in low light - but EX1 isnt great at that either. It was drizzle raining too so that didnt help.


The noise on the JVC seems less pronounced than on the CMOS SONY

I have decided to sell my EX1 - the light weight, smaller size and comparable picture of the JVC will suffice for my wants - the EX1 is EXCELLENT but I dont need 2 cameras of this quality.

The focus/zoom ring is servo connected so there is a slight half second delay but i dont find it mushy - its firm but not as responsive as a proper ring - it works ok but just about.

All these things are now subjective - one person will hate that zoom/focus ring others will think its fine.

You will now just have to go test this cam out for yrself - good luck!

ok uploaded a 9 second clip with +9db gain 1/50 f1.8 720/50p

File-Upload.eu - Your free file hoster! (http://www.file-upload.eu/download-1615017/000_0082_01.MP4.html)
Thanks for these downloadable file!

Please, can you share too something in 1080/50i (in low light or not)?
Thanks by advance!

Thank you Matt for the file

While this looks good it has nothing to do with EX1's image in low light and it is far from equal at good lighting. At least to my eyes.

While this looks good it has nothing to do with EX1's image in low light and it is far from equal at good lighting. At least to my eyes.

not sure why ur saying this - I have both cams and of course the EX1 is better - no question - it also costs twice as much!

It is also twice as heavy but does it have twice the picture quality - I'd say not twice maybe half as much again - so value for money has to be the JVC

I am just trying to change your mind of selling the EX1.This is an amazing camera and has nothing to do with HM100.Or to say it better I wouldn't sell an EX1 for buying an HM100.

Low light looks OK - better than my GY-HD100, it certainly looks sharper.

Question, not about low-light, but related to performance.
Can you zoom in / set focus and zoom back maintaining focus correctly with the HM100.

Asking 'cause the last Handy-cam I used was the VX1000 and it did not maintain focus through zooming but it did focus continuously to macro distance - so I guess the back focus sorta "floated" to accommodate.

Low light looks OK - better than my GY-HD100, it certainly looks sharper.

Question, not about low-light, but related to performance.
Can you zoom in / set focus and zoom back maintaining focus correctly with the HM100.

Asking 'cause the last Handy-cam I used was the VX1000 and it did not maintain focus through zooming but it did focus continuously to macro distance - so I guess the back focus sorta "floated" to accommodate.

Hi Les

YES AND NO! - there is a TELE-MACRO mode that allows you to zoom in to close (40cm) objects and have very shallow DOF BUT if you zoom out in this mode there is a dead zone where no focus occurs.

BUT if you turn this function off (button press) then it does maintain focus from Max Tele all the way to full wide :-) I found out all this by trial and error ie playing with the cam :)

Also found that turning detail setting off - helps with low light picture and low light focusing - (stops that breathing/hunting effect)

thanks,
So it works like a macro mode in tele-macro by discombobulating the zoom but like a normal lens otherwise - that would be fine as I am a used to manual focus with the HD100 using focus assist or peaking.

I will have to get demo as soon as I get a break.

thanks,
So it works like a macro mode in tele-macro by discombobulating the zoom but like a normal lens otherwise - that would be fine as I am a used to manual focus with the HD100 using focus assist or peaking.

I will have to get demo as soon as I get a break.

I have had the camera for a week. I don't use AF at all - but I find the focus assist function invaluable and works great while using manual focus. If you don't use the 'Tele-Macro' feature then yes, zoom in, focus, zoom out. But to be honest, when wide I just pop it to infinity and unless the subject is closer than 6 feet it's fine. Oh - sorry, am using wide angle adapter as well. When you screw in the adapter there is no lens hood to help, so I've ordered a Cavision shade from B and H - picking up in a couple of weeks (trip to NC).

The camera is fabulous for what it is - very very happy with it.

Cotty

I was really impressed with your footage, I have a GY-HD100 and from what I see it looks like you get at least 2 stops more light than my HD100s plus the low lux actually looked pretty good (in emergency situations) . you werent slowing the shutter for these shots were you? did you find the REALLY small size a issue? also I have to ask everybody isnt this camera a little pricey for what it is? Its more than the Panasonc AG-HMC 150 and the panasonic has 1/3 inch chips.

yea low lux is ok for emergencies - ie must have pics and no light - it will get the footage but noisy as hell

I didnt slow the shutter - AUTO everything except gain - ie frame rate 50i was shame as shutter speed 1/50th sec (in NTSC u'd use 60 obviously)

I think the price isnt about chip size - its also about CODEC - dont fotget this isnt an AVCHD or HDV cam its the SONY EX1 and EX3 codec which is IMHO is the best codec for picture/data rate ratio out there and no transcoding using Edius on PC or FCP on Mac

All this kinda adds to the price simply cos there is nothing like it out there - Panny 150 is heavier and has that horrible consumer AVCHD codec

JVC have sooo got it right on this one - the 1/4" sensors arent as bad as eveeryone makes out - I have sold my EX1 due to the weight aspect of this cam alone (half that of the ex1)

I urge you to go demo one - some like me will love it - others will think its an over priced toy.

It really depends what kinda work you do - Deffo a good B cam Deffo a good small cam
everything else is up for discussion

I love mine - complete with all its niggles (not as many as I had with EX1 -from creaky handle through to power swtich..)

I just ordered one of these today from B&H. It should be in on Monday.

Your information was definitely influential in me deciding on this camera.

I sold my XH-A1 yesterday and am looking forward to not lugging a bunch of tapes around all the time. The SDHC will be much easier to manage and if prices keep falling as they have lately, they should shortly undercut the price of high end tapes.

I'm also excited to see how this encoding format speeds up production work.

Thanks again for going to all of the work to post the low light video.

I have had the camera for a week. I don't use AF at all - but I find the focus assist function invaluable and works great while using manual focus. If you don't use the 'Tele-Macro' feature then yes, zoom in, focus, zoom out. But to be honest, when wide I just pop it to infinity and unless the subject is closer than 6 feet it's fine. Oh - sorry, am using wide angle adapter as well. When you screw in the adapter there is no lens hood to help, so I've ordered a Cavision shade from B and H - picking up in a couple of weeks (trip to NC).

The camera is fabulous for what it is - very very happy with it.

Cotty

Hi Steve.
Which WA adaptor and lens hood did you get. My HM 100 arrives next week, and I want to go along the same route.
Thanks.

To be honest - the motion artefacts seen in Matt's HM100 footage are a no go for me.
Erich

To be honest - the motion artefacts seen in Matt's HM100 footage are a no go for me.
Erich
Check out most cameras in this price range and you will probably see a lot worse.

Hi Steve.
Which WA adaptor and lens hood did you get. My HM 100 arrives next week, and I want to go along the same route.
Thanks.

Hi Colin,

Went with the JVC adapter. It seems pretty good. GL-V0746 giving a .7x conversion. Very similar field of view to a 28mm lens on a full-frame 36mmx24mm DSLR or old-style film SLR.

You remove the plastic bayonet supplied lens shade and then screw the adapter onto the front of the built-in lens. However, this means that you then have no lens shading - and the adapter needs it if you're out in sunlight. Short of a simple matte box (cost/size implications) I've ordered a simple clamp-on rubber lens hood. This one:

Cavision Lens Hood for 77mm O.D. Lens (http://www.cavision.com/lenshoods/LH77.htm)

It's few mil short because the wide angle adapter outside diameter I measured at 74mm but I can make that up with a bit of electrical tape. There are more hoods with adapters etc here:

Cavision Lens Hoods (http://www.cavision.com/LensHood/sunshade.htm)

B and H price for the hood is 40 bucks.

Productiongear have it for 42 quid:

VideoGear.co.uk - Cavision LH77 Hood for Sony w/a lens (http://www.videogear.co.uk/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=305)

I'll look at matte boxes in due course - with the adapter there's no way to screw on a polariser or any ND so a box would help. To be honest, I don't need it as i bought the camera to run and gun with nature photographers up a mountain.

Did some more test shooting at the weekend, just getting used to it - so light in weight that you can walk around with it all day. But that has a detrimental effect when on the sticks. Admittedly a 'teflon' head with a manfrotto 501 but so little weight means gentle pan or tilts on the end of the bottle can be frustrating. I've taken the medium-strength adjustment implement (hammer) to the head and loosened it up as much as I can. Better now, but no match for a proper shoulder camera on my Sachtler Video 18. But you get what you pay for and I can't haul that lot up a mountain! For what it does, the HM-100 rocks.

Cotty

Hi Steve.
Thanks very much for the info. I am still waiting for my HM 100 to arrive. Have been told that it should be here by Friday. Im getting a little impatient now. Once again, thanks very much for info.

Check out most cameras in this price range and you will probably see a lot worse.

Colin, I use Pana HDC-SD100 1080i50. No motion artefacts at all, except with extremely fast panning. I will prepare some footage to demonstrate this.

Erich

Thanks Erich, look forward to seeing it

To be honest - the motion artefacts seen in Matt's HM100 footage are a no go for me.
Erich

I investigated motion artefacts in Matt's footage a bit further:

Playing from Vimeo directly (ca. 3-6 Mb/s): horrible stuttering.

Then, I downloaded the file 2314522.wmv, playing this one with Windows Media Player: nearly all motion artefacts have gone.

Then, feeding the file into my "Popcorn Hour" and from there into my Full HD 100 Hz 38" TV via HDMI: no noticeable motion artefacts at all.

Is this lesson to be generalized? What other experiences are out there? I count myself as a novice in HD video.

Erich

You can´t judge the picture quality of a cam from web streams, period. Besides, Vimeo has it´s own life, sometimes the encoding is smooth, other times it is not very good. To really know what´s going on you have to download the original footage and play with it in your NLE. Having had a Canon HV20 and a XH-A1 I can say that the picture quality of the HM100 is far superior to both of them. The exception being low light when I would rate it about equal to the XH-A1. On the other hand the workflow is just plain fantastic. For my purposes (ENG, very short deadlines and a lot of traveling) the HM100 is simply the best choice bar none.

With you on that Matthias. Mine arrive today, I am still getting to know it, but judging by what I have seen of it today, I am more than happy with the purchase.