Marcello Mazzilli
April 14th, 2014, 07:59 AM
I got this camera some days ago...
Is a nice backup camera for me. I will use it in live events. Works fine with lowlight, outputs both in 1980 and 720, the optical stabiliser is good, etc...I didn't foo deep tests on image quality.. It's quite good for the price and I'm not expecting broadcast results for it... What I expect from this range of cameras is that they are easy to use even in manual mode...
But.. here is WHAT I DON'T LIKE
- I didn't buy it for slow-motion, but I was quite upset to discover that advertised resolution of 640x360 at (max) x250fps is probably a 320x180 "pumped up" at 640x360. 640x360 was already a small res compared to our days but still I was thinking to "pump it up" at PAL/NTSC res with no problems.. but is probably already "pumped up".. so can't do much from here
- The MANUAL FOCUS ring was one of the reasons why I bought it. The problem is that there is a MF button to press every time even if you are in manual mode already. That's not a nice operation to do every time specially if you are use to work in manual mode all the time. I contacted the italian assistance who then contacted the center in Japan and they confirmed that that is how it works, accepted the suggestion, and said they will think at addressing the issue in the future (don't understand if in new firmware or a new model though!). MF button is very useful in AUTO MODE, but in MANUAL MODE you should be not forced to use it!
- The battery. You can't use bigger batteries even if pin-compatibile. This because the battery is located inside the camera, totally inside, so it will never be bigger than the one they give you. And this is a pity if you want to use it as a backup camera in outside events, where no electricity plug is available. Obviously there are other solutions (like external batteries etc..) but you loose the advantages of a small good camera. Also is not so immediate to replace the battery. You need to turn the LCD screen down and then open an extra slot.. not really a fast procedure.. When you finish probably you'll find out you moved the tripod and some settings.
- They sell it with no external battery charger. I knew this before buying it but is not very understandable on every online shop so... just put in budget an extra 20€ for an external charger. I don't think including it in the package would have sent JVC broke !
- As a nice and very all working FOCUS ASSIST but to access it you need to go through the menu on touchscreen LCD... An external button for quick access would have been really appreciated, as well for one for WHITE BALANCE
- Some features work only in MOV mode and some others only in AVCHD mode...This confused me a bit at the beginning and still leaves me to think... why I have to choose between X.V.Color and x250fps ? That's not fair
As you can see I focus on usability. Quality of recorded video (and audio!) is very good for the price and I'm not going to investigate too much on that size. Is a good camera.. just wish they had put just little more attention on usability.
Is a nice backup camera for me. I will use it in live events. Works fine with lowlight, outputs both in 1980 and 720, the optical stabiliser is good, etc...I didn't foo deep tests on image quality.. It's quite good for the price and I'm not expecting broadcast results for it... What I expect from this range of cameras is that they are easy to use even in manual mode...
But.. here is WHAT I DON'T LIKE
- I didn't buy it for slow-motion, but I was quite upset to discover that advertised resolution of 640x360 at (max) x250fps is probably a 320x180 "pumped up" at 640x360. 640x360 was already a small res compared to our days but still I was thinking to "pump it up" at PAL/NTSC res with no problems.. but is probably already "pumped up".. so can't do much from here
- The MANUAL FOCUS ring was one of the reasons why I bought it. The problem is that there is a MF button to press every time even if you are in manual mode already. That's not a nice operation to do every time specially if you are use to work in manual mode all the time. I contacted the italian assistance who then contacted the center in Japan and they confirmed that that is how it works, accepted the suggestion, and said they will think at addressing the issue in the future (don't understand if in new firmware or a new model though!). MF button is very useful in AUTO MODE, but in MANUAL MODE you should be not forced to use it!
- The battery. You can't use bigger batteries even if pin-compatibile. This because the battery is located inside the camera, totally inside, so it will never be bigger than the one they give you. And this is a pity if you want to use it as a backup camera in outside events, where no electricity plug is available. Obviously there are other solutions (like external batteries etc..) but you loose the advantages of a small good camera. Also is not so immediate to replace the battery. You need to turn the LCD screen down and then open an extra slot.. not really a fast procedure.. When you finish probably you'll find out you moved the tripod and some settings.
- They sell it with no external battery charger. I knew this before buying it but is not very understandable on every online shop so... just put in budget an extra 20€ for an external charger. I don't think including it in the package would have sent JVC broke !
- As a nice and very all working FOCUS ASSIST but to access it you need to go through the menu on touchscreen LCD... An external button for quick access would have been really appreciated, as well for one for WHITE BALANCE
- Some features work only in MOV mode and some others only in AVCHD mode...This confused me a bit at the beginning and still leaves me to think... why I have to choose between X.V.Color and x250fps ? That's not fair
As you can see I focus on usability. Quality of recorded video (and audio!) is very good for the price and I'm not going to investigate too much on that size. Is a good camera.. just wish they had put just little more attention on usability.