VERY happy customer
 

Alright so I've had the cameras for a couple of days and I've been quite busy with several shoots with the new cams.

All I can say is that I LOVE it. I was waiting for the HVX but after all the info I could gather (workflow, res, ergo, etc) I decided to take the plunge and go with the JVC. My parter and I were ordering quite a bit of other supporting equipment including 2 cameras and 2 decks so it was a very heavy decision. I can official say now after having shot, and posted over 4 hours of footage, shooting in all kinds of different situations that the JVC was the right decision. What a fabulous camera!

My only regret is that I didn't pick one up sooner. I was waiting all this time for nothing.

Thanks,
Eric James

http://www.expertmagic.com/

I was sold when they told me it shot 720p /24p...

.....touche

:-) well...maybe not because some of the early cameras had problems... remember? The camera firmware was updated in the late fall and I bet the quality control was tighten up as well. I am quite happy with mine...picked it up this past Tuesday.

It's funny how the tide may turn for the JVC. Now that there are more cameras available and there are workflow issues with each and every one, the gripes with the JVC are put into perspective

I think when it was one of only 2 available, and 2 more were on the horizon, it was easy to dismiss the JVC as being "not quite there", and wait in anticipation for the godliness that will be the HVX and XLH.

Or maybe I'm full of it and things will continue to be the way they were, with people whispering in hushed tones about secret flaws. I dunno, I don't care anymore :-)

it seems to me people are so paranoid about making the "wrong decision" when there isn't one

You said it all Nate.

Is it possible that JVC has made some drastic improvements?

The dramatic improvements may be that people's eyes are opening up.

It's obviously evident that the ProHD workflow is very inexpensive and the camera that supports ProHD (HD-100) is a great performer.

JVC is onto something good with ProHD. I'm on with the workflow and anticipating bigger and better things from the format and the company.

all the best guys...

The "improvements" were people that trashed it finally got a hold of it and did some tests, and also it was tested to cameras that were supposed to be better. The few cameras that were bad should have been returned, like any other bad/defected electronics.

The only drastic change was in the market around the HD100, as Nate started to hint.
Now that all the cameras are out and that hype is turning into just that, hype, and people are seeing no camera is perfect, they ALL have problems and that many HD100 happy users are reporting, people are seeing the truth.
I don't think it was anything JVC changed in the camera because mine is an early model and I have been happy since I got it. Since I got it, I have been telling people here that the VF is fine! The SSE is only there if you don't know what you are doing, and the camera makes great pictures. Now they are starting to see there may be some truth to all the good reports HD100 users have been posting and that the bad reports were over blown and done mostly by people who either didn't have the camera or were hardcore fans from other brands. Now that “everyday” somebody different posts they have bought a HD100 and are happy and that the user base is growing fast, people may be thinking, hey, there can be a couple of stupid ones, but not that many. Are all these people retarded or the camera is really good and all the bad talking was just exaggeration? I wish I could say what I really think, but it wouldn’t last a couple of minutes in this place. But in essence, that’s what’s going on. No radical camera revisions.

Brian speaks the truth. I was no fan of the original HD100, having bought and returned one. But I used one a month ago and was very impressed with it -- and yes, it was substantially superior to the one I had before. And the image from this one was great. This is one that Adam Wilt brought with him, that he'd been testing for DV.com.

There's no original HD100. All HD100 are still the original one, unless you tested the prototype, which I don’t think was what you meant. Just wanted to clarify this as it can be interpreted as you are saying there was a major revision or change in the current models and could feed the already tiring “ JVC is replacing the HD100 on NAB 2006” stupid rumour.

Lemons are a natural thing in any industrialized product line. But people seemed to have chose to ignore that fact.

What Barry is really referring to is a defected JVC camera, but unfortunately people let a few bad apples spoil a whole bunch, and then there was the HDV camera war.... Hmm reminds me of how the Iraq war got started, on false and meritless "data." Let's not rush to a decision before its been tested by itself and with and against others.

Nate I think you were one of the smarter ones that, just keep your mouth shut and do what you have to do, don't get all mixed up in BS politics.

"A shifty plumber always blames his tools"

Yeah - all this preliminary HVX stuff and side by side test has me considering the JVC at least. I shot an HVX with a friend and we weren't super happy with what we got. Now after seeing and hearing more about the JVC I've got to test it. I thought the physical design was the best when I played with one at NAB.

My Two penneth
 

Hi guys,

Just wanted to add my two penneth. I would tend to agree with some of the comments about the earlier cameras. I tried to get one in the uk for quite a while. However, I was getting bad reports from a lot of dealers saying they had quite a few cameras returned for various reasons. Then late last year speaking to Patrick at Optex just before they went under and he said the delay on the product was now due to some mysterious European quality control issue and it was taking the jvc engineers a while to work through each camera. I thought then that perhaps this may have been a cover for some updating and problem solving on jvc's part. I tried to confirm this with jvc but they all stuck to the party line. Anyway, bottom line is since these cameras have undergone the quality control it seems there are a lot more satisfied customers out there with regard to the issues. I for one am really impressed. Whether I would of been as impressed had I bought one early autumn, who knows. It's just nice to see this camera is outputting the kind of performance jvc has said it is capable of.

All the best Greg C

Eric!
 

Hi there,
You said that you have posted 4 hours of your material. Where can I find it?
Before I buy the camera I would like to see some professional footage.

Regards
Stefan (from the cold country of Sweden).

Hey stefan,
I simpy meant I had put the footage through post-production. Only meaning I am happy with the post workflow and the color grading on the footage. The projects I'm working on are fully funded and the footage is pretty sensitive in the eyes of the investors. I might be able to share some footage in a few months, but we'll see.

Thanks,
Eric James

A good camera
 

Normally I do not like to participate in this kind of conversations and I enjoy this forum for the technical information and knowledge that is delivering:

I am really tired with all the bad comments that have been posted for the JVC camera all these months.

I bought the first camera that came to Indonesia, months before the cam appeared in USA.
After a week I used the camera for a documentary in the jungle of Sumatra.
I posted in this forum my opinion: That the camera was great, cheap, was producing excellent pictures and ergonomically was designed very well.

At those days nobody seemed to take my comments under concideration.

When I posted about the upgrade, the new firmware, the comments that I read were as if I was saying a lie, or I made a wrong estimation about the SSE and the overall better performance of the cam.

I am glad that after a few months, people begun to appreciate the obvious: That for the money you pay the camera is really good.

I don't know if the JVC cam is better or worst than the Panasonic or the Canon or the Sony.
People should use cameras to make movies, work in the audiovisual field, make some money, being creative, have fun, explore their image potential.
I see so many instead being devided in Pro Panasonic, Pro Canon or Pro JVC guys, talking about almost mythologicall qualities of its camera.
Lets be serious and concentrate on the essential in this forum.
That in my opinion is to share positive experiences about the "how to use" our tools in the better possible way.
Lets leave fanatism for other social environments.
Our domain is supposed to be more ... noble... than wrestling.. lets say.

A big thanks from myself to all the guys that helped when I had problems with my post prod workflow.
A big thanks to the guys that shared their knowledge with me.
All the best
Panos Bournias

HD100 & Mac?
 

Hi Eric,

Thanks for your post. I'm now weighing which of camcorder to get (between the HDX 200, XL H1 and HD100.) In light of all the positive reports and sample footage I've managed to see, I'm very interested as to the HD100 compatibility/workflow with FCP Studio. Es possible? I plan to be upgrading to a Quad G5 and/or later to the Mac Quad Core Intel machine. Do you or anybody else happen to know if there's a PAL version of the HD100?

Thanks and All the Best!

David

Hey David,
I haven't had much trouble. You can see my workflow here:
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=57939

There are several other solutions listed in this forum, see which one you might like the most.

Hopefully very soon apple will release full native support for this camera, until then it will take a bit of extra work to get that great image into an editable form.

Thanks,
Eric James

HD100 & Mac Workflow
 

[QUOTE=Eric James]Hey David,
I haven't had much trouble. You can see my workflow here:
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=57939...

Hey Eric,

Thanks right back atcha! I appreciate it. I see that it's doable and, as you say, it probably shouldn't be too long before full native support. This is one tough decision, deciding on a camera, and I wish I had more more hands-on experience with JVC, Panasonic and Canon families so I could know and evaluate what would work best for me. I'm looking for an all-around cam for event, infomercial, documentary and even (hopefully) some narrative work. I've read over and over in the forums that in commerical work having a camera that "looks professional" can make a difference in attracting clients. While the hD100 has impressive specs and seems like a system to grow with (in terms of lenses and other accessories) it was obviously designed with that "serious", "pro" look in mind - though the shoulder mount is a functional feature I like. Where I live, impressions go a long way, so for all its superficiality, this is a factor. Well, I've rambled on enough. Thanks again,

David

Yes and it actually arrived before the US models.

Bear in mind that in the UK, the HD100 will NOT receive a Firewire input, you need to pay extra for that and get the HD101. If you are buying the deck it doesn't make much odds though.

FireWire & Deck for HD101?
 

Thanks much, Mike,

Do I understand correctly that with a JVC deck, you really don't need the FW? Which Deck? Do you know what they charge? Wouldn't it make for a more flexible workflow with the Mac?

David

If you've got the deck, I don't see much point in buying the HD101. However, I think that the HD101 does allow you to preview footage from a Firestore (or other HDD system) through the viewfinder, the HD100 won't.

The deck you need is the JVC BR-HD50.

I have enormous respect for Barry and would like to back him up - from the problems he was posting his camera was a dud and his lens was down on resolution which is a shame because Barry is one guy who could have won over a lot of doubters.

Mike,

Thanks! Being able to preview on cam sounds a useful convenience. But I've been seriously considering a small portable monitor to attach to a rig or a crane, etc. though I don't know enough about that yet. I've got to check with the importer's rep here and see what the prices and availability are for the cam and the deck. Heck, I've got to find the importer, or else order from out your way in the UK. The entire market here is heavily Sony - no doubt due to the reliable local tech support. I hear that over and over. Nevertheless you do see a lot of ENG crews and wedding videographers shooting SD JVC, though, so there must be good pro tech support.

Best regards,

David

Over here on the main land JVC is a big player in the professional market. I believe reading they have the biggest market share in West-Europe for ENG-equipment (with their "Professional DV" - series).

HD100 & Mac Workflow Input - Thanks!
 

Thanks, guys for all your info and help on the HD100. Dvinfo is a great exchange of ideas, creativity, knowledge and communication! I intend to continue participating as I can, for help as well as sharing what I learn as I go along, no matter which tools I use.

Best regards!

David