JVC Unveils New GY-HM150 ProHD Handheld Camcorder

[Chris Hurd]

"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-...camcorder.html

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

[Paul Shapiro]

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

[Craig Yanagi]

We do our best...

[Christian Brown]

Looking forward to hearing more about the remote control.

Will my dream for smooth zooms finally come true?!

[Craig Yanagi]

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

[Steve Struthers]

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.

[Jordan Hooper]

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.

[Craig Yanagi]

Originally Posted by Steve Struthers

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...

[Craig Yanagi]

Originally Posted by Jordan Hooper

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.

[Andy Urtusuastegui]

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.

[Rob Stowell]

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:))

[Andy Urtusuastegui]

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

JVCPro-MSIS

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.

[Shufiyan Shukur]

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.

:-(

[Ben Creighton]

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.)

[Craig Yanagi]

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

- Craig