GY-HM700 Pre-Production Model Test from Germany
 

Hello,

I just found this review of the GY-HM700 in the blog of german cameraman Lutz Dieckmann.

Blog

The blog post is german only but Google Translator should help. And it has lots of pictures...

Greetings,
Stefan.

...but no footage for now. He likes it without going into the details. Interesting: He says the price will be 5,999 Euros which would be about $7,800 - or did we know that already?

English Translation
 

Here is an English translation by Google:
Translated version of http://ldp.de/hd-trainings/blog-09.html

Here is the English translation by Babel Fish:
Translation result for http://ldp.de/hd-trainings/blog-09.html

One interesting comment is that JVC is working on a practical system for archiving. This should be useful for HM100 users as well.

(Note: to enlarge the pictures, it's necessary to use the original German page:
Blog

It’s interesting the way this is leaking out. Not so difficult to find apparently, just tantalising enough to get everyone scrambling for it!

It's looking good, we'll soon see now. If 'nit picking', I'm really surprised that at the moment it still appears to come with a clunky camera mic cable and the same "sticky out" XLR plug! That's a mistake when decent cable and low profile RA XLR plugs are there if you want them. Maybe JVC doesn't have the right to cut the extra groove to get it angled properly? A very small point though as this looks quite a beast.

...anyone want to buy a slightly used JVC 200...? haha.

"That is mad."

Love the babel fish "translation." I think it was more understandable in the native German, and I can't even read German. I'm not sure, but I don't think he mentions the camera's low light capabilities.

I'm selling my HD200, Drew.

No, he does not. The only thing he says about the footage itself is that it is "super sharp" and that he didnt have any problems with artifacts while panning. So he thinks the codec is "good". He promises to post some footage as soon as he has some server space (even though I wonder if JVC lets him do that since it´s only a pre-production model).

Danke sehr, Mattias und Stefan.

This is the first I've heard about a price. About what I expected, if it's true. Not bad, certainly comparable to the HD200 line.

I take it you can read German, because there's no way you could have gotten all that from the translations.

He said 5,999 Euros is with VAT. And I don´t know about JVC but Canon cameras are much cheaper in the US than in Europe. So I would not be surprised if the price in the US would be around $6,999...
...yup, German is my first language...

I think everyone will be. Including me.

If Im reading that blog correctly the price is $7800 with the standard 16X5.5 Fujinon lens, not the new 14x4.4 Canon lens - which jumps the price up to $9800.

yup:
16x = 5,999 Euros including VAT
14x = 7,500 Euros (doesn´t say if with or without VAT)
20x = slightly under 10,000 Euros

Well, shoot, I ought to just sell my 17x lens separately, then. At least there'll still be a demand for it.

Possibly ME, when cash flow starts up again.

Maybe I'm reading too much in to it, but the translation says: "The setting makes 1920x1080/25p super sharp images. In parallel, I have also turned 1280x720/25p, the difference is clear."

Can I take that to mean he thinks the camera is sharper in 1080 mode than 720? Which is pretty interesting. Comparable cameras haven't managed much better than 1280 horizontally, 720 vertically, the only real exception has been the EX.

I'd been fearing that the announcement of them using pixel shift meant the use of 960x540 chips. (Logical since it makes for easy processing in a 1920x1080 DSP.) If the interpretation of the translation is correct, with JVCs history it seems more likely that they will be 1280x720 native, and pixel shift should theoretically take that up to around a respectable 1550x860 for luminance.

It s o u n d s like he is saying that 1080 is sharper than 720 but he neither explicitly says it nor elaborates on it. So all your conclusions are at your own risk ;-)

Looking at the article..
I didn't realize how small the HM100 really is. It looks to be the size of a home video camera. That photog's hand practically swallows the camera. 35mbps coming out of that? Impressive....

Size of HM100
 

I saw an HM100 up close and was also very surprised at the small size. Seem to be a very nice form factor. I hope the HM700 is also much smaller than my HD110; I'm getting tired of lugging it around! That said, it could be a great time to buy a second (3rd, 4th, 5th?) JVC camera since everyone seems to be planning to sell their 200's and the glut in the market may drive the price down!!! :-)

And, very casually in passing, a JVC rep (in the U.S.) suggested to me that they hoped for the HM700 to be around $7000.

TVH

i saw that 200's where cheap at BH with $500 rebates as well.

You think the HD110s are big? You should try the old Sony 507s. Heck, go back to my glory days of 3/4" gear - my camera, deck and support gear weighed 45 lbs! I find my HPX500 incredibly light by comparison.
Based on the pics, I'd say the HM700 is comparable in size to the HD200s. And I am selling my HD200.

Size of HM100 and HM200
 

The JVC Product Manager Creation Europe - Semir Nouri - showed both cameras in Amsterdam. The HM100 is quite small, the HM700 is the same size as the HD1xx / HD2xx. Also same form factor.
Here are the links, again from Germany:
Video Part 1:
VIDEOAKTIV - Video: JVC Professional führt GY-HM700 ein
Video Part 2:
VIDEOAKTIV - Video: JVC Professional führt GY-HM700 ein (Teil 2)

I'm with Glen. PLEASE give us a shoulder cam. If you want compact, buy the HM100. Some of us NEED shoulder mounts. The size of the HD200 is just about perfect. I'd even accept another pound (454 grams for my European counterparts), for balance.

Sweet links - too bad about my German.... Come on USA - give us something...

I am looking forward how much better the new 1/3 ccds perform in lowlight.

I tested a HD251 (I love its formfactor and weight)a while ago and I found "my" minors:

- Viewfinder Resolution
- LCD Resolution
- LowLight Performance
- long time until in REC

- CA with supplied Lens

Looks like the HM700 adresses all these things now.

ULi

Im still paying off my 200. When I went to B&H's website the other day i almost cried. The price drop was huge! I will be paying off my 200 for a while. Now that the 700 is coming out I want one SOOO bad. But I cant sell my 200 that I haven't even payed off yet!

I wouldn't be too sad. I just reviewed some footage that I shot with the Canon super duper HDV that everyone brags about. I wasn't impressed with the footage, and I hated the unit... Also I Just taped an event last night and re-fell in love with my HD110 that I'm still paying off as well. It's a good platform, I still don't have regrets... well except that a 17x or 13x lens would be nice nice very nice.

Then again if there is a good trade in for my 6 or 8 year old JVC JY-HD10U that was $4,000 back in the day for the new GY-HM100U, then yes I'll jump..... but I have no plans to dumping my HD110. In fact if I were a sure where I was working after my expected outsourceing in April, I would be picking up some people's 1 year old HD-200's and make my HD110 a B camera. No question.

I'll chime in here as well: I own 2 HD200U's that I'll be holding on to and expect to pick up both a 100 and a 700 this year. The 200's are bought and paid for. I'm sure I'll find a use for them, even if I cannibalize a lens off of one of them and just buy a 700 body, if that option exists.

So, if I can ask the dumb questions, it's capable of 1080 25P in a tapeless format for under ten grand? With variable frame rates at 720P?

And hopefully it's better in low light, it just comes with a slightly poorer lens?

But it still is lower spec than a 251????

How we doin here????

It can do 1080/25P. Plus, 1080/60i, 50i, 24P and many flavors of 720P. All on SDHC cards.
Price has yet to be determined, but, depending on lens choice, under 10K is likely. Variable, not sure.

Low light - who knows? I can't understand German, maybe they mentioned it in the videos. But if the HM100 has LoLux, so should this camera. I expect it to have better low light ability, maybe even dramatically better.

Lens - Canon makes nice lenses. A comparison needs to be done.

Lower spec than a 251 - not sure what you mean or where you got that info from. But with 1080 and 720 formats, at 35 mbps, delivered in a Quicktime mode especially for FCP, all recorded to inexpensive SDHC cards, with LoLux, I'd say it's more capable than a 251 - unless you need a tape drive.

I'm guessing he is referring to pixel shifting as indicated on the HM100. I hate pixel shifting personally, but Panasonic HPX-500 seems to do well. Of course 2/3 chip (only 960x540) and a nice lens doesn't hurt either.... but if the 700 has full 720x1280 res and XDCAM EX and a new 14x Canon lens or a Fujinon 17x or better.. then I think it's something that will impress people who know.

I have an HPX500. It takes very nice pics. Good enough to be cleared for Silver productions for Discovery HD. But yeah, the 2/3" chips might have something to do with that. Still, if the HM700 does use pixel shifting, it should allow the SD chips to work better in low light. There's a trade-off everywhere. The 700 is beginning to sound like a huge leap in abilities compared to its predecessors. Right off the bat, it should make the Canons obsolete, the Panny's media incredibly expensive in comparison, and give the EXs a run for the money (no CMOS issues). But I still wish for 1/2" chips. You know, better depth of field, etc.

I was also hoping for 1/2" CCD's and the AVC Intra codec. 1080 60p would have been nice, too. 1/3" CCD's keeps it in the prosumer class!

With the EX3 going for $8300. with SxS and 1/2" chips, including an autofocus and stabilized Fuji lens, I'm thinking $5,995. for the 700, with a battery and 17x lens. I wonder if the SD cards can handle slomo like the EX3.

All things I have ZERO interest in. If you want kitschy stabilized lenses with auto focus, go elsewhere. I want the option for REAL lens choices from my choice of suppliers with decades of experience building broadcast lenses. I also want a tried and tested professional level codec that broadcasters aren't going to scoff at. Yes, 1/2" chips would be spectacular as would 1080P60. This isn't that camera. $6000 with all the options? Hey, if they offer it at that, I'll buy two instead of one but otherwise I'll be buying one with the best lens choice for me at whatever JVC and dealers are asking. FINALLY someone is offering us 1080P, 720P, 1080i in a true shoulder camera that uses AFFORDABLE media and industry standard batteries and we're bickering over a couple of hundred bucks...

I just come across this pdf document about the camera;
http://www.kovexltd.com/product_images/41/GY-HM700E.pdf

Apparently the nice 14x Canon lens is standard.

Ture dat, Shaun. For those wanting to break into the broadcast arena, auto focus doesn't exist. It just doesn't. If I use a camera that does have that feature, it's the first thing I disable - then the auto iris.
If you truly want to work in high-end broadcast production with the best cameras, you'll need to learn how to manually operate your camera and lens.

Nice find, Derran. I like how it says "Preliminary" in the corner. Dare I ask where you found this?
Still no mention of LoLux.

Google helped me find it. ;)

I've been looking for a new camera for a while now and this could be a winner. Hopefully the files will be easy to import in Avid Media Composer as well.

Dvinfo review of HM700 tomorrow
 

Chris Hurd and I are going to meet with JVC tomorrow in NYC to view the HM700 (apparently the exact same pre-production sample from this German review.) Hopefully we'll have the opportunity to shoot some footage and have something for you guys to see as soon as I get back.

Great, Tim. Please check the low light capabilities of this camera.
And please post your findings in English.