JVC GZ-HD7 - Expert Reviews

Review summary: High Definition (HD) camcorder buyers face a whirlwind of choices including formats, recording media and price. Which is best--HDV, AVCHD, MPEG-2, MPEG-4? Should I go with tape, flash...

Pros: Good video quality ; five-hour video capacity ; excellent manual options ; attractive design

Cons: No AF Assist lamp, flash or light ; offloading and storing HD content is a pain ; expensive

Review summary: jvc everio gz-hd7 review: If this camcorder cost AU$1,000, we'd give it a much higher rating. For its price, though, we expect far better performance and video quality.

Pros: Nice manual features, Attractive design, High-quality audio, Low-noise, low-light video

Cons: Ineffectual optical stabilizer, Needs a built-in ND filter, Some horizontal jitter and stuttering during playback, Low-resolution video, Sad battery life

Verdict: If this camcorder cost AU$1,000, we'd give it a much higher rating. For its price, though, we expect far better performance and video quality.

Review summary: JVC's range of Everio camcorders has proved mighty successful over the last few years and the latest addition to its HD stable looks certain to continue the trend. It's also the first consumer camcorder to provide Full HD recording

Pros: Fantastic picture and sound, Looks superb, Strong connections, Superb HD picture quality, Wide range of manual overrides

Cons: No hi-def component video inputs, Staggering price, Quite pricey, Viewfinder can't be angled

Verdict: Not the most affordable HD cam but provides a stunning performance that will please even the most demanding videomakers.

Pros: Nice manual features ; attractive design ; high-quality audio ; low-noise, low-light video

Cons: Ineffectual optical stabilizer ; needs a built-in ND filter ; some horizontal jitter and stuttering during playback ; low-resolution video ; sad battery life

Verdict: If this camcorder cost $500, we'd give it a much higher rating. But for its quadruple-digit price, we expect far better performance and video quality from the JVC Everio GZ-HD7.

Review summary: JVC Everio GZ-HD7As many camcorder manufacturers have discovered, three low-resolution sensors can sometimes take you a lot farther than a single high-resolution sensor. Unfortunately, while that may have been true for a standard-definition world, it ...

Pros: Nice manual features ; attractive design ; high-quality audio ; low-noise, low-light video

Cons: Ineffectual optical stabilizer ; needs a built-in ND filter ; some horizontal jitter and stuttering during playback ; low-resolution video ; sad battery life

Verdict: If this camcorder cost $500, we'd give it a much higher rating. But for its quadruple-digit price, we expect far better performance and video quality from the JVC Everio GZ-HD7.