World’s Smallest and Slimmest Design

It took JVC to make an HD camcorder so small and light. 30% smaller compared to the previous year’s, these models are the world’s smallest and thinnest HD camcorders with built-in HDD, making them easier to carry and enjoy than ever before. The JVC Everio GZ-HD300 captures video to a 60 GB hard disk drive -- it also features a 1/4.1-inch, 3.05-megapixel CMOS image sensor and full HD recording.

Product Features

• KONICA MINOLTA HD LENS (F1.9, Filter diameter: 30.5mm)
• 60GB Internal Hard Disk Drive
• 25 hours recording at the highest quality (Ultra-DVD Movie)
• Full HD1920 x 1080P Recording
• 1/4.1" 3.05Megapixel CMOS
• 24Mbps Ultra High Quality AVCHD Recording
• Up to 1920 x 1080 Digital Stills
• Up to 9999 digital stills at the highest quality
• New Laser Touch Operation
• Face Detection
• HDMI V.1.3 with x.v.Color
• 2.7" 123K-pixel Color LCDData Battery
• Power-Linked operation with Quick Restart
• Convenient 2-way Strap
• Auto Power ON/OFF & Auto Lens Cover
• Remote Control
• One Touch Export (Windows)
• One-touch Upload to YouTube (Windows)
• One-Touch Backup to PC (Direct Backup)
• One-Touch DVD Creation (Direct DVD)
• Pixela Everio MediaBrowser (Windows)
  

Product Specs

JVC GZ-HD300’s Review

by www.digitalcamera-hq.com

The Everio GZ-HD300 represents the latest technology in high-definition camcorders. It is capable of recording video in full HD with its CMOS sensor, at a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, providing high levels of detail and definition. Though it aims to provide superior quality at a (relatively) low price, its limitations are clear and consumers thinking they’re getting a great bargain on a high-definition camcorder may want to inspect the HD300 more closely.

The video is recorded in the AVCHD video format (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264) which has lately become the dominant format for high-definition recording. The GZ-HD300 is also no slouch when it comes to bit rate, which measures the amount of data recorded per second; the more data, the better the quality. In its highest quality mode, UXP, the GZ-HD300 can reach bitrates of up to 24 megabytes per second, the highest bit rate possible with AVCHD.

While competing (and more expensive) cameras from Canon and Panasonic are still saddled with 10 or 12x optical zoom lenses, the Everio GZ-HD300 features a 20x optical zoom lens provided by Konica Minolta. That kind of range is not easily found among high-definition camcorders, typically because the smaller form factors preclude long lenses. The GZ-HD300 manages to cram one into its incredibly compact body.

Video is recorded to either an internal 60GB hard disk drive, or removable micro SD cards (4GB and 8GB capacities). When recording to the hard disk, users are afforded space for between five and 25 hours of high-definition video, depending on the quality mode. An 8GB micro SD card can hold between 40 minutes and 3 hours and 20 minutes, again, depending on the mode.
The Design

JVC has added a little flavor to the Everio GZ-HD300, making it available in a variety of colors: sapphire blue, onyx black, and garnet red. The sapphire blue model I tested was very attractive and eye catching.

The GZ-HD300 is, as mentioned previously, incredibly compact. The entire camcorder fits snugly into ones palm and could comfortably be carried in a bag or large pocket. It’s also very lightweight, so it won’t weigh you down or tire your arm out while shooting.

The button layout and navigational design is of particular interest. First off, the power button is on the body of the camcorder, tucked behind the LCD bezel. It’s small and slightly inconvenient, but that’s only a minor quibble. Also featured on this part of the camcorder are the one-touch access buttons which allow you to instantly upload videos to YouTube or initiate burning to DVD through a computer. The HDMI and Component video outputs are nearby, while the USB output is placed, somewhat unusually, on the front of the camcorder near the lens.

What’s really unique about the Everio GZ-HD300’s interface is the “laser touch operation,“ located on the LCD bezel. To the left of the LCD is a thin strip that illuminates when it is touched. The blue light sweeps across the strip, following your finger. This is a touch-sensitive scroll bar, used to move up and down the various menus and on-screen displays. Tapping it will interact with on-screen buttons on the left side of the display. Beneath the LCD display, there are five buttons. The leftmost is ’OK,’ which executes selected commands; the rightmost is the self-explanatory ’Menu.’ The three buttons in the middle are blank, and are meant to correspond to on-screen tabs that change depending on the context.

While JVC should be commended for their unique approach to menu navigation, the “laser touch“ feature and the corresponding buttons aren’t always straightforward, and seem to be more for aesthetic pleasure than for making the interface simple and easy to use. It’s not terrible, but perhaps a little more complicated than necessary.
Performance

The JVC Everio GZ-HD300 is a mid-range HD camcorder, with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $699.95. That’s about half as much as the Canon HFS10 ($1,299) or the Panasonic TM300 ($1,299), which also offer 1080p recording capabilities. It’s safe to say that when it comes to performance and video quality, the GZ-HD300 doesn’t live up to those more expensive models, but does provide a level of clarity appropriate for its price.

The video quality was acceptable, as the GZ-HD300 was able to render fine details well, particularly in bright, outdoor scenes. Indoors was a little trickier, as video appeared muted in scenes with low light. The HD300 did suffer from a sluggish autofocus, which struggled to keep up with the long-range zoom lens and any attempts at panning. Image stabilization was also a problem. The small size and lightweight body of the GZ-HD300 made it very susceptible to shakes and jitters, and while it wasn’t outrageous, a camcorder with image stabilization should betray as little trouble as possible.

Still photo images were on par with most other camcorders, that is to say, not very good. The GZ-HD300 has only a 3-megapixel sensor, so you can’t expect much from it.
Conclusion

While it has an appealing form factor and design, the JVC Everio GZ-HD300 is still rather expensive for what you get from it. JVC should be lauded for their advancements here, particularly when it comes to optical zoom, and despite its flaws, their attempts at liven up the interface. That said, the overall video quality did not blow me away, and it would be difficult to justify spending nearly $700 on a camcorder whose performance is only marginally better than cheaper, standard-definition models. If you’re looking for truly stunning 1080p HD, you’ll need to drop at least twice as much cash. If you’re on a budget, stick to standard-definition.