Should I buy this??

snIper

snIper

Member
Good Afternoon fellas and fellets..

I've been shopping for a new cam for some time now. I love the Canon XL2 but they are hard to find financing for it. I came across this cam on the HSN.. Dont laugh.. Question here is.. Is it worth getting in your opinion?
JVC Digital Cam Specs :undecided
 
You're asking this Q about a JVC on a Panasonic DVX driven forum, so you'll likely get a biased response. But it really comes down to what you need it for.

First, make a shopping list of what you NEED ... then find the camera that best meets as many or all of your needs as possible.

For example ... do you NEED high definition yet? Do you have a way the consumer/client will see it in the end? Do you need 24P? Do you have a system that can handle high definition?

You've got lots of other questions you ned to answer for yourself before knowing what kind of camera you need/want.
 
Envision said:
You're asking this Q about a JVC on a Panasonic DVX driven forum, so you'll likely get a biased response. But it really comes down to what you need it for.

First, make a shopping list of what you NEED ... then find the camera that best meets as many or all of your needs as possible.

For example ... do you NEED high definition yet? Do you have a way the consumer/client will see it in the end? Do you need 24P? Do you have a system that can handle high definition?

You've got lots of other questions you ned to answer for yourself before knowing what kind of camera you need/want.
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Good answer Envision :thumbup: Thanks
 
I haven't used one, but have heard very bad things about those early JVC HD cams.

Do you definately NEED HD, not just WANT it? If so, take a look at the Sony FX1(~£2200) or the Sony HC1 (~$1500). If you don't need HD, I would stick with an XL2 or DVX.

It depends what you are using the camera for?
 
mmm said:
I haven't used one, but have heard very bad things about those early JVC HD cams.
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These are the posts that I can't stand (no offence mmm).



I haven't used one.....

heard very bad things....



How can you express an opinion?
 
pookie said:
These are the posts that I can't stand (no offence mmm).



I haven't used one.....

heard very bad things....



How can you express an opinion?
Click to expand...

I am not expressing an opinion just saying that I have read bad things...

I actually wrote that because I wasn't sure if your "yes" was sarcastic and sniper may run out and buy one. I never claimed to be an expert on the camera though, (I have never even seen one in the UK) sorry if it was misleading.

I take your point, but I deliberately wrote it like that so sniper knew my point was only based on second hand knowledge and could dismiss it. I didn't actually make any statement on the camera at all, I think it was fair and not misleading.

I am more against the posts that say:

Camera/format X is crap, don't buy it. (and don't state that they have never used it - I didn't do that.)
 
pookie said:
No problem mmm,

the question was "Is it worth getting in your opinion?"

my answer was "yes".
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Cool.

Felt I better explain myself. I do try to always explain what experience my theories/opinions etc are based on. Sometimes it is only reading, but I will try to make that clear. Sometimes I will forget - then please do shout if I do.

BTW, have you had good experiences with that camera pookie? Everyone always seems to hate it... from what I've read :thumbsup:
 
snIper said:
Good Afternoon fellas and fellets..

I've been shopping for a new cam for some time now. I love the Canon XL2 but they are hard to find financing for it. I came across this cam on the HSN.. Dont laugh.. Question here is.. Is it worth getting in your opinion?
JVC Digital Cam Specs :undecided
Click to expand...

You should ask this question on that really amazing and supportive web site JVCUser.com

Oh wait - it doesn't exist. :)

Seriously, I'm sure the camera is fine, I just know that a major reason I chose my DVX and I have been so happy with it, is the community here. I can honestly say nothing has been as helpful to my learning my camera and my craft as DVXUser.

I am already on the waiting list for the HVX and that decision was very easy because I know I will learn it along with all the cool people on this web site.

I would just suggest you consider that too, when choosing your next camera,

Chris
 
The JVC is a very nice little HD camera, easy to shoot with and it gives you very good results. I don't follow exactly what anyone has to complain about with this camera though.
I think it's more of a brand loyalty thing going on (CMessineo's post reflects that), on this forum, it's pretty much Panasonic is god and can do no wrong. Sony has their own loyal followers who say Sony is best, as do Canon and so on and so on.

Nice camera, nice price, great results.


The moral is....

Don't follow one manufacturer with blind devotion, it's the results that matter, the audience don't know or care what you shot on.
 
I've used it quite a bit, I have it sitting here right now. It is an astoundingly unpleasant product to use.

There is no true manual control, and it's nearly impossible to focus. The only way you can focus it is to switch it to autofocus and hope and pray that it locks in, because the viewfinder is so low-res that you have no way of ever knowing if it's in focus or not. You cannot control both the shutter and the iris at the same time -- it will always, always change one or the other on you. You pick which one you want to "lock", and it continues to change the other. It also has a nasty slap-echo in the audio recording circuit. It has extremely narrow latitude, and substantial chroma noise.

The pictures can range from fantastic to abysmal, depending on the skill of the shooter and the circumstances they shoot under and how much time they can spend tweaking lighting and the camera.

That particular model on that website is the HD1, which has extreme edge enhancement; that's one of the things they attempted to rectify on the HD10.

The FX1 from Sony is such a superior camera to the HD1 that there's no contest. The FX1, while interlaced, is a usable product. The HD1 can't be used; it was designed strictly for a home handycam type of customer, and that's about all it can be used as. It would drive a professional camera operator batty.

The JVC HD1 is not a camera I have any fondness for in any way. I think it's a truly awful camera, with the only redeeming factor being its low price. Well, that's not a redeeming factor for it anymore either, since you can get a Sony HC1 for $1,000 less than that JVC.

So no, I would say "stay away" from any HD1 or HD10. If it was $500, and all you wanted was an all-automatic point-and-pray type of camera, then maybe. But if you want something you can actually work with, the HD1 is an awful choice.
 
This thread's turning into a hissy fit about a camera, which is odd.

The bigger question, which snIper agreed with, is does he NEED the camera? Forget pricing and if it's a good value for the buck. If he doesn't need it, and something else could suit his needs as well if not better, then it's NOT worth getting.

It's like going to Costco or any other big volume/discount place ... there are lots of good buys on various things, but if it doesn't fit my need then it's not really a good buy now is it?

What does the person want out of a camera? What are the applications they'll be using it in?? It's fairly obvious with the questions snIper's asking that he may not be real familiar with all main prosumer cameras that are out there, and the pros & cons with each.

So before buying any camera, he should have his list written up of what he'll be doing & what he needs out of his equipment to maximize his results.
 
Envision said:
The bigger question, which snIper agreed with, is does he NEED the camera?
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No one needs this camera, true.

No one needs a DVX either.

The cheapest Samsung ever built will record what you point it at.

If you have a compelling story, people will watch a slide show.


I can't quite follow Barry's assination of the JVC though.
 
Is this the model that uses miniplugs for the audio?

I honestly don't remember, but I was looking at one of the HD JVCs before I found the DVX, and there was something about the audio interface that made me run away.

I think something else, too, but I can't remember what it was...I did a data-dump after deciding "no". Only have so much room in the head for storing info. :)
 
All I'm doing is reporting my experience with it. Feel free to disagree if you want. But I have the thing sitting here right now and I simply cannot comprehend how someone would want to use this in a professional shooting circumstance.

As for the audio interface, it's a 1/8" mini-jack. They came out with the HD10 "pro" model, which was basically the identical same camera but with XLR audio capability. However, it was a little XLR adapter box that plugged into the camera through the same 1/8" minijack!

I'm not trying to "assassinate" anything -- I'm relaying my direct experience with it. If someone has different standards or different goals, perhaps they'd find the product perfectly acceptable. Just be aware of what it does, and what it cannot do, before you jump into it. I did extensive testing with it when it first came out. I came away with a very specific list of negatives (excessive chroma noise, predilection for dead pixels, very flat drab color, impossible to focus, echo-ey audio, very narrow latitude, and excessive edge enhancement, no way to disable automatic audio gain, and absolutely impossible to manually control both aperture and shutter at the same time -- and note, I'm not saying "impossible" as in "difficult", I'm saying that the camera gives you no capability to turn off autoexposure -- it will always be in auto exposure, you absolutely cannot lock the shutter and the aperture at the same time). The FX1 fixed all of those complaints, which is why even though the FX1 is interlaced and the HD1 is progressive, I think the FX1 is a much better camera overall. I haven't spent any time with the HC1, but it's $1,000 less than the HD1, and I would certainly be inclined to try it before sinking good money into an HD1.

On the HD1's plus side, its video could be very sharp, and if you really worked it you could produce some pleasing high-def images. And it was the first low-cost high-def camcorder on the market, 18 months before the Sony came out.

A friend of mine bought the HD1 when it first arrived here in town. He went out and shot some landscapes. Here's the very first shot he ever shot with his brand-new HD1. Gotta love that edge enhancement -- it looks like someone drew on the picture with a black sharpie:
HD1-edge-enhancement.jpg
 
I think it's a matter of understanding how to use a camera.

It's easy to show a capture from the DVX that would give similar results, and no i have no intention of posting captures, anyone can get the results.


Now, no I haven't any interest in getting into any battle with Barry or anyone else over this.
There would be no purpose.

In any event, I get the impression from the initial question, it was asked due to a limited budget, rather than in comparison with any specific cameras.
 
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