Digital Trends

JVC EVERIO GZ-HD3 September 30th, 2007 | by David Elrich

More Testing

After I did my video and still recording, it was time to view the results. I used component video outs to a Toshiba 1080I HDTV and made prints on a Canon MFP. As I settled in I expected to be disappointed, as I was with the GZ-HD7. Surprise! The video was quite good especially when there was plenty of daylight. Colors were very accurate including the very red leaves of a turning maple tree and a bright blue Fall sky. I could see very little noise with the outside footage displayed on my HDTV. What was noticeable was the lack of optical image stabilization as I panned the trees and skies. The GZ-HD3—a $1,299 USD camcorder—has digital image stabilization, not the much better optical systems readily available. I know companies try to reach specific prices at retail and strip features in order to do so. In this case they should’ve charged another $50 USD for it. Camcorders with OIS take much less jerky results.

Where the camcorder clearly falls short is with indoor footage in low light. Colors tended to be a bit more yellow and when I shot some dark scenes, the noise was quite evident. I set the unit to Night mode and it captured the scene but there was heavy smearing on the LCD as I moved the camcorder. For the record, the low light footage was not nearly as good as the Sony and Canon HDV camcorders recently reviewed. An optional light is a key accessory if you plan a lot of indoor shooting.

You know the story with the stills. As I’ve said many times before it’s the rare camcorder that takes a good photograph. This one takes 1920 x 1080 pixel images—measly 2-megapixel files. You can’t even buy a 2MP camera today other than a cheesy cell phone. And since there’s no flash or AF Assist lamp, don’t expect much—this way you won’t be disappointed.

Conclusion

The GZ-HD3 camcorder is a good performer when there’s enough light. Video quality under these conditions is very pleasing and natural—like real life, the way high-def is supposed to be. When you go indoors there’s a fall off with lots of noise and issues grabbing quick focus. And I’m really disappointed JVC dropped the OIS—especially for the camcorder costing around $1,200 USD. If you can live with the downside, you’ll love the five hours of storage, nice ergonomics and pretty HD video.

Pros

• Excellent video with enough light
• Bountiful storage
• Nice design and ergonomics

Cons

• Noisy video with low light
• No optical image stabilization