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MillimeterJVC GY-HM700U Review
Aug 31, 2009 12:00 PM, By D.W. Leitner
JVC scales new heights of tapelessness.
iPod-like “Cross-Shaped Button” for menu navigation and selection. Ring glows blue in camera mode, green in playback mode, and amber in USB transfer mode.
Photo by D.W. Leitner
The GY-HM700U comes in two flavors: plain vanilla ($6,995 at B&H) and vanilla with fancy sprinkles, designated GY-HM700UXT ($7,495 at B&H). The latter is identical to the former, with exception of the addition of the KA-MR100G memory recorder module for SxS, a Sony/SanDisk (hence SxS) flash memory card format based on the ExpressCard/34 standard and created for the Sony PMW-EX1 and PMW-EX3. (We’ll come back to the KA-MR100G in a moment.)
The basic GY-HM700U shares the long, narrow form factor introduced by the GY-HD100U in 2005 and refined by the GY-HD110U, GY-HD200UB, and GY-HD250U models in 2007. (JVC has placed all its chips on this 1/3in. shoulder-mount platform—it ceased making 2/3in. or 1/2in. broadcast camcorders with the onset of HD). The HD100 and HD200 series were HDV, and the removal of the tape transport and eject door has freed up real estate on the side of the GY-HM700 opposite the operator. The result is an attractive design refresh that features dual SDHC card slots and an uncrowded placement of mini USB and mini FireWire connectors.
Carried over are pro features from the top-of-the-line GY-HD250U (which, like the GY-HD200UB, is still available), including HD/SD-SDI output with embedded audio and timecode, a 6-pin DIN connector for remote control, and image inversion for use with lens adapters that flip the image. Missing, however, are timecode in/out and genlock.
As befits a third-generation design, everything that worked well before works even better this time, with many elegant additions: The “half headphone” attached to the handle now orbits 180 degrees to readily accommodate ears on heads long or short; a gorgeous new LCoS color viewfinder sports, at its front, a big studio-friendly tally light that wraps around the top so the operator can see it too; and a spectacularly large 4.3in. LCD panel—the largest flip-out I’ve ever seen—frames beautifully designed, well-organized menus graced with upper- and lower-case characters, one of the best camcorder user interfaces I’ve encountered. I almost enjoyed browsing menus.
Key to my near-enjoyment is a big, round, 1in.-diameter “Cross-Shaped Button” (JVC’s term) that rocks up, down, right, left, with a button in the center. Hmmm … where have we seen this before? (Shhhh … one licensing fee to Apple is enough!) It doubles successfully as both menu entry and playback control, with eye candy thrown in for good measure: A bright LED-lit ring that encircles it and glows bright blue in camera mode, bright green in playback, and yellowish (what the Brits call amber) in USB transfer mode.
Continue the discussion on Crosstalk the Millimeter Forum.