minman72 wrote:The JVC Everio is garbage. I bought it last time and returned it since the batteries did not hold a charge. It is also NOT HD. It's upconverted and not great quality. Pass on this one.

It's true HD because 720i/720p qualify as HD. In fact, ABC and FOX in New York City -- major flagship stations -- broadcast in 720p, while NBC and CBS use 1080i.

No mic input?

cayqel wrote:No mic input?

It's VERY basic. The audio isn't even stereo. And you can't take still photos.

sdc100 wrote:It's true HD because 720i/720p qualify as HD. In fact, ABC and FOX in New York City -- major flagship stations -- broadcast in 720p, while NBC and CBS use 1080i.

720P is HD, I don't think anybody broadcasts in 720i. It's not just NY. The whole Disney family (ABC, ESPN(s), Disney Channel, etc.) and FOX network (Fox, FSC, etc.) broadcast in 720P across the board. Pretty much everybody else is 1080i.

But back to your point, if the camera does 720P (or 1080i) they can correctly call it "HD".

gtmaster303 wrote:obselete, as far as i'm concerned.
your current smartphone will have you covered for video recording needs most of the time.
in the coming years it will replace the camcorder and camera all together i think. At that point, this becomes nothing more than a relic.
who wants to fumble around with a video camcorder anymore?

High quality 35mm cameras are obviously obsolete as well by your standards.

Smartphones work great for every day use and posting something quick to the web, they're not a replacement for something that can zoom and typically has far better stabilization. While I've seen some decent video & photo, I still haven't seen as good of video as something like this or photo quality of a Cannon 40D or even a Rebel with stock lens.

I certainly don't carry either around with me 24x7 as I do my Android but if I'm doing something specific such as the zoo, I'm not going to rely on a smart phone.

How does this perform at night, you know for shooting "documentaries"?

If you plan on using this camcorder with any kind of software that is already installed on your computer (both PC and MAC) then good luck. I own one of them, and video editing is a chore. For some reason, the video files are a compressed JVC format, and can only be edited with the software that comes with the cam. We have both a PC and MAC in the house, and we wanted to use the MAC to make a family DVD, and it was an epic failure! Do yourself a favor and look into a camera that records in a standard video file format.

sdc100 wrote:ANOTHER NEGATIVE:

The sound is monaural, not stereo. That's pretty shocking since many digital still cameras and palmcorders (i.e. Flip), in this price range record stereo sound.

About the only advantage this Everio has over a good digital still camera is the high optical zoom and time lapse video. But its surprising omissions make it a poor choice for the price.

I would not put much value in stereo sound. In my experience there's not enough separation between channels (microphones) to get any benefit. In fact if there is ambient noise like wind the stereo sound can be worse.

Looks like there is no mac support. Uses a proprietary file format. Really poor battery life. But the price is good.

My daughter had to do a school video project with a friend who used one of these cameras. The result me doing 3 hours worth of editing because the camera could not pause. They had 47 clips that had to be arranged. Not a good solution unless you enjoy video editing.

The time lapse is the feature that got my attention. Is that a common feature these days?

Save your money! Ever wonder why so many of these come up as "refurbished"? Because they are being returned. I bought one of these refirb Everio units (GZ-HM320BUS). There were artifacts visible in every indoor shot. Not the kind from low light - these moved with the shot, like looking through a screen door.

Then Woot will tell you to keep it and send it to JVC "maybe they will send you a brand new one". No good: paid to send it back TWICE talked to tech and supervisor, they wouldn't do anything since it was taking pictures. The "quality test" is 2 guys sitting in a brightly lit warehouse trying the camera (I have pictures of them). I still have the same nearly useless unit. You'd do better to buy a point-n-shoot with movie mode.

DON'T EVER EVER BUY A REFURBISHED PRODUCT FROM JVC.

posmr15 wrote:the battery life on these is ridiculously short. i own one and do not recommend it. fully charged battery may last you 15-20 minutes. not worth it

You've got a bad battery.

The price to value ratio still seems to favor point and shoot cameras by a large margin when it comes to video recording, not these purpose built camcorders that try to wow you with zomg!ultrazoom kinda 1080p but not really HD.

Samsung, for example, has an excellent line of p&s cameras that do more for nearly the same price.

gtmaster303 wrote:obselete,

Says who?

gtmaster303 wrote:
as far as i'm concerned.
your current smartphone will have you covered for video recording needs most of the time.

"Most of the time" = 1%. If smart phones were so "most of the time", more parents would be using them at little johnnys concert. So, your wrong.

gtmaster303 wrote:
in the coming years it will replace the camcorder and camera all together i think. At that point, this becomes nothing more than a relic.

Dream on. You talk like you work from Frys or something trying to tell booooos that these phones will someday do your wash, walk your dog and replace your computer.

gtmaster303 wrote:
who wants to fumble around with a video camcorder anymore?

Geez man, you are really full of it. Catching some guy beating the crap out of his ole lady on your "smart phone" and posting it on your youtube page but iPhones, Androids and BB's will NEVER.. Read NEVER replace a HD "camcorder". They can't even make HD "sports cam's" that take decent pictures. People thought cell phones would replace digital cameras and we see how well that worked out. So, do everyone a favor and let the vidophiles buy what they want and stop hawking your hype about smart phones.

"If smart phones are so smart, why to they let dump people buy them?"

Had a $550 JVC camcorder for 13 months and it took a total crap, It had maybe 20 hours of use on it,In the next few months a friends JVC car stereo the auto rev. died, My wifes JVC walkman died and a fiends JVC boombox subwoofer died.
Least to say none of us deal with JVC anymore!!

I have one and its great. Excellent video and sound.

How long does it take to get one of these shipped ? I need the camcorder by end of the week ? Would that be possible ?

gtmaster303 wrote:obselete, as far as i'm concerned.
your current smartphone will have you covered for video recording needs most of the time.
in the coming years it will replace the camcorder and camera all together i think. At that point, this becomes nothing more than a relic.
who wants to fumble around with a video camcorder anymore?

40X Optical Zoom. Does your droid do that?

I must have missed the part that shows what format this records in. Any ideas? I'd like something that will be easily viewed on a standard DVD-player once burned to disc.

Passenger57 wrote:How does this perform at night, you know for shooting "documentaries"?

For the price, it should do a decent job, regardless of how decent your "documentary" is.

See "Low Light Performance" in this review:
http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/JVC-Everio-GZ-HD40-Camcorder-Review-35331/Performance.htm

boardingbum wrote:It has good quality film...

It has good quality whatnow?

Gezzusss!! Camera, Camera, camera, laptop, laptop, laptop, camera, camera, desktop, desktop.. Can't you guys find something new for a change?
What happened to the neat, kewl, variety of things you used to offer? Gadgets, toys, thinga-a-ma-bobs....
Get clever for Crist's sake@@@@@!@!!!!!!!
Must be time for a new crew at WOOT!!!!!

rbuckwalter wrote:
The time lapse is the feature that got my attention. Is that a common feature these days?

It is becoming more standard. I recently got a JVC PICSIO and it has timelapse, however not at all the intervals they list for this camera.

What I'm looking forward to are more cameras offering high speed recording, like the Casios do.

tc1uscg wrote:Geez man, you are really full of it. Catching some guy beating the crap out of his ole lady on your "smart phone" and posting it on your youtube page but iPhones, Androids and BB's will NEVER.. Read NEVER replace a HD "camcorder". They can't even make HD "sports cam's" that take decent pictures. People thought cell phones would replace digital cameras and we see how well that worked out. So, do everyone a favor and let the vidophiles buy what they want and stop hawking your hype about smart phones.

"If smart phones are so smart, why to they let dump people buy them?"

:::

Wow, okay so... where to begin.. I am not sure where you have been in the past few years but I assure you that camcorders WILL most certainly and without a doubt be a relic of the past very very soon, some would say they already are depending on who you talk to. Camcorders, like the JVC Everio serve no purpose. In order to get any sort of quality you will need to spend around 350-400$ (maybe cheaper if used or refurb)
DSLR's already have continuous autofocus and in about a year the cheapest models will be equipt with them. This camera has no arguable quality, low light performance, or anything that is of any more worth than an image a smartphone will be able to take in a year or two, the zoom feature aside. So, Yes camcorders will be a relic as dslrs with far better quality, interchangeable lenses, better low light performance, (sound inputs) etc. are reaching the price range of a cheap ($400 - at this point you begin to get something more than p&s video capabilities) camcorder. Mind you P&S cameras are almost just as worthless as well only they can zoom .. (wait why do camcorders like this exist) Anyways, so to kick the camcorder to the curb, we've got cheap DSLR's, P&S cameras which also take pictures *lolsortof, and then smartphones which also take lolpictures and lolvideo but the picture quality is only marginally Monster A-Go Go (1965) than the Monster A-Go Go (1965) you are used to with a camcorder like the Everio so why bother with a separate bulky piece of crap instead of using your phone which can upload instantly, fit in your pocket, charge when you charge your phone, and basically do as much as you could expect a camcorder to do. Cell phone camera technology is improving all the time, this cheap 100$ camcorder technology is getting worse all the time. Also, touching upon where you say "never will a HD camcorder be a relic".. no, Professional HD camcorders will not. This piece of recycled plastic most certainly will be. And very very soon.

jacvinson wrote:Gezzusss!! Camera, Camera, camera, laptop, laptop, laptop, camera, camera, desktop, desktop.. Can't you guys find something new for a change?
What happened to the neat, kewl, variety of things you used to offer? Gadgets, toys, thinga-a-ma-bobs....
Get clever for Crist's sake@@@@@!@!!!!!!!
Must be time for a new crew at WOOT!!!!!

Yeah, I'm with jacvinson, how about a set of Anger Management DVD's every now and then, Geez woot, take a note....lol

I have the HM20, the precedessor (I think its the HM20...), the SD card only version, so specs don't match exactly. YMMV. I like it.

The problem with Everios is they have THREE sizes of batteries, and they only give you the smallest one out of the box. There's also no after-market batteries for it (yet) that I can find, and the AC adapter is almost impossible to find should you ever lose it (took me a month to find one, even online, and it's one of those "multi-tip" things)

With that said, I like my Everio a lot. Response is snappy, plenty of options like Wind noise reduction and Electronic Image Stablization. I've NEVER used the Youtube upload thingie, as all my computers have SD card slots. And even the small battery have no problem for an hour between videos and photos.

sdc100 wrote:It's VERY basic. The audio isn't even stereo. And you can't take still photos.

Wait just one minute, you mean to tell me this VIDEO camera can't take PICTURES???? No no no no no, something is not right, I mean, why wouldn't a VIDEO camera take PICTURES? What is going on in this world today???

zikzak wrote:At least two reasons. Most non-video cameras, especially DSLRS, cannot continuously autofocus during video. On a cheap camera or on a phone, you just forget about the image being sharp and live with it. Or on a DSLR you learn the arcane art of manual focus pulling, which in a lot of cases is not practical.

Another is recording time. Most quality non-video cameras, especially DSLRs, won't let you record very long before the card must be changed. This is a big problem for concerts, plays, interviews, and other long form recordings where you can't plan on an optimal dead time for a card change. A camcorder like this one has long continuous recording options.

If you fall into those two groups you still want a camcorder.

Also, don't forget that phone cameras have very small lenses with tiny aps and little sensors. This will make them awful in low-light situations where the sensor will begin to over heat and introduce artifacts and that's assuming that you can capture much of an image at all. Maybe someday phones will make decent cameras, but that day is not today. It will be difficult, too, for the foreseeable future because of the necessary restrictions on the lens size (unless all you want are flat, uninteresting photos taken with LED lighting).

miklacic wrote:40X Optical Zoom. Does your droid do that?

I'll bet his droid takes still pictures tho :p

i'm in for one. I lost my old JVC camera, and it was old so no matter how crappy this one may be...it will def be a step up for me

rbuckwalter wrote:I would not put much value in stereo sound. In my experience there's not enough separation between channels (microphones) to get any benefit. In fact if there is ambient noise like wind the stereo sound can be worse.

It depends on the model. I have a Samsung that looks pretty much like this and the stereo separation is very good, and definitely adds "presence" and realism. Even the stereo mikes on my Samsung digital still camera do a good job. If the mikes are directional, it's simply a matter of mounting them at an angle to increase separation. Some camcorders have a digital wind filter and/or the ability to choose between stereo and monaural. Since the goal of any video capture device is realism, I think stereo is a definite asset.

Oh, my neighbor has one of these. He seems to like it. I've also used one. It works really well as long as you figure out the sound problem that seems to plague camcorders.

You really can't ask for a better product at the price.

ozzallos wrote:I'll bet his droid takes still pictures tho :p

Do yourself a favor. Use almost any basic video editing program and you'll have tons of photos per recording.

Please cancel my order: on 10/31/2011, you successfully wooted.
order [removed]


JVC Everio HD Camcorder with 40x Optical Zoom
You ordered 1 JVC GZ-HM30 Everio Flash Camcorder, Konica Minolta HD 40x Optical Lens, HDMI, SDXC, 2.7” LCD. Black
which each cost $119.99
for a subtotal of $119.99
plus tax + $10.75
plus shipping + $5.00
for a total of $135.74

I got a nice RED one the last time Woot had these. It's a good beginner camera.

Batteries through JVC are VERY expensive. I got one through Amazon and saved about $30. There are different sizes of the batteries which corresponds to recording time. The BN-VG121 is nearly $90 through JVC and only $59.95 at Amazon with free shipping. Not cheap, but still better than JVC direct. It will get you up to 140 hours of recording time.

I also got a charger that comes from Amazon for much less (I think it was about $13) while JVC's was nearly $100. With this you get a European adapter and a car charger. It will charge the VG121 battery as well as the battery that comes with the cam even though it is not listed on the charger package. I noticed no problems at all.

One word of caution: Data Battery is the name on the battery. DO NOT get one that has an extra small cord with it. It will NOT fit in the camcorder as it is SQUARE. The camcorder charging hole is ROUND.

rbuckwalter wrote:My daughter had to do a school video project with a friend who used one of these cameras. The result me doing 3 hours worth of editing because the camera could not pause. They had 47 clips that had to be arranged. Not a good solution unless you enjoy video editing.

The time lapse is the feature that got my attention. Is that a common feature these days?

Thank you for verifying my warnings against these camcorders that can't pause during recording. In fact, it's one of the points I always bring up, and I've even been bashed for it, with some claiming that it's a non-issue. I record patient exams for instant presentations and it's a big issue. The fact that this JVC uses a non-standard format makes it all the worse. Here is my previous rant on the topic.

Sadly, most (90%?) of these digital camcorders, including palm models like the Flip, cannot pause during recording. The most notable exception are Samsung digital STILL cameras. Even their cheap models can pause while recording video. Ironically, I have a $200 camcorder from them that resembles this JVC and it also cannot pause!!! I specifically chose a Samsung since their still cameras can pause, yet their camcorder illogically lack this ability.

I've seen time lapse on many of these camcorders, including my Samsung so I assume it's standard. And that's why it's weird that this JVC can't take still photos. ZTime lapse is merely a bunch of still photos in sequence so why can't it do stills?

Passenger57 wrote:How does this perform at night, you know for shooting "documentaries"?

Probably not great since it uses electronic stabilization. That's means lots of noise in low light. In fact, its website specifies that the stabilization is really for well-lit scenes. And the fact that your "documentary" will likely have a lot of body movement will probably mean lots of skipped frames and jerky motion.

micjersus wrote:Please cancel my order: on 10/31/2011, you successfully wooted.
order 35317267


JVC Everio HD Camcorder with 40x Optical Zoom
You ordered 1 JVC GZ-HM30 Everio Flash Camcorder, Konica Minolta HD 40x Optical Lens, HDMI, SDXC, 2.7” LCD. Black
which each cost $119.99
for a subtotal of $119.99
plus tax + $10.75
plus shipping + $5.00
for a total of $135.74

This is not a good way to do a cancellation since staff may not read these forums ina timely manner. Also, the staff that reads these forums may not be the same as the people who handles orders.

Forward your confirmation email with a request to cancel to:
service@woot.com

bmelnyk0 wrote:Wait just one minute, you mean to tell me this VIDEO camera can't take PICTURES???? No no no no no, something is not right, I mean, why wouldn't a VIDEO camera take PICTURES? What is going on in this world today???

Er, sarcasm aside, try living in the real world. The answer to your question is the same reason digital still cameras can take videos. What are videos but a series of still photos? It's been true since the days of silent movies. You make it seem like being able to take stills is an unusual feature. Wrong. In fact, beside these JVCs and the Flips, all other digital video cameras I've seen take still photos. That includes cheap $30 ebay models from China.

As someone who uses camcorder daily to record patients, I can tell you that stills are often more useful than videos, i.e. as an ad hoc photocopier, or to record non-moving images like dermatological symptoms.