JVC GZ-HD500

High-definition quality is something that a lot of people are embracing these days because they finally have the equipment that makes them realize just how much better HD quality is compared to SD. The recent surge of high-definition movies also show that the technology is going to revolve around consumers for a long while.

Now HD camcorders give them the opportunity to create high-definition content as well. While many people are enjoying the positive aspects of HD video, others refuse to make the leap because HD quality videos simply consume too much space. It is true that longer videos can be recorded using SD quality in widescreen format so they still look good in HDTVs. Choosing a camcorder like the JVC GZ-HD500 fixes these issues because it has a lot more storage space than average cameras that use removable storage or flash memory.

JVC Everio GZ-HD500 Camcorder

Design & Interface

JVC successfully places a high capacity storage in such a compact and lightweight design. However, this isn’t really anything groundbreaking since there are some smaller devices like MP3 players that have high capacities as well. What makes the JVC GZ-HD500 unique in a design perspective is the way that it is held. The grip belt serves as a nice way to use the camcorder comfortably while recording. Once the camcorder is no longer in use, the grip belt can detach converting it to a wrist strap that ordinary digital cameras feature.

One of the newer features present in competing camcorders are the touchscreen technologies applied to their small displays. While this is a major step forward in interacting with the interface, JVC takes a different approach by making certain areas of the display as touch-sensitive. JVC calls this “Laser Touch Operation” and it works by letting users use the touch-sensitive controls based on the current interface state. Labels are displayed onscreen to notify users what this particular button does. One clear advantage of this technology is that people can enjoy the good features of a touchscreen interface without worrying about smudging the LCD display.

Main Features

The JVC GZ-HD500 is a Full HD package so it can run hours of 1080p until either the battery runs out or hard disk runs of space. The latter isn’t that much of an issue because the HD500 features an 80 GB internal disk. This means recording in the best possible format with all the bells and whistles still lasts for nearly a day and a half.

Like other recent JVC HD camcorders, the JVC GZ-HD500 uses the Konica Minolta HD lens giving it the ability to optically zoom 20x or digitally zoom up to 200x. The HD Gigabrid Premium II Engine processes the image data from the 1.37 megapixel CMOS quickly while applying some of the other latest features limited to the HD500 model.

The HD500 features the “Advanced Image Stabilizer” which smoothens the shooting on high zoom levels even while walking. The system makes use of a wide-angle image area that is around four times larger than ordinary camcorders.

Another major addition is the “Super Lolux” technology which fills its low-light sensitivity weakness that previous models had. Now the JVC GZ-HD500 can capture images clearly in low-light environments preserving natural colors.

Other Features

Some new recording modes are added to expand creative possibilities like the “Auto REC” mode where the camcorder is on standby waiting for any activity to take place in a set region (such as the very center of the line of sight). Once there is some detected activity or change in luminance, recording begins for an indefinite period so long as there is activity in the area. The recording stops 5 seconds after the scene is idle.

The other unique shooting mode is the “Time Lapse REC” mode which captures frames at user-defined intervals so longer recording sessions can be played back in a fraction of the time to see key changes. Both features can be creatively used while the camera is stationary as they are both meant to detect changes in a scene.

Bottom Line

These two new features plus all of other nice extras that make JVC camcorders great wrap up the rest of the device. This means that you get the same ease of transferring videos to portable devices like iPods and same functionality that makes YouTube uploading easy. The JVC GZ-HD500 is one of the finest 80 GB cameras that cost under $500.

Average User Rating:
More user reviews:
• “I love the JVC camera, It is compact (it cannot get any smaller). It easy to handle and carry around. I use the camera now more for both pictures and Video.” – A.Janszen (USA)

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• “I am a leisure video user and recently started looking for an HD camera. Most of my videos are of my kids sporting events and vacations. So, I was looking for a video camera that is relatively in-expensive, offered decent zoom capabilities with HD quality. I researched several cameras and spoke to many people about the various camera options. I settled on this one. I have only had it a couple of weeks, but am very happy with it.

Pros: It is compact and light weight, great clarity and detail, I like the 80 GB hard drive (which is needed for HD video), works well with my video editing software on my PC, good playback on my TV, nice color quality, good sound, works good indoors and at night at the games, the on screen navigation is simple and straight forward.

Cons: The zoom button position is a little quirky with the hard drive, it doesn’t have a remote.

Overall I am very happy with it and would recommend it to anyone looking for a good HD camera at a decent price.” – Sports Dad (USA)

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