JVC Everio GZ-HD40 Camcorder Reviewby David KenderPublished on Jul 10, 2008 1:00 PM
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Picture & Manual ControlAutomatic Control (5.0)
To put the JVC GZ-HD30 or GZ-HD40 in Auto mode, push the Auto/Manual button located in the LCD cavity. The Auto mode is not a idiot-proof as it is in Canon or Sony camcorders. Apparently, JVC trusts you more, so it's up to you to show whether you've earned that trust. You'll still have access to several settings, though the core image controls - white balance, focus, exposure, etc. - are still inaccessible, so you can't screw it up too bad.
When in Auto mode, the GZ-HD40 showed mixed results. The exposure, white balance, and focus all showed small hiccups that might be ignorable to the casual user, but could frustrate experienced or serious videographers. First, the auto exposure showed a tendency at times to adjust in very obvious stages. Moving from extreme light to shadow, the picture would brighten a little, pause, then brighten again. What you want to see here is a smooth transition. In slower panning movements, it was less of a problem.
The auto focus showed occasional difficulty in shifting focal planes. When we panned back and forth between an object 15 feet away and an object 1 foot away, the auto focus could take between 2-3 seconds before it properly adjusted to the closer object. Other times, the auto focus was fine. The only consistent problem - this is almost endemic amongst all consumer camcorders - is an auto focus "bounce" in low light, in which the focus is constantly adjusting.
The auto white balance was the most disappointing of the three. As long as there was a clearly dominant color temperature in the shot, the GZ-HD40 could do its job. But in a shot with both direct sunlight and shade, the GZ-HD40 tended to produce flat colors, as if it couldn't decide which was correct color temperature.
Overall, the GZ-HD40 will produce acceptable results when shooting in auto mode, but you'll probably want to familiarize yourself with the manual controls.
There are a handful of features on this camcorder that we call one-touch controls, things that allow shooters to have some input into image control without requiring any special camera knowledge. You turn it on, you turn it off, and the effect is simple and immediate. Backlight Compensation boosts exposure to bring out detail in subjects that are too strongly backlit. The Spot Exposure Control creates a small target in the center of the screen that becomes the area of metering (normally the entire screen is evaluated and metered accordingly). This target can be moved a spot to the left or to the right.
The Scene Modes virtual dial
You'll find the usual gang of Scene modes. Push right on the joystick and a virtual scroll wheel appears along the left side of the screen. Options include: Night, Twilight, Spotlight, Snow, Sports, and Portrait. This is not a huge list of options, but it should cover the basic tricky shooting environments.
Overall Manual Control (6.25)
The JVC GZ-HD6 is absolutely loaded with manual controls. At least in this regard, the HD6 is at the very top of the list for camcorders that serious videographers should consider. Other models in this short list include the Sony HDR-SR11 and HDR-SR12 and upcoming Panasonic HDC-HS100 and HDC-SD100.
The key controls are all well-located on the outer edge of the LCD panel. Joysticks continue to remain our favorite control interface, better than d-pads or touch screens. The menu is laid out in a thoughtfully, though you'll certainly want to familiarize yourself with all the controls (there are many) before an important shoot. While not as simple as Panasonic's menu, it's easier to navigate than Sony's. The administrative menu is accessed from within the manual control menu, so there's less clutter. The only tricky part is that when you're not engaged in any menu, when you push the joystick in any direction, it activates a manual setting. Any accidental bump and you could be in for some confusion.
Once again, JVC offers the best manual focus control in the business. We would have preferred a dial or ring control to the joystick, but the Focus Assist feature - which adds artificial color to areas that are in focus - is excellent. Other settings include Brightness (exposure), focus, shutter speed, aperture, white balance, sharpness, and all the one-touch controls described in the section above.
Zoom (6.0)
JVC GZ-HD40 zoom toggle
The zoom is one of the weaker features on the JVC GZ-HD40. The toggle, located on the top near the rear, is well located, but it's just too small be very effective. The camcorder can provide a very slow crawl, but you have to use an extremely soft touch. You shouldn't have to work that hard to get a camcorder in its slowest zoom.
When zooming, the LCD displays both the exact zoom power in numerals and a scale to give you a sense of where in the zoom range you are. Most other camcorders only give you the range, which makes it hard to duplicate a shot.
Zoom Power Ratio (10.0)
The JVC GZ-HD40 features a 10x optical zoom, which is standard for a high-end consumer camcorder. It's partly based on the fact that camcorders with larger sensors (like this 1/3-inch CMOS) require smaller zooms if they're to retain their handheld size. Hence, you tend to see smaller, cheaper camcorder with larger zooms because they have smaller sensors.
There is of course, the option for digital zooming on the GZ-HD40 as well. It can be activated or deactivated easily in the menu. You can cap the digital zoom at 40x or 200x.
Focus (5.0)
As mentioned earlier, JVC's manual focus is probably the best around. What makes it so good is not the interface itself. On the contrary, we don't like the joystick nearly as much as the dial on the Sony HDR-SR11 and HDR-SR12, which makes for smoother action. No, what makes JVC so good is the Focus Assist. When activated, it converts the entire image to black and white, then draws a bright artificial color on the areas of the shot that are in focus. You can choose the color, too - red, blue, or green. This system works really well for getting tricky shots that look like a professional rack focus. Of course, none of that is scene in your recorded footage. All the effects take place on the LCD.
The Focus Assist in green
JVC could have done a better job centralizing the focus features, however. Activating manual focus is done by pushing down on the joystick. But that's for unassisted focus. If you want Focus Assist, you have to hit a button in the LCD cavity. And if you want to change the colors of the Focus Assist, that's in a different location entirely.
Exposure & Aperture (7.08)
The JVC GZ-HD40 offers both an easy to decipher "Brightness" control for beginners, or an Aperture Priority mode for advanced shooters. Both are located in the Manual Setting submenu. When the Brightness control is activated, the Brightness value appears in the upper left corner of the screen. Use the joystick to adjust the value, which ranges from +6 to -6.
The Brightness control in action
When using the Aperture Priority, you choose the aperture and the camcorder automatically adjust the exposure by shifting shutter speed. This is great if you want to open up the aperture for some depth of focus control but don't want to worry about anything else. Aperture values include: f/1.8, f/2.0, f/2.2, f/2.5, f/2.8, f/3.2, f/3.5, and f/4.0. This is an unusual range, with a lot of fine control in the wider end of the range, but almost no control when it comes to really closing down the iris. The last generation HD Everios, like the GZ-HD5 and GZ-HD6, went down to f/8.0. The better bet for great aperture control is a Panasonic camcorder, any of which have a huge range from wide open to f/16.
Shutter Speed (6.45)
For some reason, the menu on the camcorder calls the aperture setting "Aperture Priority," but calls the shutter control "Shutter Speed." The wording would suggest that this means you could lock in the aperture, then make a shutter setting. This is not true. If you lock in an aperture setting, then activate the shutter speed control, your aperture setting will disappear. It's a little annoying and confusing, but you'll only have to learn it once.
The shutter control is a shutter priority mode, meaning that you can dictate the shutter speed and the camcorder will automatically adjust the aperture to compensate for exposure. The settings include: 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/15, 1/30, 1/60, 1/80, 1/100, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000, 1/2000, and 1/4000.
White Balance (5.5)
The white balance options are pretty simple on the GZ-HD40. Options include Manual (MWB), Fine, Cloud, and Halogen. To make a manual adjustment, point the camcorder at a white or neutral grey target, scroll up to the MWB setting, then push in and hold on the joystick. The icon will blink for a few seconds, and when it stops, your colors should be balanced. It's simple to describe, but it actually feels confusing to do if you've never worked with a JVC before.
The white balance options
Gain (2.0)
Panasonic is the only manufacturer of consumer camcorders that offers control over the gain value. However, JVC is the only other manufacturer that allows you to turn the automatic gain on and off. So if you think the picture looks too grainy in low light, you can turn off the auto gain. We wouldn't recommend it, because it will probably lower the sensitivity too much, but the option is open.
There are actually three options here. The "Off" setting, as the name suggests, turns the auto gain off. The second setting, "AGC," turns the auto gain on. The third setting, "Auto,"is described as using "slow shutter." This appears to mean that the auto shutter is allowed to drop as low as 1/30th, rather than its standard 1/60th.
Other Manual Controls (4.0)
Tele Macro - The Tele Macro on the JVC GZ-HD40 seems to work better than on other camcorders. It should be activated when you're trying to keep a tight focus on something from a distance. If you zoom in on a small object the camcorder has a hard time focusing, turn on the Tele Macro. It should help.
Zebra - The Zebra patterns are a good idea to turn on if you're serious about making good video. When activated, the camcorder creates a black and white "zebra stripes" on areas of the shot that are blowing out. You can set the sensitivity to 70 IRE or 100 IRE.
Sharpness - The sharpness can be adjusted in the menu from -5 to +5. What those increments mean is up for debate, but the effect is clear enough. Lowering it a little will win you the thanks of your subjects who want a little "soft focus," but too low and it really will look out of focus. Push it too high and you'll bring out the noise. Err on the side of caution here.
x.v.Color - x.v.Color is Sony's brand name for the xvYCC color standard, which provides a wider gamut for colors when recording high definition. In order to take full advantage of the xvYCC, you'll need an HDTV that supports it for playback, otherwise the extra data is simply discarded. The manual states that you should not record with x.v.Color on if you plan on editing with the in-the-box software.
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