JVC Everio GZ-HD40 Camcorder Reviewby David KenderPublished on Jul 10, 2008 1:00 PM
|
Advertisement
|
|||||||||||
Ease of Use (6.5)The GZ-HD40 has come a long way from the mammoth GZ-HD7, which offered advanced controls like external Aperture and Shutter Speed dials and a Focus ring. The two side by side are uncannily different, to the benefit of novice shooters. Fewer external controls mean less to worry about while shooting. However, JVC's menu structure is seemingly random and labyrinthine. Options are often located in unintuitive places. You can, of course, simply throw the GZ-HD40 into Auto mode, but there are certain situations that require manual adjustments. Whatever level you're at, good luck with that menu.
On the bright side, the GZ-HD40 requires no external media to fiddle with since all videos and stills are saved to the massive 120GB HDD. You also have the option of recording AVCHD files (not MPEG-2 TS) to microSD cards.
Handling (6.6)
Handling has not changed much since the GZ-HD6. All in all, the JVC GZ-HD40 is a comfortable camcorder, but it caters more to the weekenders than the serious videographers. Long gone are the focus ring and dedicated shutter and aperture buttons from the series progenitor, the hefty JVC GZ-HD7. Nearly all of the interface is now handled through the joystick, which is located along the left edge of the LCD screen. Comparatively, this is great control. The Canon HF10 and HF100 use an the same type of joystick in the same location.
 |
 |
| JVC GZ-HD40 | Previous generation JVC GZ-HD6 |
Though slightly smaller than the GZ-HD6, the GZ-HD40 is still a hefty little thing in hand. It's a good deal larger than the Canon HF10 and HF100. There are some elements of the GZ-HD40's construction that continue to bother us. First, the hand strap, once again, is low-slung along the right side of the body. No matter how tight you cinch it to your hand, the camcorder still flops over like a dead mackerel when you release your grip. The hand strap itself is needs work. The material is not comfortable and will grate your skin after a while.
If you're an average shooter, you probably use the zoom toggle a lot. Well, we hate to break it to you, but the construction and the placement of the zoom toggle are pretty poor. It's too small, too loose, and positioned too far forward on the body, which means you have to use your middle finger instead of your index finger.
The Sony HDR-SR11 and Sony HDR-SR12 are the camcorders to beat in this category. While they include the same touch screen interface as all Sony models, they are equipped beyond that, thereby escaping the curse of greasy fingerprint smears and huge icons cluttering up the screen. The strength of the Sonys is in the front-mounted Control Dial that allows for seamless shifting of exposure, white balance, and focus. The larger than average 3.2-inch LCD is also a plus, making the touch screen interface less painful. Of course, the HDR-SR11/HDR-SR12 lacks basic manual controls like shutter speed and aperture, which might knock it off the list of a serious shooter.
Overall, the handling will suffice for most users. Beginners will definitely want some practice time with the manual close by. No matter which way you push the joystick, it seems to activate some sort of special feature, which can be a little frustrating.
Menu (6.5)
The menu structure is confusing in its layout and frustrating in its sluggish responsiveness. The Basic menu is located halfway down the main Administrative menu. Manual Controls are at the top and a slew of random options like DIS and Focus Assist are just hanging out in the Administrative menu. Panasonics menus are the opposite--they're simple, clean, and broken into categories for quick navigation.
All action is governed by the LCD-mounted Joystick. The Administrative menu contains the Manual Controls and Basic submenus, along with a gaggle of other free agents.
The Administrative menu contains the following options:
| Administrative Menu |
|
| Manual Setting | Adjust Brightness, Shutter Speed, Aperture Priority, WB, Effect, Tele Macro, Zebra, Sharpness |
| Video Quality | FHD, 1440 CBR (MPEG-2) |
| Zoom | 10x, 40x , 200x |
| DIS | On, Off |
| Gain Up | Off, AGC, Auto |
| x.v. Color | On, Off |
| Register Event | |
| Basic Settings | (See below) |
| Focus Assist | Red, Green, Blue |
| Wind Cut | On, Off |
| Mic Level | On, Off |
| Mic Level Setting | -2, -1, 0, +1, +2 |
| Headphone Vol. Adj. | |
The Basic Settings menu contains the following options:
| Basic Settings Menu |
|
| Stream Format | MPEG-2 TS, AVCHD |
| Language | English, French, German, Spanish, and many, many more... |
| Clock Adjust | |
| Date Display Style | |
| Monitor Brightness | |
| Monitor Backlight | Brighter, Standard, Auto |
| Drop Detection | On, Off |
| Demo Mode | On, Off |
| Display on TV | On, Off |
| Video Output | 4:3, 16:9 |
| Component Output | 480i, 1080i |
| HDMI Output | A1 (1080p if supported by TV), A2 (1080i), 480p |
| Auto Finalize | On, Off |
| Clean-Up HDD | |
| Format HDD | |
| Format SD Card | |
| Delete Data on HDD | |
| Video No. Reset | |
| Image No. Reset | |
| Remote | On, Off |
| Operation Sound | On, Off |
| Factory Preset | |
| Quick Restart | On, Off |
| Rec Media for Image | HDD, SD |
Portability (6.5)
The GZ-HD40 is the latest installment in JVC's shrinking Everio line. When you look at JVC's monstrous debut, the GZ-HD7, it's amazing to see that the GZ-HD40 is about 2/3 its size. The GZ-HD40 measures 73mm x 68mm x 123mm (2-7/8" x 2-11/16" x 4-7/8") and tips the scale at 540g (1.20 lbs.). The GZ-HD40 is slightly smaller than the Sony HDR-SR12, and will fit in a small camera bag with ease. No removable media means you don't have to worry about buying tapes or DVDs. However, if 120GB is not enough, JVC included a microSD card slot -- good luck keeping tabs on a little chip half the size of a postage stamp. The GZ-HD40 is not as solidly constructed as the previous HD Everios. The GZ-HD7 could withstand a hearty beating, but the new wave of Everios have delicate port covers and an accessory shoe cover that's not attached to the body of the camcorder. Portable? Yes. Durable? We don't think so.
The 2.8-inch, 207,000-pixel LCD
LCD and Viewfinder (5.2)
The GZ-HD40 is equipped with a 2.8-inch LCD screen with a 207,000 pixel count. The LCD screen flips out 90 degrees from the body of the camcorder and rotates up to 270 degrees. The GZ-HD40's LCD screen is the only monitor on the camcorder, as JVC decided to axe the viewfinder after the GZ-HD7. The LCD screen has not received any upgrades since the introduction of the HD Everio models. The LCD panel contains the Battery/Index and Function buttons, along with the Joystick for two-handed shooting convenience. The glossy surface of the GZ-HD40's LCD screen has a tendency to reflect, obscuring the clarity of your view--this is where a viewfinder comes into play, but alas, you won't find 
one here. You have the option to brighten or darken the LCD, as well as set the backlight behind the LCD to become brighter or to automatically adjust.
Battery Life (9.7)
We tested the life of the GZ-HD40's BN-VF815U's rechargeable battery pack by recording continuously in Manual mode with the LCD flipped open and the image stabilization disabled until the battery choked. JVC's battery stamina has increased slightly with each new Everio--the GZ-HD3 lasted approximately 91 minutes while the GZ-HD6's battery clocked in at just over 95 minutes. All three camcorders feature the same BN-VF815U battery pack. The GZ-HD40's battery life is 97 minutes and 39 seconds (1 hour, 37 minutes, and 39 seconds. Yet another slight improvement on battery life, but nothing to hold a parade for. Perhaps we expected more from the switch to a CMOS sensor, which is frequently cited as being more power efficient than CCDs.
|
Advertisement
|