JVC GZ-HM200

Still Features (8.45)

Compared to any dedicated still-image camera, the GZ-HM200 doesn’t offer much. The camcorder takes photos at a maximum resolution of 1920 × 1080, which is just over 2 megapixels. This isn’t very impressive, even for a mid-range camcorder. The HM200 also has no built-in flash (as well as no accessory shoe to mount an external flash), no ISO control, and very few photo size options.

The GZ-HM200 does have a self-timer function that can be set to 2 seconds, 10 seconds, or Face Detection. The Face Detection timer automatically snaps a photo when the camcorder registers a new face within the frame. The function works surprisingly well and it is useful when you’re trying to take a large group photo. The HM200 also has a continuous shooting mode that lets you take photos for as long as you hold down the shutter button. JVC doesn’t list any specs about how many shots per second the camcorder will take in this mode, but, in our testing, it seemed like the camcorder took about 4-5 photos per second.

Most of the manual controls that are available in video mode can also be used in photo mode. Scene modes, focus adjustment, exposure control, shutter speed, white balance, digital effects, backlight, photometry area, and tele macro are all functional in photo mode. You can also use the video light in photo mode, although it doesn’t work very well (and isn’t nearly as helpful as a built-in flash would be).

The GZ-HM200’s still color scores weren’t bad, but we expected much better considering the camcorder did so well in our video color testing. The HM200 measured a color error of 4.53 with a saturation level of 115.7% in its still images. These numbers are average for a mid-range camcorder, but the Panasonic HDC-SD20 and the JVC GZ-HM400 both did better on this test.

This isn’t to say the HM200’s still photos didn’t look good. They certainly did, and the colors rendered by the camcorder were very strong and vivid (perhaps a bit over saturated). The camcorder had better color accuracy than the Canon HF20, which captured neon-like blue tones, and the colors looked stronger than the what the Panasonic HDC-SD20 managed.

The GZ-HM200 didn’t do too bad in our still noise testing either, though it had higher noise levels here than in our bright light video test. The camcorder measured 0.82% noise, which is better than the Canon HF20 and JVC GZ-HM400, but worse than the Panasonic HDC-SD20.

With a maximum photo resolution of 1920 × 1080, we didn’t expect the GZ-HM200 to do much with our still sharpness test. The camcorder measured a horizontal sharpness of 898 lw/ph with 14.4% oversharpening, and a vertical sharpness of 720 lw/ph with 4.6% oversharpening. In reality, these numbers aren’t that bad for a camcorder that offers such a low maximum photo resolution. These are better numbers than the Panasonic HDC-SD20 was capable of and that camcorder also tops out with 1920 × 1080 stills. Of course, this is nothing compared to some of the supreme photo/video hybrid models out there. The JVC GZ-HM400, with its 8-megapixel photo capability, captured much sharper still images (2329 lw/ph horizontal, 1800 lw/ph vertical). You’d also get a much better still performance by simply purchasing a cheap, low-end, digital camera instead of using the GZ-HM200 to snap photos.

Other Features (2.20)

The JVC GZ-HM200One Touch Upload, Export, Direct Disc

The GZ-HM200 has JVC’s standard ‘one-touch’ features inside the LCD cavity. The features aren’t a simple as JVC makes them out to be—you must install JVC’s provided editing software before you can use them, and the ‘one-touch’ buttons must be activated before you start recording. Read more about these features in our Editing section.

Video Light

The GZ-HM200 is equipped with a tiny video light, but it doesn’t provide much illumination in a dark room. The light has a range of about a foot and a half, which means you have to stand right in front of your subject to get any benefit from the video light.

Digital Effects

A collection of digital effects are available on the GZ-HM200: Sepia, Monotone (black & white), Classic Film, and Strobe. The Classic Film setting mimics old-style film with a slow shutter effect. Strobe uses an even slower shutter, but it doesn’t produce the motion trails usually associated with a slow shutter.

Register Event

You can assign event titles to your footage on the GZ-HM200 to make organization of clips easier. The camcorder has 30 different event titles that can be assigned (three versions of 10 different titles like Vacation, Baby, Son, Daughter, Graduation, etc.). This feature is can be good for organizational purposes, but it’s mostly useless.