JVC Everio GZ-HM340 Camcorder Review
Motion & Sharpness Performance
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| Motion & Sharpness Performance Summary | ||||
 • Motion was decently smooth, but we noticed a significant amount of discoloration and artifacting.• Video sharpness was strong for a camcorder with such a small image sensor—a surprisingly good showing in this test. • The GZ-HM340 has no alternate frame rates (all video is recorded at 1080/60i). |
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Color & Noise Performance | (Page 4 of 17) | Low Light Performance |  |
The JVC GZ-HM340 didn't render motion spectacularly well in our testing. Its problems were too much artifacting, no alternate frame rates for recording video, and an odd discoloration that was noticeable when we shot our rotating greyscale pinwheel. Its motion image was smooth, however, and it didn't have too much trailing. (More on how we test motion.)
| JVC GZ-HM340 | JVC GZ-HM200 | Panasonic HDC-TM10 | Samsung HMX-H106 | |
| Frame Rate(s) | 1080/60i | 1080/60i | 1080/60i, 1080/24p | 1080/60i, 720/60p |
| Artifacting | Slightly more artifacting than the average mid-range HD camcorder. | A bit less artifacting than the GZ-HM340. | Similar amount of artifacting to the GZ-HM40. | Artifacting comparable to that of a high-end camcorder (less than the other camcorders in this table). |
| Smoothness | Smoothness was pretty good, but motion was not as smooth as other JVC models (like the HM200). | Smoothness was very good—a highpoint for the camcorder. | Motion was rendered in a smooth and crisp manner. | Motion video was smooth, much like the other camcorders in this table. |
| Trailing | Trailing wasn't bad, but the focus tended to pop in and out during our motion testing. | Trailing wasn't a problem with the camcorder, but the results weren't fantastic. | Blur was a problem on much of our test footage. | Only a minor amount of trailing and blur was noticeable in our testing—good performance overall. |
| Frequency Interference |
Some discoloration in black and white pinwheel was very noticeable. | No significant problems with frequency interference. | Some blocks of fuzzy interference were noticeable in the RGB pinwheel during our test. | Some wobble and bend in straight lines was noticeable. |
| Slow Motion Mode(s) |
Time Lapse Record | None | None | Time Lapse Record |
The JVC GZ-HM340 also has a time lapse function that can be used to create an interesting motion effect. You can read more about time lapse in the Other Features section of this review. Overall, we felt the JVC GZ-HM200 rendered better motion than the GZ-HM340, but the difference wasn't too huge. The HM200 showed less artifacting, had a slightly smoother image, and didn't have the discoloration problem we mentioned above. The best camcorder of the four listed above—when it came to motion—was the Samsung HMX-H106.
| JVC GZ-HM340 click here for large HD version |
JVC GZ-HM200 click here for large HD version |
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| Panasonic HDC-TM10 click here for large HD version |
Samsung HMX-H106 click here for large HD version |
Strangely, the JVC GZ-HM340 captured a sharper image in our testing than last year's GZ-HM200. This is the case despite the fact that the HM200 has a larger CMOS sensor than the HM340. We're not entirely sure what caused this improved sharpness, but we assume it must have to do with better processing and the HM340's improved lens. (More on how we test video sharpness.)
Even though the GZ-HM340 did well on our sharpness test, we did notice quite a bit of artifacting in the videos we shot with the camcorder. Lines didn't appear as crisp as we would have hoped and fine details often looked fuzzy or blurred.
| Video Sharpness Score Comparison |  |
Compare the JVC GZ-HM340 to the JVC GZ-HM200 |
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Compare the JVC GZ-HM340 to the Panasonic HDC-TM10 |
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Compare the JVC GZ-HM340 to the Samsung HMX-H106 |
