JVC GZ-HM400

Motion (9.20)

The JVC GZ-HM400 did very well in our motion test—just as it did in all of our bright light testing. The camcorder captures Full HD video using a 60i frame rate, and it can output this signal to a television as 1080/60p. The HM400 doesn’t have any alternate frame rates that record Full HD video, but it does have three high-speed shooting options for creating low-quality slow motion clips. Click here for example videos of these slow motion modes. More on how we test motion.

Just like the JVC GZ-X900 before it, the GZ-HM400 rendered exceptionally smooth motion, captured an impressive amount of detail, and did it all with very little artifacting.

There was no noticeable difference between the GZ-X900 and the GZ-HM400 as far as motion is concerned. The camcorders have very similar specs under the hood, and their only big difference (other than body design and controls) is in their lenses. The GZ-X900 offers the same high-speed shooting options as the HM400, and it also records HD video using a 60i frame rate.

The motion captured by the Panasonic HDC-TM300 didn’t impress us as much as the two JVC camcorders, but it was still a top-notch performer. Its image had slightly more artifacting and the motion wasn’t quite as smooth, but these are just minor complaints. The TM300 does have a 24p recording mode in addition to its 60i frame rate.

The Canon HF S11 was another impressive camcorder in our motion test. Not only does it capture smooth, detailed motion, but it also offers two alternate frame rates for recording HD video—24p and 30p. Now, these frame rates aren’t natively progressive, which is something most casual videographers couldn’t care less about. Serious camcorder users may want to know, however, that the 24p and 30p modes are recorded at 60i and then a 2:3 pulldown process is put in place to remove the unwanted frames (hence creating the look of 24 or 30 frames per second). Panasonic uses this same system for its 24p mode on the HDC-TM300. Canon does offer a native 24p mode on the tape-based HV40.

Keep in mind that the videos shown on this page have been heavily compressed in the YouTube upload process. Click on the HD links for higher-quality videos.