JVC GZ-HD7 Camcorder Reviewby John NeelyPublished on Apr 26, 2007 10:00 AM 
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Audio (7.0)
The HD7 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $1529)’s built-in stereo microphone records MPEG-1 Layer 2 audio, with limited options and monitoring capabilities. While the HV20 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $903) and SD1 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $1119.99) will display audio levels in a single touch, the HD7 is a barren wasteland when it comes to onboard sound capture. There is a wind cut feature that protects against the threats of nature, but aside from that, don’t expect anything too advanced.
Which is a shame, because the HD7 comes with a cold accessory shoe, limiting in-camera mixing and narrowing the scope of possible external microphones. The HV20 and HC7 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $1128.56) both offer a nice array of external shotguns—despite Sony’s proprietary AIS (Active Interface Shoe). There isn’t even a headphone jack, which is a necessity on a $1700 camcorder. Audio on the HD7 echoes the word consumer.
Playback (4.75)
Like most Everios, the HD7’s playback does not require a degree in rocket science to operate. When pressed, the half moon Select Play/Rec button located in the LCD cavity cues a scrolling menu with thumbnails representing video clips. Up to 9 thumbnails can appear on a page at one time. To select a clip, simply press the center of the LCD-mounted joystick and the clip will begin playing. Once a clip has ended, the HD7 will automatically begin playing the next clip in line. The joystick controls the playback functions: left is rewind, right is fast forward, center is play/pause, and up and down scroll to the next or previous clip. The joystick is responsive, so expect quick results while browsing and playing back clips. The major problem with this system is that the playback controls are not labelled or indicated with onscreen icons. Trial and error is the name of the game here.
Scrolling though images is almost identical, except left and right move between clips while up and down flip the image vertically or horizontally. The center button cues a slide show in which each picture transitions into the next via a horizontal wipe effect. Gnarly.
Deleting clips is not so simple. Always a risky proposition, a camcorder should make this process as straightforward as possible. Instead, there is a lot of back and forth between the clip and a full-screen menu. It asks you if you want to delete, but since you can no longer see the clip, the fear takes hold. "Does it mean just the one clip, or everything?!" There are actually a few safeties in place to make sure you don't delete the wrong clip, but the whole process could have been improved.
Connectivity (6.0)
On a $1700 camcorder, you’d expect certain features to come standard, like a headphone jack and a hot shoe. The HD7 has neither. It has a cold accessory shoe, which will limit camcorder add-ons. While the Canon HV20, Sony HDR-HC7 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $1128.56), and Panasonic HDC-SD1 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $1119.99) all have headphone jacks, the HD7 remains jackless. JVC must really be pushing the consumer envelope here, but then again the HD7 brings you a manual focus ring, focus assist button, and manual aperture priority and shutter speed buttons with a value adjustment lever. Baffling. Oh, and the 90’s called, HD7—they want their S-Video port back.
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The ports are many. Clockwise starting upper left: S-video and component in the LCD cavity. Mic input and AV out on the right side. DV/HDV, HDMI, USB 2.0, and DC power on the left side below the LCD. |
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Your only other options here are slightly limited. iLINK (DV/HDV), HDMI, and USB terminals are located at the back of the camcorder and are protected by a burly port enclosure. The DC input lives right next door, and is also securely covered. The component port sits in the LCD cavity, and mic and AV jacks are located on the right side of the camcorder. The port cover housing the mic and AV jacks is flimsy and can rip off with ease, so tread lightly. The only other input on the HD7 is the SDHC card slot located at the front of the camcorder, housed by a sliding door.