Tuesday, March 17, 2009
After a well received pre-release in January, JVC has officially announced the details of their professional GY-HM100, and GY-HM700 camcorders. The big news on both of these models is that they record to low cost SDHC cards (avoiding the expensive proprietary memory card formats of their competitors), and that they’re capable of recording directly into Apple’s Quicktime format for instant editing with Final Cut Pro. The MPEG-2 long GOP compression runs at 35 Mb/s, compared to HDV’s 25Mb/s, it also records audio into a LPCM 16bt, 48K signal.
The GY-HM100 is a handheld model, sporting 3 1/4″ CCDs. As you would expect with JVC’s pro line, there are XLR audio connectors and manual controls galore. This model is designed for professionals who need a low-profile camcorder to get into tight spots or to take into sensitive areas where a large shoulder mount camcorder would not be welcome. It sports a 10x Fujinon lens, and can record in almost every flavor of HD out there. (1080i, 1080p: 24, 25, 30, 720p: 24, 25, 30, 50, 60. It will be available in April for about $3,9995.
The GY-HM700 is a shoulder mount model, similar in size and form to JVC’s well respected HD100/HD200 series. This camcorder has interchangeable lenses, and comes with a stock Canon 14:1 lens. The HM700 records the same base frame rates as the GY-HM100, and is equipped with 3 1/3″ CCDs, HDSDI output, and offers variable frame rate recording. It will be available in March for $7,995.
