Performance
Another major difference between the HD7 and
HD3 is that the HD7 had, albeit ineffectual, optical image
stabilisation, while the HD3 relies on digital image stabilisation.
Normally this might be seen as a drawback, but given the HD7's
problematic stabilisation, you might actually get better results from
the HD3's stabilisation, which was effective to about 60 per cent of
the camcorder's 10x optical zoom range.
We wouldn't call the HD3's autofocus exceedingly fast, but it wasn't slow either. As was the case with its more-advanced cousin, the wind filter did a great job of neutralising the auditory effect of breezes when filming. We didn't run into the same battery problems as with the HD7, but if you're planning on shooting for extended periods of time, it always makes sense to buy an extra battery with a camcorder.
Image quality
In our tests, the HD3's 1440 CBR video looked extremely similar to
the HD7's, which is to say that it looks good. It has the same
interlace artefacts, horizontal jitter and stutter and blown-out
highlights as the HD7, but colours look fairly accurate and well
saturated.
Conclusion
When
the company introduced the Everio GZ-HD3, JVC suggested a price much
less than the GZ-HD7, which doesn't make up for the loss of the focus
ring or the other button-based manual controls. However, the HD7's
price has dropped precipitously since its introduction, no doubt
because of its image-stabilisation troubles.
Since it's hard to
recommend a camcorder with stabilisation issues, we find it difficult
to suggest the HD7 over the HD3. Ultimately, for image quality, you're
probably better off opting for a tape-based HDV camcorder, such as
Canon's
Additional editing by Shannon Doubleday
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User reviews2
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dave r 16 May 2008
Good: Handy paperweight
Bad: It doesn't work!
Comment: The worst thing I have ever bought in my life.
It turns itself off automatically with an error message "video management file is broken" if used anywhere with loud music. because of its hard drive.
completely useless considering i bought it to film bands
Gonzo 14 February 2008
Good: Colour Night mode is like switching on a light switch when selected
Bad: The mic on top of the camera, I found wind noise very noticable even with wind cut on
Comment: I bought this in the sales for £580, and for this money I think it's great value. The image quality compared to my old Everio MG20 is stunning and even in poor light it's not grainy. One improvement would have been to make the night mode shutter speed variable on the mimi joystick. I'm really impressed with the 60gb storage capacity and the SLR feature when taking stills allows you to shoot multiple snaps or a group of 3 snaps with 1 press on the button. The controls are easier to use than my old camcorder and the file management sytem is a useful feature. I have read that the everio file system can be difficult to edit. I use Ulead video studio11 on vista 64bit and it works like a dream. Can't wait to use my new toy at my nephews wedding next week.
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