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Should i buy Jvc gy-hm100u??

Hi,
From all that I've heard and read , the jvc gy hm100u seems like a great camera and I'm seriously pondering buying one, the only thing holding me back however is that this camera was released almost 2 years ago ..now Is 2 years a long time in camcorder world? Will I be buying something outdated?
Cheers ken
 
I will definitely check out your movie.. I intend to shoot a documentary.. So Lots of external on the move interviews .. So for now it's a toss up between this and the Sony hdr ax2000e..
 
Please tell me you're planning to buy used, and are getting an awesome deal. Because the camera mentioned is far superior to either of the cameras you're considering, and it's only $2K.
 
Cracker, I disagree that the camera you mentioned is far superior. It will probably give better depth of field, but it lacks many of the professional features of the other two cameras mentioned. It has no XLR inputs. It doesn't have peaking or zebras. It's just a consumer grade camera with interchangeable lenses.

For documentary use, I can vouch for the GY-HM100u. I recently worked on a documentary with that very camera. The footage turned out great.
 
Word. However, an XLR adapter can be purchased for a couple-hundred bucks. And, it's full HD.

Whatever. I'm not a camera expert. I just know that 2-years old is ancient. Get the new shit.
 
I'm Discovering that maybe 2 years isn't that old in the prosumer camera world.. I mean I couldn't imagine buying an iPod or a car that was manufactured / released 2 years ago, were i intending to buy brrand new model..But exactly how many prosumer cameras have the main players: panasonic, Sony, jvc, canon released over last couple of years.. Just one the from Sony (hdr ax2000e)..

the nex vg10 is probably the prettiest camera ever designed , i mean its a work of frigging art, and if i got one and accidentally grazed it against a brick wall, i probably ball my eyes out! I was shocked to discover that for what you'll be paying ( almost $3000 in uk) just lacks so many key features .. I can see my dad getting one to shoot his buddies on the golf course but for a documentary?!
 
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Cracker, I disagree that the camera you mentioned is far superior. It will probably give better depth of field, but it lacks many of the professional features of the other two cameras mentioned. It has no XLR inputs. It doesn't have peaking or zebras. It's just a consumer grade camera with interchangeable lenses.

For documentary use, I can vouch for the GY-HM100u. I recently worked on a documentary with that very camera. The footage turned out great.

It also has a big sensor...*shrugs*...that's important too.

But ya, the no audio sitch is a little painful. But that's how DSLRs are, and I love'em.
 
As I previously mentioned, I'm definitely not the expert on this subject.

Kenichi, directorik is too humble to say this himself, so I'll say it for him -- he is the expert on this subject. Just thought I'd mention that, since you probably haven't been around long enough to know that. Anyway, point being, I think his endorsement is all the answer you need on this camera.
 
JVC GY-HM100U was my choose.

Full disclosure, I am a newbie video Prosumer and just got my 1st camera. I actually faced this same decision last month and decided on JVC GY-HM100U (w/o buyers remorse) on the following factors...

Pros
- Form factor smaller/lighter then AX2000 (biggest deal for me), plus even smaller by removing handle/mic
- Old school camcorder guy & want XLR, and like handles on cams compared to SLR
- Do not want to deal w/ tape compared to Canon. have plenty of SDHC already.
- Sold on the native MOV w/ Final Cut Pro (Not have to worry about AVCHD)
- Bought used in great condition for $2k (you'll find users selling for SLR's, JVC has low resale value - Pro if buying/Con if selling)
- JVC is usually the first out the gate on cam tech (then sony/pana, lastly Canon) so two yrs for JVC is not long compared to others.

Cons
- Smaller chip 1/4 CCD vs 1/3 CMOS ax2000 (prefer CCD, also where do you plan to film the most? 100u not great in low light)
- Upscales to 1080 (however, 100u licenses Sony’s XDCAM codec and I do online docs not a big deal)
- Sony is beautiful (especially in low light, but good cam setting on 100u can be almost as good.
- Cost JVC used = $2k compared Sony new = $3k (hard to find ax2000 used this early)
- looking @ getting a Letus for 35mm (SLR you win)
- mostly likely sell 100u in a year and upgrade to another cam (when canon finally releases their 1st sdhc cam)
 
i think the gyhm100u is pretty solid camera. smaller censor, so dont use in low light. but packs quite a bit of pro features in such a small camera. 2 yo seems long, but when compared to even alot of todays camera's in the same class, it still holds its own. plus the progressive scan is a plus. i think its pretty solid for documentries, which was your focus (right?)
 
Bought the hm100u when it first came out. Paid $3500.00, now its $2700. Not good in low light, however I bought a 3000w lighting kit. Small sensor, so I purchased Magic Bullet and a 35mm Letus extreme adapter. Will be shooting my first doc with it soon. Before I purchased all the bells and whistles, I shot events with it. I was satisfied with the image quality. Sometimes I wished I purchased the Panasonic HMC 150. I will be upgrading this camera soon.
 
does anyone know if this camera's compatible with final cut express 4? final cut studio is just way to advanced for me.
now i found this link YouTube - Tutorial: HM100/700, .MOV & iMovie '09
tells u about a program which gives u xdcam components so it can read quicktime files . they then show files working i'movie but never state it working with fce4?
thanks
ken
 
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