THE JVC EVERIO GZ-HD30

[lordtrollalot]

Would this camera easily insert into your anus?

[Adam10018]

Not to be offensive but i think its funny that pretty much all the reports on electronics etc is from someone in the uk area

[YellowstoneWolfLover]

what all formats can it save the videos files as?

[LPSstari]

YEAH MANN SOMONE WHOS BRITISH!! AHH

[trtv333]

Just recently boiught one used for 100 pound

old second hand.

[comickiller22]

It has a remote control

[GORDO2422]

Can your Put a fisheye on that?

[TotalGraffiti]

how did u turn on the lights?

[OMGitsWinobi]

uhm probably a stupid question, but the screen flips around right? from pictures i can't be sure, probably does right? lol

[bobyard123]

can any help me whit j v c when i turn it on i cant see the pictor i ues 2 can

[trujon01]

thats the hd10? yeah?

[PRODUCERMAT]

@trujon01 HD 10 looks the same but has a smaller HDD

[skatergabi]

can you watch 720p in youtube with this camera?

[vzarou]

all jvc sucks in low light

[619JAndy]

how can i make my shots wide screen when i upload them to my youtube account ?

[beefsoup555]

dont buy this. jvc has waaay better everio cameras then this

[sk8ersuper64]

pke ggi arc

[ClubPenguinGuy2345]

How do you connect it to

the internet?

[Devestato72]

hEY BRO, IM HAVING A HARD TIME. wHEN I CONNECT MY CAMCORDER TO THE COMPUTER IN MOVIE MAKER IT SAY THAT ITS NOT READING A CONNECTION, ANY IDEA'S

[RemixReplayRewind]

@Devestato72 -.- ameteur,

JVC everio uses a .MOD file as its playback file

NO EDITING software except one of Adobes, supports this.

[TheTruthAsYouKnowIt]

@RemixReplayRewind Sony Vegas (all of them) support .MOD. And this everio uses .TOD, which Sony supports... Now, kill yourself...lol 

[goodiar15]

hola mat compre jvc gz-hd30 pero cuando la coloco en occion foto y le tapo la lente me salen un monton de rayas de colores, dime es asi la jvc o esta con problemas, porfavor respondeme

[JuicyDayDreamer12]

Can you charge it without plugging it into a plug. Because i notcied that something( 2:55 ) was pluged in the back is that like a wireless portable charger?

[PRODUCERMAT]

lol, its just a huge bloody battery thats attatched :)

no ya gotta plug it into the mains :)

[carpathianwarrior]

i bought this thing and it broke in a day its crap, and i didnt even drop it or do anything to break it, but it does have amazing video

[eastchao]

Hey Matt, I just had a question, when I go to backup my files on the computer, they used to work fine, now its say when I hi backup, "No evnough free space to backup files" and im just puttin them in an empty folder, what should I do?

[PRODUCERMAT]

it means your computer hard drive is full......you need to either delete some files on your pc or buy a usb hard drive

[JuicyDayDreamer12]

oh i see :) lol ok thNKS

[adib1998]

Hi Mat , i'v got one of these cameras and i dont know how to use it very good could you help me?

the other day i videoed something and now i want to put it on the computer but it wont play in any players that i have. i also want to put it on Youtube, thank you.

[PRODUCERMAT]

yep you need to use pinnicle studio or cyberlink power director, you will need the pro versions cos the standard ones dont recognise the file format the camera records in. You will need to render the footage as mpeg2 hd 720p 16:9 in either of those two editors when u export your finidhed vid in order for youtube to u[pload it properly:)

[adib1998]

oh okay, and were can i download this from??

[snipeshade]

@PRODUCERMAT well, i heard that the package already includes a cyberlink editing program. Is that true?

[RemixReplayRewind]

@snipeshade nope

[charlienethercoat094]

import it into windows movie maker

[Sk8tergorilla123]

do u know if it is avaliable in america?

[almostskate5]

good review, but, if you are using just a PC not mac, and using windows, would the Pixela Everio MediaBrowser editing software automaticly work when you plug this camera in bye the USB to edit your videos?? thanks

[hermanskating]

will this fit an opteka baby death fisheye lens?

[PRODUCERMAT]

if u have a ring adapter kit then yes

[Flipflopab]

I got one of the models before and I was not impressed

[Appleaddict22]

man i have a question SOMEONE PLEASE ANSWER!! I saw a test video of this camera and the quality was SHIT. Why? Does it have something to do with if he used the everio software to export it or not?

[PRODUCERMAT]

yep the bundled everio software wont let u export in HD believe it or not. You need to use pinnacle or power producer to render it correctly.

please also bear in mind this was only a second generation HD camcorder we are now on 3rd & 4th generation now so the cam is dated.

Plus I do suspect it has some Bugs, as JVC dropped the price to £250 (cheaper than most of their SD cams!) within 3 months of release. Some of the colours dont look realistic & the pic shakes alot :)

[AnonymousBarbarious]

does it have a manuyal focus ring? or do you have to control manual focus via the stupid buttons?

[PRODUCERMAT]

sadly by the buttons......and as I found out this weekend the auto focus in artificial lighting is shite !! :(

[yogojack]

Hi mat, i go to sound and light alot as well :) this camcorder is good at auto focus cause i have one to :)

[PerplexityWrittens]

What size lenses fit this camera? If i where going to get a fish eye?

[KelleyBates]

does anyone know the canadian price of this camera now?

[Proton1]

If you're in Toronto, it's on clearance at the Kennedy Road 2001 Audio/Video for $599.

[KelleyBates]

thanks

[CarlK5]

Despite how old this overview thing is, here's another video response =P

Under the right conditions, the quality can be amazing!

[MissSelenaGomazFame]

i have that

[spanishdude2010]

whats better the jvc hd3 or hd30?

[PRODUCERMAT]

the HD30 due to the fact you can record in both mpeg and avchd formats.........but both cameras are out of date now anyhow :)

[spanishdude2010]

yea but ive looked at test footage of the hd30 and the picture quality didnt look as good as the hd3

[PRODUCERMAT]

yep but it depends on how the footage was rendered before uploading, the hd30 was the newer version of the hd3 . The Hd3 use 3ccd technology the HD30 uses the newer cmos technology which gives much better footage in low light / room lighting. Theres far better cams on the market now anyhows both cams are obsilete :)

[spanishdude2010]

jus got a hd3 and i have to say the quality is better than the hd30

[iworkforme]

i have the exact one. got it in Canada for about half the price. now i realize why. the led light (never knew what it was) doesn't work. thanks for vid i will now use the warranty that i got with it!

[cmpmstudios]

i have this camera, is there any way to upload it in widescreen

[PRODUCERMAT]

just ensure that you render the video in 16:9 before you upload it

[cmpmstudios]

when i go into the settings of the camera it says that i am recording in 16:9

[Freshy456]

hey i've got one of these and tried took it to a local gig last night to record some footage and the camcorder kept stopping recording. do you think it was because the sound was too loud? i mean it was pretty loud! would an external microphone help solve the problem?

[PRODUCERMAT]

did u leave the shock detector turned on?......if you did then thats the most likely culprit and possibly overheating if it was warm in the venue. also its a good idea to turn the mics vol level down to its lowest setting when recording in loud enviroments. an external mic will give u better sound quality rhode do a good one. excess noise should not effect the recording though,

[Freshy456]

do you mean the drop detector? and yer i tried turning the drop detector on but that didnt help.

[Freshy456]

and i mean the manual says it can work to 40 degrees, and i dont think it was anywhere near 40 degrees in the venue

[PRODUCERMAT]

umm it looks like you may have a faulty one :( time to get it swapped for a replacement me thinx.....soz

[PRODUCERMAT]

yep sorry the drop detection, u need to make sure its turned off not on :)

[polariuzz]

TNX, nice review, i'm planning to buy this one

[polariuzz]

do the battery of this CAM really stick out like a sore thumb??????????

[PRODUCERMAT]

yep.....but i've seen worse :)

[brendandyer96]

no view finder?

[PRODUCERMAT]

nope sadly is doesn't , it's something i think they should have included.

[fincaman2]

Are you sure you can control the audio on this camera ? none of the JVC models iv'e looked at do this

[PRODUCERMAT]

yep you can , its a feature thats omitted from cheaper jvc cams........I know this cos i got 2 jvc sd hdd cams mg360 and mg330 :)

[fincaman2]

Well Mine was not cheap it's a GZ MG575 and there is no control over audio also I have downloaded the manual for the top of the range HD3 and rejected it because there is no control over audio or at least I cant find any,am I missing something ?

[fincaman2]

Sorry I didn't meen HD3 I meant HD7

[PRODUCERMAT]

yep there is no controll for mic volume on jvc's standard def cams or the early high def cams HD3 HD7 etc its a new feature brought in on the "next generation" HD cams. Since this vid was made JVC have superceeded the HD30 , HD40 etc , now there is a new range of HD cams from them. the HD30 is now only £350 from dixons, currys or PC world due to the fact is now "out of date" the new ones are around £700 , they r smaller but dont have accessory shoes or mic inputs etc. :)

[PRODUCERMAT]

but i can assure u it is a featur on the HD30 :)

[fincaman2]

Thanks for that,I have looked at later models and you are correct they seem to have put it on them

[spdBMX]

Does this look amazing in slo-mo iwht 60 fps? I want to see some outdoor, slo-mo action shots

[CarlK5]

When you said you sent the camcorder back, what did you get instead? Or did you just swap it for the same model?

[PRODUCERMAT]

swapped it for the same model :)

[mike20021969]

i'm glad jvc has gone for a joystick and gotten rid of that dire laser touch.

i prefer canon anyway which have/include joystick control.

[1ExTERMINATE1]

can it take still pictures?

[PRODUCERMAT]

yes but , theres no flash on it,

as always with camcorders youll get better still pics from a standard digital camera.

[CarlK5]

I posted another video response.

[nacolydude]

650 pounds?

[PRODUCERMAT]

they were at the time of filming , but jvc were offering a £50 cashback at the time taking the price to £600 pounds. They are now available for as little as £435 if you shop around on the internet :)

[lawrencefromarabia]

Nice review. Thanks. I can't find a new price on the Internet that matches 435. Where from, please?

[PRODUCERMAT]

dixons are knocking it out for £350 .....i'll private message u the link.

[fluzwu]

so is your statement that for youtube it does not matter which digital video camera is used because the quality of the video is always the same still useful in 2009? and provides a more expensive video camera that records with High Definition quality a better video quality of a video movie on youtube nowadays?

[PRODUCERMAT]

nope , that has changed now , if you want to upload a true hd video then you need to record on an hd camera. you can upload to youtube and still get the hd option if you have recorded on a standard def camera but rendered the vid to hd in your editing software, but the vid will not really be in hd will it, just the best qual the camera can record in.

[phantomdoodler]

does it have an external mic input?

[PRODUCERMAT]

yes it does :)

[fluzwu]

it seems handy to me when you update the information you give about High Definition Quality of the videos on Youtube, since that seems to been available since you made the video and gave those comments about High Definition Quality videos 6months ago.

[PRODUCERMAT]

humm yes it is rather :)

[fluzwu]

and does the way the video is loaded influence the video quality? you state that it saves a lot of time to use a video camera with a disk. does the storage of the movie on a mini Digital Video tape provides a better quality of the movie on youtube?

[PRODUCERMAT]

no it doesnt matter whether its on mini dv or hdd, its just a hell of alot quicker transfering it to your computer if its recorded on to a hard disk drive camera

[CarlK5]

Ok, so I got this camcorder for Christmas, but I have a question. The box and such says that it outputs in 50P. Does that mean that when I back the files up onto my computer, they will be in 50P? Or is that only for the television?

Also, how do I prevent grainy video, and does having the auto gain on produce this grain? I'm starting to wish that I gotten the HV30/Sony SR11... (Not that it would even be available in the small town I live in)

[kkevinC]

do you get alot of grainyness on yours?

[CarlK5]

It ended up just being the auto gain I think. When I left it on, it made it look weird...

Also, staring up close at the screen didn't help, as when I moved back, it looked alot better.

I left a video reply thing showing the quality

[kkevinC]

ohh alright cool, i was gonna say..wouldnt expect much grainyness from that high of a quality camcorder.

[CarlK5]

I just wish that the manual it came with was a bit more... useful... heh.

[PRODUCERMAT]

umm not sure , theoretically it should be in 50p still cos its just a vid file of a hdd so you are just transfering it from one hdd to another. I think its down to whether your video editing software is capable or rendering in 50p , but don't quote me on that :)

[fluzwu]

CarlK5 states that he prefers the HV30/Sony SR11. My question to CarkK5 is: Why?

[CarlK5]

Well, the video quality has always seemed to be better. But then again, more experienced users seem to own the HV30 and such, so they probably run their videos through colour/brightness/contrast correction.

An optical image stabalizer would be good as well, since the digital one is a failure.

[daboss985]

hey i just got that camera. its amazing..the only problem that i am having whit it is night shooting ain't as good as day shooting...is there any thing that i can do to improve low light shooting quality?

like adds-on or software that can modify it to make it better at night?

i m planing to also get a conversions lens + microphone that jvc sells separatly whit it.

kind of asitating to invest on it though but i haven't explore its full potential yet still reading that damm manual xD !!1

[PRODUCERMAT]

umm I'm not sure, i'll have to look into that :) , as with all cmos cameras night time filming aint great , and the night mode on the cams is just about useless because its so slow. there may be a lens filter that could be attached to improve this but i imagine its a case of manually messing about with the exposure settings and shutter priorities until a decent picture can be achieved :)

[STEZZYFINGERS]

is it firewire compatible ??

[PRODUCERMAT]

sadly no it isnt , shame cos if it was u could use it as a bloody good webcam for live streaming :) . firewire is only found these days on older mini dv camcorders.

[ACWWH]

Good camera. I have the GZ-HD10

[billtvshow]

I added a video response that I filmed with this exact camcorder in 720p.

[PRODUCERMAT]

nice one dude :) looks awsome :)

[Maxsdiscos]

High Definition (HD)

Camcorders were about £500

You can now get a Mini SD one for about

£130

[bboydancer123]

im getting that camcorder for christmas

[rastAsia]

"..canon XL2 , ..Sony PMW-EX1 ... picture quality wise it walks all over them.."

You serious that the quality is that good? I have the HD7 and is looking to get CMOS based cam. It helps to avoid lens flare when shooting in over-bright conditions. But just how bad is the OIS? So JVC didn't fix the old problem huh... Curious if you got 720p video posted anywhere possible for viewing. Do let me know. I'm curious to see the final output.

[PRODUCERMAT]

Hi , yep it is that good quality wise, but yep the digital OIS is really that bad, if you take a look at my video entitled " BMP UNDERCOVER " you will see what i mean as it was filmed with the HD30.

I will post some footage up to my vimeo account and send u the link so u can check out the pic qual in 720p :)

[rastAsia]

You meant to say "BMP UNCOVERED"... if it is, its an earthquake indeed. :) Did you really return it after that shoot? I just went through the user manual and brochures online. No mention about OIS in the HD30/HD40. Bizarre.. and what a waste on an almost perfect camcorder.

[PRODUCERMAT]

yep it is and yes i got it swapped but its still as bad , no mention of OIS cos it DIS digital not optical image stabalisation......bad times

[rastAsia]

Well I'm sure it shoots way better if its tripod mounted with that CMOS chip. Curious why they made it better but removed the manual focus ring. Thanks a lot for sharing 1st hand review Mat. Still keen to see the 720p footages. You can also find me on Vimeo under the same name. Cheers fm Holland.

[netraman]

is the video interlaced or progressive?

thanks for the video - very useful and good to see it's size in relation to a hand;)

[PRODUCERMAT]

it records in progressive, and if you play the footage from the camera direct to tv it plays it in progressive, but when transfer it to a computer it seems to be converted into interlaced for some bizarre reason :)

[yomasa123]

Is the Video that good?

[PRODUCERMAT]

I am still happy with it & the vid is spot on, my only gripe may be that the digital image stabilization is not that great when using the zoom, i feel they should have used optical image stabalization instead.

[yomasa123]

Are you still happy with this camcorder? Im thinking about getting one...

[quadbassblaster]

part 3. then stop recording and play back your video and see if the song you played is playing in the video loud and clear. thatll be of soo much help because ive contacted the jvc website months ago and i didnt get any reply for them. all the people selling this on ebay are mostly megasellers and dont reply to such detailed questions either. ur help will be GREAT ! thanx :)

[PRODUCERMAT]

yes that does work I record mixes from my pc direct to the camcorder using the headphone output on pc direct to the camera mic input.

you can also fine tune the input level on the camera itself and it has VU meters on the lcd screen. you can monitor the input by plugging headphones into the camera also :)

[quadbassblaster]

hi there,thats great help,i knew i could count on you mate..by the way does it matter that this mic-input is a PLUG IN POWER one? meaning that it emits its own voltage to power up certain mics ? wont the voltage from my drumkits headphone out conflict with the mic ins plug in "power". im only being more cautious because i read on these avforums that mic inputs,line inputs and xlr and what not have different impedances and can conflict with or even burn out their curcuits.

[quadbassblaster]

""PART 2"" i might get the gz-hd3,or the gz-mg575 cause im a university student and as you can imagine i dont have that kind of money to get THIS one. however these other models have mic inputs too but no headphone out and not hd. ill be getting it from ebay and was watching a used mg575 that went for 160 quid ! i thought that was fab.but do you think these other ones could be connected the same way you said the hd30 can be ? thanx man.,when the videos r up ill be letting u know. :)

[quadbassblaster]

contd..plus itll give me better sound quality. my question is can i run a lead from my drumkits headphone outlet into the cameras mic input jack ? you could test and see if it works by plugging in a computers headphone outlet to the mic-in jack using a 3.5 mm lead with a male pin on both sides. play a song on the pc and press record on the camera just for a few seconds.

[quadbassblaster]

hi there,.great camera you got there.. can u plz tell me something about this camera. im a drummer and have an electronic yamaha dtxpress 3 drum kit. you can write that on youtube and youll see loads of them and ull know what im talking about. i know that this camera has a mic input. i dont want to record myself drumming through the cameras own built in mic and my loud speakers because i dont want to disturb my housemates, instead i want to use the mic input jack in the front..contd...

[xiominiac]

Ok, one question, can you record 24p or film, cinema film with it?.... i wanna cinema like footage whats the cheapest cam 4 that type of work

[PRODUCERMAT]

Sadly not, I can however recommend the Canon HG-10 which I also have , and that records in 24p and also has cinema mode. It retails at about £499 at moment , and it is an excellent camera for the money :)

[xiominiac]

Thanks

[zouzzou2001]

the battery looks big. and it does not have a flash for still images

[PRODUCERMAT]

yes , the battery is large in size but its no larger then its competitors, for example is the same size as the canon HG10.

Sadly there is no flash for taking still images. :)

[Electroboxcar]

Would this be good for recording a low end, low budget indie film? I know it's just a camcorder but I want to make a short indie film to sample something bigger that i'm doing next year, when I have the money for the pro stuff. I'd really appreciate the help, man.

[PRODUCERMAT]

I will be honest with you buddy, if you are going to be using external mics then yes it is better than most of the currently available "Prosumer" camcorders out there. My only issue with the camera is the audio capture from the in built mic, (it is not the best) However the picture quality and "true" colour representation is absolutley stunning so the lack in internal mic audio quality is more than made up for. Yes I would recommend it for shooting an indie film.

m

[Electroboxcar]

Thanks man.

[PRODUCERMAT]

ps , I also use a canon XL2 , and a Sony PMW-EX1 amongst other things.......and picture quality wise it walks all over them !!!!!

[SpotlightSound]

Great camera I'm looking into getting a nice camcorder for some video work I want to start doing on the side

[PRODUCERMAT]

It is a great cam for the money , I have 2 other HD cams and it knocks the socks of them + jvc are offering £50 ($75) cashback to anyone that buys one before the end of september !

[PRODUCERMAT]

John,

the Fs100 is an extremely good camcorder, like I've said below you will probably get better footage for youtube using that than using an hd camera cos when you upload the hd footage it gets seriously degraded so its better to record footage in SD anyhow. I believe the Fs100 also has a minijack input for an external microphone which you will find invaluable if you are wanting to record at a trade show for example with a lot of unwanted background noise, you can use a hand mic.

Matt

[jearley2424]

Very good interesting vid Matt. I will be buying a new camera just for YOUTUBE. Do you know what the highest quality I will need. As im sure I dont have to pay up to this level, any ideas? regards Jason!

[PRODUCERMAT]

To be honest when you upload to YouTube there is absolutely no difference in quality between footage taken with a £100 SD camera and say a £1000 HD camera cos Youtube doesnt support HD.

If you want to save a hell of a lot of time on editing and getting footage onto your PC then personally I would get a cam with a build in Hard drive rather than a tape or disk. take a look at the JVC Everio MG330 currys have it for £230,its what I use for my gig logs.Or the Samsung VP-MX10

£170.

cheers

M

[PRODUCERMAT]

ps another one to look at is the canon FS100 it has an input for an external mic and an led spotlight. &249.

cheers

m

[yvesmdjgryphon]

HD footage? :)

good review though

[PRODUCERMAT]

yeah , know its not going to make any difference to youtube vids as the quality gets degraded as soon as its uploaded, but I may start uploading some footage to my Vimeo account which allows HD vids.

m

[Appleaddict22]

which are the 3rd and 4th gen. ones? and how can i get the programs u mentioned? Thanks.

[jasperibe]

nice, I almost wanna go out and by one now...Almost :-)

[DJCyRo]

I had a JVC camcorder before, and it worked great, until it got some kinda "condensation error". I couldn't figure out how to fix it, so I sold it on ebay. However, I did not like its performance in low light. This was at least 3 years ago, maybe 4. Technology has probably become better by now. Your's has that neat LED light on it, so that's good.