Camcorder Reviews (page 2)
Technical Specifications
Canon ES1000 Hi8 Camcorder
Format: Hi8 (8mm compatible)
Lens: 8-speed 12:1 optical zoom, f/1.8, 5.2-62.4mm focal length
Pickup device: 1/3-inch CCD, 410,000 pixels
Viewfinder: 0.7-inch color LCD, 140,000 pixels
Exposure: Auto
Program AE modes: Sports, portrait, spotlight, sand & snow
Focus: TTL auto, manual override
Audio: AFM hi-fi stereo
White balance: Continuous auto
Other features: optical image stabilization, alphanumeric titler, high speed shutter, infrared remote, record search, in-viewfinder zoom meter, black fade, 4W light
Inputs: S-video, composite video, stereo audio, LANC
Outputs: S-video, composite video, stereo audio
Dimensions: 4.25 (height) by 4.25 (width) by 7.5 (depth) inches
Weight: 2 pounds (sans tape and battery)
Video Performance (approx.): Horizontal resolution (camera) 440 lines
Horizontal resolution (playback): 400 lines
Performance Times: Pause to record 0.5 second, Power-up to record 4 seconds
Fast forward/rewind (30 min. tape): 1 minutes, 40 seconds
Up the Ante
JVC GR-SZ7 S-VHS-C Camcorder
JVC
41 Slater Drive
Elmwood Park, NJ 07407
www.jvc-america.com
($1800)
In past years, some people dismissed the older VHS-family as a group of formats in decline. Not so, says JVC, having just released its most advanced S-VHS-C camcorder to date, the GR-SZ7. This unit ups the ante for certain areas of compact camcorder performance, regardless of format. At 570,000 pixels, the GR-SZ7 has the highest resolution sensor of any consumer camcorder. Before you start imagining 600-line resolution specs, understand that the JVC never uses all of these pixels. Instead, the camcorder records just the central portion of the sensor whether electronic image stabilization is on or not. Hence the unit has true lossless EIS, with absolutely no compromise in image quality.
This power-packed sensor does have other benefits, especially in the area of digital zoom. With other camcorders, you see resolution loss the instant the camera section begins digital magnification. With the GR-SZ7, you can zoom out to about 15x without image loss. After that, blockiness of the image becomes noticeable. The JVC offers both 20x and 100x digital zoom modes, the latter not being very practical for serious video production. The JVC boasts a very fast f/1.2 lens, which is photographic jargon for a lens that efficiently passes light. As a result, the GR-SZ1 has very good low-light sensitivity and no visible noise in moderate light.
The 10x lens has two zoom speeds, controlled by a zoom lever that lies perpendicular to the lens axis. This type of control is growing more popular with camcorder makers because of its smaller size. The JVC's lever makes it easy to select and hold either zoom speed. The lens' built-in cover is a nice touch, spelling the end of the dangling lens cap.
The GR-SZ7 uses an inner-focus system, relegating manual focus to a small knob on the front of the camcorder. This knurled ring is finger-friendly, making the JVC easy to work in manual focus mode. A button inset in the middle of the knob selects auto or manual focus. The only other manual image control with its own button or knob is iris; you'll find the rest in a menu. Any time while shooting, you can press the exposure + or - buttons to adjust iris. The JVC features a relative manual iris, meaning the auto-iris continues to function with the user setting acting as an offset. This system isn't nearly as useful as a true manual iris.
Check the Menu
Instead of dotting the GR-SZ7's case with countless buttons, JVC opted to use an extensive menu system to control most of the camcorder's functions. And though the multilevel menu is more complex than any I've seen to date, it's surprisingly easy to navigate. In the simpler PRESET operation mode, the menu controls mike wind compensation, trigger alarm and zoom range. In the more advanced VARIABLE PRESET mode, the menu also includes gain up mode, fader/wipe, exposure and effects, picture control and white balance.
The JVC's gain up selector is unique; it allows you to disable gain entirely, or use a combination of auto gain and slow-speed shutter. The latter option makes it possible to shoot in extremely low light situations, though with an increase in noise and slow-speed shutter smear. JVC really pulled out the stops with the GR-SZ7's in-camera effects and transitions. There are a total of 13 effects--these include old-time film, cinema, monotone, sepia, sports, twilight, 3 slow-speed shutter settings and 3 strobes.
The JVC offers 17 different fades, wipes and dissolves. Fades include black, white, mosaic and monotone. The various wipes, like corner, shutter and door use either a solid black screen or a still frame from the previous scene. Likewise, dissolve freezes the last frame from the previous scene to simulate an A/B-roll dissolve.
In the VARIABLE PRESET mode, you select which five transitions and effects you need access to while shooting. You then pick from these "favorite five" with the P.AE/EFFECT and FADE/WIPE buttons. You'll want to get familiar with the effects, since some combinations of digital effects, transitions, digital zoom and EIS will not work together.
If you use the transition AUTO SELECT, the GR-SZ7 will randomly select a transition and match it for the outgoing and incoming scene. This is a great no-brainer option for adding variety to your transitions. The normal PRESET mode selects the five most common transitions and effects for you. The JVC's picture control provides adjustments for tint, color level and sharpness. These changes go to tape, so you should be sure of the settings before you record. The sharpness control will really soften up the image to the point where it looks like you have a lens filter in place. This could come in handy. White balance modes include continuous auto, manual hold, sunny outdoors, cloudy outdoors and halogen. The GR-SZ7 has one of the smartest auto white balance systems I've seen. It actually monitors your zoom setting, making little or no correction at tight zooms. This is when you're most likely to fill the viewfinder with a solid color and fool the auto WB. The JVC also monitors the infrared remote sensor to figure out what type of light you're shooting in. Very clever.
SNAP SHOT is one noteworthy effect that doesn't sit under the effects menu; it has its own button near the zoom lever. This effect animates a shutter closing and opening over your video, grabbing a still frame complete with PolaroidÃ’-like white border. SNAP SHOT even puts the convincing shutter click of a still camera on your audio tracks. "Motor drive" mode records a succession of snap shots to tape.
