JVC Everio GZ-HD7E HD Camcorder Review

Sony and Panasonic have opted for a new H.264-based format called AVCHD for their latest consumer-oriented HD camcorders. JVC, however, is not part of the club. So this month’s GZ-HD7E eschews trendy MPEG-4 in favour of good old-fashioned MPEG-2, as does HDV. But that’s not the only difference between JVC’s new baby and Sony’s latest models. The GZ-HD7E is in the unique position of being the only consumer camcorder to record what JVC calls ‘Full HD’. Where the highest-resolution version of HDV only operates at 1,440 x 1,080, the GZ-HD7E can capture at up to 1,920 x 1,080, although it still uses field-based interlacing so the Full HD name is a little misleading.

As with JVC’s other Everios, the GZ-HD7E uses a hard disk for recording – in this case a substantial 60GB in capacity. Even in Full HD High Quality mode, this is enough for five hours of footage.

..Overall, JVC’s GZ-HD7E is a very capable camcorder but until more applications support editing, its output will remain one for the gadget-hungry consumer rather than more serious enthusiasts.

TrustedReviews