We were very impressed with Canon's HV20, which is about the cheapest way to create your own High Definition (HD) footage. JVC's Everio GZ-HD7 isn't as cheap as the Canon, but it's a lot more serious looking and is aimed at anyone who wants to shoot a lot of high-quality footage.
The GZ-HD7 looks more like a professional camera than a consumer one. Its black finish, big lens and hood cover will make you feel like a serious filmmaker. It's longer and around 250g heavier than the HV20 but is more comfortable to hold. It feels as sturdy as it looks, which is a definite plus over the cheaper feel of the HV20.
All the best HD camcorders we've seen, including the HV20, use the HDV format. This has a 1,440x1,080 resolution, which is stretched to 1,920x1,080 for playback. The GZ-HD7 goes one better by recording video at the full 1,920x1,080 interlaced (1080i) resolution. However most HD TVs have a native resolution of only 1,360x768, so 1080i signals have to be downscaled before they can be displayed. To get the most from this camcorder's higher resolution, you'll need a 1,920x1,080 television.
Rather than using a single image sensor with a resolution high enough to generate such detailed video, JVC has opted for a three-CCD system. The CCDs are offset slightly from each other in the camcorder, and the three images are interpolated to create a single high-resolution image.
In theory this approach should work fine, but the results weren't as impressive as we'd hoped. Video isn't very sharp and has more noise than we saw with the HV20. There's also pronounced graininess. The GZ-HD7 is not very impressive in low light either, although the wide range of manual controls do at least let you compensate for this. The poor video quality can't be blamed on the video codec, as the GZ-HD7 uses the same MPEG2 codec as HDV camcorders, and at a higher bit-rate.
Video is stored on a built-in 60GB hard disk, allowing for around five hours of footage at the maximum 1080i resolution. This saves you from the hassle of changing tapes and capturing video to your PC in real time. Video is stored in a proprietary .TOD file format, but we had no problem dragging and dropping it into Media Player Classic or Sony's Vegas editing software. The GZ-HD7 comes with a disc of software including CyberLink PowerDirector 5 Express.
There's plenty to admire about the GZ-HD7 including its big focus ring, excellent lens and simple exposure controls. Sadly, this pales into insignificance when you consider the HV20's superior video quality and lower price.
60GB hard disk storage, 10x optical zoom, 3x 1/5in 0.57-megapixel CCD, 2.8in LCD screen, HDMI, component, S-video, composite and phono output, USB2 and FireWire interfacesAuthor: Seth Barton
JVC Everio GZ-HD7