JVC Everio GZ-HD620

Auto Mode (7.9)

The automatic controls on the GZ-HD620 work well, but the camcorder does lack advanced auto features like AF/AE tracking. We found the autofocus to work quickly and accurately on the camcorder, and we didn't notice the popping-focus issue that we saw on the JVC GZ-HM340. Auto white balance also worked effectively in most lighting conditions.

While the auto exposure was also good, we did notice it took a while for the camcorder to perform this task properly at times. This was particularly an issue when we switched from shooting very bright to very dark scenes. You can set the exposure metering mode to either "entire screen" or "spot" exposure, however, which is a good feature to have.

When the camcorder is in its dedicated auto mode, you can still access menus and make certain adjustments. What you cannot do is go into the manual controls submenu, as none of those features can be adjusted in auto mode.

	JVC GZ-HD620	Panasonic HDC-HS60	Canon HF M31	JVC GZ-HM1
Dedicated Auto Mode	Yes	Yes	Yes (Dual Shot Mode)	Yes
Auto Focus	Normal AF	Normal AF	Normal/Instant AF	Normal AF
Spot/Touch Focus	No	No	Yes	No
AF/AE Tracking	No	Yes	Yes	No
Face Detection	Yes	Yes (with face recognition and name display)	Yes	Yes
Backlight Compensation	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Low Light Modes	Night Eye Scene Mode	Colour Night Record	Low Light scene mode	Twilight, Night scene modes
Auto Slow Shutter	Yes (AGC auto)	Yes	Yes	Yes (AGC auto)
Scene Modes	Night Eye, Night, Portrait, Sports, Snow, Spotlight	Sports, Portrait, Spotlight, Snow, Beach, Sunset, Fireworks, Scenery, Low Light, and Night Scenery	Portrait, Sports, Night Scene, Snow, Beach, Sunset, Spotlight, Fireworks	Portrait, Landscape, Twilight, Night, Snow, Beach, Sports, Spotlight, Fireworks, and Sunset
Other Auto Controls	Auto Record	Intelligent Scene Selection	Smart Auto (scene selection)	None

Zoom (6.5)

You can adjust zoom on the GZ-HD620 using either the top-mounted zoom toggle or the Laser Touch strip. Neither methods are perfect, but we by far prefer using the zoom toggle over the Laser Touch strip. The toggle allows you to control zoom speed variably, and it is far more precise than the strip. We only recommend using the Laser Touch in this case if you are holding the camcorder with two hands or if it just isn't comfortable for you to reach the zoom toggle.

The zoom toggle isn't anything special, but it gets the job done.

Zoom Ratio (10.23)

The camcorder has a 30x optical zoom lens, which is very good for a mid-range HD model. This zoom ratio can be cranked up to 60x or 200x digitally, but using those digital zooms will degrade image quality. Stick with the 30x optical zoom, it should be fine for most recording situations.

Zoom Comparisons
Wide Angle	Mid Zoom	30x Zoom

Focus (5.5)

Focus can be set manually on the camcorder, but it is not a pleasant experience doing so. Focus adjustment must be performed using the Laser Touch strip, which is imprecise and difficult to use. We wish the camcorder had a dial lens ring instead, and we'd probably prefer a joystick or touch-screen focus adjustment system to the finicky Laser Touch.

To make up for the bad focus controls, the GZ-HD620 does have a peaking feature that assists with focus by outlining the edges of your subject in small, coloured specks. We like peaking on pro models, but here it doesn't do much good. We'd much rather have more manual controls (like aperture adjustment), or even just a better manual focus system instead of the peaking assistance. You can set the peaking to three different colours—red, green, or blue—but the option is buried in the Display Settings submenu.

Manual focus adjustment on the JVC GZ-HD620		The Laser Touch strip is used to set focus.

Manual Focus Comparisons
JVC GZ-HD620 Control Type: Laser Touch Focus Assist: peaking	Panasonic HDC-HS60 Control Type: touch-screen Focus Assist: peaking
Canon HF M31 Control Type: touch-screen Focus Assist: magnification	JVC GZ-HM1 Control Type: control dial, Laser Touch Focus Assist: peaking

Exposure (7.5)

Exposure adjustment is called brightness on the GZ-HD620 and it isn't too hard to set manually using the Laser Touch strip. There's only 13 increments, so it doesn't matter too much that the strip is imprecise when you use it to adjust the setting.

Exposure control on the JVC GZ-HD620

Exposure Control Comparison JVC GZ-HD620 -6 to +6 (13 increments) Panasonic HDC-HS60 -5 to +5 (11 increments) Canon HF M31 -11 to +11 (23 increments) JVC GZ-HM1 -3 to +3 in (25 increments)

Aperture (0.0)

The JVC GZ-HD620 does not have any manual aperture controls, but there are other mid-range camcorders that do offer this kind of control (see table below).

Aperture Control Comparison JVC GZ-HD620 Manual Aperture: None Panasonic HDC-HS60 Manual Aperture: f/1.8, f/2.0, f/2.4, f/2.8, f/3.3, f/4.0, f/4.8, f/5.6, f/6.8, f/8.0, f/9.6, f/11, f/14, f/16 Canon HF M31 Aperture Priority Mode: f/1.8, f/2, f/2.4, f/2.8, f/3.4, f/4, f/4.8, f/5.6, f/6.7, f/8 JVC GZ-HM1 Manual Aperture: f/2.8, f/3.4, f/4, f/5.6

Shutter Speed (7.4)

The JVC GZ-HD620 does have a shutter priority mode that allows you to manually set the shutter speed while the camcorder automaticaly selects a corresponding aperture value. The camcorder has a good set of slow shutter speeds that offer some interesting strobe-like effects (any shutter speed 1/30 or below will produc noticable motion effects).

Shutter speed control on the JVC GZ-HD620

Shutter Speed Control Comparison JVC GZ-HD620 Shutter Priority Mode: 1/2, 1/3, 1/6, 1/12, 1/50, 1/120, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000, 1/2000, 1/4000 Panasonic HDC-HS60 Manual Shutter Speed: 1/25, 1/50, 1/100, 1/120, 1/180, 1/250, 1/350, 1/500, 1/750, 1/1000, 1/1500, 1/2000, 1/3000, 1/4000, 1/8000 Canon HF M31 Shutter Priority Mode: 1/2, 1/3, 1/6, 1/12, 1/25, 1/50, 1/120, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000, 1/2000 JVC GZ-HM1 Manual Shutter Speed: 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/15, 1/30, 1/60, 1/80, 1/100, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000, 1/2000, 1/4000

White Balance (7.25)

The GZ-HD620 has a few white balance presets—Fine, Cloud, and Halogen—as well as a manual white balance option. The manual setting is easy to use if you know how, but it has an odd quirk that will probably confuse people who haven't read the instruction manual (or used a JVC camcorder before). You must hold down the manual white balance button for a few seconds while the camcorder performs the white balance. If you don't do this, the white balance will not be performed properly, although the GZ-HD620 provides no warning or error message to let you know. We wish JVC would improve on this setting, as the way the control currently works is not intuitive.

White Balance options on the JVC GZ-HD620

White Balance Control Comparison JVC GZ-HD620 Fine, Cloud, Halogen, Manual Panasonic HDC-HS60 Sunny, Cloudy, Indoor 1, Indoor 2, Manual, WB Adjus Canon HF M31 Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Tungsten, Custom JVC GZ-HM1 Auto, Manual, Fine, Cloud, Halogen

Gain (2.0)

The GZ-HD620's AGC on/off control is not a manual gain feature. What it does do is allow you to turn the auto gain control (AGC) on or off. By turning the AGC off, the camcorder doesn't use any gain boost. This means your image will have less noise, but you won't be able to record a viable image unless you have plenty of light (either outdoor lighting or a very well-lit room). With AGC on, the GZ-HD620 uses its regular gain boost to increase low light sensitivity, but you can't set the gain levels manually.

There's also an AGC auto setting on the camcorder, but that just turns on an auto slow shutter in addition to the auto gain control.

Gain Control Comparison JVC GZ-HD620 AGC on/off Panasonic HDC-HS60 Only with aperture fully open: 0dB, 3dB, 6dB, 9dB, 12dB, 15dB, 18dB Canon HF M31 AGC Limit: 0dB to 24dB in 1dB increments JVC GZ-HM1 AGC on/off, ISO control in still image mode

Colour & Image Controls (2.0)

Colour/Image Control	Description
x.v. Colour	Allows for recording in the expanded xvYCC colour gamut. You'll only be able to see a difference if you view the footage on an xvYCC compatible television.

Other Manual Controls (1.0)

Control	Description
Tele Macro	Changes the focal range on the camcorder so you can shoot close subjects in focus. You'll only notice a difference if you're fully zoomed in (or nearly fully zoomed in) on the subject you're trying to record. If you can actually move the camcorder close to your subject, then you don't have to use Tele Macro for it to be in focus.

Manual Controls Summary
Control	JVC GZ-HD620	Panasonic HDC-HS60	Canon HF M31	JVC GZ-HM1
Focus	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Exposure	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Aperture	No	Yes	Aperture-priority	Manual
Shutter Speed	Shutter-priority	Yes	Shutter-priority	Manual
White Balance	Yes	Yes	Yes	Manual
Gain	AGC on/off	Yes (only with aperture fully opened)	AGC Limiter	AGC on/off