JVC Everio GZ-HM400

Not taking into account their difference in price, the decision between the JVC GZ-HM400 and the Canon HF S100 is a tough one. Based on our testing, the Canon was clearly the superior camcorder in low light—but it didn't have the kind of impressive low light performance we saw from the Panasonic HDC-HS300. The JVC was better in bright light situations, although the Canon came very close to matching the HM400's impressive video sharpness levels. The Canon HF S100 was also one of the few camcorders to rival the HM400's still image performance.

So, the Canon gets the edge in performance of the JVC GZ-HM400. The two camcorders have a similar amount of options. Both have an adjustment dial (although the JVC's is easier to use), a good set of manual controls, and a few notable special features. The Canon does have 25p shooting mode, however, which is something not found on the JVC. The HM400, on the other hand, offers its low-quality slow motion modes. Both camcorders are equipped with optical image stabilisation, but we found the system worked better on the JVC. Also, the JVC was easier to keep steady during hand-held shooting due to its more even weight distribution.

Overall, the Canon is the better camcorder here, but the fact that it costs roughly £450 more than the JVC and has no internal memory is a bit disconcerting. If you want to save some cash, the JVC is probably the better buy—even though it has worse low light performance than the Canon HF S100. Canon does make an HF S10 and HF S11, which are both more expensive than the HF S100, but include internal memory (32GB on the HF S10 and 64GB on the HF S11).

	Comparison Specs
	JVC GZ-HM400	Canon HF S100
Price	£679.99	£1.100
Primary Recording Media	32GB internal flash memory	64GB internal flash memory
Secondary Recording Media	SD/SDHC memory card	SD/SDHC memory card
Image Sensor	1/2.33-inch CMOS	1/2.6-inch CMOS
Effective Pixel Count	Unknown (video) 9 megapixel (stills)	8.59 megapixels
Mic Input	3.5mm	3.5mm
LCD	2.8-inch with 207,000 pixels	2.7-inch with 211,000 pixels
Viewfinder	None	None
Weight	485g with battery	500g with battery
Dimensions	67 x 72 x 141mm	70 x 69 x 136mm
HD	Yes	Yes
Frame Rates	Full HD: 50i Low Quality: 120fps, 300fps, 600fps	50i, 25p
Compression	AVCHD	AVCHD
Maximum Bitrate	24Mbps	24Mbps
Optical Zoom	10x	10x
Stabilisation	Optical Image Stabilisation	Optical with two settings: Standard and Dynamic

100% Crop Bright Light Comparison
JVC GZ-HM400	Canon HF S100

Low Light Colour Score Comparison