JVC Everio GZ-HM400

Motion (9.2)

The JVC GZ-HM400 did very well in our motion test—just as it did in all of our bright light testing. The camcorder captures Full HD video using a 50i frame rate, and it can output this signal to a television as 1080/50p. The HM400 doesn't have any alternate frame rates that record Full HD video, but it does have three high-speed shooting options for creating low-quality slow motion clips. Click here for example videos of these slow motion modes. (More on how we test motion.)

Just like the JVC GZ-X900 before it, the GZ-HM400 rendered exceptionally smooth motion, captured an impressive amount of detail, and did it all with very little artefacting. Keep in mind that the videos shown on this page have been heavily compressed in the YouTube upload process. Click on the HD links for higher-quality videos.

There was no noticeable difference between the GZ-X900 and the GZ-HM400 as far as motion is concerned. The camcorders have very similar specs under the hood, and their only big difference (other than body design and controls) is in their lenses. The GZ-X900 offers the same high-speed shooting options as the HM400, and it also records HD video using a 50i frame rate.

The motion captured by the Panasonic HDC-HS300 didn't impress us as much as the two JVC camcorders, but it was still a top-notch performer. Its image had slightly more artefacting and the motion wasn't quite as smooth, but these are just minor complaints. The HS300 does have a 25p recording mode in addition to its 50i frame rate.

The Canon HF S100 was another impressive camcorder in our motion test. Not only does it capture smooth, detailed motion, but it also offers an alternate frame rate for recording HD video—25p. Now, these frame rates aren't natively progressive, which is something most casual videographers couldn't care less about. Serious camcorder users may want to know, however, that the 25p mode is recorded at 50i and then a 2:3 pull-down process is put in place to remove the unwanted frames (hence creating the look of 25 frames per second). Panasonic uses this same system for its 25p mode on the HDC-HS300. Canon does offer a native 25p mode on the tape-based HV40.

Video Sharpness (12.53)

Like the JVC GZ-X900 before it, the GZ-HM400 produced stellar video sharpness results in our testing. The camcorder managed a horizontal sharpness of 1000 lw/ph and a vertical sharpness of 650 lw/ph. The horizontal sharpness in particular is incredibly good and bests the Canon HF S100 and Panasonic HDC-HS300 by a significant margin. We did notice some aliasing and blurring in our vertical sharpness test, which is why the camcorder measured so much lower in that arena. For some reason, the GZ-HM400's image started to break-up around 650 lw/ph, which is the same thing that happened on the GZ-X900, Panasonic HDC-HS300, and Canon HF S100. (More on how we test video sharpness.)

Video Sharpness Score Comparisons		Compare the JVC GZ-HM400 to the JVC GZ-X900
		Compare the JVC GZ-HM400 to the Panasonic HDC-HS300
		Compare the JVC GZ-HM400 to the Canon HF S100