JVC Everio GZ-X900 Camcorder Review

by Jeremy Stamas
Published on Aug 28, 2009 2:00 PM

 
Intro
 Product Tour
Colour & Noise Performance Motion & Sharpness Performance
Low Light Performance Compression & Media
Manual Controls Still Features
Handling & Use Playback & Connectivity
Audio & Other Features Sanyo VPC-HD2000 Comparison
Panasonic HDC-HS300 Comparison JVC GZ-HD320 Comparison
Conclusion Photo Gallery
Specs and Ratings


Introduction
JVC's new flagship, the GZ-X900 (£999.95), is a stylish HD camcorder with an unusual design and some impressive capabilities. To make it more portable, JVC shaped into a lightweight, rectangular shape and omitted the hand strap. While the 10.3-megapixel sensor does promise a lot, the camcorder's performance is not as good as expected, especially in low light. But it's not all bad news. Great features and a unique appearance might be enough to get it into your pocket.
    (Page 1 of 17) Product Tour


Section The Good The Bad
Product Tour Lens with built-in cover, huge 1/2.33-inch sensor No hand strap
Colour & Noise Performance Colour acceptable, average noise levels Bright light image quite dark
Motion & Sharpness Performance Smooth motion, very crisp, detailed and clear image
 Slow motion recording just with low quality and resolution
Low Light Performance None Overall low light performance was extremely poor
Compression & Media AVCHD codec and max bit rate of 24 Mbps Just records to SD/SDHC memory cards
Manual Controls Good automatic and variety of manual controls 5x optical zoom is not much
Still Features Lots of image controls
 Overall performance not as good as expected, disappointing sharpness
Handling & Use Simple layout; light and streamline design
 Multiple modes and menu options can be confusing
Playback & Connectivity Editing options in playback mode No AV/Component outputs on camcorder, just on docking station
Audio & Other Features Register Event feature for tagging videos
No microphone or headphone connection, location of built-in mic is awkward



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