JVC GY-M100U

I'm about to buy the JVC GY-M100U camera that records on flash cards in the native FCP .mov format (or Avid MPEG 4). Has anyone had any experience or issues with this camera interfacing with Final Cut Studio 6? It seems like this would be ideal if you don't want to digitize or convert from AVCHD. It records 1920 x 1080 at 35 mpbs and outputs in all HD formats.

Just looking for feedback before I put out the investment.

Thanks!

>It records 1920 x 1080 at 35 mpbs and outputs in all HD formats.

No...it records 35mbps as XDCAM, and also has options for HDV. Those are the hD formats it records. Not ALL. Not DVCPRO HD, AVCIntra, ProRes, etc.

Just FYI.


www.shanerosseditor.com

Listen to THE EDIT BAY Podcast on iTunes
[itunes.apple.com]

Great little cam. XDCAM EX. Just drag and drop the files into FCP. No issues there as there are no log and transfer nonsense to go through. To be honest I cant tell difference between the images coming out of the 100 vs the 700 but having the PL mounts on the 700 is a big plus.

Great little user group over on facebook you should join

[www.facebook.com]

also lots of good video over on macvideo.tv

If you are a FCS user this little cam will do you just fine.

Michael Horton
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No issues there?

Except the inherent issues that come with shooting XDCAM. Not to be all mister-negative here; I haven't used it myself, but people I trust and respect say that that Alphabet Soup camera is a nice little piece of kit. But there are workflow and technical issues inherent in shooting XDCAM, and they apply to this camera just as they would to, say, an EX3.

What issues?

Michael Horton
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Basically the same issues you run into when cutting HDV: You can encounter performance problems sometimes, rendering off-GOP-boundary edits imposes a compression hit, stuff like that. It's also a somewhat limited format, with the 8-bit and the 4:2:0 and all that; if you're the kind of person who notices those limitations or has a reason to care about them, it's worth taking a moment to note that XDCAM is subject to them. You wouldn't want to use XDCAM to shoot a long-haired blonde actress in front of a greenscreen and behind a wind machine, for example.

My point was just that phrases like "the native FCP .mov format" can be really misleading. The camera in question shoots XDCAM, and it's awesome to the extent that XDCAM is awesome, and it sucks to the extent that XDCAM sucks. Gotta weigh the cons with the pros, in my opinion.

I will point out that XDCAM is a FAR BETTER codec than HDV. Cleaner by a lot...a lot less artifacting issues. In fact, very few. The best GOP format I have worked with. But I guess I am such an HDV hater that any other GOP format is better.

And no, GOP formats are not the best for green/blue screen. But not everyone shoots that.

I still REALLY like DVCPRO HD...even though it is 8-bit...and at 1080 it is 1280x1080 and not 1440x1080. STill looks good to me.


www.shanerosseditor.com

Listen to THE EDIT BAY Podcast on iTunes
[itunes.apple.com]

I totally agree, Shane. HDV is hard-ceilinged at 25 mbps and XDCAM goes up to 35 mbps, so that's an automatic if minor win. But my totally non-scientific amateur eyeballs seem to hint that the EX1 in particular just does a better job than even a high-end HDV camera. Could be a factor of the sensor ? I've seen way cleaner footage off the EX1, compared to the grainy mess I used to get sometimes off my XL-H1 ? or it could be software or it could be I-don't-know. I've never looked closely at an XDCAM stuff that was shot with another camera, so I don't know how much of my observations apply to XDCAM footage in general and how much is camera-specific.

I'm with you, too, on DVCPRO HD. It's a heck of a lot easier to work with, despite the much higher data rate. And my personal pet theory is that the lower spatial resolution actually helps smooth out the high-frequency noise that tends to cause problems for DV-slash-DVCPRO.

I always shoot at 1280x720 with this camera. It's a knockout at that resolution for the price. And no issues to report in post. However, if you really need 1080i - shoot a test before you buy and make sure you are happy with the higher rez image. You have to remember, it's only got 1/4" ccd's.

>Just looking for feedback before I put out the investment.

Well, if you're going to buy any pro/semi-pro gear, my questions are always- what do you want to use it for, how fast is your expected turnaround, how much storage do you have, how good is good for you?



www.strypesinpost.com

The HM100 rocks. I have two of them and use them all the time, in combination with EX1R.

In many ways the HM100 has become my favorite camera: small, portable, great audio, great images. Though I do love the EX1R too!

The HM100 can be slightly difficult to operate in manual due to the small size, though once you get your head around it there isn't much that can't be done.

I also have the wide and tele attachments made by JVC which are great.

You can tell I'm a big fan of this camera.

Rick

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Rick Young
Editor - MacVideo
[www.macvideo.tv]

I'm glad Rick was able to chime in here, As I get to use his cameras and although I haven't edited the footage I really like shooting on these cameras. I can hand hold them easily and the footage is beautiful. I have watched Rick edit the footage on his Mac Book Pro and there is no issues and it's fast. Great Cams, Great Price and better workflow.

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Dean

"When I see you floating down the gutter I'll give you a bottle of wine."
Captain Beefheart, Trout Mask Replica.

Just for the record the camera is a JVC GY-HM100

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Dean

"When I see you floating down the gutter I'll give you a bottle of wine."
Captain Beefheart, Trout Mask Replica.