JVC Everio GZHD7 3CCD 60GB Hard Disk Drive High Definition Camcorder
"The Proof is in the Pudding"
By Joe Summars (Mora, NM USA)
The proof is in the pudding.
I shot an entire feature-length documentary using a JVC GZ-HD7U, a pair of Schriber shotgun mics (Model SA-568ZM) strapped to it and plugged into its stereo input jack using a Y connector, and a GLIDECAM 2000 Pro.
The documentary subject required RAPID deployment of camera and sound equipment on location with little or no advanced notice. The portability of this camera made it ideal for these demanding shooting schedules.
The site where the majority of shooting was done required extreme mobility in small spaces. This camera was small enough and light enough to maneuver around with, even when the shotgun mics were strapped to it and all of that rig was mounted on the GLIDECAM.
With the documentary being shot in multiple locations - indoors and outdoors - using only available lighting (no additional artificial lighting was required for any part of the documentary shoot), this camera performed perfectly well for all lightng situations encountered.
Having limited idle-time intervals between shooting sessions - typically as little as 1 hour - downloading recorded video from the camera to mass storage (I used 4 1-terabyte WINBOOK drives hooked up to a Toshiba Satellite laptop) was a breeze.
As for battery capacity, I managed just fine using only two JVC Battery Packs (BN-VF823U) and one JVC AA-VF8 charger. Battery level indicators on the camera were delightfully obvious. Shooting schedules for the documentary typically ran from sunup to well beyond sundown and by always having one of the batteries in the charger while shooting with the other - switching batteries as needed - I never, in more than 100 hours of shooting for the documentary, found myself holding a useless camera with no juice available to operate it.
Durability of the camera was excellent. It never got dropped but it did get its share of bumps during the shoot and none of them damaged or negatively affected its performance whatsoever. It was operated in extreme temperature situations ranging from freezing to +100 degree, high-humidity summer temps without a hitch or glitch.
I have never rated any product I have purchased before in my life 100% five stars across the board. I can make these ratings for the Everio GZ-HD7U with complete confidence and just cause derived from long hours of hands-on, heavy field use in shooting the documentary.
Want to see the pudding? Just watch the documentary "Harley & Annabelle - Living Legends in Erick, Oklahoma" available at [...] to see how well this camera performed for the project.
