JVC GY-HD110U High Definition 3-CCD MiniDV Professional Camcorder with 16x ProHD Fujinon Lens

by JVC

Product Details

• Item Weight: 6.8 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 15 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000GT9MV8
• Item model number: GY-HD110U
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,514 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 17, 2003

Product Description

Manufacturer Description

JVC's ProHD opens up the world of HD digital cinematography with the introduction of the GY-HD110U. True high-definition recording on inexpensive and reliable tape, or optionally onto hard disk, and real 24-frame progressive capture give this camera performance characteristics found only in high-end cinematography cameras.

JVC GY-HD110U Highlights

Switch between color and black and white with the selectable display mode

Professional form factor One look at the GY-HD110U reveals the obvious: this is not a 'prosumer' camcorder, nor is it a derivative of a consumer model. Controls and switches are laid out in the same manner as on higher end production cameras. Because of extensive customization capabilities there are menus, but critical performance controls are right at your fingertips where you expect them. Deep inside the GY-HD110U is a truly advanced progressive camera that sets a new benchmark in the industry.

Film-like 24-frame progressive capture and recording 24 frames per second progressive acquisition produces recorded images that have a more polished, film-like appearance than typical interlaced video cameras. That's why virtually all high end digital cinematography cameras utilize the 24P system. The GY-HD110U uses three newly developed 1/3-inch native high definition CCDs that produce a more refined HD look without scaling. Since the native 24 frame material is recorded to tape, it is possible to transfer the recordings to film without frame rate conversion. Time code is recorded in the 24P mode, so recordings made with the GY-HD110U can be edited with film based and high end digital systems with ease.

Bayonet mount interchangeable lenses The GY-HD110U includes a standard detachable 16x Servo Fujinon ProHD lens. Operation is the same as with all professional lenses, with mechanical control of focus, zoom and iris functions. The built-in servo zoom and iris functions can also be used if desired. Other available lens options include a 13x (3.5mm) wide zoom HD lens, a wide-angle converter for the standard 16x lens, an adapter allowing ½-inch lenses to be used on the camera and a filter kit. JVC offers rear tripod mounted focus and zoom controls for the standard lenses. Prime lenses can also be used with a 3rd party adapter.

Extensive user adjustable parameters Creating a true cinematographic look involves more than just recording at 24 frames per second. The camera's gamma, detail and black levels can be adjusted to the user's preference. When combined with the correct lens filters and lighting techniques, film like performance can be obtained that's tailored to the mood of the scene. There is even a skin tone detection feature that automatically reduces the amount of enhancement in facial areas so that your subjects will not have a wrinkled, television-like appearance. All custom settings can be stored on an inexpensive SD memory card and transferred to another camera if desired.

Superior signal processing JVC's advanced DSP and 12-bit A/D conversion gives the GY-HD110U the characteristics of a high end production camera. Depending on the mood, black levels can be compressed or stretched.

Focus assist function People viewing high definition pictures are often able to see focusing errors that would normally go unnoticed in standard definition. Therefore, it is important to precisely focus every scene. For this reason, JVC has developed and patented a 'focus assist' function that highlights detail in the viewfinder to facilitate HD focusing.

Progressive scanning The GY-HD110U utilizes a progressive scanning system similar to that used in all high end digital cinema cameras. Progressive scanning systems capture and store full frames of information and can be easily converted to interlace signals if desired. When progressive recordings are frozen or played in slow motion, individual frames contain the full detail--excellent for viewing and analyzing motion. Prints that are made from HD progressive frame grabs look far better than typical frame grabs. What's more, all flat panel television displays and fixed matrix projectors, such as D-ILA, DLP and LCD, are native progressive scanning systems and eliminate the need for conversion when displaying GY-HD110U progressive recordings.

Advanced encoding system from the leader in MPEG-2 technology JVC is one of the original developers of the MPEG-2 compression system. MPEG-2 is an 'interframe' encoding system that combines multiple frames of digital picture data into a group of pictures (GOP). It then removes redundant informaton from the GOP resulting in far greater efficiency than with 'intraframe' systems, such as DV, that compress every frame separately. JVC pioneered high definition MPEG-2 recording with its D-VHS format--used by major motion picture studios for screening and playback of dailies. JVC's advanced MPEG-2 codecs are used by major television networks and satellite providers. In the GY-HD110U JVC has utilized a highly efficient MPEG-2 codec that compresses the full HD resolution without the 'downsizing the image' used by some competitors.

Reliable dual media recording capability The GY-HD110U adheres to the HDV format adopted by JVC and other manufacturers. Compressed MPEG-2 data is recorded on widely available MiniDV cassettes. Since tape speed is identical to DV, a 63 minute DV cassette will yield 63 minutes of high definition recording. Furthermore, critical image data is interleaved over the entire 6 frame GOP (corresponding to 60 tracks on the tape) giving the HDV format great robustness with respect to dropouts. In addition to recording on reliable, inexpensive tape, the GY-HD110U can simultaneously record directly to an optional hard disk module, the DR-HD100. In addition to providing an instantaneous back-up recording, recordings made on the hard disk can be accessed directly by popular non-linear editing systems eliminating the need for file transfer. This Direct To Edit feature (DTE) provides producers with a take-away tape copy while providing editors with the ability to begin editing immediately.

2 XLR audio inputs Professional XLR connectors are provided for each audio channel. The GY-HD110U records CD quality audio at 384Kbps in the MPEG1 Layer 2 format. Independent input level controls are provided for each channel. Audio level indicators are visible in the viewfinder and on the flip-out LCD display.

The adjustable shoulder mount allows for enhanced mobility and comfort

Compact shoulder mount The first fully professional HD camcorder to feature a shoulder-type mount with a compact body, the GY-HD110U offers excellent mobility and enhanced usability. The exclusive shoulder-type mount assures ease of handling for anyone, regardless of physical strength. The shoulder pad and earphone position can be moved to fit to the cameraperson's head for a more stable shooting position.

Smooth Motion Function (patented) JVC's exclusive smooth motion function captures images at double the normal rate when shooting in 30p or 25p (that is, at 60p or 50p). When the doubled images are merged, they are passed through a newly developed filter that smoothes out the subject's motion by retaining a small percentage of residual image. This eliminates the motion judder that typically appear in images shot at 30p or 25p.

New GY-HD110U Features

• Black-and-white viewfinder display mode
• Simultaneous use of both eyepiece viewfinder and tri-mode LCD display when powered by Anton Bauer or IDX battery system
• Selectable mirror mode on vertically-flipped LCD display
• Adjustable setting of Focus Assist function
• Choice of 3 image formats on composite out (letterbox, squeeze, side cut)
• User selectable DNR On/Off menu setting
• 13 segments audio level indicator
• Manual audio control within FAS (Full auto shooting) mode
• Audio limiter available in manual mode
• Parallel power off management of DR-HD100 recorder

Product Description

Say hello to the smallest HD Cinema production camera available! The affordable GY-HD100U opens a new area of digital cinematography, letting you unleash your creative potential with results that are nothing short of spectacular. Features: Full High Definition (HD) progressive recording at 24 frames per second Compact shoulder style for stability, comfort and mobility Three newly developed 1/3-inch CCDs with 1280 x 720 (square) pixels Interchangeable lenses with standard 1/3-inch bayonet mount Rugged die-cast body A 16X Fujinon newly developed ProHD lens is included HD Focus Assist makes focusing faster and more precise Live 720/60P analog component output Dual Media option (record to disk and tape simultaneously) XLR Audio inputs (x2) Extensive user adjustable parameters can be stored on an SD memory card Spectacular standard definition performance, records on MiniDV tape HDV/DV Format

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars JVC GY HD110U PRO HD Camcorder, November 9, 2007

By 

J. Boyd "Lion Pro" (Florida, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: JVC GY-HD110U High Definition 3-CCD MiniDV Professional Camcorder with 16x ProHD Fujinon Lens (Electronics)

True 24p HD recording (same as movie film).
720p60 composite out to computer. 720p30 and DV available if considering HD. Comes complete with TV Video lens and is adaptable for additional lens' via a bayonette adapter.
Image Focus Assist is very helpful in the field and I use it often. Image smooth is available and SD save for your different set ups.
I teamed it with Focus Enhancements HDD FS 4HD recorder and ADOBE software and that's it. Your ready for true film production in HD.
Full Menu and shutter adjustments and shoulder style ENG/EFP shooting.
You can't go wrong with this Camera.

13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a true professional camcorder, June 21, 2007

By 

Jesse (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: JVC GY-HD110U High Definition 3-CCD MiniDV Professional Camcorder with 16x ProHD Fujinon Lens (Electronics)

This JVC camcorder with its Fujinon Lens makes Panasonic or Sony HD camcorders look like for amateurs. This is for those who want to work on documentaries/movies and not simply short takes at some news scene. The clarity of the picture is amazing . And you get a pro microphone with it along with a great viewfinder. And it all comes at a great price - unbeliveable.

JVC has always been the leader in this technology . And they teamed up with Fujinon TV Lens to produce this amazing camcorder. Stuff for true professionals.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Recieved 2 defective cameras., June 16, 2008

By 

B. Vanderford - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: JVC GY-HD110U High Definition 3-CCD MiniDV Professional Camcorder with 16x ProHD Fujinon Lens (Electronics)

I bought one of these for an indie film that I am working on. I bought it one month early so that I would have enough time to learn everything about it. At the end of the month the right side of the screen started appearing a shade darker than the left side when viewing on an external monitor / TV (recorded to tape). I returned it to amazon and purchased a second camera... which also had the same defect (only this time it was much worse and visible on the LCD display). I spoke with a friend of mine who had the same camera and he had the same problem after his warranty had expired which cost him $1800 to fix. After the warranty for that work had expired it started doing the exact same thing again and now he doesn't even use that camera.

Needless to say, I did not purchase a third camera but bought a Sony HVR-Z7U instead. It's a little more expensive but well worth the money. I noticed a significant increase in picture quality right away and it has many other features that I like much more. Recording direct to compact flash cuts my editing time in half.

I really wanted this camera to work because it has some pretty great features for the price, but it wasn't worth the hassle for me.