Customer Reviews

JVC GZ-HD620 120 GB High Definition HDD Camcorder

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Having researched a bit about buying a High Def Camcorder these last two weeks, I made the decision to go for HD620, and on the whole, I certainly don't regret it.
Having said that, I've only had the camera for a few hours now, so my 'review' isn't a fully fledged full review at all, but more with first impressions.

One thing I would like to share before I list any negatives, is this..
I set up the camcorder on a tripod and zoomed in to some plants down at ground level far below my 6th floor apartment, then set it to record (on UXP mode). After a minute or so of recording I plugged it into my HDTV, and I was totally blown away at the level of details on this HD picture, I could see ants walking up the plants and flies near by, and this must be close to 80-100 metres away.. WOW!!! On this basis alone, I felt justified in my purchase.

I've yet to test it properly, but first impressions are looking very favorable.. So why only the 4 stars..
The Negatives..
- For me (others may not have issues) I find the scroll bar and the button presses a little fiddly, it may take some getting used to, but I find myself scrolling right past the menu item I want very easily.
-Lack of separate charger.. You charge the battery by having the battery on the camcorder and then the power cord plugs into the camcorder. I would prefer having a separate battery charger - they are an optional extra, but it would be good if they were included as standard.
-Software doesn't work on a Mac. I pushed in the JVC disc, but noticed all the files were for windows. Not too fussed as I would be using Adobe Premiere anyway. But still, I wanted to check out the software.

Ok, 3 negatives, but honestly, they are only small things. Overall, for the price, I don't think you can go too far wrong purchasing this camcorder.

I bought this camera after my 4 year JVC 30 GB HDD camera started pixelating my videos. Not the look I'm going for on YouTube! I wanted to finally upgrade to a high definition camera but wanted to be economical. I went to the store with the big yellow tag to preview cameras. I tested lots of brands but I'm most familiar with JVC. According to the salesman, most cameras today do not come with a remote. ??? Being a solo videographer, a remote is paramount and the JVC does come with a remote. Being a comparison shopper, I checked the prices on Amazon and it was priced better and had 2 day shipping with Amazon prime. The camera is wonderful. The videos are rich and true HD. The still shots are not the best for me, but I have a digital still camera for that purpose so not a deal breaker for me.

The Bad:
The buttons are a little awkward and small but not a deal breaker for me. If you want a viewfinder, there is not one. It took me a minute to realize there's no "power" button. The camera comes on and turns off when you open or close the flip out screen. There is no separate battery charger other than the AC one that plugs into the camera. There IS a separate battery charger available for purchase. I ended up buying one and an extended battery too because the power was quickly exhausted in the one that came with the camera.

I'm still fumbling with the best way to review footage. The "laser touch" is a little quirky but I am getting the hang of it.
The major drawback of this camera is that when I dropped the AVCHD (raw video footage) into my slide show program, the video played in "double time" meaning the audio did not match the video. I emailed my slide show company and they explained that the AVCHD files were "raw files" and would not drop and drag in some programs. They had to be converted. I found a program that converts but of course, for a fee. You can drop and drag the raw file footage in Adobe Premiere Elements without a problem but I like the features of my other program.

The Good: The remotes that I own from my previous JVC camcorder works with this one too so if I lose one and I've been known to do so, I have backups. The camera is small and sleek. It is priced right too. The video quality is great. The audio is great too. I recorded my cousins commencement speech and could hear it perfectly, along with the crying baby behind me. LOL. The internal 120GB storage is a treat to have.


Are there better HD camcorders to buy? Sure. But for the price, the brand and quality of this JVC, this is a great camera. I high recommend it for someone who wants to upgrade to a true HD camcorder with a remote!

I did a lot of research before buying this product because I was concerned about low light performance(many HD cameras record grainy in low light.) You need to spend some time with the manuals to get full use of the features.

Pros: Small, light, easy to use, everything performs as it should.
Low light performance was exellent, this is what makes it stand out from most others, a feature called Super LoLux (Warning-cheaper JVC models don't have this feature-I bought one and returned it). Here is a YouTube URL from our first use
[...]
or just do a YouTube search for Shayla and Jake. Select the highest resolution and go full screen and judge the video quality for yourself.

Cons: Just one, It comes with no cables for connecting to an HD TV. You must purchase a 'Mini HDMI' yourself. This is the only reason I did not give it 5 Stars.

Battery life is about 45 min. I will be ordering a second one.
I hope this helps.

I like a lot of things about this camcorder which has been mentioned in other reviews. But the following made me returned this camcorder at the cost of 15% re-stocking fee and shipping.
When I recorded a long musical play, the camcorder limits the internal files to 23 minutes and 10 second each. A long recordig session is broken up into several segments of 23 min. and 10 sec. So during playback, I can only view in 23 min. and 10 sec. segments. Using software provided, I can down load all the files and combine segments back into the original session. But the AUDIO breaks up at the joint of segments and it is a very, very slow process. My computer is not slow and has good size of disk space. Frustrating indeed! People at JVC said this is how it's made or designed. Nothing can be done.
I am looking for a similar camcorder with no limit on the internal file size. Any suggestions are welcome.

I recently purchased this camcorder and just used it this past weekend to record my nephew's graduation and open house. I couldn't be happier. It was easy to use right out of the box and the quality of the picture is amazing. I was even able to take some snapshots from the video of the ceremony, and once I reduced the size, the quality was similar to a picture I would take with my camera. This isn't going to replace your camera, but is far, far better than the snapshots I got with my old Sony Handycam. Some of the video was in a brightly lit gymnasium, some outside in bright sunlight, and some inside a moderately lit house, but all of the video came out great.

I use my own video editing software (Cyberlink PowerDirector) so I can't speak to the quality of the software that comes with the camera. I just upload the the .mts file to my computer and edit it with PD.

On the whole I'm very happy with this camera. Excellent detail and color. One drawback is that the microphones pick up a lot of windnoise which can drown out the recording. To remedy this I bought WindCutters and placed them on the microphone holes. This solved the problem.

[...]

You can watch a video I took before I put the Windcutters on by following the link below. This is a video about an Urban Farm in the heart of San Francisco. I got some incredible close-ups of bees!

[...]

I needed a good quality high definition camcorder for a small business on a tight budget. This new JVC GZ-HD620 is a great little camcorder for the money. It is a BIG Technological Upgrade from last years JVC HD Model i had bought from Sam's club and returned soon afterword. It focuses very well on far away moving objects, and the color and clarity can't be beat even in indoor low light situations. The zoom is very smooth too.

I have not installed it's software because i use another production program. I just copy it's .MTS video files to my computer hard drive and then produce them into flash media files that i can self stream to my client's websites and on eBay and Craigs list ads. I am posting a review later today with actual HD video taken with this camcorder at [...]

Overall I am very impressed with this camcorder and give it a big thumbs up and 5 Stars! And also a big thumbs up to Amazon.com for the easy order process and fast shipping! Thank You from the Website Doctor.. :)

picture looks great....and believe the low light feature they talk about. i filmed my daughters birthday party inside with very low light....and even with just candles burning....and it adjusted very well, and still had a clear picture. Only downfall was that the software they give you to transfer the video to your pc seemed to not work well for me. I even tried on two different computers. The picture kept skipping while trying to view on the pc...

I shopped around for weeks before deciding to buy this camcorder...wish I had purchased it long before now. After placing the order the camera arrived several days earlier than I expected. Arrived complete and no shipping damage-well packed. After charging the battery, I used the "quick start" gude and began using the camera. Outstanding quality and so easy to use...I wasn't disappointed with anything about this camcorder. It is awesome...the quality of the HD video and sound is amazing. You don't know me but all I can say is, save yourself some effort and get this deal (great price through Amazon). Also, the vast storage space means I don't have to worry with having memory cards unless I choose to; it's always ready to go with no extra "stuff' to bother with. I'm leaving tomorrow for a trip to Yosemite, followed by several days along the coast in Big Sur...this camera will ensure I will have life-like memories captured to enjoy over and over again. By the way, I was a writer before retiring so I this review may sound a bit like a commercial but I assure you I have nothing to do with anyone related to the sale of this camcorder; I just want everyone to be as pleased as I am and the sooner you start,the better.

this high def camcorder with a built in 120gb hard drive is an excellent product, especially for the price. Have owned 2 previous camcorders (both using tapes). This one, unlike my older models has easy to use controls. Small form factor and light weight add to the ease of use. Downloading from the camera to computer or just immediate playback on TV is very easy. We are using the camera to record youth soccer and youth football- fast paced. Does an excellent job, sharp picture. Only one drawback- There is no easy way to start and stop recording and still have it immediately turn back on and be ready to shoot, so the battery is used up while leaving the the camera in pause. Recommend buying an extra battery.