JVC Everio GZHD3 3CCD 60GB Hard Disk Drive High Definition Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

Impressive fit & finish, easy-to-use features, image quality is good under daylight, but poor in a low-light environment. I paid $530 on Amazon in August '08 so it's a good value.

This Camcorder is pathethic.... First off, Digital Stabilization is the worst Idea Next 2 Intrapolated Pictures 4 higher Megapixels on your digital camera.... & it works about the same... Unfortunately you can't turn that off in Auto Mode, & Manual mode is too hard 4 anyone who doesn't know the camera 2 use... Lack of viewfinder is a lost cause if you plan on shooting anything at higher speeds... Like rc airplanes....

and why the heck would they force interlaced video... It sucks... it Looks terrible viewed on my 50" lcd hdtv.... I have 2 first convert everything over 2 deinterlaced... Also 2 strip the extra byte off their format 2 make it reg mpg you need 2 import it into powerdirector it will conver/strip the encoding off & leave you with a regular mpg (no conversion or re-compression)

I would have bought the Canon hd10, but the speed of the zoom on the canon was slower than a snail, but video on the canon looked much better... I should have just put up with the slow zoom... at least the canon stays in focus that way...

PS, the $400 minidvd camcorders Have Way better stabilization... this camera just isn't very usable... it prob isn't worth a dime... Skip JVC & buy the canon...

This camera is absolute quality. I love the large lens, the great features, the comfortable handling, & the sharpenss of the footage. 60gb allows 4 up 2 5 hours of HD footage, which is incredible. The stock battery may only last about 1-2 hours of use, but I'm surprised how long the first charge actually lasted. Quality, even at 10x zoom is great, & there is some noise in low-light conditions, but filming without proper lighting is asking a little much.

Overall, I'm very happy about this purchase, & I would recommend it 4 anyone looking 2 buy a great camera 4 every day use, or even 4 filming small movies 4 fun.

I love this camera!! It's very simple 2 use & has many features 2 support most video/photo adjustments the average person would want 2 make 2 take a great shot. My wife likes it & she's not particularly tech-savvy. I'm a software developer so I tend 2 do well with technology.

I was drawn 2 the camera because of the HDD digital storage & it seemed 2 be high quality when compared with others that I experimented with in it's class without being bulky, or having an awkward or complicated user interface. Once I discovered this unit at my favorite technology retail store, I did a lot of research on the device - its features & usability, & tried 2 find it's weaknesses from any professional review I could locate. I did all my searching on the Internet. What I found was that nearly all the reviews were raving when compared with others (it was a leader in major publishers). The weakness that was pointed out by only a few reviews was that it seems 2 have an ever so slight difficulty managing orange toned colors. Particularly in bad lighting. This was an acceptable downside 2 me considering how well it outperformed many other areas in autofocus, zoom, anti-wobble (stabilization 4 shaky hands), shutter speed, backlighting, flash (with anti-red-eye), color accuracy (despite the orange issue), viewfinder, user interface, digital storage speed, & quality of resulting video. The photography aspect doesn't come lacking either. However, the orange issue applies also 2 stills. BTW, (reviewer note) this is more apparent 2 me since the interior of my house is painted with earth tones. The camera doesn't have any trouble at all in natural (outdoor) lighting.

The camera's hard drive also has a shock-proof feature 2 protect the hard drive in a fall, an input jack 4 an optional external microphone, 10x/40x/300x zoom, & several other features. Another professional review was displeased with the built in microphone (I haven't noticed this problem). But that's certainly eliminated with the optional external microphone & mount-point. Another great usability feature is that the most common scene capture adjustments you would want 2 make can be set from a mini on-screen popup menu, the more uncommonly used adjustments are made via the main menu. The popup menu can be accessed & adjusted during video recording (which would also be noticed on the resulting video).

One downside I have encountered is that the file output is not a common output format (perhaps it is 2 support higher quality video recordings). MOD is this file format. I don't know what that is so I end up converting all my movies 2 MPG. If I didn't have a way 2 record a script on my computer this batch conversion process would have been very frustrating & time consuming.

The user manual was straight-forward & thorough. I read the whole thing in a few sittings when I bought it & have been very glad I did. I couldn't have gotten up 2 speed with it nearly so fast. Firstly, the user interface has very few controls, very few buttons. That's what I wanted, but it meant that I would have 2 learn 2 navigate the menus in order 2 know where 2 find what I wanted 2 execute it quickly in live action. The manual certainly met my needs in that area. So there is a learning curve. It's been 15 months (birth of our first-born) since I bought it & I'll be returning 2 the manual 4 a refresher on those infrequently used features which could be helping me & I've simply forgotten.

Overall, the camera is easy 2 adjust & get into the action quickly. I personnally dislike having 2 make a party wait 4 the camera man 2 adjust his (complicated) camera. I didn't want 2 be that camera man. This camera has been an excellent fit.

I know the 3CCD is a major innovation but I don't remember much about it - but it takes great videos & pictures. I certainly recommend it, but I
can't give it 5 stars 4 the orange tone management. Probably a 4.5!!

Bought the camera 1 month ago from Amazon. Easy 2 use & download software (I'm not a techi). I needed 2 spend some time 2 get used 2 the editing software with the camera, but now I can use most basic functions. Microphone can pick up any adjustments you make 2 the camera while filming, so just try 2 use adjustments sparingly. Excellent HD camera 4 the price. Happy with the purchase & will probably upgrade camera with microphone 2 help pick up speeches etc...

The art & practicality of the HD video camcorder has reached a convenient size 4 simple everyday use with the JVC Everio GZ-HD3. With recording capability of up 2 1440x1080 resolution, your vids can fill the high performance screen of your new widescreen HDTV 4 a new era of viewing pleasure. The lens of the GZ-HD3 was developed by KonicaMinolta & delivers an extremely detailed picture with clear contrast & strong presence throughout the image ? the type of stable & consistent performance that becomes essential when recording images at HD specifications. For bright, realistic colors the it uses three 1/5-inch CCDs - one each 4 red, green & blue - 4 natural, vivid images.
It's designed 4 friendly use. Focus Assist outlines in-focus image contours in color so you can easily tell which parts of the image are in or out of focus. A full array of effects is available so you can choose the right exposure or shutter speed automatically according 2 the scene you're shooting. Easily accessible via visual menu dial. Go creative with the Zebra Function that sisplays a striped pattern across highlight areas on the image, making it easier 2 manually set the exposure. Moving 2 HD MPEG2 video recording offers pro quality. With JVC GZ-HD3 in your hand, it's simple 2 be a pro 4 all you & your family's video camcorder needs - ready 4 viewing on your widescreen HDTV. Video Record Modes - FHD (1920x1080i, 26.6Mbps) / SP (1440x1080i, 19Mbps) / 1440CBR (1440x1080i, 27Mbps [CBR]) XP (1440x1080i, Max. 30Mbps, Ave. 26.6Mbps) Connections - USB 2.0/1.1, HDMI Out, iLINK Out, Component Video Out, S-Video Out, AV Out, SD/SDHC Memory Card Slot, DC In Still Image Res [4 - 3] 1440x1080 / 1024x768 / 640x480; [16 - 9] 1920x1080 Unit Dimensions - 3-1/4 x 3 x 6-1/8 (82mm x 75mm x 154mm) / About 20 ounces Includes battery & charger / Video & still transfer software Easily transfer video & still cont