JVC GZ-HM550 Review: Feature-Packed HD Camcorder

By now, dedicated camcorders have to compete with regular cameras in HD recording, so a camcorder really has to offer some added value, which is what the JVC GZ-HM550 does. The new Full HD camcorder is a flexible model that offers a lot of interesting new features.

Menu and Ease of Use

The GZ-HM550 is easy to get a grip on, and its zoom controls and recording buttons are placed perfectly – for those with fairly small hands at any rate. The menu is accessed via touch-sensitive buttons below the display and there’s also something that JVC calls “Laser Touch Operation” control on the right-hand side by which you can scroll up and down in menus.

While browsing the menu, we find several interesting options, like the ability to set shutter speed and focus manually, adjust white balance or select the focus area. The camera has 32GBs of built-in flash memory that can store close to three hours at the highest quality setting,  but if more space is needed it also has a memory card slot for SDHC cards.

More Pleasant Surprises

Another interesting new feature is Bluetooth connectivity; you can connect a wireless microphone to the camera for interviews or wireless video conferences for example, or connect it wirelessly to a cell phone to geotag your videos or transfer your stills.

In addition, the GZ-HM550 is able to take still images in high resolution while filming, upload clips to YouTube and film short snippets at extremely high speeds (up to 500 images per second).

Image Quality

In UXP-mode, the JVC GZ-HM550 captures video in full HD resolution interlaced with a bitrate of 24 Mbps – the images are really sharp and look great overall. Its colors are natural-looking and the camera is extremely good at macro shooting, even without turning on the dedicated macro mode.

Shooting indoors with poor lighting conditions works pretty well, and in this case you also have a built-in lamp to assist you. The camera is quite quick to find the right focus and white balance in the “auto” setting. It also has an image stabilizer, which is somewhat less than perfect, but still perfectly acceptable.

For still photography, the GZ-HM550 has an effective nine megapixel resolution, and the result is really good for outdoor use, but the built-in lamp leaves more to be desired when using the camera in low-light conditions.

Conclusion

Overall, the JVC GZ-HM550 is very pleasant to use. There are no major shortcomings and it’s a good buy for anyone who wants an easy and convenient camcorder with a lot of features and good image quality.

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