Review: JVC Everio GZ-HD300 HD camcorder

The consumer camcorder market is making big steps forward right now. So while that camcorder you bought last year isn’t in desperate need for an upgrade, if you haven’t purchased one in two (or more) years then you might be surprised by what is coming out these days. Mid-range products are now shooting at 1080p (aka full HD) with the ability to shoot large still images, and models are smaller than ever. Additionally we are seeing more storage options, most models have SD/SDHC and while some have hard drives or flash memory, SSD storage is becoming increasingly prevalent.

JVC’s new Everio HD300 (GZ-HD300A) is a full HD camcorder that records to a 60GB internal hard drive. The drive holds up to 25 hours of HD video, though you can choose to shoot to a microSD card which will give you an easy 8GB of storage. The camera comes in a slick blue color and it’s quite compact, practically pocketable. These features add up to something that will be attractive to a wide selection of consumers.

At $600 the GZ-HD300 isn’t the cheapest HD cam on the market, but JVC made sure to make it consumer friendly and easy to use. Operation is, on the whole, dead simple and the controls are friendly. In addition to a nice selection of buttons scattered about the device there is a touch-sensitive slider on the side of the LCD panel and touch-sensitive “buttons” under it. These features, while minor, are slick and gives users some insight into what JVC was going for.

The camcorder is quite small, which is one of its main strengths, but consumers will want to keep in mind the implications of this. There are few advanced features, like microphone connections, and users should not expect to see an accessory shoe or things along those lines. The camcorder does have on-board HMDI and component as well as a controller, so not all features are lost to attain the small size. The camera has a wide selection of buttons, but the casual user won’t have to worry about most of them. There is a dedicated snapshot button for taking still images (including when shooting video), a switch for changing between video and camera modes, as well as dedicated one-touch buttons for upload/title, export, and direct disc/info. There is a dedicated button for playback mode as well. Of course, many of these are just there for convenience as pretty much everything can be done through the camcorder’s LCD if you are willing to search through the menus.

In terms of design the HD300 scores most of its points for a small size and good looks. The slim design and blue coloring (other options are available) make it more attractive than most camcorders available, and some gunmetal chrome highlights scattered around don’t hurt either. The button layout is comfortable and easy to adjust too, though some corners were cut on the handstrap. There is a built-in, automatic lens cover and front-facing microphones. The connections are scattered all over the device (USB on the front, power on the back, AV on the back, microSDHC on the bottom, HDMI/component inside facing the LCD).