Thread: Panasonic SD90 vs. JVC Jvc Gz-Hm 650 which one?

Hello all.
I did a pretty good job in narrowing down to 2 in my opinion very similar camcorders, and now it drives me mad to make the final decision. Most of the videos I shoot are casual scenes in auto mode, however, occasionally I like to fiddle with manuals to overcome camera's shortcomings or use an art style.

My top requirements for a camcorder (on the top the most important):
1. Great low light abilities. It seams both of them are pretty good at this, but JVC is slightly better and I am not sure if I can battle noise on Panasonic by using manual controls to reduce ISO/exposure.
2. Good bright light abilities, ability to handle bright and dark areas in a scene. Panasonic looks better in this area.
3. Great zoom. Both have, only JVC has slightly more.
3. Adequate manual controls. Panasonic has more of them. From what I have red, JVC has manual focus, but not sure how about manual ISO/exposure.

4. Price. Panasonic is slightly more expensive, but I am ready to pay extra if it is worth the price. JVC low light vs Panasonic bright light. Panasonic manual controls vs JVC price. I am stuck!

So what would you consider a better camcorder?

I would go with the Panasonic because of the ability to control more aspects of the film. Some of its shortcomings can be battled with great editing. I think the low light produces some noise levels but it can be dealt with using a good denoiser (i.e. Red Giant Denoiser or Neat Video). I think the most important thing that it has to offer is the control of bright areas which prove hard to balance in the editing room (if the scene has blown out areas). I say, go for the Panasonic.

Hi,

I bought the JVC GZ-HM650 and I´m very happy with the image quality in general. Low light is very good and the sound quality is excelent.

The only thing that I didnt like is zoom button, I´m using the touch screen. This my third camcorder.

Cheers
D

Originally Posted by Soyer

Hello all.
I did a pretty good job in narrowing down to 2 in my opinion very similar camcorders, and now it drives me mad to make the final decision. Most of the videos I shoot are casual scenes in auto mode, however, occasionally I like to fiddle with manuals to overcome camera's shortcomings or use an art style.

My top requirements for a camcorder (on the top the most important):
1. Great low light abilities. It seams both of them are pretty good at this, but JVC is slightly better and I am not sure if I can battle noise on Panasonic by using manual controls to reduce ISO/exposure.
2. Good bright light abilities, ability to handle bright and dark areas in a scene. Panasonic looks better in this area.
3. Great zoom. Both have, only JVC has slightly more.
3. Adequate manual controls. Panasonic has more of them. From what I have red, JVC has manual focus, but not sure how about manual ISO/exposure.

4. Price. Panasonic is slightly more expensive, but I am ready to pay extra if it is worth the price. JVC low light vs Panasonic bright light. Panasonic manual controls vs JVC price. I am stuck!

So what would you consider a better camcorder?