Matte Box for GY-HM700

[Marcello Mazzilli]

I was one of the 1st ones here in Italy.. I had to take the Fujinon 16x bundle (guess JVC-Italy had a pack of old lenses to give away). I ma quite satisfied with the camera but.. sure.. it is noisy.
Being one of the first I have 1.05 cpu version and can’t upgrade firmware (need to wait or send back to Japan!)

Same button problems. I agree.. it’s very cheap stuff… Also the LCD monitor wobbles when open. Also the viewfinder has a problem. A little screw came out from the slide so now I cannot slide it in back or forward.

Still.. quality is good I think allthough I am having some suspicions… Nobody here or elsewhere has posted some true color settings.. like if.. it is impossible. I always see a greend shade on my footage.. whatever white balance I give.

siRoma di Marcello Mazzilli
Corporate video productions in Italy
http://www.siroma.com

[Charlie Cogar]

Hello Andrew & Marcello,

The college at which I work here in Omaha, Nebraska, USA bought two 700s. For us it’s an upgrade from older model 100s and gets us into a digital workflow. I like the 700 as transitioning to it was extremely easy since its “geography,” (controls, layout, etc.) is the same as the older 100. I agree with Andrew that the buttons seem chintzy and way too small. When reviewing clips on site it’s difficult to maneuver your fingers under and around the LCD display to access the control button. And yes, the A-B switch on the cards could be bigger and have a defined “click” to confirm that you’ve made the change.

We have the Fujinon Th17X5BRMU lens. It’s an excellent lens with quality that’s light years ahead of what we’ve been using. We bought a very practical and inexpensive matte box and French flag from Image West for US$189. It holds 2 4″X5″ filters and meets our requirements.

JVC recently released a firmware upgrade that includes digital noise reduction (DNR) and enables the ability to accept the (yet even) newer class 10 cards. It’s my understanding that the DNR is only discernible when in gains. (One of our cams accepted the firmware upgrade; the other must be shipped to JVC in New Jersey, USA as it’s one of the first produced.)

We bought two Panasonic 16GB SDHC and two RiDATA 16GB SDHC cards. At the time the PAN cards were over US$100 each and the RiData about US$40 each. Both work flawlessly. I’ve read that Transcend cards also work well, and that A-Data cards don’t.

We transfer from the 700 to a Mac computer either via USB or a card reader. It seems that if you remove the card from the cam and use a card reader for transfer the card must be “restored” before reusing, thus losing any footage shot on the card. (In case you want to “pick up where you left off” on the card as you could on tape.)

Functionally the cam is terrific for us and a huge step up. I love being able to easily show clips to clients on-location for approval, deleting bad ones, etc. instead of shuttling tape, and workflow is easier and faster than mini-DV tape. There are many great production “niceties” about the cam that outweigh the frustration and aggravation of having big fingers.

I hope this is helpful, and please be in touch with your experiences.

Charlie Cogar

[Isaac Brillant]

Hi,

How does the Fujinon TH17x5BRM 17x lens compare with the 14x Canon lens? At B&H, the GYHM-700-U with only a 14x Canon lens costs a few hundred more than the GYHM-700-L17 with a 17x Fujinon lens.

Or is the HM700U different/better than the HM700L17 in other ways, besides the lens?

Charlie – Do you know the speed of the Fujinon lens offhand? B&H didn’t list it. I know the Canon lens is f1.6

Thanks
Isaac

[Charlie Cogar]

Hi Isaac,

The speed of the Fujinon lens is f1.4.

I have no experience with the (stock?) Canon lens for the JVC-700. I was told that our two cams were equipped with Fujinon lenses as part of the deal since we were the first to buy them in this area. (One cam is off the original production line; the other cam is off a subsequent line and did not need the firmware update.) I think the lens lists for about $2,5K

Compared to the stock Fujinon lens on the old workhorse JVC-100 the new Fujinon lens is a remarkable improvement.

I’ve read differing opinions on the Canon VS Fujinon lenses and I believe it depends on budget and application. Will B&H let you see the lenses in a cam shootout or anything like that? Who’s out there that has further opinions based on usage?

I hope this helps.

Charlie Cogar