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If you need an affordable HDV camcorder with professional-level controls and a pro lens, and want to take advantage of the superior 720p60 recording format, the GY-HD200 is the best choice on the market today, and well worth the extra $2,450 you'll spend in stepping up from JVC's HD110.
PRICE: 18,995
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
JVC Professional
http://pro.jvc.com
JVC was the first company to offer an HDV camcorder, the GY-HD1, which the company introduced in early 2003. It was revolutionary by some standards because it was the first camera to deliver HD shooting for under $4,000, but its single-chip configuration and poor low-light performance at 30 lux minimum illumination made it ill-suited for professional work. Using a progressive chip, it shot 720p30 HDV.
The HDV field remained fairly stagnant for the next 18 months, until late 2004 when Sony jumped in the game with its consumer FX1 and pro Z1 3-CCD HDV camcorders, two nearly identical models (despite their "consumer" and "pro" designations) that both shot 1080i60. In 2005, Canon released its first HDV model, the 3-CCD, 1080160 XL Hl camcorder, and JVC introduced the GY-HD100, its long-awaited follow-up to the HDl. The HD100 was a 3-CCD, shoulder-mount camcorder that shot HDV in 720p30 and 720p24. This was true 24 frames per second progressive video, not the fudged 24-frame film look produced (with markedly different levels of success) using the interlaced chips in the Sony and Canon camcorders. The tape actually moved slower, and there was no pull-down as with other 24p offerings, such as Panasonic's AG-DVX100, that shot in 30p and would do the pull-down to 24p only when capturing to an NLE.
In 2006 JVC updated the HD100 to the HD110, adding a handful of new features and fixing a few issues in a camera that was still very similar in terms of functionality and price. JVC also introduced two additional models, the HD200 and HD250. These cameras added a standard Anton Bauer battery mount; and another shooting mode, 720p60 (more on this later), using a higher-quality and super-fast MPEG encoder. The HD250 also added studio connections, Genlock, and HD-SDI out.
Because the HD250's extra features and price wouldn't interest most event videographers, the HD200 (MSRP $8,995 with 16X Fujinon lens) with...