The Great HD Shoot-Out - Canon HV20, Sony HDR-HC7, Panasonic HDC-SD1, JVC GZ-HD7

Performance

](http://images.camcorderinfo.com/images/upload/Image/news/2007/Shoot_out/Performance_full/Canon_HV20_Person_Wide_auto.BMP)  

To correct, we used the outdoor white balance preset and lowered the EV. The skin tones took on a much healthier appearance, which any one in your shot would thank you for. Lowering the exposure also removed the slightly blow-out patches on the model’s arms. The trees maintained a lot of their detail, though where we could once see into the shadows, now the shadow has become impenetrable. The Canon HV20 does not have a tremendous dynamic range.  

[

](http://images.camcorderinfo.com/images/upload/Image/news/2007/Shoot_out/Performance_full/Canon_HV20_Person_Wide_adjusted.BMP) *Sony HDR-HC7* – This shot looks terrible in Easy mode. The white balance is skewed far too heavily into the blue, which ruined the skin tone, sidewalk, and tree trunk. The picture does not look as sharp as the Canon HV20, either, creating a distinctly (and unwanted) "video" look.  [

](http://images.camcorderinfo.com/images/upload/Image/news/2007/Shoot_out/Performance_full/Sony_HDR-HC7_Person_Wide_easy.BMP)  Adjusted to the Outdoor white balance preset, Sony again shows its penchant for extremes. Before it was too blue. Now it’s too warm. Overall, the picture is much better than in Easy mode, having lost that unnatural look. The dynamic range was nothing to brag about in this camcorder. In order keep that patch of sky in the background from blowing out, we had to lower the exposure considerably.   [

](http://images.camcorderinfo.com/images/upload/Image/news/2007/Shoot_out/Performance_full/Sony_HDR-HC7_Person_Wide_adjusted.BMP) 

Panasonic HDC-SD1 – In auto mode, the SD1 had the second-best looking color balance. It’s certainly less saturated than the Canon, Sony, or JVC, which could prove a boon to shooters with a penchant for color correcting. The reduced resolution compared to the two HDV camcorders was obvious.   

[

](http://images.camcorderinfo.com/images/upload/Image/news/2007/Shoot_out/Performance_full/Panasonic_HDC-SD1_Person_Wide_auto_test_c_r.jpg)  After adjusting white balance and exposure, the HDC-SD1’s image is as good or better than the color balance to the Canon HV20. This is definitely the most natural looking skin, a feat in itself, but the slightly more saturated greens in the Canon would likely be preferred by point-and-shooters. The fine detail does not compare to the Canon, and it about on par with the Sony HC7. All three camcorders trump the JVC GZ-HD7.  [

](http://images.camcorderinfo.com/images/upload/Image/news/2007/Shoot_out/Performance_full/Panasonic_HDC-SD1_Person_Wide_adjusted_test_c_r.jpg)  *JVC GZ-HD7* – Running exactly opposite of the Sony HC7, the JVC Everio GZ-HD7 erred too far into the red – much too far – in auto mode. Generally, manufacturers boost saturation on warmer colors to create better looking skin tones, but this goes too far. Suddenly midday looks like sunset. The compression artifacts are also prominent, reducing a lot of the fine detail. Noise furthered the problem.  [

](http://images.camcorderinfo.com/images/upload/Image/news/2007/Shoot_out/Performance_full/JVC-GZ-HD7_Person_Wide_auto.BMP)  After shifting to the outdoor white balance preset and lowering the exposure, the JVC-GZ-HD7 looks far better than in auto mode. But the image takes on a distinctly soft look compared to the other camcorders. The color balance is a touch warmer than Sony’s HC7, but the range of colors that Sony managed – including believable greens and browns – are absent in the JVC.   [

](images.camcorderinfo.com/images/upload/Image/news/2007/Shoot_out/Performance_full/JVC-GZ-HD7_Person_Wide_adjusted.BMP)  **Outdoor Shooting, Part 2**The second shot was a close-up of our model. In this set-up, we made exposure and white balance adjustments to each camcorder.  *Canon HV20* – The close-up shot of our model was a straight-up tie in color performance between the Canon HV20 and the Panasonic HDC-SD1. This is the skin tone that camcorder manufacturers like to brag about, warming it up just enough to be flattering, but not so far as to push the color balance too far. The fine detail, most evident in the "sole patch," is unquestionably best in the Canon image (open up the full resolution images for a better side-by-side comparison).  [

](http://images.camcorderinfo.com/images/upload/Image/news/2007/Shoot_out/Performance_full/Canon_HV20_Person_CU_adjusted.BMP) *Sony HDR-HC7* – Like the wide shot, the close up is a little warmer than we’d like. Of course, an experienced user could find ways around this, but you don’t always have a white balance card when you need one and the Easy mode already proved itself to be inadequate. A side-by-side of the full resolution image here shows the HC7’s inability to match the Canon for fine detail capture. Along with trees, a person’s hair can be one of the most difficult subjects for a camcorder to render successfully. The winner in this contest is clearly Canon.   [

](http://images.camcorderinfo.com/images/upload/Image/news/2007/Shoot_out/Performance_full/Sony_HDR-HC7_Person_CU_adjusted.BMP) *Panasonic HDC-SD1* – The Panasonic SD1’s image looks fantastic here – at least in terms of color performance. The skin tone here is near-perfect. The AVCHD compression, however, shows pixelation along curved lines (look at the shadow of the sunglasses, for one example). It does not yet rival HDV, either in the Canon or the Sony.  [

](http://images.camcorderinfo.com/images/upload/Image/news/2007/Shoot_out/Performance_full/Panasonic_HDC-SD1_Person_CU_adjusted_test_c_r.jpg)  *JVC GZ-HD7* – Again, the image is warmer that it should be, but the fine detail capture is very good. Yet again, though, the image has a soft filter look to it, indicating that the imagers cannot provide the necessary resolution for quality HD.  [

](http://images.camcorderinfo.com/images/upload/Image/news/2007/Shoot_out/Performance_full/Sony_HDR-HC7_Person_CU_adjusted.BMP)  **Outdoor Shooting, Part 3**The third shot was two-parter, a tree blowing in the breeze against a blue sky, and a tree trunk against a strongly lit background. In this set-up, we made exposure adjustments to each camcorder. As any DP will tell you, shooting a tree is one of the fasted ways to see a video camera’s limitations. The layers of fine detail, the subtle back and forth motion in the wind, the bright colors and deep shadows – it’s a DP’s nightmare. So let’s see how these camcorders did.  *Canon HV20* – There’s no getting around the fact that the Canon HV20 outputs an interlaced signal. It’s quite clear in this shot of the palm leaves. Anything moving horizontally produced the tell-tale jaggies. Much to Canon’s credit, the HV20 did an excellent job of staving off color fringing, even those places where it seemed near inevitable. There were some noise issue in dense, contrasty areas, but most of the image remained crisp and well-colored.  [

](http://images.camcorderinfo.com/images/upload/Image/news/2007/Shoot_out/Performance_full/Canon_HV20_tree.BMP)  The widow-maker shot, the tree trunk against the blazingly bright sky, didn’t turn out as bad as we’d feared (though it shows all the flaws of HDV immediately). With the wind whipping around the palm fronds, they take on a ghostly appearance, disappearing in every other scan line. But the HV20 managed to reign in the color fringing to an admirable extent. The worst instance is a purple fringe along one frond and the right side of the trunk. There are also instances of haloing along the branches on the left side. Overall, the Canon underexposed the image, leaving too much in the dark. This was a tendency that we found several times during testing for the review. [

](http://images.camcorderinfo.com/images/upload/Image/news/2007/Shoot_out/Performance_full/Canon_HV20_tree2.BMP)  *Sony HDR-HC7* – The other HDV camcorder produced far more interlaced evidence than the HV20. The colors are less saturated than the Canon, which as we’ve stated before, will please some users and not others. The overall color balance is fine. However, the areas of dense contrasty information produced more noise. Despite these deficiencies, this first shot did not show any real color fringing.   [

](http://images.camcorderinfo.com/images/upload/Image/news/2007/Shoot_out/Performance_full/Sony_HDR-HC7_tree.BMP)  The second shot was better exposed than the Canon HV20, producing healthier looking greens and browns. As with the Canon, the HDR-HC7 showed the same problematic interlace gaps endemic to HDV. The Sony, however, managed a better job at reducing color aberrations. There were equal amounts of ghosting along some of the branches.  [

](http://images.camcorderinfo.com/images/upload/Image/news/2007/Shoot_out/Performance_full/Sony_HDR-HC7_tree2.BMP)  *Panasonic HDC-SD1* – As in the other test shots, the HDC-SD1 again showed a great color balance, placing itself almost directly between the Canon and Sony in terms of saturation and brightness. While AVCHD has several detrimental aspects, showing its interlace seams does not seem to be one of them. Unlike the two HDV camcorders, there is almost no evidence of jaggies caused by horizontal movement. Not that the image doesn’t have its own problems. AVCHD creates thick, blocky chunks of compression artifacts, evident in fine detail images like this. The SD1 was also not as sharp as either of the HDV camcorders.   [

](http://images.camcorderinfo.com/images/upload/Image/news/2007/Shoot_out/Performance_full/Panasonic_HDC-SD1_tree_test_c_r.jpg) Up until the tree trunk shot, the HDC-SD1 had managed to stave off the jaggies most of the time. Pushed to extremes, though, they made it clear that this, too, is an interlaced image that can have trouble resolving horizontal motion against a contrasty background. The resolution was so-so, and the color balance was decent, but there was one flaw that caused us pause. On the right hand side, where a patch of sunlight punched through between fronds, the camcorder goes haywire and creates a huge patch of ghosting and artifacting.  [

](http://images.camcorderinfo.com/images/upload/Image/news/2007/Shoot_out/Performance_full/Panasonic_HDC-SD1_tree2_test_c_r.jpg)  *JVC GZ-HD7* – The JVC GZ-HD7 did a pretty good job with the first tree – no small feat. True, there is a lot of compression artifacting, but the level of detail looks good, and the color balance here is better than any of the previous shots.   

[

](http://images.camcorderinfo.com/images/upload/Image/news/2007/Shoot_out/Performance_full/JVC-GZ-HD7_Tree.BMP)

 In the tree trunk shot, the GZ-HD7 manages to avoid all interlace jaggies. This is perhaps due to the progressive imagers, despite the fact that the camcorder outputs an interlaced signal. The camcorder also shows the least amount of color fringing. Of course, it also has the least sharp image, which is a tough trade-off.   [

](http://images.camcorderinfo.com/images/upload/Image/news/2007/Shoot_out/Performance_full/JVC-GZ-HD7_Tree2.BMP)  **Outdoor Shooting, Part 4**The final shot was a flower bed, chosen to explore each camcorder’s color treatments and dynamic range. The brightly lit white flowers were our gauge for adjusting peak exposure. To the average eye, these images may look to dark, but to a pro, the important thing is to keep IRE levels within legal limits. Colors can always be corrected in post.  *Canon HV20* – This shot brought out all the best aspects of the Canon HV20. We see here that Canon color that people speak about all the time. The still truly looks like a photograph. Of course, it’s not perfect. The image is still marred by interlace line along contrasty areas (i.e., where the purple flower meets the white flower). But overall, you probably couldn’t find a better looking image from a consumer camcorder.  

[

](http://images.camcorderinfo.com/images/upload/Image/news/2007/Shoot_out/Performance_full/Canon_HV20_flowers_b.BMP) *Sony HDR-HC7* – The Sony image is very sharp, but again we see that unmistakable "video" look that turns off so many DPs. Compare this with the photo-like Canon HV20 and you’ll see what we mean. Perhaps it’s the higher sharpening, perhaps it’s the narrower color range – we’re not sure. But we just can’t find a reason to prefer this over the HV20.  [

](http://images.camcorderinfo.com/images/upload/Image/news/2007/Shoot_out/Performance_full/Sony_HDR-HC7_flowers_b.BMP)  *Panasonic HDC-SD1* – Even in this low exposure, the color balance is again very good. All the colors pop here, and after correction they look absolutely spectacular. The artifacting here takes a toll on apparent sharpness. HDV is still preferable.   [

](http://images.camcorderinfo.com/images/upload/Image/news/2007/Shoot_out/Performance_full/Panasonic_HDC-SD1_flowers_b_c_r.jpg)

JVC GZ-HD7 – The GZ-HD7 produced the most saturated image in this shot. The resolution does not compare to the HDV camcorders, but it escapes the compression artifacts of AVCHD. As always, the image is noisy and a little soft. This can be corrected by increasing sharpening then running a noise reduction filter, but you’d be better off starting with a cleaner, sharper image.

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](http://images.camcorderinfo.com/images/upload/Image/news/2007/Shoot_out/Performance_full/JVC-GZ-HD7_Flower_b.BMP)

We recently picked up JVC’s GZ-HD7, and it’s certainly a formidable competitor with a robust and well-implemented manual control suite, a healthy array of ports and terminals, and a satisfyingly balanced in-hand feel. But how does this new camcorder stack up to the other top-flight HD camcorders in the field? That’s a question that we’ll address in this shootout between JVC’s GZ-HD7, Canon’s HV20, Sony’s HDR-HC7, and Panasonic’s HDC-SD1. We found that each camcorder excels in certain areas of handling, manual control interface, and convenience. Our overall conclusions about the HD7 may well surprise you even more.

Low Light Performance

Low light testing is a standardized practice for all of our reviews, involving three parts. Shooting a DSC Labs CamAlign ChromaDuMonde color chip chart, we light the scene at an even 60 lux and 15 lux. For the third part, we lower the lights until the camcorder is producing 50 IRE, then take frame grabs from that footage and run them through Imatest imaging software for color accuracy, noise, saturation evaluation. All camcorders are in auto mode with a manual white balance adjustment. What’s discussed below is a summation of each camcorder’s performance. The full run-down can be read in their respective reviews.

Canon HV20 – In 1080/60i, the Canon HV20 and Sony HDR-HC7 had nearly identical low light performance. The sensitivity (ability to produce 50 IRE) for both was 7 lux, which is a very low light level. Color accuracy and saturation levels were similar. The Canon produced slightly less noise, which was evident by simple looking at the image. But the Canon HV20 became hands-down champion of low light by virtue of a simple trick: 24P. By switching the HV20 into 24P, the sensitivity more than doubled, dropping all the way down to 3 lux. What’s more, the color accuracy improved and the noise dropped. The ability to shoot in 24P is one of the strongest selling points of the HV20, and the results of this test prove how valuable that can be. Filmmakers should take note, however, that your project should probably be start-to-finish in either interlaced or progressive. The difference is jarring, even to the untrained eye. (Read more)

Sony HDR-HC7 – As stated above, the Sony HDR-HC7 was very good, thanks to its large sensor. It matched the Canon HV20 almost exactly in terms of sensitivity, noise, color accuracy, and saturation. Producing a decent image at 7 lux is no small feat for a consumer camcorder. We expect this to remain among the best performances of the year. Unfortunately, the HC7 was ultimately trumped by the HV20’s ability to record in 24P. The HC7 did not appear to perform as well as its predecessor, the HDR-HC3, either. This is likely due to the fact that the camcorders share the same size imager, but the HC7 has a higher pixel count – cramming more pixels into the same amount of space. (Read more)

Panasonic HDC-SD1 – The three chips in the HDC-SD1 did the performances a favor in adequate light, but the relatively small size did not help its standing as a low light powerhouse. The SD1 was only about half as sensitive as the HDV camcorders. The heavy AVCHD compression compounded the issue by heaping on piles of artifacts. Then there was the noise. Because the SD1’s chips are on the small side, the camcorder compensated by boosting the gain, as high as +18dB. It doesn’t take much of a light drop off (about 40-50 lux) before that gain is boosted all the way up. Gain means noise, and there was a fair amount of it. (Read more)

JVC GZ-HD7 – The GZ-HD7 was the least sensitive of all four camcorders, producing 50 IRE at 17 lux. The biggest issue in low light with the GZ-HD7 is the noise. We saw plenty of it in bright light; in low light it becomes even more prominent. It’s a fat noise, too, not an easily ignored fine grain noise. We just couldn’t believe that a camcorder this expensive would be released with such obvious low light flaws. (Read more)

  

Use and Handling

 **Ease of Use*********

Canon HV20 – If you prefer to sit back, relax, and operate your camcorder in cruise control, the HV20 is a comfortable ride. We’re talking Auto mode here, and this Canon performs on par with its competitors for the most part, with the welcome addition of Instant AF – an option that turbo-charges auto focus speed with terrific accuracy. Canon also offers up a mind-boggling array of Recording Program or AE modes that allow you to shift the cam’s auto parameters to suit anything from sun-bleached sands to darkened auditoriums. Jump to Manual mode and you’ll find a limited but well-chosen set of features. Your options include P (AE), Av (Aperture Priority), Tv (Shutter Priority), and 24P. All these shooting modes allow for quick manual control adjustments. Adjusting the HV20 is very easy given the smart menu design, manual controls that work well within the limitations of the camcorder’s size. Unfortunately, the camcorder’s ergonomics fall short. The HV20 doesn’t feel as natural in your hand as the other cams in this article, and the zoom rocker and joystick are tough to operate efficiently without adopting an awkward grip. The viewfinder is also only marginally useful, with no eyecup and no way to extend or tilt it. Yet these knocks are still overwhelmed by the camcorder’s performance, and an intuitive interface that gives you what you need when you need it – no small feat for a consumer HD camcorder.    

Sony HDR-HC7 – Sony knows ease of use like no other manufacturer. The Easy button is a case in point – while other camcorders may feature an "auto" button, Sony’s Easy Button puts its camcorders into idiot-proof mode, locking you out of any option that might get you into trouble. We like choice – and Easy mode is about locking you out of choice – but Sony’s finely-tunes auto controls and solid performance ensure that you’ll still get decent video if the only controls you know how to use are the zoom toggle and Record button. The touch screen menu is another feature that makes the HC7 highly accessible. If you can read and point to buttons on the screen, you’ll be able to navigate through the menu and make selections without learning the ins and outs of a specific interface. Just be forewarned that touch screens are smudge-prone, and this menu sprawls like suburbia, meaning you’ll get what you need, but getting there might feel like traversing LA at rush hour. Manually adjusting this camcorder is a mixed bag. The Cam Control dial looks good on paper, but we found it so small that dialing in focus accurately, or selecting a given shutter speed option is far from easy. The problem is especially acute with manual focus. Yes, the LCD is very sharp, but the HC7 includes no Focus Assist option as on the HD7, HV20, or SD1 to guard against focus errors when Easy Mode isn’t up to the job.    

Panasonic HDC-SD1 - The HDC-SD1 is a cruiser, and ease of use is one of its strong points. Unlike the unbridled sprawl of a Sony menu, this one keeps every submenu to a single page, the rear-mounted joystick allows for speedy navigation, as on the HD7 and HV20. Playback mode is also a quick and easy process, and makes use of the kind of thumbnail display found on most non-linear media camcorders. The SD1’s manual control menu has also gone up a notch over previous Panasonics for ease of use as the opaque icons now have useful titles attached when the Info feature is engaged. The LCD screen is also a tad bigger than on the other HD models in this article, and that’s a good thing as there is no viewfinder! Finally, this camcorder records to SD and SDHC media. The flash cards are tiny, silent, and durable, so other than their limited capacity, the only risk you’ll face is losing one in the darkened recesses of your camera bag. Sadly, when it comes to archiving, viewing, or editing video shot with the HDC-SD1, your options are rather limited. AVCHD is an efficient codec, but it hasn’t been around long enough to spur development of post-production options. It’s also not yet supported by hardware, so forget dragging and dropping those clips onto a DVD unless you happen to have one of the few players that support the codec. No matter how easy to use this – or any – AVCHD camcorder may be right now, the HC7, and HV20 both offer production-to-post workflows thanks to the maturity of HDV, while the HD7 includes a decent software package.   

JVC GZ-HD7 – Much more than the other HD cams discussed here, the JVC GZ-HD7 looks and feels like a scaled-down prosumer camcorder.   It’s slightly larger than the others, giving it some extra weight, and some added stability during hand-held shooting. Following the prosumer camcorder model, its surface is crowded with a lot of controls and buttons - and this makes it an easy camcorder to understand visually, since there are dedicated buttons for both settings like BLC (back light compensation) common on high-end consumer cams, as well as for settings like Aperture Priority that are not. More physical buttons and controls means you’re spared from having to go hunting and pecking your way through a menu to make a manual aperture adjustment.  On the other hand, the number of buttons will leave some users daunted, though the learning curve isn’t steep. The joystick makes for quick and efficient navigation of the main Admin menu - though there is a slight delay in response time after making a given selection. The HD7 also makes good use of control clusters, with three buttons for image brightness settings on the back of the camcorder (iris, shutter speed, and exposure value), all adjacent to a Setting Select Lever used only for those adjustments. The other main control cluster governs focus, with the Focus Priority and Auto/Manual focus toggle buttons right next to the excellent focus ring. And, don’t forget this is an HDD camcorder which means you’ll replace tape management with one-touch DVD archiving (if you drop a few hundred bucks on the optional HD Share Station. While this may be an easy camcorder for the experienced user, it’s less suited than the other HD cams for novices due to spotty auto control performance, and that intimidating array of external buttons. * ****Handling***Canon HV20 - *The HV20 is a model of intelligent interface design that above all does a heck of a lot with a little. Take a gander at the HV20 and you don’t see a scaled-down version of a bigger camcorder as with the HD Everio, a technological wonder as in the Sony HC7, or a minimalist cruiser as in the HDC-SD1. Compared to the other camcorders, the Canon looks unassuming, and feels less "expensive." Actually it is less expensive, to the tune of a few hundred dollars. It is also more physically challenged than its cohort, with a thin hand strap, control placement that could be improved. Yet the Canon’s video performance is the best of the lot, and access to the most important controls is amazingly fast and efficient. For field production where getting your shot depends to a large degree on how quickly and accurately you can dial in focus and aperture, the Canon is equaled by the HD7 – and gets you there in an entirely different way.  

The HV20 is wide, yet lightweight.

  Even thought the focus dial is just OK, and is basically a focus-only version of the Sony Cam Control dial, this is a camcorder that’s unusually easy to focus manually thanks to an excellent Focus Assist that is engaged at the touch of a button. Without Focus Assist, focusing HD video with the tiny dial would be difficult – but that feature elevates the manual focus to among the best we’ve seen. Instant AF is also excellent, and amazingly accurate in lower light than the other cams’ auto focus can handle. Canon has also placed three key controls outside the menu for fast access via the joystick. The settings are Zebras, manual audio levels, and end search. Canon also places key image controls - Program AE, Shutter Priority (Tv), and Aperture Priority (Av) modes - outside the Admin menu for fast access, and offers up a wide selection of AE modes, also above the Admin menu level. Canon left out some features that are available on the other three camcorders, such as gain control (SD1), LANC jack (HC7) and focus ring (HD7). What Canon has done is to equip the HV20 with a unique interface that miniaturizes controls without losing too much of their efficiency, accuracy, or speed. Of these four HD camcorders, only the JVC GZ-HD7 matches the Canon in terms of overall manual usability – and it does this with the best video performance of the lot, in both bright and low light. If you can get past the low-end feel, the pedestrian ergonomics, and quirky interface, you’ll find the Canon handles like a roadster. *Sony HDR-HC7 – *If the HV20 handles like a nimble, stripped-down roadster (why abandon the car comparisons now?) the Sony HDR-HC7 handles traffic more like a Lexus. It’s bigger, and it’s not exactly quick on its feet, but it combines impressive horsepower with a laundry list of luxury options. Pick up the HC7, and you’ll instantly appreciate Sony’s obsessive focus with the user’s experience. Unlike the Canon, the Sony feels expensive (as do the Panasonic and JVC), refined and balanced. The very nice zoom lever is exactly where it should be, the screen looks sharp, bright, and colorful, and the camcorder looks advanced and capable without being flashy. Wander through the city-sized menu and you’ll find just about every option under the sun, or at least every option a consumer camcorder buyer could hope for, from zebras and color tweaks to independent iris adjustment. And let’s not forget Easy Mode, which keeps the quality images rolling in even if you fall asleep at the wheel. 

The HC7 stands a bit taller than the HV20.  Ahh, but there is a dark side to luxury. That vaunted multifunction Cam Control dial is but a shadow of the ring that made us love the HDR-HC1, HDR-UX1, and HDR-SR1. The dial is just too small to make quick adjustments to more than a single parameter. And then there’s the touch screen menu which is so deep and so wide you may find you spend more time getting your settings just right than rolling tape. Than again, none of the other top HD cams include a LANC jack for remote operation on that boom shot you’ve been planning for your parents’ 40^th anniversary party. 
 

*Panasonic HDC-SD1 - *With OIS that could reduce the Loma Prieta earthquake to a rolling sway, and sleek a sleek fashion-forward design the HDC-SD1 handles like a luxury SUV in the body of a roadster.   The sleek design gives the camcorder a very nice in-hand feel though the gun-barrel shape may strike you as unusually cylindrical:   you'll find that wrapping your hand around this cam is reminiscent of gripping a beer bottle. Like other consumer Panasonics, the SD1 can be operated entirely with one hand while the other camcorders entail two hands for many adjustments.   The barrel shape makes it a bit more awkward than on a taller-bodied Panasonic to reach all the controls with ease.

The SD1 is the most compact camcorder in the herd.

 

As for the joystick-based menu and manual control interface, you'll either love it or hate it.   The joystick manual control interface is an amazing feat of efficient design, allowing access to virtually every manual setting with one hand, and in the hands of an experienced user it's as fast as anything out there. Until you try to focus the camcorder manually, that is. The focus ring on the JVC, and the dials on the Sony and Canon are better for making fine adjustments, and the Focus Assist feature can't quite make up for the lost ground.   Simply put, this is a difficult camcorder to focus manually, so you may be safer keeping focus set to auto.    In fact, t his camcorder is a good candidate for full auto operation, producing very good color and generally performing solidly.   With its formidable OIS engaged, you'll capture a nice looking ultra-steady image, and might be lulled into forgetting the egregious lack of AVCHD post-production support

*JVC GZ-HD7 - *The JVC HD Everio GZ-HD7 is the Ford Mustang of consumer HD: it's heavier than the other contenders, but just as fast as the Canon roadster when it comes to changing lanes, i.e. from shutter speed to exposure.   It's less refined than the unabashedly high-tech HC7 and SD1, but it has an in-hand balance that feels very natural. It's also the only camcorder of the four that handles much like a prosumer cam, thanks to the focus ring and dedicated buttons for aperture, shutter speed, and exposure compensation.  

Adding up the differences between how these cams handle must account for many variables, but there's no doubt that one-touch control access is faster than scrolling through a menu, or cycling through options with a joystick or dial.   The speed and simplicity of one-touch access also helps keep your head in the shoot rather than on menu navigation.   The focus ring is another welcome inclusion on the HD7 because no other interface gives you such fine control as you hone in on the focal plane. The Sony and Canon dials are operated with smaller fingertip movements that don't allow the same finesse, and joysticks even less sensitive than dials. We always like focus rings, and they make very good sense on HD camcorders because the increase in resolution over standard definition video makes them that much harder to focus accurately.   With the JVC's Focus Assist, the ring is a uniquely excellent focus control.

 

The HD7 is a giant.

The JVC GZ-HD7 is a wonderful camcorder to shoot with, but it falls short in terms of versatility with no on-board audio mixing and no headphone jack.   Its video resolution is also lower than the other camcorders by a good margin, and video performance is underwhelming.   The handling makes up some of that ground, but you'll need to determine for yourself whether it makes up enough for you.  

Menu*Canon HV20 - The Canon HV20 menu epitomizes refined user interface design, and it offers some real speed advantages over other camcorder menus. Part of the advantage stems from what Canon has kept out of the menu. In either Tv or Av mode, shutter speed and iris respectively are also one-touch adjustable, via the joystick. White balance is located at the top level of the menu, as are Program Recording modes and Image Effects, so changing any of these settings can be done in a matter of seconds versus tens of seconds on the HC7. Panasonic’s joystick-based interface is equally quick, but less intuitive than Canon’s, which displays many menu options in an L-shaped list, running down the left side of the screen and along its base upon pressing the Function button. At the lower left corner of the screen is the Function Menu icon, and selecting this option brings up a screen listing the following submenus: Camera Setup, Rec/In Setup; Card Operations; Play/Out Setup; Display Setup; System Setup; and Date/Time Setup. Navigating through these Function Menu options is quick and easy thanks to the joystick controller allowing you to move in the four cardinal directions. Pressing in on the center of the joystick selects a given menu option. *Sony HDR-HC7 - The main HC7 menu is accessed by pressing the Menu button in Easy mode and the P-Menu in standard recording mode. In Easy mode, the menu is reconfigured in a simplified interface that enlarges the size of buttons, and restricts options to the basics. In standard recording mode, all options become available when you press the P-Menu button near the lower right corner of the LCD display. The P-Menu options appear as buttons on three screens, six to a page. Page one includes options for Menu (which contains most of the camcorder’s settings and manual controls), Disp Guide, Scene Select, Smooth Slow Record, Tele Macro and Fader; Page 2 includes: Exposure, Shutter Speed, AE Shift, WB Shift, White Balance, and Spot Focus; Page 3 includes: Spot Meter, X.V Color on/off, Dial Set, Beep on/off, Language, and P-Menu Set Up (allows customization of the P-Menu). Pressing the up or down arrows on the left side of the screen move from page to page. Pressing the Menu button provides access to all the camcorder’s submenus, and pressing any option within a sub-menu displays an interface specific to that option. The Sony HDR-HC7 menu is wide and deep, but the touch screen interface makes it easy to understand with almost zero ramp-up time. We would be remiss if we didn’t revisit the reasons we think touch screen menus are a Bad Thing – despite the fact that they are practically idiot-proof. First and foremost, the LCD is the primary means of monitoring the recorded image on this camcorder, and a touch screen interface impedes effective use of the screen. Fingerprints will inevitably build up, making it difficult to see the display clearly and assessing exposure or focus on a screen cluttered with icons is at best a compromised endeavor. Worst of all, making manual control adjustments using virtual buttons superimposed over the image you are adjusting is only slightly easier than herding cats.  Panasonic HDC-SD1 - *The menu on the HDC-SD1 cuts right to the chase, and Panasonic diehards should feel right at home in either the Administrative menu or the joystick controller menu. The Admin menu is about as straightforward as they come, and we think this is a good thing. In any operating mode, pressing the Menu button on the back of the SD1 brings up a display of top level Admin menu options for that mode. In recording mode, for example, the options include submenus labeled Basic, Picture, Advanced, Setup, and Language. Navigating through the menu is done with the joystick, and for this purpose it’s a great control interface. Panasonic’s menu design also keeps all the options on a given page visible, but this arrangement makes the naming of submenus seem arbitrary. Why all the audio options end up in the video category while Scene Modes does not makes no sense to us, but at least the one-page arrangement makes it easy to find what you’re looking for. The joystick menu on the SD1 is similar to those found in Panasonic’s consumer line for years, but it’s easier to use on this 2007 model thanks to the inclusion of banners and text. When an option is selected, such as the fade effect on page 1, a text description appears momentarily along the base of the LCD. Though we generally love the efficiency of the joystick menus Panasonic has included on its camcorders, the icons can lead to confusion especially for novices. In addition, the Help function, also on page 1, offers more detailed explanations of each joystick option, all but eliminating our concerns over the approachability of the joystick menu. JVC GZ-HD7 –*The JVC HD7 menu interface actually consists of the main Admin Menu, accessed by pressing the Menu Button in the LCD cavity, a Program AE menu accessed directly from the joystick, and the Function Menu. The division of items between these menus generally makes sense – and it’s similar to the Sony and Panasonic menus in terms of depth and ease of use. The Function Menu contains several important recording settings including White Balance and Zebras, while focus, aperture, exposure, and shutter speed are all controlled via dedicated external controls. Hallelujah! The Program AE Menu can be brought up by tapping the onscreen joystick left, and then scrolling to the desired option. The main Admin Menu contains the bulk of the camcorder’s settings, and the items are placed intuitively for the most part (unlike the HDC-SD1 which tosses some settings in submenus that seem arbitrary). In fact the only item we’d definitely move is the Focus Assist setting (sets the color mode for Focus Assist to red, green or blue), which lives in the General submenu rather than Video where we found ourselves looking for it. All in all, the menu systems are consistent with the overall mini-prosumer feel of this camcorder. Nothing is hidden too deeply, the right controls are readily available during a shoot, and navigation is made easy and fast thanks to the joystick. Nice work, JVC. **Portability***Canon HV20 - Measurements: 88mm x 80mm x 138mm (3.5" x 3.2" x 5.4"). Weight: 535g (1.2lb.) without lens and battery pack. *Sony HDR-HC7 – *Measurements: 82 mm x 82 mm x 138mm (3 1/4' x 3 1/4' x 5 1/2'). Weight: 650g (1.43 lb.) with tape and supplied battery.* *Panasonic HDC-SD1 – *Measurements: 74mm x 69mm x 142mm Weight: 430g (.95 lb.); 490g (1.1 lb.) with included battery pack and SD card. *JVC GZ-HD7 – *Measurements: 91mm x 77mm x 186mm Weight: 665g (1.5 lb.); 750g (1.7 lb.) with included battery pack and strap.    

Components

 **LCD and Viewfinder***Canon HV20 - *Like the HC7, the HV20 has a 2.7" wide 16:9 LCD screen with a resolution of approximately 211,000 pixels. The screen extends to a 90-degree angle in relation to the body and can be rotated vertically 270 degrees. The HV20’s LCD morphs into a sea of solarization, given the slightest turn. 

 *The HV20's feeble LCD screen and uninviting viewfinder* The 0.27" inch wide 123,000 resolution hard plastic box does not extend, does not have a rubberized eyecup, and is way to short.  The playback buttons on the LCD panel are flattened like the HC7’s but are easier to handle due to their horizontal layout.  *Sony HDR-HC7 - *The 16:9 LCD display on the Sony HDR-HC7 measures 2.7' diagonally and has a resolution of approximately 211,000 pixels. It renders a very sharp image with reliable color reproduction, and like other Sony LCDs can be viewed from an angle without significant solarization. The screen opens to 90 degrees from the body, rotates through 270 degrees, and can be folded into the LCD cavity screen-side out for monitoring from the left side.                      

   

The HC7 employs Sony's famous touch screen menu. You also get an extendable rubberized viewfinder.   The color EVF (electronic color viewfinder) is extendable from the body, and has a resolution of approximately 123,000 pixels. A dioptric adjustment on the right side of the EVF allows you to customize the display to your eyesight, but the lever is relatively small and difficult to adjust. This eyecup is made of hard plastic, but it's larger than average for a consumer camcorder, and does a decent job of blocking light entering from the sides. Finally, the screen doubles as a touch screen menu and manual control interface – a technology that only Sony has implemented on its consumer camcorders – and it smudges up, due to natural oils created by the skin.  *Panasonic HDC-SD1 - *The ample 3" LCD screen has a resolution of 250,000 pixels and is the only monitor on the SD1. Without a viewfinder, the dependency on the big LCD screen is taxing on the battery, but point-and-shooters with money will not be able to tell the difference. The LCD screen produces saturated, balanced color, and a sharp picture. With a 250,000 resolution, it better hit a grand slam. 

 The SD1 is viewfinder-less.**
*JVC GZ-HD7 - *The LCD screen for the JVC HD Everio GZ-HD7 flips out from the left side of the camcorder body and rotates two hundred and seventy degrees. The screen measures 2.7" but the pixel count for the screen could not be confirmed at this time. The viewfinder for the camcorder is an electronic color viewfinder and both its size and pixel count were not available. The eyecup is generously sized for a consumer camcorder, and looks like a more usable tool than the uncomfortable, marginally useful EVF’s that have become common on consumer camcorders.       

    

The HD7's LCD joystick and big honking viewfinder.**** **Battery Life***Canon HV20 - The open battery slot allows for the use of an optional longer life battery, like the BP-2L14 (good for a reported 155 minutes of continuous HDV recording). We tested the life of the included BP-2L13 battery pack for continuous HDV recording, in AE mode with the LCD open and set to Normal brightness and OIS set to off. The battery on our HV20 lasted 113 minutes and 22 seconds (1 hour, 53 minutes, and 22 seconds). *Sony HDR-HC7 - The Sony HDR-HC7 ships with the NP-FH60 battery pack, which slides into the cavity on the back of the camcorder with room to spare. The deep slot means an optional longer life battery, like the NP-FH100 (good for a reported 415 minutes of continuous HDV recording) won’t protrude more than it has to. We tested the life of the included battery pack for continuous HDV shooting, with no manual controls or zoom engaged, and OIS set to off. We found the battery on our HDR-HC7 lasted 98 minutes and 14 seconds (1 hour, 38 minutes, and 14 seconds). Panasonic HDC-SD1 - *The Panasonic SD1 includes a VW-BG130 battery pack that slides into a closed slot on the underside of the body. The closed battery slot does not allow for the use of an optional longer life battery, which limits expansion options to additional VW-BG130 units. We tested the life of the included VW-BG130 battery pack for continuous recording, in Manual mode with the LCD set to normal brightness and OIS set to off. The battery on our SD1 lasted 97 minutes and 2 seconds (1 hour, 27 minutes, and 2 seconds). JVC GZ-HD7 - *The JVC GZ-HD7 includes a BN-VF815U battery pack that slides into an open slot on the back of the camcorder body. The open battery slot allows for the use of an optional longer life battery, including the BN-VF856U which allows for a reported 5 hours and 25 minutes of continuous recording time using the LCD, or 5 hours and forty minutes using only the EVF. We tested the included BN-VF815U battery pack for continuous recording in Manual mode to eliminate automatic adjustments that could affect battery life, the LCD screen set to on, and OIS set to off. The battery on our HD7 petered out after 76 minutes and 40 seconds (1 hour, 16 minutes, and 40 seconds). 

Connectivity

 **Connectivity***Canon HV20* – The HV20 is the only camcorder that allows for analog to digital conversion; The proprietary AAS hot shoe powers Canon accessories, but also works as a cold shoe with standard adaptors. AV and Headphones share a combo port, and output mode must be selected in the menu. MiniSD cards are not as widely available as SD media.
  The HV20's hot shoe and MiniSD card slot
 *Sony HDR-HC7*-- The HC7 offers a menu of ports ranging from DV, component, and AV terminals to a mic, headphone, and LANC jack. Also onboard are a MemoryStick PRO Duo slot, USB cable, and HDMI terminal.   Ports galore on the HC7 *Panasonic HDC-SD1* – The HDC-SD1 does not include a headphone jack – a big liability if you have an interest in monitoring audio quality. Hello!?  The SD1's inconspicuous terminals

JVC GZ-HD7 -- *For a $1700 camcorder, JVC does not equip the HD7 with a headphone jack. However, they do outfit the model with an S-Video port. An S-Video port will come in handy if you frequently time travel back to the 90's to do your post video work. ­   No headphone jack on the most expensive camcorder in the lot? Lame.***

 

Audio

Audio

Canon HV20 – The Canon HV20 may be the runt of this litter, but it’s a heavyweight when it comes to audio features. In addition to the onboard stereo mic, you’ve got two audio interface options, a mini microphone input and the hot Advanced Accessory Shoe (AAS) compatible with the Canon DM-50 Directional Stereo Microphone and other optional Canon accessories. While the AAS is a proprietary interface, the shoe can still accommodate any standard-sized camcorder accessories unlike the HC7’s proprietary Sony-only shoe. Add in the headphone/AV jack, mic attenuator, manual level controls, and wind cut and headphone level control, and the HV20 is the most versatile camcorder for audio recording and control of the lot.  

Sony HDR-HC7 – Sony’s HC7 comes close to the HV20 in terms of audio versatility and control with a mic jack, a dedicated headphones jack (versus AV/headphone combo), proprietary Active Interface Shoe (AIS), manual audio level control and headphones volume control. In addition, the number of compatible Sony AIS accessories is quite broad versus Canon, which offers only a few. The main difference between the two camcorders is the accessibility of the audio level adjustment setting. Canon’s is available at the touch of a button, while Sony’s is – like so much else on this camcorder – buried in the menu. The Sony also lacks the attenuator feature on the Canon, and has no onboard wind cut feature. Both cams offer great audio features for consumer cams but Canon’s are slightly better, and we especially like the priority they’ve given to manual level control.  

Panasonic HDC-SD1 – The HDC-SD1 is the only HD camcorder in this lineup to offer 5.1 channel surround sound, and the interface offers an impressive level of control. There are three global microphone level settings that apply to all five channels at once, but not independently: Auto, Set+AGC (manual levels with gain control), and Set (manual levels without gain control). After selecting your global audio setting, you can dive into individual level settings for all five channels. This level of control is very cool, but in the grand scheme that fine level control is not terribly useful because there is no headphones jack. How Panasonic expects you to set those channels successfully without monitoring them is a mystery to us. The SD1 does include an external mic jack, but again, you’ll have to use The Force to divine the correct audio recording level. A cold accessory shoe rounds out the audio suite on the Panasonic HDC-SD1. But without a headphone jack, all that channel adjustability goes to waste.  

JVC GZ-HD7 – In comparison to the other camcorders, the JVC’s audio suite is a disappointment. There’s an external mic input and a cold accessory shoe but no good way to monitor audio. We tried plugging phones into the AV jack to see what we could hear – and were able to pick up a low monaural signal – but this is not a real headphone jack. The cold accessory shoe allows you to attach anything with a standard mount to the body, but if you are serious about audio and want some basic on-camera mixing capabilities, the HV20, HDR-HC7, and HDC-SD1 are better choices. You always have the option to kick it up a notch with a Beachtek adaptor or field mixer for balanced audio and better controls, but JVC should have given you the option to do it in-camera.** **

Manual Controls

 **Overall Manual Control ***Canon HV20* - The Canon HV20 offers a very good manual control suite that matches the other top consumer HDV camcorder on the market, on balance. However like the Sony HDR-HC7, this Canon is good but definitely not what it could have been with a little more vision on the part of it’s developers. We hit the HC7’s primary manual controller hard. The Sony has a multi-function Cam Control dial that can be used to adjust focus, exposure, white balance shift, AE shift, and shutter speed. The HDR-SD1, Sony’s first HDD-based AVCHD camcorder had a much better Cam Control ring that was much better than the tiny HC7 dial as a manual control interface. Panasonic’s HDC-SD1 offers another good manual controller in the form of the rear-mounted joystick, and adds independent gain control to its quiver, a control the Canon and Sony lack.

 

The HV20's rear-mounted joystick is great for one-handed operation

The HV20 allows independent control over just about everything except for gain, in its Recording Program modes. Pressing the function button, and selecting the icon at the top left corner of the screen allows you to choose from Program AE, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, or Cine modes. In all these modes, it is possible to fine tune exposure by pressing the joystick once, to bring up the Set display in the lower right corner of the LCD. Manual exposure (in EV steps) is the first option in the Set display, while tapping down moves through the Set menu pages (Mic levels, and End Search). The HV20 adds two modes found on the company’s prosumer camcorders, like the XL 2S and XH A1: In Tv, or Shutter Priority. In Av, or Aperture Priority mode, you can set the aperture manually while the camcorder adjusts shutter speed. In Av mode, the shutter speed will not drop below 1/60 unless Color Slow Shutter is enabled. The Canon manual control interface is arguably at least as fast as the Panasonic, thanks to both joystick controller. The focus dial is a disappointment, but on the plus side, the Canon keeps exposure, audio level control, and End Search a few taps away. Canon also adds a Focus Assist option that both magnifies the image and adds peaking. Even though the dial is small, this assist function makes finding focus an easier process than on the HC7. In the end, the Canon is a good camcorder when it comes to manual controls, but like its competitors, it’s flawed. *Sony HDR-HC7* - The Sony HDR-HC7 offers a strong suite of manual controls that is superior to most consumer camcorders. Focus, exposure, shutter speed, and white balance can all be controlled either using the Cam Control multifunction dial, or via the conventional Sony touch screen icon-based interface. In addition, the HC7 offers both white balance shift and AE shift, picture sharpness and color adjustments, spot meter and spot focus options, zebras at 70 or 100 IRE, a histogram view, color bars, guide frames, and the ability to manually adjust audio recording volume.
 

The HC7's Cam Control dial in all its miniscule splendor
Unfortunately, the camcorder has what many experienced shooters will consider a fatal flaw: a Cam Control dial that is so undersized that actually making adjustments quickly is difficult at best. The dial on the HDR-UX7, Sony’s top AVCHD camcorder is bigger, and easier to use, while the Cam Control ring on the HDR-SR1, Sony’s HDD-based AVCHD model, is best of all.  *Panasonic HDC-SD1* - The Panasonic HDC-SD1 permits fully independent iris, shutter speed and gain adjustment. This matches the level of manual control found on other consumer cams from Panasonic, and is one of the qualities that sets the company’s camcorders apart.  The SD1 includes a manual Focus Assist option that magnifies roughly the middle quadrant of the displayed image – certainly a useful option for focusing HD resolution video. However it doesn’t go as far as the focus assist on the Canon HV20, which fills the screen and adds peaking to make manual focus much easier. In addition, the manual image adjustment controller on the SD1 is a joystick rather than a true ring – our first choice, found on Sony’s HDR-SR1 HDD-based AVCHD camcorder – or a dial, found on the Canon HV20, and for multiple manual controls on many HD Sonys. The joystick in combination with Focus Assist makes manually focusing the SD1 possible, but far from easy. 

The SD1's back end is where the manual control action happens 

The joystick-centric manual control suite of the HDC-SD1 carries over from Panasonic’s standard definition consumer line, and using a joystick to focus standard definition video is doable. The joystick on the HDC-SD1 is also a bit more difficult to operate than the ones on its standard definition predecessors. The new controller feels like a higher-end implementation, but we found that we couldn’t navigate up, down, left, and right with the facility we’ve grown to appreciate on consumer Panasonics. In comparison to most other consumer camcorders, this interface design makes accessing these important image controls a very fast process. For adjustments other than focus, the joystick works very well and the ability to control gain manually is a terrific quality control feature that HD camcorders from other manufacturers lack Sadly, a less-than-stellar Focus Assist feature makes it difficult to trust manual focus, there’s no headphone jack to make manual audio adjustment worthwhile, and zebras default to a single mystery setting. It seems to be around 100 IRE, but the user’s manual sheds no light on this. Meanwhile, Sony and Canon’s HD camcorders offer zebra options at 70 IRE and 100 IRE. Add the fact that this is an AVCHD camcorder with video quality that can’t compete with HDV, and the HDC-SD1 ends up in an uncomfortable niche of its own. *JVC GZ-HD7* – The JVC GZ-HD7 is a manual control powerhouse that offers an array of features and interface that places it at the top of the consumer camcorder realm. A focus ring is the most welcome surprise on this camcorder. We love ring controls for their natural feel, and this one is a beauty, complemented by a good Focus Assist function. Like the HV20, this camcorder keeps manual image controls and assists within easy reach – a vital attribute for getting your shot in the field or in the studio, especially when the clock is ticking.  There’s an Auto/Manual toggle button on the front corner of the left side, and the Focus Assist button is just around the corner. Control clusters like this are generally a good thing. On the back of the camcorder are buttons for Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, and EV adjustment, and they share a Value Adjustment Lever on the back end of the camcorder. This constitutes another handy control cluster of settings that govern your image’s brightness. Some other conveniences include a backlight button, cold accessory shoe, and a well-designed rocking zoom lever.

     

The HD7's rear controls and LCD joystick
 Several other manual controls are accessed via the Function Button on the let edge of the LCD panel, and selected using the joystick. These include two controls that can be engaged and set while the camcorder is recording - white balance and zebras. The other functions are AE Modes, Effects, and Custom Controls (Sharpness and Color Bars). Mic and headphone (AV) jacks allow for the use of external audio equipment, though we’re disappointed in the lack of any level adjustment feature. 
Despite this omission and some other quirks and minor annoyances, the HD7 has an excellent suite of manual controls that rivals or surpasses the Canon HV20 and Panasonic HDC-SD1 in terms of interface quality and efficiency. The Sony HDR-HC7 tops the field in terms of number of controls and control settings and includes a LANC jack for remote operation, but its Cam Control multifunction dial is so small that manually focusing with accuracy and speed is nearly impossible. Add in the HD7’s large, comfortable hand strap, a large removable lens hood, very good OIS, great balance, and an excellent eyecup, and the HD7 punches above its class in a way that only the Sony HDR-HC1 matched in recent memory. **Zoom ***Canon HV20* – The Canon HV20 has a primary zoom control with a rocking lever design, a secondary zoom in the form of buttons on the LCD frame, and includes a remote with zoom buttons for remote operation. The Canon’s biggest manual control shortcoming may be the undersized zoom lever – a flaw we find perplexing singe the bottom-end ZR series camcorder feature very good zoom levers. The lever on the HV20 is smaller than those on the other HD models in this article, and your finger on the zoom rests on a thin sliver of plastic that barely extends above the top of the body. On the plus side, the Canon’s secondary zoom buttons can be set to three fixed speeds while its fellow travelers only offer a single fixed speed for the secondary zoom.
 

The HV20's pint-sized, underdeveloped zoom lever
Sony HDR-HC7 – The Sony HDR-HC7 features a primary zoom control with a rocking lever design, a set of secondary zoom buttons on the outside of the LCD frame, a remote control with zoom buttons, and is the only camcorder among this group to include a LANC jack for remote wired operation. The zoom lever is excellent, and offers slightly more leverage and fine control than the others because it's larger and taller. The difference may seem insignificant (and the levers on the JVC and Panasonic are nearly as good) but zoom is an important enough control for us to praise Sony for making consistently excellent zoom controls. The LANC jack is another nice inclusion, and makes this the camcorder of choice if you need a camera B for boom shots. 

The HC7 sports a stellar zoom control

Panasonic HDC-SD1 – The Panasonic HDC-SD1 comes up short in the zoom department, with only one on-camera zoom control, the rocking lever on top of the body. The control itself is very good, but the option of a secondary control would have been a welcome addition for those high- and low-angle shots that render the primary zoom toggle difficult to use. Like the other camcorders in this article, the SD1 includes a remote control with fixed-speed zoom buttons.  

The SD1's zoom toggle

JVC GZ-HD7 – Like the other camcorders in this piece, the JVC GZ-HD7 features a zoom control with a rocking lever design. It’s positioned well for use during hand-held shooting, and allows for good control throughout the range at variable speeds. The JVC lacks a secondary LCD-frame zoom control like the Panasonic, but does include a remote with fixed-speed zoom buttons. On a camcorder that aspires to bridge the consumer-prosumer divide, we would have liked to see a LANC terminal or at the very least a secondary zoom control. 

The HD7 dons a smooth zoom lever 

********Focus ***Canon HV20* – One of the biggest differences between so-called prosumer camcorders and their consumer counterparts is quality of their manual controls, and manual focus is a vital control that most consumer camcorders do poorly. Being able to dial in manual focus accurately and quickly is especially important when shooting HD video, because even the slightest focus error will be magnified when the footage is viewed on a big screen. 

The HV20's focus dial

 The Canon HV20 has an ingeniously effective Focus Assist option that overcomes the shortcomings of the tiny Focus dial – and makes attaining sharp focus quickly relatively easy. It’s not a method that mimics prosumer cams (the JVC does this with equal success) but is a solution to the vexing difficulties of manually focusing HD when you’re only monitor is the LCD or EVF. Another perk on the Canon is Instant AF, a high-speed auto focus setting that was fast and accurate, even at light levels the other cams could not handle. *Sony HDR-HC7* – Sony has equipped the HC7 with a multifunction Cam Control dial that can be used to focus manually, and for this purpose it’s OK but not great. If Sony had a Focus Assist option as on the HV20, the two camcorders would be equals in terms of the quality of their manual focus controls. Sony opted to leave Focus Assist out of this camcorder’s manual control suite, and it's unfortunate because without some kind of assist, it’s virtually impossible to focus HD using only the onboard LCD or EVF. The excellent HDR-UX1 and HDR-SR1 AVCHD camcorders from Sony did include a focus assist called Expanded Focus. With Expanded Focus used in tandem with their Cam Control rings and mammoth 3.5" LCDs, those models were more than up to the task of manually focusing HD video. While auto focus works very well, the HC7 is no match for the HD7 and HV20 when it comes to manual focus. 

The HC7's Cam Control dial

Panasonic HDC-SD1 – The Panasonic SD1 includes a Focus Assist feature, but it’s not as good as the one found on either the HV20 or HD7. In addition, this Panny is the only camcorder in this article that does not include some form of rotary focus control. Instead, manual focus is controlled using the joystick on the back of the camcorder body. Unlike a rotary control that can be nudged ever so slightly to fine-tune focus, the joystick is an electronic control that pulls focus at a fixed speed. The motors that move the lens elements are either moving (when you nudge the stick) or not, so fine-tuning is a matter of making very quick taps as you approach – and attempt – to get a sharp picture. Yes, it works, but the JVC and Canon do manual focus a whole lot better.  *JVC GZ-HD7* – Manual focus is one area where JVC hits the ball out of the park. The ring control is the biggest reason for this. It’s big, smooth, and responsive, and feels much like the servo zooms found on much more expensive prosumer camcorders. But even an excellent ring control is not enough to guarantee accuracy when you’re focusing HD video using on-camera monitors. JVC fills the gap with a great Focus Assist that we haven’t seen on any other consumer camcorder. Rather than using magnification and peaking like Canon’s HV20, the HD7’s assist displays the onscreen image in monotone, but highlights objects on the focal plane in red, green or blue (yes, you can choose your favorite color). JVC also clusters the Focus Assist and manual/auto focus buttons right next to the ring for quick access. Together, Focus Assist and the ring work amazingly well, edging Canon by a nose to take the manual focus crown. 

The HD7 is the king of the ring for manual focus. Literally.******Exposure & Aperture ***Canon HV20 - The Canon HV20 keeps exposure close at hand with joystick access to EV (exposure value) settings on a -11 to +11 scale. What the HV20 does not offer that JVC and Panasonic do is independent control over settings that govern the brightness of the image but for most scenarios, the HV20’s exposure options should be adequate. In the P, Cine, and Special Scene modes, EV steps are the only exposure setting you can adjust. In Tv (Shutter Priority) and Av (Aperture Priority) mode broaden your options. In Av mode, the iris can be set to: f/1.8, f/2.0, f/2.4, f/2.8, f/3.4, f/4.0, f/4.8, f/5.6, f/6.7, and f/8.0. The Canon also features some basic tweaks under Custom in the Image Effects submenu, where brightness (exposure compensation) can be nudged -1 or +1 for fine-tuning. *Sony HDR-HC7 - *The Sony HDR-HC7 offers exposure control in the form of 24 EV steps via either the touch screen interface, or the Cam Control dial, and these settings can be adjusted independently. The Sony does not feature aperture priority or shutter priority modes, but does include a handy AE Shift option on a -4 to +4 scale that can be adjusted using the Cam Control dial. If you’re not in a hurry, the dial is great because it keeps key image controls clustered around a single interface. Switching from parameter to another, however, entails pressing and holding a button until the setting menu pops up after a few seconds. Multiply that by several adjustments, and you may find that the moment has passed. *Panasonic HDC-SD1 – *Image adjustments other than focus are where the Panasonic joystick shines, and it’s a fast and adept tool for shuttling through exposure options. The joystick is extremely efficient, and a great example of an interface designed for compact camcorders that succeeds – at least in the hands of someone who has mastered its quirks. Iris adjustment is also highly accessible via the joystick, and fully independent with settings at f/16, f/14, f/11, f/9.6, f/8, f/6.8, f/5.6, f/4.8, f/4, f/3.4, f/2.8, and Open. An incremental 1/2 step between each full stop yields a total of 23 iris settings. If you continue past Open, you’ll find that gain settings kick in seamlessly all the way up to +18dB. Placing iris and gain on a continuous scale means the two controls aren’t fully independent, and moving from the bottom of the scale to the top takes a while – but no one offers the level of fine-tuning you’ll find on the HDC-SD1 and other Panasonics. JVC GZ-HD7 - The JVC HD7 serves up Aperture Priority mode via the dedicated A button just to the left of the battery pack on the back of the camcorder body, with settings at f/1.8, f/2.0, f/2.8, f/4.0, f/5.6, and f/8.0. A setting dial below the button is used to move through and select this setting, as well as shutter speed and brightness (exposure compensation). Iris and shutter speed control is fully independent, as on the Panasonic, but what sets this camcorder apart are dedicated buttons for several manual settings, and the setting dial used only to adjust these parameters. It’s a design decision that speaks to JVC’s positioning of the HD7 as a camcorder for higher-end users who know the value of dedicated buttons and simplified interfaces. *Shutter Speed
***Canon HV20 - In Tv (Shutter Priority) mode, the HV20 includes a range of settings that vary depending on which standard you're recording in.   For 1080i, the shutter speeds available are 1/8, 1/15, 1/30 1/60, 1/100, 1/250/1/500, 1/1000, 1/2000, and in 24P they change slightly to 1/6, 1/12, 1/24, 1/48, 1/100, 1/250/1/500, 1/1000, 1/2000.   Canon also lists shutter speed settings for memory mode (an option for recording low-resolution video to Mini SD): 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/15, 1/30, 1/60, 1/100, 1/250, 1/500.   The ability to drop the shutter speed to 1/24 in 24p mode gives this camcorder very good low light capabilities - and that made a big difference in our tests where the Canon's 1080i low light performance equaled the HDR-HC7's, while 24p bought the Canon 4 lux. *

Sony HDR-HC7 - *The Sony HDR-HC7 features the widest shutter speed range of this group, in the following values: 1/4, 1/8, 1/15, 1/30, 1/60, 1/90, 1/100, 1/125, 1/180, 1/250, 1/350, 1/500, 1/725, 1/1000, 1500, 1/2000, 1/3000, 1/4000, 1/6000, 1/10000.   The extra range over the other camcorders gives the HC7 the ability to stretch the camcorder's image gathering ability in both very low light and very bright light.   The Cam Control dial is good for making shutter speed adjustments, but you'll face the same delays in toggling from one parameter to another as you make multiple adjustments to your image.   The HC7 includes a two auto shutter options as well. Auto Slow Shutter can be turned on or off, and when it's engaged, it places the floor of auto shutter speed at 1/30 allowing for some additional light gathering without a   major cadence change. Color Slow Shutter drops out the floor entirely.    *

*Panasonic HDC-SD1 - *The shutter speed settings available on the HDC-SD1 are 1/60, 1/100, 1/120, 1/180, 1/250, 1/350, 1/500, 1/750, 1/1000, 1/1500, 1/2000, 1/3000, 1/4000, and 1/8000 - there are no manual settings below 1/60.   To drop your shutter speed below 1/60, your only choice is MagicPix mode, which works like Sony's Color Slow Shutter, and drops the floor from the auto shutter speed control.   This is useful to be sure, but in the absence of manual sub-1/60 shutter speed control, we'd prefer to see at least a quality control option like Auto Slow Shutter that set the floor at 1/30.   It also continues to surprise us that Panasonic, king of the manual control hill, does not offer slower shutter speeds.  

JVC GZ-HD7 - *The big difference that JVC brings to the table is the image control cluster on the back of the HD7 body, including shutter speed.   Like Aperture and brightness, shutter speed is engaged by pressing the S button.   The set dial below is used to cycle through settings which include 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/15, 1/30, 1/60, 1/80, 1/100, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000, 1/2000, and 1/4000.   We like the dedicated buttons for shutter speed and aperture, and the set dial, because they allow for instant access and very fast adjustment to these parameters.   The arrangement makes toggling between these two adjustments faster than on the other three HD cams - though we wish JVC hadn't stopped there.   White balance in particular would have benefited from a dedicated button. *

White Balance
Canon HV20 - *Presets: Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, and Manual. *

*Sony HDR-HC7 - *Presets:   Auto, Outdoor, Indoor, and One Push (manual) plus White Balance Shift

*Panasonic HDC-SD1 - *Presets:   AWB (auto), Indoor, Outdoor, and Manual

JVC GZ-HD7 - *Presets:   Auto, Fine, Cloud, Halogen, and Manual *

Gain
*Canon HV20 - *The Canon HV20 offers no independent manual control over gain.

*Sony HDR-HC7 - *The Sony HDR-HC7 offers no independent manual control over gain.

*Panasonic HDC-SD1 - *There's actually something to comment on here, unlike the three camcorders above.   As mentioned in the Exposure section, the Panasonic HDC-SD1 places iris and gain on a continuous scale so that there's no boundary between the two.   Purists might scoff at this treatment - but we have to say it makes intuitive sense. Both controls govern brightness, and keeping the two linked makes it impossible to make the mistake of shooting with gain levels at +6dB when you don't mean to.   Panasonic has included gain control on its consumer camcorders for years, and deserves kudos for giving users the option.

Gain setting for the HDC-SD1 include 0dB, 3dB, 6dB,   9dB, 12dB, 15 dB, and 18dB, with an incremental step between each whole step, for a total of 12 settings.

*JVC GZ-HD7 - *JVC GZ-HD7 offers no manual gain adjustment over gain, but you can disable automatic gain, an option that is common on JVCs. To enable or disable auto gain, you'll need to navigate to the Gain Up option in the Video sub-menu of the Administrative menu.

**Other Manual Controls and Features **

 

Conclusion

 **Conclusion
**Each one of these camcorders has some truly stellar attributes, and some real drawbacks.  The question is, which of these very different devices has the best overall combination of performance, features, handling, and value?  At Camcorderinfo.com, we place a premium on performance (color, resolution, low light, etc.) and manual controls (aperture, shutter speed, focus, etc.) because those are the heaviest factors that impact how good your video looks.  Handling, extra features, value, format, compression, and many other factors weigh into the equation as well, but we begin by assessing what kind of image a camcorder is capable of capturing, and how effectively it allows you to control that image.   
WINNER: Canon HV20 Viewed through our performance and control-oriented lens, we believe there is a clear winner – and it is the Canon HV20.  It shares an advantage over the Panasonic HDC-SD1 and JVC GZ-HD7 because it uses tried and true HDV MPEG-2 compression, and our tests show that HDV remains the best consumer HD format.  Both the Canon and Sony HDR-HC7 – the other HDV camcorder in this shootout – scored higher than the others in our video performance tests.  In the lab, the Canon and Sony raced to a virtual dead heat, both displaying sharper images with less noise than the Panasonic and JVC. 

Yet the Canon’s picture struck us as decidedly sharper than even the HC7 in the field – a finding that was contradicted only by our resolution chart reading, where the Sony had a negligible edge. (This lends credence to our hunch that sometimes camcorders are engineered for optimal testing, and not necessarily best picture quality.)  The crispness of the HV20’s image was most notable in close-up shots of our model, where we could literally count every hair on our model's face.  The Sony was visibly less crisp (though still quite sharp), followed by the Panasonic.  The JVC GZ-HD7 trailed the pack, with the lowest tested video resolution, and the softest images of the field.  The Canon also turned in a stellar low light score, thanks to a 24p mode that more than doubles the light gathering ability of its imager.  In low light, it beat out the others in the same order as above.  The 24p capability in and of itself is a great extra feature on the HV20, yet another reason to consider it. 

Manual control effectiveness is another important consideration.  The number of settings and the range of options are important, and in this respect, the Sony HC7 comes out on top.   Equally if not more important is the ease with which the manual controls can be used – and since we’re talking HD video, good manual focus is vital.  It’s well known that HD is more difficult to focus accurately than SD video, and to remedy this situation,  three of the four camcorders in this shootout offer a focus assist option.  Sony’s HC7 does not, even though two of last year’s best camcorders, the Sony HDR-SR1 and HDR-UX1 both included an excellent assist option called Expanded Focus.  Panasonic’s SD1 has an assist that is good, but not good enough to compensate for the weakness of the joystick as a focus tool.  Only Canon and JVC get the focus interface/focus assist equation right, and the HD7 gets extra points for its terrific focus ring and highly effective peaking function. 

*The Final Breakdown
*The Sony HDR-HC7 ($1399 MSRP) is an excellent camcorder, and it is the most feature-packed camcorder of these four.  However, the absence of a focus assist feature is a real liability – and perhaps a fatal one – in situations where the auto focus is not performing adequately.  In addition, while we love the concept behind the Cam Control multifunction dial, it represents a major step backwards from the SR1 and UX1, which had easier to use Cam Control rings.  By omitting these two features seen on two recent HD models, Sony forfeited a victory, or at least a tie with the HV20 in this shootout.

The Panasonic HDC-SD1 ($1299 MSRP) is a great camcorder, but its selective feature set makes it a specialized device.  For close quarters shooting, situations that demand silent operation, or a rock-solid OIS, the SD1 is the clear choice.  It’s not as versatile as the other camcorders, however, with a bare-bones still capability, no headphone jack, and no accessory shoe.  It’s also a camcorder that records AVCHD video, and that compression method has yet to pose a serious challenge to HDV in terms of quality and editability.

The JVC GZ-HD7 ($1699 MSRP) has some great qualities, especially when it comes to handling.  Because its chassis has much in common with prosumer camcorders – a focus ring, dedicated buttons for image control – it was a pleasure to handle.  The lack of a headphone jack or any means of monitoring and adjusting audio levels, however, is an unfortunate omission that we think was a big mistake.  The biggest disappointment with the HD7, however, was video performance.  In the grand scheme of things, it produces good looking video, but under scrutiny it just doesn’t stand up to the quality of HDV video.  Low light was disappointing, but it was the relatively low resolution in both our lab tests and in the field shoot was especially notable.  

The Canon HV20 ($1099 MSRP) has some big deficiencies, including its cheap-feeling construction and an awful zoom lever, but for under $1100 the HV20 delivers amazing performance and bang for the buck.  We’d love to see a camcorder that really brings it all together:  the handling of the HD7, the functionality of the HC7, the OIS and compactness of the SD1, and the performance of the HV20.  Until that happens, smart buyers would be advised to consider the strengths and weaknesses of all of these camcorders, and choose the one that is the best overall match for their shooting style and goals.