JVC’s range of Everio camcorders has proved mighty successful over the last few years and the latest addition to its HD stable looks certain to continue the trend. The first consumer camcorder to provide Full HD recording – that’s a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080i pixels – via three 16:9 progressive scan CCDs, the

GZ-HD7 is a seriously well-equipped camcorder for the grown up videomaker. Hence the rather frightening original price tag of £1,700. Luckily, you can now pick this camera up for around £1,200. When JVC released this camera back in June, it bizarrely provided a cheaper alternative that came bundled with a DVD burner. The only decision, then, was to pay £100 less for the HD7 with the DVD burner or £100 more for the one without!

Design and layout

As befits a cam aimed at the serious user, the colour scheme of the HD7 is piano black and, though not overloaded with gimmicks, there’s plenty of genuinely useful features for the enthusiast to get excited about. Starting at the front, the inclusion of a lens hood provides an immediate indication of the professional nature of the HD7.

The lens itself is another first in the consumer camcorder world; a Fujinon option that’s ordinarily reserved for significantly more expensive broadcast models. It consists of three aspherical elements to provide a superior optical performance across the entire zoom range. Around the lens is a manual focus ring, which is smooth, resitant and easy to use.

The 2.8in 16:9 LCD screen flips out from the body of the cam much like any other and is central to the HD7’s operation. On the screen surround is a joystick that’s used for navigating the onscreen menu system, selecting features and making the vast majority of manual adjustments. Also found here is the Battery Remaining button which, as the name suggests, tells you how much juice you have left, how long you can shoot for and how much hard drive space is left.

The viewfinder, like the lens, is given a professional touch thanks to the inclusion of an eyecup. However, at just 0.57in, we can’t help feeling that it could be a little bigger. The viewfinder pulls out from the body of the cam, but can’t be angled up towards the user for low sweeps, which is also a shame.