PROREVIEW
News breaker
The three-chip JVC GY-HM650 professional camcorder is a workhorse for news production. It offers an integrated FTP connection and Wi-Fi connectivity that allows the end user to send their footage online while still recording. DoP Stefan Randjelovic puts the camera through its paces
When I was handed this camera for review, I was briefed that this was not your typical DoP’s camera. If you’re shooting a TVC or a feature film, this might not be the first camera you would reach out for. However, this camera comes with a lot of features designed for news reporters on the field and those shooting documentaries. The three-chip JVC GY-HM650 is a professional camcorder, light enough to be operated for several hours if needed. But after a certain period of time, it does get a little bit heavy, so using a tripod will be a must. As with all JVC cameras, the GY-HM650 has all the features you require on the fly on its camera body. The camera has a FULL AUTO and MANUAL mode. We have tested it in full manual mode, where we could control the focal length, focus, gain, white balance and shutter speed. There are three ND filters built in that range from 1/4 to 1/64 and we found this extremely useful shooting here in sunny Dubai. The functions on the camera are pretty standard with a MENU/Thumbnail button to guide you through the setting and Thumbnail playback. This is what is great about this camera. JVC has paid great attention to the small details with this camera. You have the same set of controls on the LCD menu display with a joystick that makes it incredibly easy to navigate through all of your settings. The LCD is 3.5” 920,000-dot and the picture is very sharp and bright. Underneath, once you open the LCD, you will find all of the controls for audio.
In brief
* Product: JVC GY-HM650 HD * Retail price – Approx. $6200.00 * Reviewed by: Stefan Randjelovic, Head of the Film Department at SAE Institute, Dubai
44 | www.broadcastprome.com | August 2013