The GY-HM850 is a very nicely-weighted shoulder-mount form factor camera. It features a new interchangeable Fujinon 20x autofocus zoom lens, with auto focus, built-in optical image stabilisation and chromatic aberration correction, while the interchangeable 1/3-inch bayonet lens also includes manual focus and iris rings.

The camera features three, 1/3-inch 2.07 effective megapixel CMOS sensors, capturing full 1920×1080 images. The imagers provide 12-bit processing, F12 sensitivity (50Hz) and excellent signal-to-noise ratio to produce superior colour reproduction. Continuing JVC’s commitment to native file workflows, the GY-HM850 records HD or SD footage as Final Cut Pro (.MOV), XDCAM EX (.MP4), AS-10 (.MXF), AVCHD (.MTS), or H.264 (.MOV) files for compatibility with most major NLE systems. Footage can be recorded using MPEG-2 or H.264 compression at a variety of bit rates, frame rates, and resolutions. Dual codecs offer simultaneous recording of a full HD file on one memory card and smaller, web friendly H.264 files on the other. Plus, a new H.264 Extreme High Quality (XHQ) recording mode, commonly used in HD SLRs, offers virtually lossless H.264 50 Mbps recording.

Dual SDHC/SDXC card slots allow simultaneous recording (for instant client copy/backup) or relay recording (for continuous shooting) to low cost, non-proprietary media. During simultaneous recording, one card can act as a continuous backup that overrides the pause function triggered by the operator. Relay recording allows virtually unlimited recording capability in the field.