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From:JVC
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User Rating: Amazon Sales Rank:#5562 |
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52 of 52 customers found the following review helpful:
 JVC's on the right track, 2005-09-17
I've been waiting for this technology for years. So when I found out JVC was planning on coming out with their 4 GB microdrive version, I had to have one. The $1500 price tag was too much though. Then I found out the GZ-MG50 was coming out, and would be about a $1000. I thought it was still a little pricey, but I couldn't wait any longer.
So far, the camera has performed great. It's been easy to use and easy to transfer the files to my computer then to DVD. However, the video editing software that came with it seems a bit cheap, but it gets the job done. Maybe the next gen version will be an improvement.
The movie quality is very good. I won't give it a "Great" because I occasionally see pixel blurring when watching my burned DVDs.
Don't bother taking pictures with this, unless you only plan on emailing them. The quality is far too low to use to capture those precious moments.
I recommend getting an additional battery (the three hour model). The one hour battery just doesn't cut it, especially if you want to review your scenes while you're out shooting.
If JVC gave the camcorder a larger CCD and included better software, I would have given this a 5 star rating, otherwise I think they are on the right track, and in a few years, the MiniDV may be as forgotten as the eight-track.
30 of 30 customers found the following review helpful:
Excellent Product-The Death of Tapes?, 2005-09-13
I waited a long time for this camera to hit the market. The first generation, the 4GB version, did not have enough capacity for real life conditions. The upgrade, now with up to 30GB, fits the bill. I purchased the camera as soon as it came out and ordered a 3-hour battery just in case. Some people may not like the absence of a view finder, but you get used to it really quickly, and it doesn't detract from the ability to film scenes.
Overall, with 30GB you can leave the camera on the highest setting all the time. To never need to buy tapes again is worth the extra premium. The video picture quality is better than our older JVC using VHS-C. The still picture quality leaves much to be desired, but that isn't why you buy this anyway. No detectable motor noise either from the zoom or drive.
I would have given the camcorder 5 stars if it were not for the software application to transfer the movies to your computer and burn to a DVD as it is complicated to use. Despite the complexity, the ability to rearrange each scene, or delete parts, is key and a huge timesaver over tapes. With a lower price, a view finder, and better software, I would think this would signal the end of tape-based camcorders.
67 of 67 customers found the following review helpful:
 Great Camera for Most People, 2005-09-13
Finally! I have been waiting for a video camera that takes good quality video (not mpeg4) and does not use tapes. Everyone that I know has a minidv/digital8 camera, and when they shoot something, the last we all ever see of it is when they hook up the camera to the tv at the end of the day. After that, no copies, no sharing, most of the time no one ever sees the video again. The whole point of recording memories is that you can watch them easily whenever you want and be able to share them with friends and family whenever you want.
First I have to say this is my first camcorder ever (yes, I have been waiting 30 years for this camera). I have used plenty of other camcorders that people have let me borrow, but this is the first camcorder I ever buy for myself.
I went to Cancun two weeks ago and I made the decision that I had to buy a camera for the trip. This camera was a great choice and I love it! I didn't have to lug along my digital still camera, because the everio takes 1152x864 pictures as well which is more than enough for me (for those out there that think they need 6 megapixel pictures, wake up and smell the marketing).
When I got back from my trip, I decided to sit down and get everyone a copy of the video. I was a little apprehensive because I work in advertising and I know how cumbersome and slow it can be to work with large video files if you don't have a computer specifically made for that task...I decided to use my home computer because I didn't want to wait (2.6ghz celeron with 512mb of ram). I didn't really like the DVD authoring software that came with it (seemed to complicated and unintuitive), so I used the Nero VisionExpress that came with my Nero Ultimate Edition software. It was soooo easy to get this done. Within one hour I had already completed a dvd with all the footage from trip, with thumbnail menus, and chapters automatically set for each time the camera stopped. I shot some footage of tropical fish in the water at Cozumel and I used that as the video background underneathe all of the menus. On a separate DVD I also created a compilation of photo slideshows (with music) from all the photo cameras everyone took (including pictures taken with my Everio).
I had the software "burn to hard disk" so I could make as many copies as I wanted of both dvds. I made 5 copies and was totally done with the project in 2 hours. This would not have been possible without this camera, capturing from any other minidv camera or other video source would require hours upon hours of video conversion to dvd compliant mpeg2. But since this camera shoots in mpeg2, that is not a factor.
I love this camera and highly recommend it for most people. If you are one of those videophiles that worries about the number of lines of resolution of your video, or how many ccd chips your camera has, then this camera is probably not for you. If you want great looking video and the convenience of being able to share it EASILY, CHEAPLY AND QUICKLY then definitely check out this camera.
On another note, I have used the software that came with the camera to convert video clips to quicktime, windows media video and realvideo. This is very useful for emailing clips, posting them on websites, or putting them inside your windows media center (or other home theater pc) for easy access.
Also, when getting this camera, be aware that there are two models/versions out there that only do 640x480 pictures...I almost made that mistake.
26 of 43 customers found the following review helpful:
 Woulda, coulda, shoulda, 2005-09-13
The problem I have with the unit is self created. If I had taken the time to use the unit in the field I would have immediatly found what I consider a glaring fault. There is no EYEPIECE. This may seem like a small inconvience, but, always that but, I have owned camcorders since 1985. I realize that I'm talking about my use. I have gotten use to looking through the eyepiece. The good points about the eyepiece (1) No Glare, or washout of the display as your taking the picture. (2)The extended life of the battery, since it doesn't have to power the display. (3) The added stability of holding the camcorder against your face and becoming the third leg of a tripod shooting platform rather than holding the camcorder away from your body and trying to keep it steady. Maybe its just me, but I'm the one that now owns a camcorder I absolutly would not have purchased if I had tested it or had been observant of the non-eyepiece aspect of the unit, but then again it was a unit of VERY LIMITED availability.
23 of 24 customers found the following review helpful:
Fran's JVC Review, 2005-09-09
I bought this camera to document my three year old daughter's adventures inside and outside the house for various activities. So far the only incidence that I could not give this unit 5 stars is inside the house under low light conditions. Even under this condition the unit performed better than my Sony DV and Panasonic DV Camcorders. This JVC unit (GZ-MG50) did cost twice as much as those units but I think it is worth the money for the convenience of the hard drive. I tried recording using the units second highest setting the fine mode and I was not satisfied with the video quality therefore; I will only record on the highest quality mode. It's nice to archive the movie files as mpeg-2 files onto dvd for future use and recovery. The supplied software works very well converting this camcorders files to other formats. I found this software is great for converting all past avi files to a high bitrate mpeg-2 file for archiving or use with Windows Media Center Extenders. The video quality when using the Ultra mode does look DVDish whether playback is from the unit itself, through a Window Media Extender or on DVD media. Make sure to have an extra battery charged on hand because you will not get a hour of record time on a one hour battery. JVC recommends having a battery with three times the hourly capacity as anticipated recording duration. I think this is a excellent product and I would buy it again.
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