Camcorder Review:
JVC Everio GZ-MG505 Hard Drive Camcorder (page 2)

The onboard microphone performs fairly well. The GZ-MG505 camcorder also features an automatic gain control, which you can disable within the menu. The most notable feature in terms of audio is the 1/8" stereo mic input. This feature is relatively surprising on a camcorder that's intended mainly for point and shoot users. We certainly welcome this feature, because you can attach a shotgun mic to pick up audio from greater distances.

The JVC GZ-MG505 is a convenient camcorder with a sleek look. Its improvements over its predecessor are notable enough to pique interest of beginning shooters who want a little bit more than the bare bones. For people looking for a simple point and shoot camcorder, there are many less expensive options. Yet, if you want a 3-CCD camcorder that records to a hard drive, you'll find little competition. Throw in a remote control and a mix of software titles to help you make sense of all your digital files, and you have a real computer friendly camcorder.

Imaging Device: 3 - 1/ 4.5" CCDs
Pixels: 1330K gross (each), 774K (16:9), 691K (4:3) effective
Recording Media: 30GB HDD
Image Stabilization: Yes, electronic
Accessory Shoe: Yes, cold
White Balance: Manual, Auto, Indoor, Outdoor, Cloudy
Memory Stick: SD memory card (not included)
Still Image Mode: HDD or SD memory card
Low Light Capability: Night mode
LANC Terminal: No
Analog Audio/Video Input(s): No
Headphone Jack: No
Microphone Input: Yes, 1/8" stereo
Video Outputs: USB 2.0, Composite
S-Video Input(s): No
S-Video Output(s): Yes (optional accessory)
LCD: Color 2.7" widescreen (112K pixels)
Lens Type: Fixed, 3.2-32mm
Viewfinder Color: (123K pixels)
Aperture: f1.8-2.4
Exposure: Shutter and aperture priority
Filter Diameter: 37mm
Focus: Full range Auto, Manual (joystick)
Progressive Shutter Mode: No
Optical Zoom: 10X
Digital Zoom: 300X
Battery Type: Lithium ion
Remote: Yes

• Compact
• 3 CCDs
• 30GB HDD

• No headphone jack
• Mediocre image stabilization
• Short battery life

The JVC GZ-MG505 is an extremely small, sleek camcorder for the tech-savvy shooter. If you're looking for tape-less format with powerful snapshot ability, this is your camera.

Mark Montgomery is Videomaker's technical editor.

$1,300
JVC Company of America
1700 Valley Rd.
Wayne, NJ 07470
www.jvc.com

• Digg This!
• del.icio.us
• Technorati
• StumbleUpon
• Reddit