 "For the Average Consumer and Amateur Filmmakers, the Best Bang for your Buck" | 2009-11-13 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3Q1O28E9N0CBU |
After my disastrous experience with Sony's HD Webbie, I was in the market for a video camera that was both high quality and user friendly. Those who've read my review for that product, or who have used the product themselves, know that Sony intentionally designed the Webbie to shut down recording after 25 minutes of footage, ostensibly to retain the integrity of the Camera's internal components. This means that footage must be recorded in 25 minute intervals, with necessary breaks in between to re-start recording. For all of its positives, this glaring drawback made the Webbie useless to me, and, I would presume, most others as well.
In my search for a new camera that was as close to the Webbie as possible without being useless, I came across the JVC Everio. I'd never owned a JVC product before, but had heard good things; formerly a "Sony Man," the Webbie debacle had left me willing to try out other brand names and see what they had to offer. With one drawback-- the still camera option-- it turned out to be a worthwhile decision.
IMAGE QUALITY AND RECORDING FEATURES
Image quality is probably the number-one thing people are looking for in a video camera, so I'll address it first. The Everio is definitely not HD; if one wants to use this for professional purposes, and are bereft some high-quality video editing software, the Everio is probably not for you. The Webbie does, without a doubt, create higher-quality recordings. That being said, this is probably the highest quality video available without going HD. Think of it as "semi-HD." The camera comes with multiple video quality settings, which permit for more recording time for lower quality or less recording time for higher quality. The lowest quality setting is analagous to a high-quality cell-phone camera or a middle-of-the-road webcam. The highest setting is that "semi-HD" category.
Contributing to the video quality are the image stabilization feature and the superb 40x optical zoom, which loses no video quality. The Flip, for example, will rapidly degrade in video quality the further one zooms in, and is only really useful for recording about two to three feet in front of the camera. Not so with the Everio.
In addition, the Everio comes with multiple image options-- Black and white and sepia, which speak for themselves; Strobe, which simulates low-quality webcam recording (for whatever reason), and a very nifty "Old Fashioned" feature that simulates an old 1970s-1980s era film, with a grainy filter and washed out colors. For the more industrious user, JVC also makes several accessories for the camera, including a polarized filter for bright, outdoor recording, and various conversion lenses.
The Everio's primary drawback in video recording is that it has limited capabilities in adjusting for low-light recording. This is not to say that video recorded in low-light is of a poor quality, simply that it is lower quality than video recorded in medium or bright light. To offset this, the Everio comes with a built-in LED bulb that is pretty bright, and can light up a medium-sized room in the dark. It doesn't quite fix the problem, but it does a lot to make sure that one's video recorded in a darker area isn't a lost cause. That being said, there is no night vision feature, so if that's a necessity, this isn't your camera.
STORAGE MEDIUM
Like the Webbie, the Everio utilizes the SD card feature. This means that in order to record, one inserts an SD card into a slot on the camera and records onto it; it's an identical principle to recording onto a VHS. Once the SD card has filled up, one can either save it and record on another card, or transfer the footage onto one's computer or a DVD, then wipe the card and use it again and again.
Unlike the Webbie, though, the Everio has TWO SD card slots which work in tandem. Say, for example, one has an SD card with an hour's worth of recording time, but wants to record two hours of footage. Simply insert a second SD card into the camera, and when the first reaches capacity, the Everio will automatically begin recording on the second card. With two high-capacity SD cards, one could theoretically record for days without having to stop.
CONSTRUCTION/EASE OF USE
The camera is made of a medium-high grade durable plastic, and should be able to stand up to a moderate amount of abuse. At the end of the day, though, this is a piece of eletronic equipment, and isn't designed to be beaten up. It's somewhat cumbersome in construction, but definitely easier to manage than some of the older mini-DV/DVD recorders that were only slightly smaller than a 1980s VHS camera. Imagine holding a 12oz can of soda sideways and you've got the idea. Those with larger hands might find it too small, those with smaller hands too big. In either case, it's a fairly easy adjustment (I've got larger hands, my girlfriend has smaller hands) and not a hindrance to operation. A leather strap on the side of the camera allows it to somewhat rest of the back of one's hand, but it's not a terribly well thought-out feature and most probably won't put it to use.
The camera is operated via the view screen, which does double duty as a touch-activated menu screen. Options are scrolled through via a sensor to the left of the screen, identical in function to the touch-activated scroll bar found on several laptop mousepads. The Everio has a tendency to scroll through options too quickly, and can be somewhat sensitive to touch, which can be mildly frustrating. Those experienced with laptop touch pads, though, should have no problem at all.
POWER
Unlike the Webbie, which has an internal battery and can only be charged by plugging in the camera, the Everio runs on an external battery that snaps into the back of the camera. The battery can either be charged by keeping it in the camera and then plugging the camera into the wall, or by buying a separate battery charger. As of the writing of this review, JVC makes three types of batteries for the Everio; the most basic, one of which accompanies the camera, runs for about two hours on a full charge. One can purchase one of the two upgrades, which run for five and eight hours.
CAMERA
Like the Webbie, the Everio comes with a built-in digital camera. This sounds like a great feature, and was a contributing factor in my purchase-- why buy a video and digital camera if one can have both in the same product? Unfortunately, here is the area where the Webbie blows away the Everio, hands down, and is what prevented me from giving this five stars. The Webbie's built in camera, although worthless in low light, produced excellent images in medium and bright light. The Everio's camera feature, quite honestly, is garbage. For the superiority of the film quality the Everio is capable of, its still image capabilities are worthless. The pictures one gets are of cell-phone camera quality: Grainy, heavily pixelated, and in need of contrast/lighting correction. Even with a great photo editing program, one will still be left with sub-par quality pictures. The camera also lacks the stabilization feature of the video camera; the tiniest movement produces an image that looks as though it was taken from underwater. The subjects, as well as the camera operator, must remain perfectly still for anything even vaguely resembling a nice picture.
CONCLUSION
This is a great piece of equipment, and for the average consumer, the best bang for your buck. It certainly isn't HD quality, and won't take the place of your digital camera, but for everyday user, and even amateur filmmakers who don't have the monetary resources for a "top of the line" camera, this is the product you've been looking for. |
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 "Perfect for Home Movies" | 2009-10-13 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2BKMU1VY2HQPD |
This camcorder is the best for home movies. This camera is meant to replace a Sony 8 mm Handycam that requires occasional "percusive maintenance" (a careful slap to the side) to operate. I did the research to compare Sony,JVC,and Canon for the following features: under $300 price, SD/Memory Stick media, good quality picture, and ease of use--without a lot of features that I would never use. The main use for this camera will be to easily shoot family events that can be uploaded to YouTube and Facebook or sent to a DVD.
The JVC MS120BU (black case)that I chose matched all of my requirements. I bought the camera with an 8GB memory card; while I am currently not needing the dual memory card feature, it is good to know that the storage capability is there. I played with all the menu selections, and left everything on Auto at this time. I loaded the enclosed software on my laptop, shot a short video, and sent it to YouTube. No problems. I did look at the manual briefly, but did not really need it beyond identifying where the buttons all were. The Lasertouch feature took a few minutes to master as I have a heavy touch, and it is very sensitive. Holding the camera took a bit of practice. I use just the wrist strap for safety and hold the camera using the pinkie and next finger. The middle finger runs the wide/telephoto button; the index finger takes snapshots, and the thumb runs the record button. The resulting video shows no shake with this setup.
I really have no need to do much editing of the results -- it is what it is -- family pictures. Beyond changing the order of scenes, there's not much editing to do. Some of the negative reviews mention features not intended for this camera. Those who aspire to filmaking and professional editing should look into more expensive camcorders. |
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 "Wish I hadn't bought it." | 2009-10-09 |
| - Reviewed By bookguysi |
When I went to the store to buy a video camera, this seemed like the best choice. The price was right and the video quality as seen through the LCD monitor seemed crisp and sharp. However, there are problems.
First, the still pictures it takes are garbage, so don't think you're going to replace your digital camera with this. That wasn't much of a drawback for me, since I mainly intended to use it for video.
Second problem: while recording video or when reviewing recorded video on the camera's monitor, it always looks great. But when you watch it on a TV or upload it to your computer, it usually looks absolutely horrible, even if the video was taken in full sunlight. The Auto settings for this thing are completely worthless, and what you see in the LCD monitor is often not what you get in reality. It took me A LOT of experimentation with the settings in order to get my video quality to be any good, but it is possible.
The third, and biggest problem is the format in which video is recorded. When you upload video to your computer, it is in MOD format. Yes, it will play in the Everio Media Browser that comes with the camera and it will even play in Windows Media Player, but if you want to edit it or put it on a DVD, you're in for a very frustrating time. I had a simple movie I needed to edit using Windows Movie Maker, and then to put on a DVD. WMM wouldn't recognize the MOD format. Yes, the camera comes with software that converts the MOD files into WMV files, which Windows Movie Maker recognizes, but the quality_really_suffers with the conversion. So, I spent a week searching for programs on the internet that would convert MOD files into something compatible with WMM, but which would retain the quality of the original MOD file. It was very difficult.
So, my recommendation is to find out beforehand whether your video editing software can handle the MOD format. As I understand it, the newer (meaning within the last year or 2), higher-end programs can do it, but not everyone wants to spend the $ for that. So, do your homework before buying this, or any camera. |
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| "Not DVD-ready files!" | 2009-09-07 |
| - Reviewed By User: A7HUSKU4LOT8J |
| The files are NOT DVD-ready files as advertised. They are mpeg-2 files, but they have errors in them preventing them from being added to a DVD as-is by any software. The first error I found is that the mpeg-2 header says it's a 4:3 file instead of 16:9. There are some other errors that cause DVD authoring programs to stop processing when it gets to a file created by this camcorder which I haven't bothered to figure out. So, if your intent is to save time by not having to convert files to put on a DVD, this isn't the camcorder for you. I was very disappointed in this and contacted JVC, and they wrote back that I should use their software for converting the files and putting them on a DVD, and that they had no intention of coming out with a software update to fix the problem. But I want to use other software, so I still have to waste time converting the files. As for the video quality, it's pretty bad, the digital image stabilization just makes everything look blocky, even on the ultra setting. The audio is very good though - it picks up the audio you're after and does do a good job of cutting out the wind noise. The battery is better than I read, after about an hour of recording it says it still has over an hour left, I haven't been able to verify that though. The dual-SD cards are great (very nice to have removeable media that's readily available at any store). All in all, if I'd had time to return this camcorder and get another before my son's football season started, I would've done so. And because of JVCs lack of help by their customer service, I won't buy any JVC products in the future. |
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| "Great for the price" | 2009-09-03 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2EHH9DCC47K87 |
| After doing much research I bought this camera from a chain store to ensure that I could return it easily if need be. Good thing I did, the first one had a small red dot that showed up on the left hand side of the screen while in low light conditions. This dot also showed up in the recordings when played back on the TV. I returned the camera for an exchange and I'm happy to report that the new one does not have this problem. Defective unit I guess. However I'm not going to hold this fluke against this camera as it is an awesome camera. The recordings from it look every bit as good as a digital standard definition broadcast signal does on my 42" TV. The camera also has very impressive low light recording quality, however there is some noise, but not enough in my opinion to be bothersome. The bottom line - if you're looking for a camera for general video capture inside the house or outside with good quality and that will not break the bank look no further. Would highly recommend. |
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| "JVC Everio MS120 camcorder" | 2009-08-22 |
| - Reviewed By User: A343X6GFP32PFG |
| Bought this for my daughter to video her horse riding hobby, easy to work, good video quality. The still pictures aren't the best but i suppose a camera would be better for that. |
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Expedited Available
