JVC Everio GZ-MG57 user reviews

Ed Taylor 6 December 2006

Good: Easy to use for beginners - point and shoot

Bad: Poor image and stills quality

Comment: This JVC camcorder is mediocre at best. As a first time camcorder buyer, I wanted a camera that produced good quality video footage (I wasn’t too worried about the stills), which was easy to upload and edit. In all fairness, Hard Drive camcorder footage is very quick and easy to upload onto a PC, but I was very disappointed with the quality of the video I saw on my computer screen. The camera doesn’t handle low light well at all, producing a lot of 'artefacts' (grains) in the picture. Also in any light other than daylight the colours have a grey/yellowy tinge. In auto mode, the camera noticeably re-focuses, creating short blurring periods in the video, which is irritating on playback.
One plus point for this JVC camcorder (it wasn’t easy to find one) is that it’s easy to use in ‘auto mode’ and the menu is easy enough to navigate.
However, for the price of this camera you can now get a decent 3CCD MiniDV camcorder, producing much higher quality footage with amazingly vibrant colours. For example, the Panasonic NV-GS180 (miniDV camcorder) is around £50 cheaper, but wipes the floor with the JVC in terms of picture and colour quality, and is just as easy to use.
Now, if you're really set on a Hard Drive camcorder, then I’d suggest opting for one of the Sony range, which retail at very similar prices but beat the JVC Everio on video and stills quality hands down.