JVC Hard Drive Camcorders

JVC Everio GZ-HD40

The reasonably compact Everio GZ-HD40 is a dual-format high-definition camcorder, shooting in both AVCHD and MPEG-2 TS, allowing you to get the best of both worlds. The menu system is convoluted, but the HD40 offers very good video quality and plenty of manual options

Editor's rating 8.0

JVC Everio GZ-MG330

High definition may be all the rage, but not everyone is ready to make the leap to shooting in HD. Some just want a small, unobtrusive camcorder that records good-quality footage and doesn't cost the earth -- JVC delivers that with the MG330 that offers a 30GB hard drive and 35x optical zoom for under £250

User rating 7.0

Editor's rating 7.0

JVC Everio GZ-HD3

The JVC Everio GZ-HD3 is a scaled-down version of the Everio GZ-HD7 released a few months ago. It includes the same triple-CCD design and many of the same features, although it includes a Konica Minolta with a 10x optical zoom range and digital image stabilisation

User rating 4.5

Editor's rating 6.1

JVC Everio GZ-HD7

JVC's Everio GZ-HD7 is a hard-drive-based camcorder that attempts to combine the benefits of three CCD sensors with high-definition image quality. It doesn't produce the best videos we've seen, however it does offer an excellent range of features

User rating 5.0

Editor's rating 6.3

JVC Everio GZ-MG57

A good size for small adult hands, the GZ-MG57 is also lighter than most camcorders. Like the other Everio models, you control the camera's options via a joystick on the bezel of the LCD. The menu system is fairly straightforward, providing quick access to all the shooting settings

User rating 4.0

Editor's rating 6.4

JVC Everio GZ-MG505

JVC's Everio GZ-MG505 is a hard-disk-based 3CCD camcorder that follows in the footsteps of its predecessor, the GZ-MC500, which remains an extremely impressive camcorder, even by today's standards. The MG505 adds a larger hard disk and improved optics, but it still records to proprietary video format, which may not please more professional users

User rating 7.3

Editor's rating 7.7

JVC Everio GZ-MG77

JVC's hard-disk-based GZ-MG77 has sacrificed some of its features for affordability -- it only has a single CCD, as opposed to its more expensive 3CCD sibling, the MG505, and the zoom comes nowhere near tape-based models. If you're a casual user, however, who wants to record straight to hard disk, it might just suffice

User rating 6.7

Editor's rating 5.0

JVC Everio GZ-MG20

While casual users will find the MG20's nine-hour footage capacity is more than enough for general use, compulsive videographers will be better off opting for a removable hard-disk camera. But the overwhelming reason to opt for the MG20 is its tin-can size

User rating 8.0

Editor's rating 8.1

JVC Everio GZ-MC500

Because of the MC500's 3CCD system, the picture recorded to the internal Microdrive is better than anything a single-CCD system is capable of. The most convincing reason to consider the MC500 is its size, though. Unlike most camcorders, it will fit in your pocket

User rating 6.0

Editor's rating 9.3

JVC Everio GZ-MG50

The Everio GZ-MG50 is small and light, weighing about 380g with its battery attached, it has a 1.33-megapixel CCD and its 30GB hard drive can hold 10.5 hours of DVD-quality footage. Where on earth will we put it all?

JVC Everio GZ-MC200

We've seen small camcorders before, but the MC200 ushers in a whole new generation of handheld camcorders that you can almost enclose in your palm. These suckers are small, really small. If you've been reluctant to take a camcorder on holiday because of the size of the things, you might be swayed by the MC200 -- it's the same size as a rolled-up pair of socks

User rating 8.7

Editor's rating 8.3