JVC Everio GZ-MG40 1.33 MP 20 GB Hard Disk Drive Camcorder w/15x Optical Zoom

by JVC

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 4.3 x 2.7 x 2.8 inches ; 11.2 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000A13YL6
• Item model number: GZMG40
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #31,450 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 14, 2005

Product Description

Which format of Digital Camcorder should I choose? Tapes or DVD? How about no tapes or DVD's at all! That's the concept of the JVC Everio G Digital Camcorder. The state of the future is solid and you can get it right now.

The benefits of recording video to a hard disk are the same benefits that have made hard disk-based audio players so popular random access to quickly locate desired material, the ability to effortlessly delete unwanted material, and easily rearrange the playback sequence. What's more, there's no danger of mistakenly recording over something that's to be saved. Scene selection is made easy thanks to on-screen index images, so the large amount recorded won't become a hindrance to quick accessibility. And with remote control operation, it is possible to connect the Everio G camcorder to a TV and operate it from a distance, just like a DVD deck. Playlist operation allows recording of desired clips directly to DVD with the optional DVD burner, or directly to VHS or other analog input devices with the S-Video or Composite video output for perfect copies every time. Zoom - 15x Optical/700x Digital Zoom High-quality MPEG-2 Recording 20GB Hard Drive Camcorder F1.2 Lens, 1.33 Megapixel CCD Auto LED Light, Power Linked Operation USB 2.0 high speed interface for rapid memory transfer 3-D Noise Reduction for clear picture DVD-Movie Quality Footage Image Stabilization - Floating Suspension System; Gravity-like Force Sensor System Resolution - 1152 x 864, 1024 x 768, or 640 x 480 digital stills SD Memory Card slot for storing still images DPOF (Digital Print Order Format) DCF, PIM 3 and Exif 2.2 for optimized print quality Make Full-length DVDs Easily - Easy dubbing to a VCR or DVD recorder or DVD Drive connected with Windows PC or Macintosh computer Play video directly onto TV CyberLink DVD Video Creation software for Windows/ Includes BNV707 B

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

67 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars happy with it, October 10, 2005

By 

anadolu (Providence, RI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: JVC Everio GZ-MG40 1.33 MP 20 GB Hard Disk Drive Camcorder w/15x Optical Zoom (Electronics)

I have been using this camcorder for almost two weeks now. And here are my impressions:

PROS:

A) This is a tiny camcorder and I can easily carry it in my pocket everyday.

B) It records directly on a 20GB harddrive. This is probably the most amazing feature of this camera. It has the following amazing benefits:
(1) A huge recording space
(2) Random access to recorded videos when browsing
(through a thumblist of videos)
(3) Super fast transfer onto your computer through USB 2.0.
(4) No tapes, no CDs, no DVDs to worry about while recording video.
(5) Facilitates easy archiving/organizing . For example, all the recorded files on the camera's harddrive have "creation date"s as a part of their file information. When the camera is connected to your computer, you can sort all files by date and easily separate all recordings by date to different folders by simply selecting and dragging. (This is extra, but if you want to index and be able to search your video files, say with google desktop, simply enter a list of keywords in the file name about the contents of the file.)
(6) The harddrive on your camera can double as additional portable storage media- this is unlikely but If you wanted you could even install linux on it and carry with you an operating system on your camera.

C) Video quality is good for a consumer level video camera. The sound quality recorded through the internal microphone is good: i can hear the lectures I record very clearly and there is no annoying noise generated by the camera.



D) The charger that comes with this camera is very small. So you can carry that around as well and worry less about running out of battery.


CONS:

A) No mic jacks.
B) manual focus and light adjustments are done through menus.
C) The editing software that comes with it is limited.
D) The battery life is a mere hour(but you can buy a 3 hour battery for 70-80 dollars).


As with all camcorders, the still images shot with this camera are not at the level of quality you can get from a good still camera. It produces reasonable snapshots in well lit situations.

The video files recorded by this camera have a ".MOD" extension in their name. I replace ".MOD" with ".MPG" and most of my standard video viewing software automatically recognize the files.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great little camera, but night shooting a little grainy., November 24, 2005

By 

Jenny - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: JVC Everio GZ-MG40 1.33 MP 20 GB Hard Disk Drive Camcorder w/15x Optical Zoom (Electronics)

I really like the long record time of this camera. I bought this camera for my trip to Europe, and it was great. It's small, yet powerful. I could record off and on for days before having to dump the movies on my laptop. I would suggest getting a second battery, preferably the 3 hour. The 5 hour is almost the size of the camcorder itself, and made it heavier.

It was hard to find a case that is small enough for it, yet big enough to hold extra stuff like batteries. I bought the: CASE LOGIC TSC-4BLUE Sport Compact Camcorder Case. It doesn't even look like a camcorder case, which I also like.

The software that comes with it takes some getting used to, but I think it works well.
Night recording is a little grainy, but not too bad. I love that it has a wide screen option. The stability software works well; the hand shaking is greatly reduced.
I don't like the quality of the still pictures it takes, but I have a separate 8mp camera.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars works ok but..., December 12, 2005

By 

David John Hemmer (Buffalo, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: JVC Everio GZ-MG40 1.33 MP 20 GB Hard Disk Drive Camcorder w/15x Optical Zoom (Electronics)

This camera is easy to operate but when it comes to getting the footage on the camera turned into a DVD it is not so easy. I am a fairly comfortable and experienced computer user but not an expert. The software included has very inadequate instructions. For example it says "never plug the camera into the computer while the camera is turned on". Later it says "don't ever turn the camera on or off with it plugged into the computer". Hmmm, this makes it awfully hard to transfer files! An email to JVC customer service received no reply!

Then the files come in multiple folders with odd names and extensions. The default file names are actually hexadecimal numbers! Good lord! How about using date and time instead?

It's not clear if I can just save the .MOD files and delete the rest or not. Then when I burn files to DVD's they invariably have skips, even though when I play them on my computer they look great. Maybe this isn't the camera's fault, maybe my DVD's are cheap. Regardless i may find myself playing the camera back onto my TV and recording simultaneously onto VHS tapes if I can't figure it all out!! At this point I have lots of nice videos on my hard drive with weird names and no DVD's that I can play on my TV!