Customer Reviews

JVC Everio MS120 Dual Flash Camcorder (Red)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I purchased this little camcorder about a month ago along with JVC BN-VF815US 1460 mAh battery. Overall I am very impressed with this little camcorder. I have been using a Panasonic DV Tape camcorder for 9 years and it was time to get away from those darn tapes. With the JVC there is no moving parts (no hard drives, no tapes, no DVD) just a couple of flash cards.
In addition to the camcorder, I had to upgrade my video editing software. I was using Pinnacle Studio 10.8 for my old Panasonic but I could not import the MOD file format from the new JVC. I purchased Corel Ulead VideoSutdio 11.5 plus from Amazon for only 40 bucks and I am very impressed with it as well.
Here are the pros of the JVC:
1) Low cost (under $275)
2) Solid state - no moving parts - records to flash memory.
3) Great color and low light performance compared to equivalent Panasonic, Canon and Sony. Check out the review on camcorderinfo.com (http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/JVC-Everio-GZ-MG670-Camcorder-Review-36240.htm). Its for a slightly higher model (MG670) than the MS120 but they share the same lens, sensor, user interface and body.
4) Can see the screen in sunlight. With no view finder I was worried about seeing the screen outside but with this screen its not that big of an issue.
5) 16X9 windscreen native (can also do 4X3)
6) Auto lens cap. Lens cap automatically opens and closed with screen.
7) Auto on and off. Along with the lens cap, the power automatically turns on and off with open and close of the screen. No more videos of the ground (or my wife's feet) because you forgot to power off the camera after the last shot.
8) Instant on - Once you open the screen, you can start taking video within a second or two.
9) Low power consumption - No moving parts means less power and longer battery life.
10) Each video is saved and managed like a file on the camera. Its easy to delete or view these files right on the camera. No more hunting through the tape.

Cons -
1) Difficult to hold - the hand strap is very thin and does not have much support. You need to use two hands to hold it still enough.
2) No optical image stabilization - The digital stabilization is decent but you need to keep this one steady. Maybe that why they put that thin strap on this thing. Again two hands.
3) Like other camcorders in this range, they take decent but not good still photos. You still need to keep you digital camera near by.
4) MOD format. Works with most newer video editing SW but did not work with my 3 year old version of Studio 10.8. Words great with older version of Ulead VideoStudio 11.5
5) Low light performance - while low light performance is good compared to competitors, it does not have an IR filter like my old Panasonic.
6) No hot shoe - I never used the one on my Panasonic so not a big deal.
7) No viewfinder - Can still see well in sunlight so not a big deal.

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.

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.

This camera has great bang for your buck.

Pros:
-Great Zoom, digital zoom still holds decent quality
-Light
-nice interface
-Quality optics

Cons:
-Light plastic construction, dont drop it
-Low light performance isn't great, not a problem for me.
-Still picture taking quality is poor
-Need to keep it rather steady

I just wanted a small camcorder for quick action movies for sports/snowboarding/rock climbing that i could upload and mix with an audio track and the everio delivers. I am happy with the product so far for what I paid.

i love this camcorder. so easy to use, light, and the best part is the dual memory card slot. Beautiful color, light, pictures... the only thing was recording while moving, the camcorder is so light that any movement you make will ruin the video.

This is a great little camcorder. Its a little bigger than the palm of your hand and not much bigger than a digital camera. I tried out the ultra fine mode and economy mode and both work great. The ultra fine give you better detail but takes up lots of room. The economy mode works just as good but provides less detail. It shoots very clear picture in adequate lighting but in low lighting, you will need to turn on the LED light or make the proper adjustments. Also, you can view what you recorded right on the camcorder. It is also very easy to convert the videos you record to a workable format. For the price of $270 you can't go wrong. I recommend it to everyone.

I really like this JVC flash memory camcorder. No longer do I have to sit through hours of tape either on the computer or through a dvd recorder recording video to dvd. Great standard def picture quality. First I purchased the Samsung SMX-F34 flash memory cam., but took it back because video quality was terrible. Too over compressed. Didn't like the mpeg4 video. This JVC cam. has way better video. Mpeg-2 video. Less compression. Love all the features and the fact that it has a light, a small light, but still a light. I was impressed by the low light video this camcorder took. The only drawback for me is that there is no fade-in or fade-out effect. That I really miss. But it has everything else I need. This camcorder, JVC Everio MS120, I won't be returning to the store.

In my opinion, this is the perfect camera. Totally worth the money, which for a video camera, isn't that much. It's great for uploading videos to youtube ([...])

Pros:
-170 minute battery life
-LED light for a flash
-2 SD card slots for as much memory as you're willing to buy
-Screen visible eve in bright sunlight
-Konica Minolta(sp?)Lens
-40x optical zoom(WOW) and 800 digital'
-Snapshot mode
-One touch export to youtube or itunes library (love that)

Con:
-I don't like the laser touch thing.

I've had this camcorder for a month or so now and I've been really happy with this camcorder. I use this camcorder to take pictures of my wife and kid occasionally. The video quality is acceptable when there's sufficient light, at low light the video gets grainy but there's a built in light that can be turn on (manually or automatically). The microphone was also pretty sensitive and the sound in my videos are good of good quality. You can take snapshots in the middle of recording a video, the quality is ok for facebook but it you're looking for high quality you should get a digital camera. It has no built in memory, but recording to SDHC is convenient and downloading to PC is very easy, just insert the SD card and grab the AVI files, I haven't had any problems with the encoding.
If your budget is $200-$300 then you're probably comparing this JVC MS120 with the Canon FS200 or the flip ultra HD (maybe the Sony/Panasonic ones as well). I went with JVC since Canon is more expensive, flip ultra HD has very limited controls and the reviews of Sony/Panasonic ones weren't that great. And the JVC has kept me happy so far.

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.