Digital Cameras Ratings: JVC Everio GZ-MG40 1.33 MP 20 GB Hard Disk Drive Camcorder w/15x Optical Zoom Review

Average Reviews:
3.3 out of 5 stars

(More customer reviews)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 andcarry 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 islimited.
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.

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Product Description:
No more tapes, record direct to the internal hard drive.Don't tape it. Don't worry about reloading discs either, because the palm sized GZ-MG40 records over 24 hours of video on it's high-capacity 20 GB hard disk drive. So when you are on the go, vacationing or at a family event, pack your lightweight Everio and go. There are four recording modes allows you to record the way you want. The ULTRA mode will record over 4.5 hours of almost DVD movie quality. The FINE mode will record at DVD camcorder quality for over 7 hours. Either way, the high quality MPEG-2 recordings are the same format used as a DVD. There will be no quality loss when burning to DVD. Plus, no cassettes or discs to lose. Every Everio camcorder is designed to simplify your life.The built-in hard disk drive allows you to easily delete unwanted scenes and rearrange your footage even on the go. This Everio's multi-connectivity allows you to get connected and share all your memories. Your own portable video scrapbook- from JVC. Long recording time and easy to use features in a palm sized hard disk drive solution. Over 4.5 Hours of Recording with 20 GB Internal Hard Disk Drive (ULTRA mode)at DVD Movie QualityOver 7 Hours of Recording with 20 GB Internal Hard Disk Drive (FINE mode)at DVD QualityOver 9 Hours of Recording with 20 GB Internal Hard Disk Drive (Norm mode)at TV QualityHigh-Quality MPEG-2 Video Recording (up to 720 x 480/60i in ULTRA modewith Dolby Digital Audio (MOD file)