Hi everyone. First time joining a website but look forward to writing reviews about stuff i have use...
Hi everyone. First time joining a website but look forward to writing reviews about stuff i have used, and hopefully completing some surveys. Not that i am opinionated in any way though ;)
Member since:17.04.2006
Reviews:1
I was looking for a camcorder to use primarily for holidays and family moments. I have bought this camcorder for that use only.
when you buy the JVC Everio GZMG21EK you get the following items:- The camcorder itself, A battery and charger, a lens cap, Shoulder strap, instructions & guarantees, AV cables, a USB cable, a remote control (with battery) and a disc of software. ( I bought mine over the internet so couldnt haggle in the shop)
The camcorder is silver in colour and i cant believe how small it actually is. It fits perfectly into my hand and is not heavy at all.
The camcorder uses a 20 gb hardrive as the recording medium rather than the tapes or discs alot of the other types do. So one
big advantage is not having to go out and buy a load of tapes or discs to record on. You can record up to 25hrs of recording on the Economy setting. This shrinks to 4.5hrs on ultra (DVD) quality. This is continuous recording, so even on the ultra high setting you can record alot more footage without having to change discs or tapes than some of the other camcorders on the market at the moment. The h/d (Harddrive) also has protective features on it to prevent damage if you drop it. This can be turned off in the menu, but unles your filming on a rollercoaster or something i would leave this on. There is also a slot in the bottom for an SD card You can switch easily between the two mediums or set the camcorder to store movies on the h/d and photo's on the sd card if that is what you want.
The camcorder has a total zoom capability of 800x. 32 x optical and the rest digital. I took mine out onto the beach and did some filming when i first bought it and the zoom works perfectly. When the camcorder is in your hand the zoom lever is right by your index finger, and the record/snap button is right by your thumb. The design is perfect for use without having to start fiddling with your other hand to find buttons. However i must point out that although the camera has an 800x zoom you cant use it all whilst just filming with the camcorder in your hand. I found that if i went past the 32x magnification i just couldnt keep the film steady. But you can also set the maximum zoom to 64x magnification. This does make it easier to zoom when your out and about. There is another function called Macrozoom, This is for filming things that are quite close. The nearest you can be is 5cm's and that is only if this is switched on.
There is a 2.5" lcd display which folds out. It can also rotate through 180 degrees and then fold back in to the camera. This is for watching and editing films via the camcorder itself. one bad point i did notice was there is no viewfinder on this camera. You have to use the lcd display. This is bad if it is sunny outside then the image on the display is very hard to see. I was trying to film a windfarm that has been built about 5 miles out to sea from the beach. I couldnt make out any of them when i was filming however when i watched it back on the television they are as clear as a bell. There is an attachment you can buy to block the sun but i havent got that. I must say the zoom performed excellently there as the individual posts with the propellers on are really clear. I couldnt see them clearly with the naked eye but the camera got them, i could clearly see the propellers rotating.
The battery that is supplied with the camcorder is dissapointing. It is the smallest JVC do. It reportedly lasts for an hour, and you dont get a spare. They do put in an information leaflet that advertises the larger batteries and the largest will record for 4hrs 55 mins. I took a peek at the website and this costs £55.00. I find it disappointing that this is not supplied with the camcorder as they do advertise the recording capability of the h/d as being 4.5hrs on ultra high quality. So you do need this in order to accomplish that. I found you also have to charge the battery while it is attached to the camcorder which could be a bit of a pain.
The leads that are supplied are mentioned above. The av cable allows you to directly connect the camcorder to your television and is easy to connect. The usb cable allows you to connect the camera to your P.C. This is also very easy. They include set up manuals which are extremely easy to follow in the box. The camcorder also has an S-Video connection this allows better quality of transfer to your television. The lead is not supplied with this camcorder though.
The software supplied allows you to download your films to the p.c, edit the films or pictures and produce DVD'S. There is an excellent manual which has a step by step guide to using this software. I found that i could add voice overs or even add music to the background very easily after playing around with it for a short time. one worrying point was i found you do lose some of the quality when you burn to a DVD. I noticed a slight difference watching the DVD after watching the camera directly connected to my television. Now i dont know if that is my computer or burner or the disc i use but there is a small difference. The camera can also film in 16:9 ratio. This is basically Widescreen rather than the 4:3 ratio of most televisions. Most of the new televisions are now widescreen so this camera has the capability to film in that format. I havent tried this yet so i cant really comment on that part.
In conclusion i am extremely happy with this camcorder. It does exactly what it says on the box. i am positive that the camera can do more than enough of the things i want it and need it for. With enough that if i wanted to experiment with more complex filming i could do. At the £385.00 (inc delivery) i paid for it i am very pleased and would recommend it to others of you who want it for the same reasons i do.
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Gr8 first review. Welcome indeed to ciao! Reckon you'll soon be earning Diamonds here. BTW, have you written onother review sites?
~~~~~~~>>((((((('')>~~~~~~~ The Coolster (TM).
COOOEEE 23.04.2006 11:13
An impressive first review, nicely presented and full of information for potential buyers. You will do well here. Fionaxx
LIZKEMPO 21.04.2006 14:58
great first review, i look forward to reading more from you LizzieX
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