JVC Everio GZ-MG555 review: JVC Everio GZ-MG555

JVC Everio GZ-MG555
JVC continues its line of Everio hard-drive camcorders with the GZ-MG555. Equipped with a single 5-megapixel sensor and a 10x zoom lens, the GZ-MG555 is the highest-end standard-definition Everio camera currently on the market. It isn't JVC's top consumer camcorder (the high-definition Everio GZ-HD7 has that honor), but its higher resolution and much more-robust control scheme sets the GZ-MG555 apart from lower-end Everios.

Like all Everio camcorders, the GZ-MG555 records video to an onboard hard drive, rather than tapes or DVDs. The 30GB drive holds up to 37 hours of video, though that's only when shooting at the lowest quality setting. Most users will probably shoot at the Fine and Ultra Fine quality settings instead, at which the hard drive can respectively hold 10.5 and 7 hours of footage. If that's not enough storage for you, the camcorder also features an SDHC card slot so you can record both video and still photos onto flash memory. Since 4GB SDHC cards can be found for about $50, they present an inexpensive, convenient way to grab just a little more recording time.

At just over a pound and measuring under three inches across, the GZ-MG555 can be schlepped around almost anywhere without your arm getting sore. It retains the same basic design as lower-end Everio models, with a few tweaks. It still has a 2.7-inch flip-out LCD screen with a control stick and two navigation buttons conveniently mounted next to it. It still keeps the playback and menu buttons nestled against the camcorder's body. It still lacks a viewfinder due to its small size. This layout makes operating the camcorder a relatively simple and direct affair.

JVC made the GZ-MG555 unique from its brethren by installing a mode dial above its battery. Previous Everios simply toggled between manual and automatic modes with a button on the camcorder's body, while this model uses the dial to shuffle between its nine available modes. The GZ-MG555 offers five scene presets, plus aperture- and shutter-priority manual modes, on top of the standard manual and automatic modes found on lower-end Everio camcorders.

These various shooting options also can be used when taking 5-megapixel photos. When shooting stills, you can change ISO sensitivity and white balance, two settings seldom seen on other camcorders' photo functions. Though it certainly won't rival a dedicated digital camera, the GZ-MG555's still photos looked quite acceptable. Shots taken at ISO 200 and 400 filled up with noise, but ISO 50 and 100 photos looked very clear and made quite nice 8x10 prints. Just as you can record video to SDHC cards, the camcorder gives you the option of storing your photos on its hard drive, so you can shoot pictures without a memory card.

Separate from the shooting modes, a software-based neutral-density (ND) filter can be activated by pressing a button on the dial when in video mode. Physical ND filters reduce light entering the camera, and can be very helpful when shooting outdoors in very bright sunlight. Rather than use a physical filter, the GZ-MG555 changes some of its exposure settings through software, and the end result is very similar. The button's house/sun logo can deceive you, though; you generally won't need to use the ND filter (the "sun" setting) unless you're shooting in very bright, direct sunlight. When shooting outside on overcast or partly cloudy days, you can leave the ND filter off (the "house" setting).

Just as the ND filter helps the GZ-MG555 in bright light, a built-in video light aids the camcorder when shooting in the dark. The video light projects a relatively small circle of white light on the subject when shooting in the dark, but even that is a great improvement over the anemic night mode found on its little brother, the GZ-MG255. Puzzlingly, further scaled-back Everios like the GZ-MG155 and GZ-MG130 do have video lights.

Once you've shot your videos or photos, the GZ-MG555 offers several ways to watch and edit them. The camcorder itself can plug directly into a TV with a standard RCA video connection, or into a computer with a USB 2.0 port. An included charging dock offers even more options, letting you hook up the camcorder to a TV with an S-Video cable or to a computer with an IEEE 1394 (aka FireWire or i.Link) port. The GZ-MG555 lacks higher-end television connections like component video and HDMI, but they really aren't necessary; though component video could give the camcorder a slight boost in playback quality, both hookups are generally reserved for high-definition camcorders.

Videos shot on the GZ-MG555 looked good, with some minor reservations. We shot test footage both indoors under our fluorescent lights and outdoors under a partly cloudy sky, and in both cases the video came out colorful and crisp. Colors looked accurate, even with the neutral-density filter enabled. The camcorder focuses slowly when zooming in, however, and can sometimes pick up a few seconds of blur before sharpening up. Be careful when shooting with the neutral-density filter on as well: under overcast and cloudy sunlight, the filter mutes colors and makes video appear darker than it should be.

The JVC Everio GZ-MG555 impressed us with its robust controls and solid image quality. However, its price seems a bit steep for a single-sensor, standard-definition camcorder. Unless you really want the GZ-MG555's myriad video settings or want a built-in video light, consider its $200 cheaper little brother, the GZ-MG255, instead. With just a 2-megapixel sensor, the MG255 has comparable video quality, but won't take nearly as nice still photos. The money you save, however, could easily go into a budget-level dedicated still camera that would produce nicer shots than either of these camcorders.