Photos: JVC Everio MG330, MG335, MG361, MG365, MG435 and MG465
JVC has premiered a selection of tiny new standard-definition Everio camcorders: the Everio MG330, MG335, MG361, MG365, MG435 and MG465
We got a glimpse of the new Everio camcorders at CES recently, but this week we had a chance to have a proper fiddle about with them.
The range starts with a raft of similarly specced standard- definition models. Barely bigger than a can of pop, the MG330 packs an 800,000-pixel CCD sensor and a 30GB hard disk drive. The Konica Minolta lens stretches to 35x zoom and reaches the 35mm equivalent of 36mm at the wide end.
A silver MG330 will arrive this month, with red and blue versions debuting in February. JVC didn't announce prices for any of the new range.
Another model taking a bow is the MG335, which meets the same specs, but with an LED light slapped on the front. The MG365 has the light plus a larger 60GB hard drive. The new camcorders come with a handy-dandy dock for charging and file transfer, and they're compatible with Macs, unlike, say, Toshiba's efforts. They also accept microSD cards and can transfer footage from hard drive to card. Click through the links to see more pictures of the new range. -Rich Trenholm
Update: Read our full JVC Everio GZ-MG330 review here.
The next tier in the range is a brace of shooters with 1.07-megapixel CCD chips. The MG435 stows video in a 30GB hard drive, while the MG465 has 60GB. Both include a 32x zoom.
Each of the new range can be connected to the ShareStation, pictured, for one-touch backup.
Fans of still photogaphy may not be swayed by JVC's claim that the GZ-MG530 and GZ-MG730 do away with the need to carry a separate camera. But both these 30GB models pack an array of camera features, including shutter and aperture priority, auto exposure bracketing, backlight and spotlight compensation, and an onscreen histogram.
The MG730's 1/2.5-inch CCD sensor boasts 7.38-megapixel resolution, while the MG530 delivers 5.37 megapixels.
Our favourite new feature is laser touch, an illuminated strip next to each 69mm (2.7-inch) LCD screen. This registers your finger as you move it over the strip, allowing you to scroll through menus with the flick of a digit.
Laser touch, which features a cool blue flash tracking your fingertip, can also be used to adjust options such as the manual focus. While it's not as good as a focus ring, it's still more of a laugh than sifting menu options or messing about with a touchscreen.