Dr Gadget - Gadget Shop - JVC GZ-MG155EK Hard Disk Camcorder

	List Price: Our Price: £299.99 Your Save: £ ( % ) Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours Manufacturer: JVC
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Binding: Electronics Brand: JVC EAN: 4975769336140 Label: JVC Manufacturer: JVC Model: GZ-MG155EK Publisher: JVC Release Date: 2007-03-06 Studio: JVC
Accessories SanDisk - Flash memory card 8 GB - Class 4 - microSDHC with SD adaptor Hahnel MCL103 Camcorder Battery Charger For All JVC Camcorder Batteries Inc. Worldwide Mains Power Supply & 12v Car Lead SANDISK 4GB SECURE DIGITAL CARD - FOR SDHC DEVICES ONLY Sony DPFD70B 7" Black Digital Photo Frame - With 256MB Internal Memory SanDisk Extreme III SDHC 4GB Card
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Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: JVC Everio GZ-MG155 Comment: Ok this is my first ever review so bear with me. First impressions of the camcorder, amazing very small maybe not pocket size but pretty small never the less definitely palm size. The buttons and switches are all ergonomically placed so that basic/auto functions can all be done easily with one hand. My only gripe is that it has a plastic feel. I'd prefer a heavier metallic finish but I know many of you prefer the lightness of plastic to heavy metal, and let's face it who needs a titanium camcorder at a wedding or birthday party. It comes with a battery, a docking station, basic leads and all the paper work/CD. Filming, I have only ever had mini DV camcorders before so this is a first time on a HDD camcorder and boy was I impressed! Against all my fathers lectures I never really read the manuals before use and just jump into the deep end. So I charged up the battery and gave it a go... Really easy I'm talking about as easy as turning it (which takes approx 6 seconds) after I recorded a few minutes (x32 zoom before the quality deteriorated) it was pretty easy to see what was recorded through the user-friendly menu system, see how much was left on the HDD and the % of battery used. Connected it straight to the TV with the docking station tuned to the AV channel and there was the recording! Later I played with the manual features (which I don't know much about) so it was only a real basic trail e,g filming in b/w and sepia which worked well the thing I liked about the manual mode is that you can use it as SEMI-AUTO for instance have focus auto but have the manual shutter speed etc.. But I rather just use full-auto mode... Getting the DVD, to be honest I've read some people say they had problem with the software etc... my answer was simple I didn't install it I just used my regular film editing software (MAGIX on windows XP) which I highly recommend and it found the camera faultlessly (I used fire wire connection) and from then on it was the same capture procedure as if it was a mini DV. Quality, ok so I got the DVD (filmed on the highest quality setting) put it in the player and watched... ok the quality isn't Hollywood standard in fact not as good as DV standard but good enough! however you can tell it is filmed to a HDD and when you make a fast sweep with the camera the reproductions looks slightly pixelly with slight micro or even nano second slow downs... but having said that no one else that was watching noticed I think I was really looking for faults. The Colour capture was spot on and sound real good. Although I filmed my test movie on a bright sunny day I have also filmed in house "bulb" light conditions with good results. Things you should know, Night/Very low light video recording is absolutely rubbish no night vision and just a silly little built in lamp that tries to reproduce the sun (that isn't going to happen) so if you want night vision go for a Sony as this camera doesn't do it! The battery that comes with the camera is small and has about 1 hour recording time however I found it adequate for what I use the camcorder for to be honest, although every one else hates it. The lack of a viewfinder does mean you have to have the little display open all the time which sucks energy out of the battery so you should really think about an extra battery... I did buy one a generic BN-VF815 which gives hours of recording; however you have to connect it to the camcorder with a little wire (going from the battery to the DC camcorder connection) which I don't like at all!!! Not sure if the official battery just slots into the battery space. This cable also gets in the way when using the docking station therefore can't be used at the same time as the docking station. Another grip is that the recording seems to be a little shaky I know its not the cameras fault its mine.. But I don't really have shaky hands so I'm guessing its over sensitive to movement this shakyness continues even with the anti-shake ON... but really its not to bad, I just have the bad habit of looking for faults and a more steady image would have be welcomed by me. Although I haven't even tested it yet and don't think I ever will it does have a stills camera incorporated which records to a SD card, but from experience camcorder still cameras are real bad no matter the make or model, and prefer to use my digital camera for photos, Camcorders take bad photos as digital cameras take bad films. Final thoughts, I liked the camera I really liked the camera and thus I will be using it from now on and leaving my faithful DV in the closet gathering dust... I recommend it, and if you are looking for a HDD camcorder (that doesn't cost an enormous amount) you should think seriously about this one! I'm not sure how superior the Hi-Def version is or in fact how good the competitors are but for my uses this camcorder is great! I can see my self perhaps upgrading for a newer model in 3/4 years to give you some impression of longevity of the unit only as I like new technology, otherwise I can't see why I'd change it. In short I'm happy I bought it! Well thanks for reading I hope it wasn't too long Happy Recording Customer Rating: Summary: I CANT BELIEVE THIS.... Comment: Having looked for ages at HD camcorders i finally went for the JVC 155 (knowing that i could return it if it didnt do what it said on the box.) All I can say is ....JVC IS NEVER GETTING THIS BACK. Its fantastic. Even my 8yr old daughter operates it and she didnt even read the instructions (which i had to). Colour, sound, zoom, functions, software, ease of use, watching on TV, transfer to PC and DVD is all soooooo easy. Anyone who has a problem with this piece of kit is clearly a person to avoid in all ways. Right...enough said....its movie time...again and again and again...... Customer Rating: Summary: JVC Rock! Comment: This camcorder is brilliant, the picture quality is above the price and the connections provided by the docking station are all you need for an all in one capture/recording studio. Fun for all the family and so easy to use. I recommend this to anyone looking for a compact camcorder who are fed with with the extra discs/tapes needed in other camcorders Customer Rating: Summary: Strong Camera - better than most Comment: I think the above reviewer has a problem with his camera and needs to take it back to the store, as my GZ-MG155 is a little stunner! The video quality is fantastic and its so easy to use that I can give it to the kids to capture footage. 30 GB HDD is easily enough for my recording and the docking station sitting next to my TV and sharestation allows easy storing of my footage. I did not give it 5 stars as it does not have the best digital stills on the scene, but I bought t as a video camera and the digital photos is a nice extra. So overall, for the money I spent, I got a bargain and JVC have a winner with this cam Customer Rating: Summary: Very poor quality Comment: I'm going to come straight to the point here; the video quality on this camera is absolutely terrible. It does have a lot of good points though such as a handy docking station, a remote control, a nice menu system and a good 16:9 widesceen viewer but what's the point of it all if the recorded video is so poor? All the colours are wrong, brown looks red, green looks grey and they all merge into each other like some abstract painting. When the light fades you're in serious trouble, anything less than a full summers day and you'll be lucky to get anything other than black and white. I can honestly say that mobile phone video footage is better quality than this - I am being serious. I wouldn't mind so much if the price reflected it but it annoys me that JVC are pitching this at a higher price than the Sony equivalent that is 10 times better! I bought a digital still camera at the same time as this and the movie mode on that is better than on this monstrosity. As I said there are good points but here's something else I think people should be aware of. The whole point of me buying a HDD was you can just drag the files from the camera over to your PC and edit them, right? Wrong. You can edit them but only using the software that comes with it which keeps crashing. The files just won't play on movie maker so if you only want to watch this back on a TV it's fine but if you're creative and want to make more of your films you'll be sadly let down by a HDD and you're honestly better off with tape. "Convert the video files to AVI then!" I hear you crying out, well I have and then you get black borders top and bottom as well as both sides! For less than this you can pick up one of the SR cameras from Sony which have far greater resolution, can record in complete darkness and hold more for the same amount of memory. If all you want is a poor to ok camera with dodgy quality but other good features then go for this. If you want quality recording and to be able to edit films then steer well clear. More Reviews
Editorial Reviews: High-performance, practical and compact, the Everio GZ-MG155 camcorder will save every one of your images directly to its 30 GB hard drive. Able to record up to 37 hours of video, you can make impeccable-quality films with its 1 million-pixel CCD sensor. You can choose the best viewing angles thanks to its large 2.7" 16:9 LCD screen, and with its powerful 32x optical zoom you can take fantastic close-ups of your subjects in action. Equipped with an image stabiliser and Gigabrid processor, your images will be detailed, bright and true to life each and every time. For a truly unique digital experience, the Everio GZ-MG155 also lets you store your works of art with its save button, meaning that you can burn them to DVD and file them more easily. In addition, this camcorder comes with a docking station that enables you to export your images to a computer. Furthermore, this camcorder has a photo-to-memory-card mode with built-in flash and PictBridge compatibility, so you can print your images directly. With several scene modes, faders and special effects, the Everio GZ-MG155 will be loved by all the family!