I have had this camcorder for about a month. The main reason I bought this camcorder was for convenience. I have MiniDV camcorder as well, but I never got around to uploading video from camcorder to computer and then converting AVIs to mpeg to DVD. The workflow with MiniDV was too time-consuming and needed a lot of system resources (1 hr AVI takes about 13GB disk space!).This camcorder was great. For around $320-ish, its great value. Its totally solid state, no moving parts. I use 16GB SDHC card (around $50-ish), that card can record about 3hr58min video in best quality. The battery lasts about 2 hrs. I doubt I will ever shoot more than 4 hr video in a day. you can always back up your video on a computer at the end of the day or buy multiple SDHC cards.
You can use the included USB cable or a SD card reader to upload mpeg files to a computer. You can upload video and burn a DVD in as little as 10 minutes (if you go straight to DVD and do not edit). You can also upload your video you-tube or other video hosting websites. It comes with included software that is supposed to make YouTube uploads easy for the user. I like to do it myself, have not used the software that much.
The picture quality of this camcorder is amazing. Its not a HD camcorder, so don't expect wonders on your HDTV, but picture quality is very good on SDTVs. The low light capabilities of this camcorder are great. However, auto white balance under light bulbs (indoors) is not that great. You will get better results with manual white balance. Recorded sound quality is OK, not great, but OK. It comes with 35X optical zoom, which is the best in its class. It has digital image stabilization which works very well. this camcorder does allow some manual controls for the enthusiast.
JVC has this new laser touch based interface. It sure looks fancy, but is not great to use. It takes a little getting used to and you never really get a hang of it. Its not very accurate. But this is a simple camcorder and most uses will use it in auto mode all the time. So, the laser interface is not a deal-breaker kind of a thing.
This is a very small camcorder. Its very light. Its easy to handle and feels firm and secure in my hands. It does not come with a neck strap (I just use the one from my previous MiniDV camcorder). It has a built-in lens cover, which is better than some pastic-ring-tied-with-thread lens caps which are annoying. The included battery lasts about 2 hrs. It can also take still pictures, though I have never used it to take still pictures so far.
Overall, I am very happy with my purchase and would definitely recommend this to a friend.
Forget about the camera's Quality settings for video. You'll probably want to set it to the highest setting, and never touch it. I get 2 hours of widescreen footage on an 8GB card at the highest quality setting. By not using any moving parts to record an image, camcorders like this are reduced down in size to (roughly) a soda can!
Having downloaded some test video to my Windows XP PC, I noticed that each video file has a separate 3K document that tags the video as being full or widescreen. Because this tag isn't included in the video, editors like Vegas will open ALL the video as fullscreen. However, look for a free program online named SDCopy which puts the tags in the files. Don't worry -it happens as quickly as making a copy of the file. It's not like SDCopy has to "process" or "render". While I wasn't crazy about this extra step, I can live with it.
Now that my widescreen footage opens as widescreen in Vegas, I can say the image quality of the resulting DVD is outstanding! Footage shot outside was colorful and remarkably clear, and nothing looked cheap or pixelated. Footage shot inside (normal lighting condition) produced images on TV that look better than reality.
The Laser Touch feature works OK for me, and is a gimicky way to navigate though the settings. It also keeps the weight of the camera down. Battery life is good (no moving parts), but I'll be buying a 2nd battery and a changer.
I like that this camera has a built-in lens protector that snaps open and closed. The 35X optical zoom is a huge step over my last camera (also a JVC) which had a 16X optical zoom. The only complaint I have about this camera is that the door to the SD card compartment is more like a plastic flap that gets shoved closed. It feels like you may break the thing every time you go to open it. Also, like many camcorders made today, this camera has no optical viewfinder -only the LCD screen. That may be something to consider.
Overall -a very small camera that produces stunning video at the highest quality setting. And isn't that why you use a camcorder?
Buy JVC Everio S GZ-MS100 Flash Memory Camcorder with 35x Optical Zoom Now
My wife and I are expecting so I started reasearching what cameras to buy. I was very confused at first with all the different models and options but eventually wanted something easy to use or else it might just gather dust. I settled on getting a camera that used memory cards because of fewer moving parts and the ability to easily transfer data to a computer. I visited stores in the area and I really liked the JVC Everio but the downside was there were only models with a hard drive. About a month later I found out there was a new JVC Everio model using SD cards and I quickly bought it. This camera is so easy to use it's great. I simply flip the viewer open and can start recording in a second. Great zoom, lightweight, and the lasertouch control panel makes it so easy to adjust settings. I just taped a two hour lecture the other day and it was easy. When I got home I transferred 4GB of data to my computer in minutes. My wife who has two left thumbs even finds it easy to use. Battery lasts about 2 hours so I will probably buy a bigger battery. I bought three 4GB Class 6 SD cards which each hold an hour of footage at the best resolution. I made the right chose and I am happy I didn't make a mistake on this as I have on other things in the past.Read Best Reviews of JVC Everio S GZ-MS100 Flash Memory Camcorder with 35x Optical Zoom Here
I ordered the GZ-MS100 to upgrade from an older VHS-C Panasonic cam-corder. Obviously, the JVC is head and shoulders above the older Panasonic. I did not need HD at this time, so I focused on hard drive vs. SDHC cameras. I opted for the SDHC due to no moving parts, quieter operation, and ease of file transfer and transportability. Also, the cost of SDHC cards are very low. The camera works as advertised. The unique menu interface (the slider bar to the left of the screen) was easy to master. I like the user interface since it is clean and avoids the many buttons, switches, and selectors that would have been the alternative. I also like the way I can switch between Auto and Manual mode with the push of one button, and the camers saves the last Manual set up mode I programmed into it. I use the MS100 for general video tasks, and for some dark and low light video using IR lights a Sima SL-20IR and a Sony HVL-IRM. The camera records in total darkness using either or both of these lights very well the Sima providing a "flood" type of coverage, while the Sony provides a "spot" type of lighting. The MS100 has a night mode setting that slows the shutter speed down and works with IR lighting, but I have found the shutter speed is a bit too slow for my liking it produces jumpy video using IR light sources. Instead of the pre-programmed night mode, I use the camera's Manual mode and set the camera to black & white with a shutter speed of no longer than 1/15 sec. The exposure with IR lighting is still very good, and video is much smoother. When going from darkness to a lighted area, I simply go into Auto mode by pushing one button, and the camera is back to color with good exposure control; if I move back into a dark area I return to Manual mode the camera remembers my last settings.Overall, a very nice camera small, light weight, silent, four video quality settings (so you can opt for varying qualities and associated recording times), and long battery life due to no spinning hard disk or moving parts. I also purchased a second higher capacity battery and charger so I can record for exended times.
I have seen comments about the mod files this and other cameras produce. I have found that I can save the mod file to my computer by pulling the SDHC card out of the camera and inserting it into my media card reader, then dragging the file onto a folder on my hard drive. Video and sound come across in the one file. I can open and play the mod file using Windows Media Player, but files recorded in widescreen format display in the 4:3 format, so the video is "scrunched". I did download the SDCopy utility, and it easily converts the mod file to a jpg file that WMP can read and display in widescreen correctly. As a side note, I also use Nero 7 Essentials, and its bundled player Nero ShowTime Essentials can display native mod files correctly, whether recorded in widescreen or 4:3 mode. Apparently, it correctly reads the critical aspect bit in the mod file, and WMP does not.
To close, a great little camera at a good price/performance point.
Want JVC Everio S GZ-MS100 Flash Memory Camcorder with 35x Optical Zoom Discount?
One caveat of note for the JVC Everio GZ-MS100 (and this may very well apply to other JVC models) the video files the camera produces are .mod files. These files are not read by XP Windows Movie Maker (JVC says VISTA has no problem with them, not confirmed by me) Also the software included is not for video editing and probably useless to anyone half way computer savvy. End result: without buying more software (maybe $70) you can't string together video clips, edit, etc. using what comes with the camera and XP. I'm using trial version of Cyberlink Director Pro but that will cost at least $70 if I want to purchase.
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