JVC Everio GZ-MC500 Review

Overview JVC Everio GZ-MC500

The Everio GZ-MC500 camcorder is the result of many years of activity by the company striving to provide its users with maximum technical convenience with impeccable quality in a consumer video camera.

The model has largely adopted the appearance from its predecessor, the Everio GZ-MC200. The company has made only some cosmetic adjustments to its appearance. In particular, the lens got a hood, the flash became a jumping-out one, there was an additional button for activating the camera and transferring it from recording mode to playback mode and vice versa.

It is worth noting the method of saving video information and photo images, which was implemented in the Everio GZ-MC200 and also inherited from this model. The company went against the established mini-DV standards and implemented a method of storing video and photographic materials on an internal Microdrive form factor. The camera comes with a 4 GB card that can store up to 1 hour of video in MPEG-2 format at 720x576 pixels and 50 fps recording speed. Alternative options for recording material to memory cards of the CompactFlash (Type I, II) or Secure Digital families are possible.

But the use of three 1 / 4.5-inch CCDs with a total number of pixels equal to 1.33 million is a step that the company has implemented for the first time. Compared to the single-matrix versions of the previous MC100 and MC200 models, the separation of colors and the further "assembly" of the three components improve the color gamut of the image, which is especially noticeable when comparing video clips captured by two cameras (GZ-MC500 and MC200) in conditions of excessive light flux or poor illumination. However, the advantage of the 3-matrix principle is especially felt when the camcorder is used as a camera. The total 4-megapixel image is fed to the Megabrid Imaging Engine, where the photo is slightly interpolated to a total size of 5 megapixels and a resolution of 2560x1920 pixels. And this is already enough to decorate your home with something more tangible in addition to amateur films on the computer - for example, a 20x30 cm family portrait, placed in an artistic frame. The supplied Microdrive memory card can hold up to 1,800 of these photos, which is quite a lot even for professional photographers who actively shoot on location photo shoots.

The main settings for exposure parameters, white balance are set on the camera menu. The GZ-MC500 has four scene shooting programs (Twilight, Sports, Portrait and Snow), and also gives you the ability to independently control the exposure parameters. The shutter speeds when shooting can vary in the range from 1/2 to 1/4000 sec, and the largest aperture value is f1 / 8, which is important if it is necessary to minimize the shutter speed when shooting dynamic scenes due to the maximum open aperture. With a 10x optical zoom lens, the focal length range is 46.2-462mm (43-344mm in Photo mode). This, of course, somewhat limits the possibilities of wide-angle shooting, but it provides the user with "long-range" photo characteristics, which (if we compare the optical capabilities of the JVC GZ-MC500 with cameras) are comparable only to SLR models with interchangeable optics. Taking into account the relatively small dimensions of the JVC GZ-MC500, in addition to a top-notch video camera, you get a compact, lightweight and convenient sniper rifle. Other settings include the ability to manually set the white balance, exposure compensation in the range from -2 to +2 EV and a self-timer that provides delayed photography after 2 or 10 seconds. The Hi-Speed USB 2.0 port transfers photos and videos to your computer, and you can also print photos directly using the PictBridge port.

The JVC GZ-MC500 is the undisputed leader in the implementation of an easy-to-operate and small-sized 3-matrix camcorder that combines impeccable video quality with very decent photographic capabilities. However, its price will definitely scare off many, for that kind of money you can buy one of the budget SLR cameras with two additional lenses. However, if you are familiar with the quality of JVC products, and you need photography not for making money, but for creating personal albums, wall-mounted photographs, and just as a tool for creative self-expression, then we advise you to take a closer look at JVC GZ-MC500 - perhaps this is a product just for you.

pros

- Successful implementation of the three-matrix principle in a compact filmless camcorder

- Flawless video quality

- Sufficient photo resolution for printing wall portraits and photo pictures in the format 20x30 cm

- Effective macro mode, allowing you to shoot from 5 cm

- Fast lens

Minuses

- Relatively high price of a camcorder (including storage media)

- LCD can not be rotated

- There is no optical viewfinder

- When shooting, only two ISO sensitivities can be set: 100 and 200

- Limited number of special effects