JVC Everio GZ-MS100 Camcorder Reviewby Michael PerlmanPublished on May 27, 2008 2:07 PM
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Still Features (4.75)
The GZ-MS100 is lacking in the Still Features department. With only one image size, 640 x 480 (VGA), the GZ-MS100 only captures stills with a resolution suitable for the web. Images can be captured in Fine or Standard quality, but there's not much you can do with a VGA still image--the quality setting will not be noticeable. You're better off using a separate digital camera for stills.
The GZ-MS100's Manual Controls are readily available in Photo mode, including White Balance, Shutter Speed, and Exposure (Brightness). There is a Self-Timer available in the Function menu that can be set to 2 or 10 seconds. Still images can be captured in Single mode (one image is snapped at a time) or Continuous mode (images are captured repeatedly in increments of 0.5 seconds until the Photo Capture button is released).
The GZ-MS100 also allows you to set the Photometry Area to two settings: Whole Screen and Spot. Whole Screen adjusts the Exposure according to the entire image while Spot allows you to select a portion of the screen. You can use the touch buttons along the bottom of the LCD screen to move the red square around the frame of the image in order to set the desired area of adjustment. When the GZ-MS100 is set to Auto Focus in Photo mode, pressing the Photo Capture button halfway automatically brings a subject into focus. This is characterized by a tiny icon representing the bust of a person that turns green from yellow when the image is correctly focused.
The Photo Menu can be accessed by pressing the Menu button on the LCD Panel. Navigation is controlled by the laser touch panel and the Photo Menu contains the following items:
| Photo Menu | |
| Manual Setting | Adjust Brightness, Focus, White Balance, Shutter Speed, Photometry Area, Effect, Tele Macro |
| Backlight Compensation | Off, On |
| Light | Off, On |
| Program AE | Off, Night, Twilight, Portrait, Sports, Snow, Spotlight |
| Self-Timer | Off, 2Sec, 10Sec |
| Shutter Mode | Record One Shot, Continuous Shooting |
| Image Quality | Fine, Standard |
| Gain Up | Off, On |
| Basic Settings | Quick Restart, Monitor Bright, Monitor Backlight, Date Display Style, Language, Demo Mode, Operation Sound, Select TV Type, Auto Power Off, Display on TV, Factory Preset, Clock Adjust, Video No. Reset, Image No. Reset, Format SD Card, |
JVC GZ-MS100 Photo function menu
In order to review images, press the Play/Rec button located in the LCD cavity. A scrolling menu of icons appears containing individually-captured images. The Photo Playback menu is accessed by pressing the Menu button and contains the following options: Delete, Protect/Cancel, Effect, DPOF, Basic Settings.
Still Performance (9.95)
The still performance of the JVC Everio GZ-MS100 was tested by shooting an X-Rite Color Checker chart at an even, bright light, then running the stills through Imatest imaging software to determine color, noise, and saturation. At best, the camcorder is able to produce a color error of 6.03, which is quite good compared to the competing camcorders. Of course, the good color accuracy is offset by the fact that the camcorder can only produce 640 x 480 stills, so you'll have to bear that in mind. The noise measures 0.7175 percent, also a great score. Finally, the saturation measures 98.92 percent.
In order to get this best score, we lowered the camcorder's brightness control by one increment, which means the automatic adjustments do a pretty food job. Overall, this isn't the camera you want to use for capturing your most precious moments in still photos, but it will do the job in a pinch.
Still Resolution (5.45)
The still resolution of the JVC Everio GZ-MS100 was tested by shooting an Applied Image ISO 12233 resolution chart at an even, bright light, then running the stills through Imatest imaging software. At best, the camcorder is able to produce a horizontal resolution of 450 line widths per picture height (lw/ph), with a clipping of 2.01 percent and a oversharpening of 17.1 percent. The vertical resolution measures 353 lw/ph, with a 4.31 percent clipping and a 17.4 percent oversharpening. These scores are about average for a camcorder of this pixel count.
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