JVC GZ-MC500 Camcorder Review

The GZ-MC500 is a unique camcorder. That is for sure. It combines a hefty price tag with non-tape media and jaw-dropping still performance to make JVC’s line of new pocket, hybrid camcorders something to be noticed. Unfortunately, the camcorder’s low light performance might not be up to par with some of the other contenders in its price range. Be that as it may, for the user only looking for a hybrid camcorder and nothing more, this could be just the thing.

 Video Performance (7.75)
The JVC GZ-MC500 ships with three 1/4.5-inch CCDs with 1.33 MP each. This pixel count is pretty amazing. It is larger than the PV-GS250’s and the PV-GS400's. However, while these specs definitely aid the camcorder’s still camera/photo abilities, giving it one of the highest still resolutions of any camcorder we’ve tested, they don’t help in video performance or low light performance as much as you’d expect them to. The GZ-MC500 doesn’t produce video comparable to the PV-GS400 at all, or even the PV-GS250.

Also, it should be noted that the GZ-MC500 includes an Auto Gain function, which basically should be used at all times to achieve usable video quality, especially in lower light levels. This gain boost at 3000 lux, a bright light level, gives the colors a boost in saturation and adds a bit of crispness to the video as well. In lower light levels it is the difference between a solid black image and any sort of representation at all.

 At 3000 lux in our controlled testing environment, the GZ-MC500 (with the Auto Gain function) did pretty well, producing video comparable to Panasonic’s modest, 3 CCD camcorder, the PV-GS150. The JVC produces fairly crisp video which is quite bright, though the colors of the JVC aren’t as vibrant or saturated as the Panasonic. In fact, the JVC’s colors are a bit under-saturated. The grayscale is a bit more brilliant than the Panasonic’s.

This JVC should not be faulted too much for its video performance’s reliance on an Auto Gain function. After all, it offers, along with video recording, an awesome still recording function and a voice recording mode, which could be very handy.

Video Resolution (12.7)
With the JVC GZ-MC500, we captured video footage of a standard resolution chart in both 4:3 and 16:9 modes. Stills from the video were exported to Imatest Imaging Software in order to calibrate the camcorder’s true video resolution. In 4:3 mode, this model gave us approximately 436.6 lines of horizontal resolution at its best, with approximately 293 lines of vertical resolution, generating a true resolution of 127923.8. In 16:9 mode, the camcorder produced an image with approximately 458.1 lines of vertical resolution, and 293 lines of vertical resolution, yielding a true resolution of 134223.3 pixels.

The Front (9.0)
The GZ-MC500 essentially has the same body design as the GZ-MC200, which preceded it. It includes two spheres, a lens barrel sphere and a handgrip sphere, which houses the camcorder’s Microdrive recording media and its battery. Both spheres rotate around one another, similar to the setup on the GZ-MC200, making handheld recording easier.

The front of the GZ-MC500 has very distinct styling and helps differentiate it from the GZ-MC200. It features a lens hood, made out of a very flexible rubber-like material. Behind this hood is the camcorder’s tiny focus ring. The focus ring is so small and close to the hood, that sometimes I feel that I would have better control if I took the lens hood off, though the camcorder seems surprisingly naked without it.

On the front of the handgrip sphere of the GZ-MC500, a long port cover is located which conceals nearly all of the camcorder’s ports save for the USB port which is on the right side of the lens barrel. The ports here include the headphone port, A/V output, and DC input.

The Left Side(9.0)
The left side of the GZ-MC500 features more controls than the GZ-MC200. First, it includes an on/off slider switch which is different than the circular on/off switch featured on the GZ-MC200. With the GZ-MC500’s switch, you can toggle between record and playback modes. Now, on the other side of the left side of the camcorder is a circular mode selector similar to the one on the GZ-MC200, except now it features more options. The mode button in the center, as on the GZ-MC200, toggles between ficult t video, still, and voice recording modes. Each of these modes has a record and playback setting, available using the first switch. Though it is a little difficult to explain, it is fairly easy to operate.

Now, surrounding this circular mode button is an adjustable ring selector to toggle between Auto, Manual, Night, Portrait, Sports, Sun/Snow, Aperture Priority, and Shutter Priority.

The Back (9.0)
The back of the JVC GZ-MC500 features the camcorder’s 1.8” LCD screen (there is no viewfinder). To the right of the LCD screen are a number of buttons, all relatively similar to the GZ-MC200’s configuration. A silver record button is located towards the top, with the camcorder’s small menu button and joy stick selector/navigational tool below. There is a small strap loop underneath the navigational joystick.

The Right Side (9.0)
The right side of the GZ-MC500 will most likely be covered by the user’s palm during most of the recording, so it is free of buttons.

The Top (9.0)
The top of the GZ-MC500 mainly features the camcorder’s microphone, zoom toggle, and Microdrive/battery compartment hatch. The zoom toggle is well-placed, and surprisingly easy to control, considering its minuscule size. Located towards the back of the camcorder, actually on the panel that rotates with the back of the camcorder, are two buttons, Trash and Info. In front of these buttons is the camcorder’s pop-up flash, which is opened via a switch located to its right. Further towards the front of the camcorder is its built-in stereo microphone.

Picture and Manual Control
Automatic Control (6.5)
Automatic controls on the GZ-MC500 are consistent with those of the GZ-MC200. While it's a bit of a shame that no improvements on these could be added to this 3 chip camcorder, automatic adjustments are decent. With a full wide angle, focus adjustments are accurate and quick, but the camcorder has noticeable problems achieving focus with higher zoom levels.

Exposure adjustment in full auto mode has some lag problems when environments change, even moderately. The GZ-MC500 does include a number of Program AE modes, which can take a lot of this lag away if used in particular environments. Program AE modes include night, portrait, sports, and snow/sun, and can be accessed using the dial surrounding the mode button on the left side of the camcorder.

Overall Manual Control (6.5)
The manual control of the GZ-MC500 is pretty impressive considering the size of the camcorder, but then again, in a 3 chip camcorder, it would be nice to have a bit more.

Manual controls are located and navigated similar to the GZ-MC200’s interface; however, the system has been made a bit easier since last year. To access the manual control menu, the user still must use the navigational joystick, but instead of pressing and holding this knob to the right side, he or she needs only to press down once, and only for a short period of time.

Once engaged the manual control menu displays options for Auto Exposure offset, white balance, and Digital Effects. Available in every camcorder mode except for automatic mode, this menu system doesn’t give the user control over shutter speed or aperture. Aperture priority and shutter priority modes must be selected for this. The manual control menu is available in still camera mode as well.

Zoom (6.5)
The GZ-MC500 ships with a tiny zoom toggle that is a surprisingly decent performer for its size. It is also well-placed, resting above the record button under the user’s index finger. When the LCD screen is tilted towards the user’s head, the zoom toggle shifts as well, making adjustment easier. The camcorder ships with the same 10x optical zoom as on the GZ-MC200.

Focus (6.0)
One of biggest upgrades featured on the GZ-MC500 is its focus ring. It is nice that JVC has given their 3 chip camcorder, no matter how small in size, a focus ring. Truly, with 3 CCD video performance, a focus ring is necessary. The focus ring is pretty small which makes things a bit harder to control, but compared to the focus control on the GZ-MC200, a joystick focus, this focus ring is a godsend, though it might be easier to use once the lens hood is removed. Unfortunately, onscreen visualization of the camcorder’s focus is similar to the GZ-MC200 as it only displays a hard-to-see icon with little indication of how far you’ve moved through the range.

Exposure (5.5)
There are two ways to control manual exposure on the GZ-MC500. The first is by way of the manual control menu where Auto Exposure shift can be selected. Shift steps include six increments in either direction from zero. This exposure shift function (also seen on the GZ-MC200) can be used concurrently with actual F-stop adjustment available in the Aperture Priority mode.

In Aperture Priority mode, the other method of exposure adjustment is available. In this mode, the navigational joystick can be pushed to the left and right to change the F-stop. Options include: f/8.0, f/5.6, f/4.0, f/2.8, f/2.0, and f/1.8, and the cool part is that the user can move through this range continuously by only holding one direction on the joystick. That is to say, f/8.0 and f/1.8 are next to each other in the succession of options.

Shutter Speed (6.5)
The same shutter speed options available on last year’s GZ-MC200 are available on the GZ-MC500. They include options from 1/2 to 1/4000 of a second. What has changed is the method of adjustment. Last year, these options were located within the camcorder’s manual control menu; this year, shutter speed priority mode provides easy access to the options by way of the camcorder’s joystick.

White Balance (7.0)
White balance options on the GZ-MC500 are similar to last year, and there are a lot of them. All options are available within the camcorder’s manual control menu system, which is relatively easy to control, and certainly better than entering the full menu system. Options include: Halogen, Cloud, Fine, and Manual.

Gain (2.0)
Similar to the GZ-MC200, the GZ-MC500 includes an Auto Up gain function accessible in the camcorder’s menu system. In still-camera mode, there are two gain (ISO) levels (80 and 160) that can be selected in the menu system.

Other Manual Control (0.0)
The GZ-MC500 doesn’t offer any other manual control.

Ease of Use (4.5)
The GZ-MC500 is fairly easy to use. It features the same menu interface and rotating body as the GZ-MC200 which makes it easier to use than most JVCs, especially for its size. It would be kind of intimidating to buy one of these things without a manual, but after a day or two, it can be figured out. Unlike the GZ-MC200, this JVC includes some more Auto Exposure and Priority modes which can be tricky to figure out. Once you realize that shutter speed and exposure cannot be used independently and together, but rather separately, things will clear up a bit. The menu system itself could not be easier to use, though the navigational joystick is a bit hard to control because of its size.

Still Features (9.0)
The still features on the JVC GZ-MC500 are very good. With its high pixel count, it can record very large stills. Available sizes are: 640 x 480, 1280 x 960, 1600 x 1200, 2048 x 1536, 2560 x 1920. That last one is just under 5 MP, which is a decent dedicated still camera resolution.

The GZ-MC500 can capture stills at either fine or standard quality, and a number of ISO (Gain up) settings are available. They include: Auto, 100, 200, and 400. The Tele Macro function is available (see Other Features) and so is a self timer function (2 and 10 second intervals). Digital effects of monotone and sepia are available during still capture. Aperture options differ a bit from the options of video; options include: f/1.9, f/2.0, f/2.8, f/4.0, and f/5.6. Shutter speed options are similar to video’s but only run from 1/2 to 1/500 of a second.

Stills can be captured to SD card and to the Microdrive. The destination media can be selected and switched within the menu system.

The GZ-MC500 is the first Everio with a pop-up flash. A switch on the top of the camcorder pops it up, and then options can be cycled through by pressing left on the navigational joystick. Options include Auto, Auto Red Eye, On, and Slow Synchro (flash is always on, but shutter slows during shooting to illuminate background).

There are also two continuous shooting modes available on the GZ-MC500. They include burst shooting (three shots are taken at a ½ second interval) and exposure bracketing (three shots are taken—one regular and two of slightly greater and lesser amounts of exposure).

Still Resolution (9.9)
The JVC GZ-MC500 is capable of capturing stills on an SD card at several different resolutions: 640 x 480, 1280 x 960, 1600 x 1200, 2048 x 1536, 2560 x 1920. Unfortunately, widescreen mode is not an option in still mode. At it’s best this camcorder produced an image with 993600.75 (0.9 MP) lines of resolution.

Still Performance (9.25)
The still performance of the GZ-MC500 is reason enough to buy this camcorder. If you read enough reviews on this site, you’ll know that this is not only never said by us about a camcorder, but usually a camcorder’s still abilities, even when they’re decent, are often overlooked when it comes to purchase recommendations. But this guy has got great still power. As you’ve read, this camcorder has excellent still resolution, and it also has excellent color quality. The color quality alone gives both the DCR-DVD403 and the, dare I say it, HDR-HC1 a run for their money. The JVC can capture larger stills than the HDR-HC1, they’re just slightly less crisp. Color wise, however, JVC takes the cake. Also, the JVC has three additional ISO settings, adding a bit of versatility. Great still performance helps make a good hybrid; I just wish the low light performance was as good. Below are the biggest and smallest shots that the JVC GZ-MC500 can take, both shrunk.

Low Light Performance (5.0)
The low light performance of the GZ-MC500 is particular. As long as you have the Auto Gain function engaged on the camcorder, the trends seen at 3000 lux should continue. However, with this off, you’ll have a hard time seeing anything. Perhaps this is why it defaults to “on”.

60 lux auto (no Gain up)

At 60 lux, a light level slightly dimmer than an average indoor light, with the auto gain on, the GZ-MC500 shows a much brighter image, but it is somewhat more washed over and hazy than other comparable 3 CCD camcorders, namely the PV-GS150 and PV-GS250. The colors of the GZ-MC500 are, overall, not as good as the aforementioned camcorders.

At 15 lux, these trends continue further; the GZ-MC500 shows a brighter image, but an image equally marred with noise, and one which suffers more washed colors.  The performance is fine, so long as you have auto gain on.

Zoom Power/Ratio (10.0)
The GZ-MC500 ships with a 10x optical zoom, with digital options of 40x and 200x. These digital zoom options are merely pixel enlargement; using them will result in a loss of video quality.

Wide Angle (8.4)
Wide Angle measurements of the JVC GZ-MC500 were taken at both 4:3 and 16:9 modes. In 4:3 mode this model had a wide angle measurement of 42 degrees, while the widescreen mode measured 51 degrees.

VCR Mode (8.5)
On the GZ-MC500, on-camcorder playback is available in all three recording modes: video, still photo, and voice recording. In the video playback mode, a thumbnail menu screen is shown in the LCD allowing for easy access, similar to a DVD camcorder’s playback mode. The camcorder’s recordable Microdrive media makes accessing footage similar to hard disc access: very convenient. Rudimentary fades and wipes, similar to those seen on the GZ-MC200, are available here as well.

In camera playback mode, stills are shown on the LCD, and the playlist can be altered. The same digital effects as seen in the video playback mode are available, minus the wipes and fades. Digital Print Order Format (DPOF) options, as well as PictBridge technology, are available for easy printing.

In the voice recording playback mode, the navigational button is used to search through footage. The LCD screen shows audio levels, as it does during capture, making for extremely convenient navigation.

When viewing still photos, a slide show function is available.

LCD/Viewfinder (6.5)
The JVC GZ-MC500 features the same 1.8-inch, 130K pixel LCD monitor seen on the GZ-MC200. There is no viewfinder on the camcorder, simply because it is too small. The big gimmick of the camcorder, however, is that it features a rotating body design, making the lack of viewfinder somewhat inconsequential. The solarization seen on many similar LCD screens is less apparent here, as on the GZ-MC200, though the LCD screen quality is still not up to Sony standards.

Audio (4.0)
While the stereo microphone on the GZ-MC500 is located, as it was on the GZ-MC200, on the front of the camcorder, audio capture isn’t too bad. A small, on-camera speaker is located on the left side of the camcorder. Audio is captured on video at Ultra Fine, Fine, Normal, and Economy, but unfortunately, manual audio level control isn’t possible. While the voice recording mode of the camcorder is pretty sweet, I would probably have traded it for manual audio levels. The GZ-MC500 captures linear PCM format voice recording at Fine, Standard, and Economy settings in voice recording mode. There is also a wind cut feature, which basically cuts out the lower frequencies often amplified by wind. The biggest detractor of the GZ-MC500 is that there is no microphone input, so you are pretty much stuck with the on-camera microphone.

Handling (7.5)
For such a small camcorder, it's pretty amazing that the GZ-MC500 handles as well as it does and captures 3 chip video as well, without sacrificing either ease of use or suffering from a motor noise problem. Indeed, on many other compact camcorders, motor noise is a big problem. The zoom motor is too close to the microphone. Whatever it is, your audio stream will often have an underlying strain of not-so-white noise. Just look at the Fisher compact camcorder; tons of motor noise.

The gimmicky rotating body of this Everio, like the GZ-MC200’s before it, actually really improves handling, allowing the camcorder to be held directly in front of the user and handled comfortably while the LCD screen is within easy sight.

The main handling problem of this camcorder is its heat. If left on for a while, this thing really heats up which can be a problem if you plan on using it for lengthy capture.

And last but certainly not least, the GZ-MC500 features a focus ring, which really helps out handling when focusing manually, though on-LCD visualization could be better.

Portability (9.5)
The portability of the GZ-MC500 is certainly one of its high points, and marketing points, if you’re JVC. The GZ-MC500 cannot fit as easily into a coat pocket as either the GZ-MC200 or GZ-MC100 of last year, as it adds some length to the lens barrel to accommodate the focus ring and the lens hood of the camcorder, but it can fit into some sort of pocket, definitely. And with a lens cover too, I wouldn’t be too worried to throw this into a packed suitcase.

Battery life (9.9)
The included BN-VM200U battery pack lasted over an hour and a half (1hr.,39min.,14sec.) of constant recording.

Compression (5.5)
The GZ-MC500 records MPEG-2 video with Dolby Digital (two-channel) audio. Ultra Fine video is captured at 720 x 480 (8.5 mbps); Fine video is captured at 720 x 480 (5.5 mbps); Normal video is captured 720 x 480 (4.2 mbps); Economy video is captured at 352 x 240 (1.5 Mbps).

Media (5.0)
The GZ-MC500 records to Microdrive, CompactFlash, and SD/MM card media. On the included 4GB Microdrive, the GZ-MC500 can record from 60 minutes of Ultra Fine video to 300 minutes of Economy video.

Editing (6.0)
Editing video from the GZ-MC500 is easy in that transfer from camcorder to computer is a breeze. Once on the computer you’ll need editing software to manipulate MPEG-2 files. The camcorder includes rudimentary software: Power DVD, Power Director, and Power Producer.

Widescreen/16:9 Mode (6.5)
The GZ-MC500 does feature a widescreen mode. Accessible by way of the camcorder’s menu system, this feature unfortunately can only display squeezed video on the LCD screen. Footage will be stretched out on your widescreen television. This inclusion is an upgrade from the GZ-MC200.

4:3 Standard Aspect

16:9 image squeezed into a 4:3 aspect (as on LCD)

16:9 aspect

Scan Rates/24P (0.0)
The GZ-MC500 doesn’t offer any alternate scan rates or any 24P, 30P, or other digital effect to simulate another scan rate.

Ports (6.0)
Like the GZ-MC200, the GZ-MC500 includes three ports underneath a black cover on the front right side of the camcorder. Here there is an A/V / S-Video port, a headphone jack, and a DC input. On the left side of the camcorder, the user can find a USB connector. There is no FireWire port, as FireWire transfer isn’t necessary. Your computer will recognize the Microdrive as a separate drive. In fact, if you have a CompactFlash card reader, it should be able to take the Microdrive (some don’t). Otherwise, you can USB it.

Other Features (7.5)
Tele Macro
Instead of the Digital Wide angle mode (D. Wide) of last year’s GZ-MC200, the GZ-MC500 features a Tele Macro function, which is seen on other JVCs as well. This function, when selected in the menu system, sets the camcorder’s optical zoom to its fullest extent automatically to allow the filming of objects as close up as possible.

DIS
Digital Image Stabilization adjusts the image for any unstable camcorder shakes and jerks. Digital Image Stabilization can be accessed though the menu.

Digital Effects
Sepia, BW Monotone, Classic Film, and Strobe are the digital effects provided to the user.

Gain Up
Although manual gain control is not offered, the GZ-MC500 provides a gain-up feature that will brighten the image. Be advised that this will affect the overall quality of the image by adding noise. Though, with this camcorder it doesn’t add too much, and helps a little to improve this camcorder’s extremely poor low light performance.

Comparisons
As the GZ-MC500 is somewhat of an anomaly, it is tough to compare it to anything, really. The camcorder is designed to be a pocket cam, but it’s also designed to deliver 3 chip quality video performance and dedicated digital still camcorder quality still photos. Usually, a camcorder is only designed to do one of these things, two at the most. We've made these comparisons primarily based on price.

Panasonic PV-GS400
For a few hundred less than this JVC, Panasonic’s premiere affordable 3 chip camcorder, the PV-GS400, is available. Having been out for a bit, the PV-GS400 has seen a lowering in its price tag, making the excellent video it produces more affordable, certainly more affordable than the GZ-MC500. With the PV-GS400 you can expect good manual control, excellent video quality, and some optical image stabilization. One thing that the PV-GS400 can’t hold to the GZ-MC500 is excellent still performance, though.

JVC GZ-MC200
If you opt for the 1 chip version of the GZ-MC500, you’ll sacrifice a focus ring, some video performance quality, a pop-up flash, aperture and shutter control, a detachable lens hood, and most noticeably, excellent still quality.

HDR-HC1
For only about a half a grand more than the GZ-MC500, the new 3 chip HD Sony can be purchased. So don’t waste too much money on something with lesser quality video. Still performance between the two camcorders is different but comparable.

Who It's For
Point-and-Shooters (9.0)
This camcorder is a good point-and-shoot camcorder though the point-and-shoot crowd might not want to pay so much for a convenience camcorder. Any camcorder company runs into trouble when they start mixing gimmicks (extremely small size) and expensive components (three CCDs). It’s like force-feeding a niche audience.

Budget Consumers (2.0)
One of the camcorders least aimed at the budget consumer, the GZ-MC500 is more geared towards those with enough extra money to spare to buy one of these and still have some left over to go on a vacation to document with it.

Still Photo/Video Camera Hybrid (9.0)
One thing that this guy is is an excellent still/video hybrid camcorder. With some of the highest still resolution we’ve seen, and a still camera mode with decent manual options, this camcorder is one with which you could do much worse. Did I mention that still performance is out of this world?

Gadget Freaks (8.5)
This camcorder is for the gadget freak as it is the smallest 3 CCD camcorder ever. The rotating body also helps in the gadget category, though the GZ-MC200 featured this last year.

Manual Control Freaks (4.5)
For a camcorder this small the GZ-MC500 has a lot of manual control. Aperture and Shutter Speed controls are a plus, though they unfortunately cannot be used concurrently. The focus ring is the real kicker here, and definitely a necessity on any 3 CCD camcorder.

Pros/Serious Hobbyist (2.0)
While this is a 3 CCD camcorder, I wouldn’t say that it is designed for, or good for, the pro/serious hobbyist. It’s more for the gadget freak.

Conclusion
Bottom line: it seems that the most detrimental element to the GZ-MC500 is its price. With a price tag near a grand and a half, the GZ-MC500 falls into the market of expensive, larger-sized 3 chip camcorders. I suppose you could argue that this camcorder, being uniquely sized, could hit the niche audience which has the money to buy bigger 3 chip camcorders, but wants something smaller. And this argument would hold water if the GZ-MC500 had comparable video performance to some of the 3 chip camcorders it is up against. Indeed, the PV-GS400, now only available for around twelve hundred dollars, performs better, as does the DCR-PC1000, which runs for only around nine hundred. You’ll find better manual controls on many of these camcorders as well, and for less money.

One thing that the GZ-MC500 has that few other camcorders have is absolutely stellar still performance. And maybe here is where the camcorder is saved; after all if you’re looking for a nice hybrid, and don’t mind spending a big chunk of change, this could be the one. With this still quality, you might (and I mean a very slight might) be able to forgo purchasing a dedicated digital camera as well, which would take some sting out of the GZ-MC500's price tag.