JVC GZ-MG130 Camcorder Reviewby John NeelyPublished on May 4, 2007 12:00 PM 
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Still Features (3.5)
If you are planning on purchasing a camcorder that touts well-balanced hybrid functionality, the MG130 (Review, Specs, $467.95) will not fit within your search criteria. The camcorder’s maximum still image size is 640 x 480, whether recorded to the hard drive or SD card in either quality mode—Fine or Standard. The MG130’s SDHC/SD memory card slot is located on the bottom of the camcorder, which is not great for recording stills while the camcorder is attached to a tripod. In addition, JVC does not include a SD card with the MG130. The 30GB hard drive can hold up to 9999 still images in either quality mode, but at Internet-grade quality and size.
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The Still Function Menu
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The Still Photo Submenu
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There is no flash on the MG130, so you’re left with the onboard LED light, which in no way emulates the effect of a flash and will leave your stills uneven and spotty. All manual controls are available in still mode including exposure, shutter speed, gain, etc., in addition to all automatic controls. The MG130 is PictBridge/DPOF supportive. PictBridge allows for direct printing from the camcorder when used with a compatible printer that is connected via a USB cable. DPOF (Digital Print Order Format) organizes stills for easier printing.
The still photo shutter button is well-placed on top of the body, just under the forefinger.
That's about the best thing we can find for still features.
Still Performance (6.8)
The JVC GZ-MG130 did not produce stellar looking still photos. With a resolution limited to 640 x 480, you’re not likely to use them beyond web photos, but even that could be done much better with super-cheap dedicated still camera (even most disposables). We did find some settings to improve image quality. Rather than leave it in auto, lowering the exposure down two notches (-0.70EV) produced a better image with less color bleed.
We test still performance by shooting a Gretag McBeth Color Checker chart and running those stills through Imatest imaging software. At a setting of -0.70EV, the GZ-MG130 produced a color error or 8.87, a noise percentage of 0.68%, and a saturation of 87.33.
Still Resolution (2.43)
Still resolution is testing by shooting an Applied Image ISO 12233 resolution chart and running those stills through Imatest imaging software. The best still resolution came by a manual reduction of the exposure to -1.0EV. In this setting, we found a horizontal resolution of 427.1, with a 1.23% black clipping and 12.6% oversharpening. The vertical resolution was 351.0, with a 1.31% black clipping and 16.5% oversharpening. The oversharpening was heavy and evident to the eye. Both this and the still performance test above indicate that when shooting stills, you’d be advised to lower the exposure.