JVC GZ-MG505 Camcorder Review

The Front (8.35)
The front of the JVC GZ-MG505 is largely dominated by the lens hood, a piece of rubber and plastic that detaches by a quarter-turn. As the lens hood is a sensible protection of the lens, there is little reason to remove it. The lens has a 37mm filter diameter, with an F range of 1.8 – 2.4, a focal range of 3.2m – 32mm, and a 10x optical zoom. In still mode, the aperture shifts to F1.9 – F2.4, the focal range to 4.0mm – 32mm, and 8x optical zoom.

The front of the JVC GZ-MG505, with and without the lens hood.

To the right of the lens is a flash sensor and flash, well-placed to avoid unsightly shadows. Some camcorders place their flash lower, which can cast nose shadows – never a flattering look. Below the lens is the built-in microphone. Just next to that is one of features we like best, the mic input. It’s a small, mini plug, but it can make a world a difference for your videos. Good sound is crucial. The biggest problem is the mic input port cover. Wedged next to a protruding wall, the port cover has a hard time getting out of the way to allow a cord. It’s a real annoyance if you plan on using this feature.

The Right Side (9.0)
The right side of the JVC GZ-MG505 is barren of features, save a good grip, which some might argue is one of the most important features. The right side is a solid piece of molded plastic, with an adjustable hand strap running along the lower portion. At the rear of the right side, near the top, is the DC input.

The grip is good. Some people with larger hands (myself included) may find the overall body a little to short to provide a comfortable handhold – taller is often better for large hands. Other people in the CamcorderInfo.com office, however, found it perfect. The top of the body has a lip with actual divots for each finger.

The Back (6.0)
The rear of the GZ-MG505 has a few core features, but it’s not the area of most manual control – that’s restricted to the left side. The most obvious element on the back is the battery, which sits dead center. It protrudes out about 1/2”, and could expand out further with an extended life battery without impinging operation.

Above the battery is a quality-looking rubber port cover that hides the AV and USB 2.0 ports. These are well-placed, and do not get in the way of shooting when wires drape down. To the right of the battery is the record on/off button, which also serves as the still shutter button. Perfectly placed for the thumb, the entire layout of the rear shows some thoughtful design.

The Left Side (8.5)
The left side of the JVC GZ-MG505 is the prime real estate on the body, the area where all the action takes place. The LCD is, of course, located here, measuring 2.7” in a widescreen ratio. On the outer edge of the LCD panel, just to the left of the screen, is a small joystick, the main navigation control for the menu. We love joysticks, and consider them to be the most user-friendly control on consumer camcorders. Unfortunately, the joystick may be overburdened with controls. It does nearly everything. Read the Manual control section below for more details. In short, the joystick activates five independent manual control functions, accesses and maneuvers through a separate manual control menu, and navigates the main menu, as well. We still like the feel, but beginning users will likely get lost for the first few weeks.

Beneath the joystick is an Index button, another great feature found on all the Everio camcorders. This gives you a pie chart readout of remaining HDD capacity and battery time. This is of great value to anyone caught out without an extra battery.

In the LCD cavity you’ll find a blue toggle switch to choose between video and still mode. Underneath that are a series of four buttons: Flash/info, Auto/Manual mode, delete clip/photo, and Menu. This last button is likely the one you’ll want for no-look access, and JVC could have done a much better job of making it stand out, either by increasing the size or by giving the button some texture. As it is, you’ll probably have to crane your head around to see what you’re doing. Finally, the S-Video port is located in the LCD cavity as well.

The Top (7.5)
The top of the GZ-MG505’s zoom toggle is a thin band of plastic. We like that it is raised up above the body for easy movement. But it does making “clicking” noises that are picked up by the mic. It’s well placed for the index finger, though, which is a point in its favor. Along the right side of the top, as mentioned before, is a lip for gripping.

To the left of the zoom toggle is a cold accessory shoe. You could mount a mic to it, but you’d have to plug it in to the mic input in the front and risk obscuring the lens. Next to that are three indicator lights: Power, Access (which blinks when the HDD is busy), and Auto (lit when the Auto mode is on). The Record/Playback/Off switch is on top, also.

The Bottom
This is not a section that we normally score, but the SD card slot is down here. It’s covered by a pliable rubber flap with a pretty solid hinge. The battery-release switch is on the bottom, also. The downside of placing anything on the bottom is that it can’t be accessed when the camcorder is on a tripod.