JVC GZ-MG555 First Impressions Camcorder Review

A series of preset shooting modes are included with the GZ-MG555 and rotating the mode dial on the top of the camcorder body accesses these settings. The preset shooting modes for the JVC GZ-MG555 are backlit, snow, sport, portrait and night modes. Switching between these modes occurred quickly and with only a second or two delay before shooting could begin.

Overall Manual Control
The manual controls for the JVC GZ-MG555 should provide users with nearly all of the manual options but may be disappointing to the true manual control junkie. The manual control options for the JVC GZ-MG555 include manual focus, shutter speed priority, aperture priority, gain, exposure and white balance. The manual control options are quickly accessible despite being scattered between a number of either pop-up displays or menus. However, in little time users should become comfortable finding these settings. Options like white balance and exposure are listed in the function menu while gain is listed in the general shooting menu. Aperture, shutter speed and focus are all initiated and adjusted via the joystick located along the left edge of the LCD screen. This allows the user to quickly alter settings without having to enter a menu at all, and that is a great timesaving design.

Zoom
The JVC GZ-MG555 comes with a 10x optical zoom. It also has a digital zoom that ranges from 40x to 300x. Of course, the inherent problem with digital zoom is that the higher the zoom level being used, the higher the degradation and compromising of image quality. Avoid digital zoom at all costs and if it's unavoidable, try to use it as sparingly as possible. Digital zoom can be turned on and off in the zoom sub-menu of the shooting mode menu. The zoom, be it optical or digital, is controlled via a rocking switch on the top of the camcorder body, directly in front of the snapshot button. The zoom control is a small but users shouldn't find it too hard to engage given some practice. The control has about four speeds but making a really nuanced effort with zoom speeds was complicated due to size and sensitivity. Of course, the zoom toggle is really no replacement for an external zoom ring that provides videographers with the ability to make adjustments to zoom at their own controlled pace. However, the problem with such a small switch is the obvious over or under-shooting of the desired distance and the need to re-engage zoom again in order to hopefully make the appropriate adjustments.

Focus
Focus is a manual control that is included with the JVC GZ-MG555, although users shooting in auto mode will not be able to engage this feature. The manual focus option can be engaged and disengaged by toggling the joystick located on the LCD frame downwards. This action reveals a small graphic overlay in the lower half of the LCD screen with the icons of a bust and a mountain. When manual focus has been turned on, the user can make adjustments by pressing the small joystick left or right. This action is depicted indicated in the graphic display in the form of arrows pointing in the direction of focal distance. The small size of the control and the lack of real information when making adjustments to this feature made using the manual focus difficult. It did work efficiently when used correctly and didn't jump or lag unexpectedly at any time.

Exposure & Aperture
There is separate control over both exposure and aperture when shooting with the JVC GZ-MG555. Beginners will likely find the interface and ease of the exposure control preferable to the more advanced aperture control. Opening the function menu will provide users with access to the Adjust Brightness sub-menu, otherwise known as exposure control. The EV scale for the JVC-MG555 ranges from +/- 6 and can be adjusted in increments of one. A scale with this range translates into an EV range of approximately +/- 12.5 EV. Moving through the scale is accomplished by pressing the joystick up or down in the appropriate direction.

In addition to the Adjust Brightness feature, users may find the exposure metering control can be engaged by pressing the up arrow on the joystick. It is a interesting and helpful addition. By pressing the joystick upwards once, the camcorder will toggle from an overall multimetering display to a center-weighted frame. This onscreen display of a large frame can be toggled to either the left or right of center by pressing the joystick control in the appropriate direction to engage a spot metering-like feature. Unfortunately, this control isn't more nuanced, and users won't be able to move the frame off of the x-axis of the LCD display.

Aperture is also manually controllable when shooting with the JVC GZ-MG555 through the aperture-priority shooting mode. This camcorder allows the user total control over the iris with settings starting at f/3.5 and continuing to f/16 with steps of f/4.0 f/5.6, f/8.0, and f/11 also included. The aperture display appears along the left edge of the LCD when the appropriate shooting mode is entered, and once highlighted, the user can toggle through settings with the joystick by pressing up or down. The aperture range was traversed quickly but with enough control to enable competent and efficient adjustments to be made on the go.

Overall, there are excellent exposure controls on the GZ-MG555, though independent aperture and shutter speed would have been nice.  

Shutter Speed
The shutter speed for the JVC GZ-MG555 is controllable when the camcorder is entered into the shutter-priority shooting mode. Like the aperture-priority mode, the shutter-priority mode lists the currently selected shutter-speed as a numerical graphic overlay on the left side of the LCD screen. The shutter speed can be selected by pressing the joystick to either the left or right once the shutter speed is selected on-screen. The shutter speed range for the GZ-MG555 is 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/15, 1/30, 1/60, 1/100, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000, 1/200 and 1/4000 of a second. This range enables users to shoot in lighting situations from very little light to a bright day without having to adjust exposure or aperture. It would be nice if the manual mode for this camcorder controlled both aperture and shutter speed at the same time.

Again, this is a very good range of controls. We wish all camcorders had at least this much to offer in shutter control. But independent aperture and shutter control would be even better.

White Balance
The white balance is manually controllable when shooting with the JVC GZ-MG555 in addition to both an auto mode and a handful of preset shooting modes. Accessing the white balance settings is a simple process. The user only needs to press the function menu button located to the left of the LCD screen. This opens a menu overlay that provides a live view when making adjustments to the white balance settings. The inclusion of a live view for white balance is really quite helpful for beginners since it provides immediate visual information as settings are selected. The settings for the JVC GZ-MG555 are auto, manual, fine, cloud and halogen. The full manual option quickly engaged and adjusted appropriately when tested on the showroom floor.

Gain
Gain Up can be turned on and off when shooting with the JVC GZ-MG555. Access to this manual control comes by pressing the menu button within the LCD cavity. Once open, the user can select and open the Gain Up sub-menu and choose between off and on. There was a noticeable difference when the Gain Up was turned off and back on. The only unfortunate thing about this control is its position in the regular shooting menu with its opaque blue background. The lack of a live view means that users will have to select either off or on and then exit the menu system to be able to gauge the success of this feature.

Other Manual Controls
There are no other manual controls with the JVC GZ-MG555.