JVC GZ-MG555 First Impressions Camcorder Reviewby James MurrayPublished on Jan 10, 2007 6:00 AM
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The FrontThe 10x JVC lens is positioned on the front of the JVC GZ-MG555, in the upper right corner with the in-camera microphone located directly beneath. Compared to other JVC camcorders this year, the in-camera microphone placement is much better. To the left of the in-camera mic is a port cover. This port cover is opened via a tab on its bottom edge, and once open, it remains hinged to the body of the camera via a tab on the left edge. Underneath this cover is an external mic-in port and a USB port. The cover should not hinder connecting an external mic or USB cable. Moving along the left edge of the front face, above this port cover, and is a vertical in-camera flash. The positioning of this flash is aggravating for anyone familiar with photography. To achieve an even dispersion of light, a flash needs to be positioned directly above the lens of the camera. The more off center a flash is the more likely that the resulting photograph will display a shadow cast across the face of the subject from either the left or the right. Above the in-camera flash is a small IR receiver. An in-camera LED Illumination light is located above both these features, in the upper left corner of the front face. When engaged, a strong light turns and is a great help when shooting in low or no light situations.
The Right Side
The features on the right side of the JVC GZ-MG555 are limited but are essential to shooting with this camcorder. In the upper back corner of the right face is a switch that can be rotated up and down to move between on and off/charge modes. This control is well labeled and intuitively placed for fast access with the thumb of the right hand. Spanning the camera body horizontally is an adjustable black Velcro hand strap. This strap fit competently on this reviewer's large hands and should be able to adjust for most hand sizes without pain or constriction. The one minor problem with the hand strap is when placing the camcorder back onto the connection dock included with the purchase of the GZ-MG555. When positioned correctly, the strap covers the ports located on the side of the dock. While this is not a huge issue, it would be nice to have clear and free access to these essential features.
The Back
Three small LED lights are in the upper right corner of the GZ-MG555's back face. These LED lights indicate the camera modes whether it's in charge/access, video, or still shooting modes. Beneath these indicators is a prominent record start/stop button for video capture. This button is raised and has a sizeable red dot to indicate its functionality. Beneath this essential control is a port cover that has a small tab along the right edge and is hinged along the bottom edge. This cover protects the AV-out mini port as well as the DC-in. Both ports can also be found on the side of the docking station. The camcorder battery is to the left of both the record button and the port cover. It is set into the body so that when fully in place, the battery is flush with the surface of the back face.
The Left Side
The 2.7-LCD screen is on the left side of the JVC GZ-MG555 and is opened via a tab along the back edge of the monitor frame. The LCD screen is hinged along its front edge and can rotate two hundred and seventy degrees. The hinge is sturdy and seems ready to handle accidental jarring without breaking. Once open, the LCD has a number of controls both on the edge of the LCD frame and in the LCD cavity are labeled with full text descriptions for fast engagement. In the upper back corner is a select button that enables the user to switch between play and record modes. There is a small, circular button directly beneath it that acts as info, engage/disengage, or the tele-macro setting. Along the bottom edge of the LCD cavity are three buttons. From back to front these buttons engage Direct Backup/Event, Direct DVD, and the menu system. All of these controls are well spaced so that users won't need to worry about accidentally pressing the wrong button. Above these buttons is the in-camera speaker for monitoring audio in playback mode.
In the frame of the LCD, the reader will find three controls along the left side of the monitor. These controls are a bit smaller than others on the camcorder. Fast activation or alteration was difficult because of their position on the frame of the LCD. The top button allows the user to enter two screens for battery information. Beneath this control is a petite joystick. This joystick when pressed upwards it engages a spot focus/meter feature that can be adjusted left or right of the frame's center. Pressing downwards on the joystick, in shooting mode, opens the manual focus option. It can then be adjusted by pressing the joystick from left to right. If the joystick is toggled to the right the light/flash will be engaged while moving it to the left will initiate the night setting. Underneath the joystick is the Function button that can be pressed to open the function menu. This menu is different from the menu that is opened when the menu button in the LCD cavity is pressed.
Moving away from the LCD the reader will note a vertical switch along the front edge of the left side. This switch can be engaged to open and close the lens cover.
The Top
The top of the JVC GZ-MG555 is split in half lengthwise and the two lobes of the camcorder curve inwards slightly when they meet in the center of the camcorder body. A series of ridges appear near the front of the camera to provide additional grip when shooting one handed. Moving behind these ridges towards the back of the camcorder body is the zoom toggle for the camcorder. This zoom toggle performed efficiently and the smooth transition through the zoom range was a pleasant surprise. The toggle, while small, didn't have any immediate control problems. When in playback mode, the toggle can be used to either adjust volume levels if viewing video footage or adjust playback zoom levels if reviewing previously captured still images. The snapshot button is located directly behind the zoom toggle. The snapshot button captures and saves still images to either a memory card or HDD. This button was well-labeled and large enough so that users should feel comfortable engaging in hybrid shooting. To the left of the snapshot button, on the other half of the camcorder body, is the mode dial. Before getting into the mode dial options, it should be noted that a small depressible button is positioned in the center of the dial. This button will allow users to switch between interior and exterior shooting styles, depending on situation. It also allows for further customization of preset, auto and manual shooting modes. The mode dial itself rotates between shutter, aperture, backlit, snow, sport, portrait, night, manual and auto modes. The dial is small in size and with so many options listed as icons on the top of this control, legibility becomes a major issue. It would be helpful if JVC included an on-screen text label or description as each mode setting is selected. Such a design feature is found on many of the more user-friendly digital cameras currently available. A cold shoe for accessory mics, lights, or other equipment is located directly in front of the mode dial.
The Bottom
Located on the bottom of the JVC GZ-MG555 are two important features that cannot be overlooked when examining this hybrid camcorder. The first is a dock terminal for connection to the included docking station. This docking station greatly expands the connectivity options by providing DC-in, S-Vide/ AV-out, DV, and USB ports. By locating these ports on an accessory device, JVC is able to keep the compact size of this camcorder without entirely negating its variety of connection options. While it's better to have all the ports located on the body of the camera, the docking station is better than nothing at all. The DV port is new to the Everio line, and was added to provide a connection for some expanded software functionality. Beside the docking terminal is another port cover and beneath this conscientiously designed cover is the SD/SDHC memory card slot. Although the cover is well designed and built, the position on the camcorder body isn't great. By placing the SD/SDHC memory card slot on the bottom of the camcorder, it becomes impossible to swap cards when connected to a tripod. This isn't always a huge issue, but if shooting consistently on a tripod and you need to maintain an identical frame from shot to shot, this design could be a real setback. The battery release switch is the only other feature of note along the back edge of the camcorder body.