JVC GZ-MG77 Camcorder Review

Still Features (7.0)
The still features are one of the areas in which the GZ-MG77 (Review, Specs, $467.95) has some features to distinguish itself from the GZ-MG37 (Review, Specs, $384.95). The larger imager allows it to take larger stills, up to 1632 x 1224. Other still sizes include 1280 x 960, 1024 x 768, and 640x 480. Each can be captured in either Fine or Standard quality. Stills can be saved to the 30GB hard drive, but if that’s not large enough for you, JVC has also included an SD card slot, which loads at the bottom near the LCD cavity. We appreciate the option, of course, but bottom -loading slots are a real pain when you’re using a tripod.

The SD card slot, an alternate still storage method, loads from the bottom.

The camcorder is outfitted with a flash, located on the front to the lower right of the camcorder. This is not the best placement for a flash, because it can create unflattering shadows if the camcorder’s own nose (lens barrel) shadow finds its way into the image. The flash can be set to automatic, forced on, or used in conjunction with slow shutter, and red-eye reduction. Digital zoom is not available when recording images in still mode.

The GZ-MG77 offers continuous shooting (i.e. the ability to capture stills while recording video) at all resolution levels. This is a standout feature of this model: while many camcorders offer a continuous shooting option, images are often limited to only 640 x 480 in size. The options available in the MSET menu for shooting stills are largely the same, but manual exposure settings undergo some modification. When shooting video in manual mode, the MG77 offers EV steps only in whole number increments from -6 to +6. In still mode, EV steps range from -2.0 to +2.0, and are measured in 1/3 step increments.

Still Resolution (5.1)
The stills of the JVC GZ-MG77 were tested for their resolution by shooting a standard ISO 12233 resolution chart and running those stills through Imatest imaging software. In total, the highest resolution still (1632 x 1228) yielded an approximate resolution of 514436.43.

Below is a chart that shows how the GZ-MG77 fared against the competition. The large imager aided in the relatively good resolution score, but the colors were lacking, as we discuss in the next section.

Still Performance (5.5)
By and large, the still performance of the GZ-MG77 is a not a worthwhile reason to purchase the camcorder. A maximum resolution of 1632 x 1224 (2MP) is good, by camcorder standards. It makes for a fairly sharp image. We did see significant lens drop off around the edges, even as close as halfway out from the center in a concentric circle. That’s the sort of quality control that you should learn to avoid.

Colors were dull compared to video, but that is generally the case with all camcorder stills. Effectively producing stills requires a different set of processing than video, and it’s rare to get a good still. On the GZ-MG77, the blues clearly come across stronger than the other colors. Thankfully, the stills do not seem to have the same tendency to blow out the whites that we saw on the video.

The JVC GZ-MG70, which had a negligibly smaller still of 1600 x 1200, looked exactly the same in all nearly all picture regards – color, sharpness, and noise. There was not, however, any indication of lens drop-off.

The JVC GZ-MG37 has a maximum resolution of 640 x 480. When compared to the 640 x 480 still from the GZ-MG77, the MG37’s image had much poorer color performance – blown out, really – and far more noise.

The Sony DCR-SR100 had a larger resolution: 2016 x 1512. As with its video, it looked much sharper than the GZ-MG77. The colors are actually weaker than on the MG77, though. Finally, the Canon DC40 showed the most balanced color spectrum of any of these camcorders in its 2304 x 1736 still. It didn’t look quite as sharp as the DCR-SR100, but it was certainly better than the GZ-G77 and all the other competition mentioned here.