A very well designed 30GB hard-drive camcorder, the Everio GZ-MG555 ($900 as of April 24, 2007) feels solid and comfortably accommodates one-handed operation. A sturdy dial provides access to manual settings and scene modes for various lighting conditions--settings that tend to be buried in nested on-screen menus on many camcorders. The dial is reminiscent of similar features on old-school, heavy-duty 35mm cameras. In addition to the aperture and shutter speed adjustments, the GZ-MG555 has a useful setting for automatic gain control.
JVC GZ-MG555 30GB Hard Drive Camcorder (10x Opt, 300x Dig, 2.7

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| Video image quality | Fair |
| Still image quality | Superior |
| Battery lifeTime for the camcorder's battery to go from fully charged to exhausted while recording to tape or disc with the LCD active. | Fair (87 minutes) |
| Overall design | Superior |
| Video/still image recording media types | 30GB hard drive, SD Card |
| Image stabilization type | Electronic |
| Electric viewfinder | No |
| Manual focus | Yes |
| Remote | Yes |
| Flash shoe | Yes |
| Inputs/outputs | A/V in, A/V out, FireWire, microphone, S-Video in, S-Video out |
| Weight (ounces) | 15 |
| Dimensions (inches) | 2.9 by 2.9 by 4.7 |
Pros
Very high still-image quality
Easy to operate
Cons
Subpar video quality
JVC Everio GZ-MG555
GZ-MG555 30GB Hard Drive Camcorder (10x Opt, 300x Dig, 2.7 Review, by John Poultney May 18, 2007
The mode switch makes toggling between video mode and still-photography mode easy, but there's a complication: Whereas nudging the switch upward changes modes, pushing it downward turns off the camcorder. A telemacro function lets you zoom in on nearby objects without losing focus; and a Nightalive setting supports shooting in very dim light, albeit with jerky results from the slower shutter speed.
The camera boots up in about 5 seconds, and it shuts down immediately. A built-in flash improves visibility of still images shot in low light. Ports include USB and composite-video outputs, and a microphone input.
A rudimentary playlist function lets you perform basic editing on your files without transferring them to a PC. A basic file-management application that supports Windows XP (but not Vista) lets you manage files and transfer them to a PC (the same software is also included with the less-expensive GZ-MG155). However, I found it just as easy to transfer files to a PC using Windows Explorer.
The GZ-MG555 earned a mediocre rating of Fair for its video quality in our lab tests, in part because details looked less sharp than in the output from competing models, and because colors seemed less accurate. This model earned a below-average score for audio quality, too, and its low-light video looked excessively dark, earning a score of just 52 versus an average mark of 82.
The GZ-MG555 lets you select from among four quality modes: the "economy" setting uses the smallest amount of disc space and correspondingly generates the lowest-quality video; but in informal tests, output was acceptable even at this setting. The GZ-MG555 was one of only two models to earn a score of Superior for still images in our lab tests.
The included remote control is convenient, and the docking station/charger adds USB, composite, FireWire, and S-Video ports, so you can, for example, pull video directly from the camcorder into Adobe Premiere Elements 3. The bundled software suite of CyberLink's PowerCinema, PowerDirector, and PowerProducer (all of which support Windows XP, but not Vista) provides multiple options for playing and editing video; programs for managing still photos and DVD and hard-drive backups complete the package.
The GZ-MG555 sports an excellent design with easy access to manual controls, but its video quality could stand some improvement.
John Poultney
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Review Now! Already own it? Tell us What You Think
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Reviewed by: mitch5791
Strengths: - Very light. - Very Small. - Easy to use. (You don't even need to read de manual, very intuitive) - Excellent still photos. - Good video. - Flash and light in camera.
Weaknesses: - In dark places, blury video. - You need extra batteries. I recomend the 815 (lasts around 2.5 hrs., not to big), 808 (comes with camera, small but only lasts 1 hour), 823 (last more than 3.5 hrs.,
Overall: Overall, If you are a practical person, that will appreciate portability and ease of use more than perfect image (although it's not bad at all), I really recomend this camera.
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Reviewed by: xddindin
Strengths: compact, easy handle, professional look, hard drive storage, still photo
Weaknesses: battery, focus speed, stabilizer, price
Overall: I bought this camcorder one month ago at price of $469, and used it all the way during my CA trip. It worked pretty well. The 5 mega pixel sensor and a 10x zoom lens provide much better effects than the canon lower end camcorder I used before. The most impressive merits of this camcorder are: the black, compact professional look; easy handle design, personalized menu; no hassle hard drive storage; good video and image qualities.However, there are some aspects that still need to be improved. When the zoom in ratio is larger than 5X, the electronic stabilizer is almost useless; in dark condition, the focus speed is a kind slow; the 808 battery comes with the camcorder is a kind short life; the price is still high.Anyway, the JVC MG555 is a perfect camcorder that can meet almost all the need for the family use purpose, recommend if you don't care too much about the price.
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Reviewed by: rachellele
Strengths: I bought this as a gift. I like its camera funtion, it has good picture effect. I alos like its manual funtions.
Weaknesses: As a camcorder, I would say it is not the best.
Overall: Overall, I like this camcorder. It is small and easy to hold. I like the black color. The best part I like is that I don't need to change tapes and buy tapes, do not need to transfer the video from the camcorder to my computer. And I don't need to take my camera with me on the trip.
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Reviewed by: dgburns
Strengths: Video shot while on tripod.Still picture performance.
Weaknesses: Image stabilization.Have to remove from tripod to get at SD card slot.
Overall: I bought one of these from BuyDig. It was my first ever camcorder purchase. The video and stills were very nice, not having to fuss with mini DVD's or tapes was awesome. However, video taken with the electronic stabilization enabled was much "worse" quality when compared to that shot on a tripod. As I need a handheld what with a new baby on the way, tripod shooting to get good quality video just didn't make sense to me. I will note I was playing the video back on a high def 62" TV, maybe watching the "stabilized" video on a standard def TV might not be so bad, BUT I based my decision on 1:1 comparison of video shot in the same lighting and with same camera settings, on all the same playback equipment. Difference was too much for me.I've returned this unit (thank you to BuyDig for their return policy) and am now shopping for a unit with optical image stabilization (probably a Panasonic).
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