JVC Everio GZ-MG27
Manufacturer: JVC Part number: GZ-MG27
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The JVC GZ-MG27 is a nice idea, but its poor video quality and irritating control scheme make conventional camcorders a lot more appealing.
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Where to buy
| store | customer rating | inventory | tax & shipping | price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon.com Marketplace |  | See Site | Enter zip code to get total price: Price +Tax +Shipping =Total price | as of 12/02/2009 |
CNET editors' review
JVC Everio GZ-MG27 price range: $523.99
- Reviewed by: Will Greenwald
- Edited by: Lori Grunin
- Reviewed on: 05/09/2006
- Released on: 02/04/2006
The good: Light and tiny; many hours of recording time.
The bad: Poor video quality; awkward control scheme; image stabilization is a joke; not for big hands.
The bottom line: The JVC GZ-MG27 is a nice idea, but its poor video quality and irritating control scheme make conventional camcorders a lot more appealing.
The first thing you'll notice about the JVC Everio GZ-MG27 is that it's small--really small, about the size of a large fist. It's light, too, weighing less than 14 ounces with its battery. We like tiny devices, but the GZ-MG27 just doesn't feel right in large hands. If you have tiny mitts, though, this camcorder will probably fit just right.
Even with its tiny size, the GZ-MG27 is built like most consumer camcorders: a strap handle on the right side, a flip-out LCD on the left side, the battery pack in the back. The bottom side of the camera holds a tripod mount and a Secure Digital card slot. Since the camcorder uses a hard drive rather than tapes or DVDs, the entire case is solid, with no pop-out door for video media as in most camcorders.
I found the control layout simple, direct--and awkward. With the screen closed and the camcorder strapped to your right hand, only three switches are available. The record button rests under the right thumb, the zoom rocker rests under the right forefinger, and the mode slider sits just above the flip-out LCD.
The real frustration begins as soon as the LCD flips open. A control stick and the quality/battery button sit on the left side of the screen, while the photo/video toggle and the menu, info/light, auto, and trash buttons sit on the camera body, beneath the LCD's inset. The buttons on the camera body are so recessed and awkwardly placed that your thumb will develop arthritis long before it actually hits the menu button. Since the control stick is on the other side of the LCD, your left hand has to dance between the display and the body to navigate the menus and change settings. If JVC had simply switched the menu button on the body with the nearly pointless quality/battery button under the control stick, the camcorder would have been a lot easier to operate.
Despite its design flaws, the JVC GZ-MG27 has some decent features. Its onboard 20GB hard drive can record as much as 25 hours of video at the lowest quality or 4.5 hours of video at the highest setting. Its 680,000-pixel CCD works with an image-stabilized 32X optical zoom lens. The 2.5-inch LCD is nice and bright, though it tends to wash out colors.
Once you record video to the camcorder's hard drive, you can transfer it to a computer via a USB 2.0 connection. The video uses standard MPEG-2 encoding format, although you'll have to rename the .mod file extensions to .mpg so that many players will recognize them. Alternatively, you can connect it to the JVC Everio Share Station to automatically burn DVDs directly from the camcorder.
The GZ-MG27 can take both standard 4:3 and wide-screen 16:9 video, although its LCD is designed specifically for wide-screen. If you want to save a little money and don't plan to shoot 16:9, the less expensive but almost identical JVC Everio GZ-MG21, has a standard 4:3 LCD. Regardless of your preferred aspect ratio, you're stuck with the LCD to frame your shot; neither the MG21 nor the GZ-MG27 have an eye-level viewfinder.
While the GZ-MG27 has image stabilization for its 32X zoom lens, it doesn't work very well. Even at a modest zoom level, the slightest shakes and bumps still show up in video. Unless you use a tripod, zoomed-in video can be effectively unwatchable. Ultimately, poor video quality really kills the GZ-MG27. Movement tears constantly through video, and it's hard to find a few seconds where jagged bars don't show up onscreen. Watching video from the GZ-MG27 is like watching the world through Max Headroom's eyes.
Color reproduction is decent in sunlight, but indoor videos tend to be washed out. The camera's gain-up/night functions can boost the image in low light, but they're essentially slow-shutter modes, which further blur an already mediocre picture. The GZ-MG27 has an onboard video light, but like most of its species, it's effective out to only a few feet.
On paper, the JVC Everio GZ-MG27 looks like a great camcorder: a small video camera with a strong zoom lens and a big hard drive for taking lots of video without swapping media. Unfortunately, its awkward control scheme and terrible video quality make this a camcorder to avoid.
User reviews
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Pretty Decent Camera
by gstevenson on July 12, 2006
Pros: Small and easy to use
Cons: Poor low light video, Poor still photo resolution
Summary: I settled and purchased the Everio after fondling many other cameras. After purchasing I came home and read c|net's review and thought I had made a horrible chose. ...
Summary: I settled and purchased the Everio after fondling many other cameras. After purchasing I came home and read c|net's review and thought I had made a horrible chose. I don't know if the reviewer was shooting video in the highest quality mode because the quality I am getting is very good, in good lighting. In dim lighting sessions the quality is reduced (as were numerous other cameras I tried).
The camera is small like the review states but I've got "normal" sized man hands and the camera fits and functions just fine. The steady shot handles just fine when I zoom out to 64x. Of course if you zoom out further you're going to have to use a tripod to hold any camera steady but it isn't as bad as the c|net reviewer made it sound. But then again any digital zoom begins to get grainy so zooming out to the extremes is not something one does all the time.
The transfer of video from the camera to your PC is a snap but the obscure MPEG-2 format (.MOD extension) is a drawback since video-editing software will not recognize it. With the camera comes software for burning DVDs and editing video but the video editing software does not run on my home PC (laptop yes) and it?s been 4 days now waiting for a technical support answer. You can change the MOD extension to MPG and if you have a MPEG-2 decoder installed you can view the file in Windows Media but again cannot edit it in most editing software.7 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Good camcorder when gotten at a used price
by Forcemaster2000 on December 17, 2007
Pros: compact, good picture quality, quality construction
Cons: still picture quality terrible
Summary: I recently had a chance to pick up the JVC GZ-MG27US on ebay at a bargain price of just under $200. I'd read the review of this camera here ...
Summary: I recently had a chance to pick up the JVC GZ-MG27US on ebay at a bargain price of just under $200. I'd read the review of this camera here on CNET, but felt like it was worth giving it a try anyway. Apparently the CNET reviewer either just didn't want to like this camera, or has very high standards in camcorders. Within minutes I was in love with this camera.
The camera is very well made, and easy to use right out of the box. Within minutes I'd taken video, then played it back. It's very user friendly. One of the complaints lodged against it was the placement of the buttons on the LCD screen. I've had no problem with them, and find them very easy to use to navigate through the menus and check the status of the hard-drive and battery. It is a little tough to operate the telephoto zoom rocker switch, it's just a little too far towards the top of the camera.
The camera has very good picture quality, as long as you're in decent light. In dim lighting, the quality does degrade somewhat, but that's going to be true with most camcorders except perhaps high-end ones. I haven't seen any of the complaints CNET had as far as pixelation or white lines running up and down the video...which makes me wonder if they failed to format the hard-drive before using it. Sound is excellent, and picks up normally pitched voices from a decent distance.
I recommend this camcorder to anyone who is looking for a great entry-level hard-drive camcorder that can be found at a reasonable price. -
Not very good
by CamMan1 on June 23, 2007
Pros: Lots of hours of recording time, Light, Easy to use
Cons: Terrible video indoors, OIS is bad, AutoFocus , Zoom makes video worse,PRICE!
Summary: I got this camcorder for $900 with warrenties becaus the salesman told me it was the best HDD camera out there. Well he was wrong. The video can be so ...
Summary: I got this camcorder for $900 with warrenties becaus the salesman told me it was the best HDD camera out there. Well he was wrong. The video can be so bright in a well lit room that the floors are white looking. The camcorder video is almost black at 60 lux (with 1 or 2 lamps on in small room at night). Zoom makes things blur. OIS makes focus bad.Autofocus it really bad. It does good videos outside.Audio is okay but for $900 a mic and
headphone jack would be great.I you hate bad
qaulity, Please avoid this and get a Sony HDD,Panasonic HDD or JVC'S high end 3CCD Gz-mg505
or Gz-Mg555 or the GZ-HD7 from them. -
Worked well not serious problems
by FARBACK on August 15, 2006
Pros: Small size, great video, easy to use, easy to convert to DVD
Cons: Short battery life. Now camera will not respond to controls on start-up. Screen is only grainy static and distortions. Will not turn-off unless battery is pulled.
Summary: Purchased GZ-MG50U camera in 11/05. Took hours and hours of video without problem. In June, I had first experience with problem. On start-up, the view screen is only grainy ...
Summary: Purchased GZ-MG50U camera in 11/05. Took hours and hours of video without problem. In June, I had first experience with problem. On start-up, the view screen is only grainy distortions. It looks like a TV with bad reception. The camera controls will not work and the camera will not turn off. The battery must be pulled to turn off the camera.
The June episode lasted part of one day and I was able to tape without problem immediately after the problem went away. (Don?t know why it came or went away) I taped problem-free for hours after the problem went away.
The next experience, in August, with the problem came and went with one pull on the battery. Afterward, I was able to tape trouble-free. A week later, the problem reappeared and will not go away.
I tried to reset to default setting but the problem continues. Called JVC and was told to send it in to the repair shop.
The JVC FAQ lists a problem of ?camera not responding to controls?. The suggested solution did not resolve my problem.
Is this the start of another class action? I also had a Sony digital camera for which I an eligible in a class action to my recover costs of CCD repair and replacement.
I will update as this develops.
Great camera when it works! -
Well featured camera
by hudgumby on May 2, 2006
Pros: HDD and SD media provide significant amount of video capacity.
Cons: Unique video file format (.mod) not compatible with most editing software. Still photo resolution is inadequate.
Summary: Shoots great video and has decent features, but isn't worth much if one is restricted to one or two computer editing applicatons.
Summary: Shoots great video and has decent features, but isn't worth much if one is restricted to one or two computer editing applicatons.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: JVC
- Part number: GZ-MG27
- Description: Just Keep on Shooting! Nothing to load, nothing to eject, nothing to finalize. Everio is designed to eliminate your worries. Just keep on shooting, because the built-in large capacity hard drive easily stores hours and hours of your video inside a lightweight compact camcorder. Plus shoot thousands of digital still images. So whether you're at home or on the go, you'll always be ready to record or playback your memories. PRODUCT FEATURES: Up to 25 Hours of Recording with 20GB Internal Hard Disk Drive; 4.5 Hours of High-Quality MPEG-2 Video Recording (Average 8.5Mbps, 720x480/60i in ULTRA mode) with Dolby Digital Audio (MOD file); 32x Optical Zoom / 800x Digital Zoom; 2.7" 16: 9 Widescreen Clear LCD Monitor; USB2.0 High-Speed Transfer (up to 12x real time).
General
- Product Type Camcorder
- Enclosure Color Gray
- Digital Zoom 800 x
- Effective Sensor Resolution 0.68 megapixels
- Optical Sensor Size 1/6"
- Optical Sensor Type CCD
- Digital Video Format MPEG-2
- Special Effects Sepia, Strobe, Monotone, Classic Film
- Image Stabilizer Electronic
- Digital Scene Transition Door wipe, Slide wipe, Black fader, Corner wipe, Scroll wipe, White fader, Window wipe, Shutter wipe, Black & white fader
- Min Shutter Speed 1/2 sec
- Max Shutter Speed 1/4000 sec
- Shooting Modes Digital photo mode
- Shooting Programs Snow, Spotlight, Sports mode, Twilight mode
- White Balance Custom, Presets, Automatic
- White Balance Presets Fine, Cloudy, Halogen
- Exposure Modes Program, Automatic, Shutter-priority
- Camera Flash None
Main Features
- Color Support Color
- Still Image Format JPEG
- Remote Control Remote control - Infrared
- TV Tuner None
Memory / Storage
- Supported Flash Memory SD Memory Card
- Digital Storage Media Hard disk drive - Built-in - 20 GB
- Image Storage JPEG 640 x 480
- Media Type Hard disk drive
Lens System
- Type Zoom lens - 2.3 mm - 73.6 mm - F/2.0-4.5
- Focal Length 2.3 mm - 73.6 mm
- Lens Aperture F/2.0-4.5
- Optical Zoom 32 x
- Lens system type Zoom lens
- Min focal length 2.3 mm
- Max focal length 73.6 mm
- Auto Focus TTL contrast detection
- Filter Size 30.5 mm
- Focus Adjustment Manual, Automatic
- Zoom Adjustment Motorized drive
Additional Features
- Self Timer Yes
- Self Timer Delay 2 sec, 10 sec
- Digital Still Camera Function Yes
- Built-in Light Yes
- Additional Features DPOF support, Direct print, Date/time stamp, Built-in speaker, PictBridge support, 16:9 widescreen mode, USB 2.0 compatibility, Backlight compensation, Digital image rotation, Digital noise reduction
- Remote control Remote control - Infrared
- Software Cyberlink PowerDVD, Drivers & Utilities, CyberLink PowerDirector, CyberLink PowerProducer, Pixela Capty MPEG Edit EX, JVC Digital Photo Navigator
- Included Accessories Lens cap, Software kit, Camcorder shoulder strap
Viewfinder
- Viewfinder Type None
Display
- Type LCD display - TFT active matrix - 2.7 in - Color
Digital Player (Recorder)
- Type None
Microphone
- Type Microphone - Built-in
- Microphone Features Wind noise reduction
Connections
- Connector Type 1 x USB, 1 x Composite video/audio output, 1 x S-Video output, 1 x DC power input
- Expansion Slot(s) 1 x SD Memory Card
Audio Input
- Audio input type Microphone
- Microphone type Built-in
- Microphone Operation Mode Stereo
- Microphone Technology Electret condenser
System Requirements for PC Connection
- Operating System Support MS Windows XP, Apple Mac OS X 10.4.2, Apple Mac OS X 10.4.3, MS Windows 2000 SP4 or later, Apple Mac OS X 10.3.1 - 10.3.9
- Peripheral Devices USB port, CD-ROM drive
- System Requirements Details Windows 2000/ME/XP - Pentium III - 128 MB
Miscellaneous
- Cables Included 1, A/V cable, USB cable
Power
- Power Device Power adapter - External
Battery
- Supported Battery 1 x Li-ion rechargeable battery ( Included )
Viewfinder / Display
- Display Form Factor Rotating
- Display Format 112,000 pixels
Environmental Parameters
- Min Operating Temperature 32 °F
- Max Operating Temperature 104 °F
Physical Characteristics
- Width 2.7 in
- Depth 4.3 in
- Height 2.7 in
- Weight 12 oz
Manufacturer info
- JVC
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse JVC products on Shopper.com
-
- Website: http://www.jvc.com/
- Address:
1700 Valley Rd.
Wayne, NJ 07470 - Phone: 800-526-5308
