JVC Everio GZ-MG505

Pros: Compact, Light weight, No media, Good video, and Great stills

Cons: Video not quite as good as similiar priced models with removable media. Expensive. No viewfinder.

Summary: I have been holding out on HDD model camcorders because of the reviews, but have wanted one for quite some time. When this was released I was quick to purchase and have been very surprised at how good this camcorder is. In comparing video, camcorder models with removable media do have an edge. In every other way, this camcorder wins hands down. The built in HDD is even better then it sounds. You can literally record a whole vacation in DVD quality and never have to change media. You can instantly view a recorded session and decide to keep it or delete it. In DVD quality mode you have over 7 hours of video at your disposal. Even more in lower resolutions. The video is very good. I was not disappointed at all. The opitcal zoom is 10X and also very good. This model does not have a touch screen, but instead uses a joystick. In my opinion, I will take a good joystick anyday over touch screen. The camcorder fits almost perfect in your hand. I actually found this camcorder to fit better then any I had previously owned or used. It is very well balanced. The controls are placed perfectly for your most used items, like zoom and record/pause. The manual adjustments are very good and allow alot of control over how your video looks. They are also very easy to get to while shooting and can be implemented on the fly. Stills from this camcorder are very good, probably another best I have seen from any camcorder I have used. While not as good as descent 6MP camera, I would say they would rival any 3MP camera. Again, there are plenty of manual options in camera mode also. One of the things that might be disappointing is the full auto mode. Although it does a good job in a well lit situation, it is not good in dim lighting. I found this very easy to correct by going to manual mode and making the necessary corrections. Although it is very easy to move the video files from this unit to a computer, I would recommend the JVC burn station. With it you can select the videos you want on DVD and burn them right away. Overall, I would recommend this camera. Good manual controls, no media, and great design/portability are my main reasons.