Top JVC Everio GZ-MG730 Camcorder Reviews

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Camcorder Summary:
The JVC Everio GZ-MG730 is a 30GB hard disk camcorder with a 10x F3.5 Konica Minolta optical zoom lens. It is built for consumers who want a hard disk camcorder but are also concerned with digital still photos. The GZ-MG730 features a 1/2.5-inch 7.38 Megapixel CCD, dual recording, 3072 x 1728 still photos, and a 2.7” LCD screen. It is available now for about $799.

JVC Everio GZ-MG730 News Release Summary:
JVC Everio hard disk camcorders offer enhanced usability in a colorful lineup for 2008. New line features new touch-sensitive scroll bar, super-slim design and a selection of elegant body colors.

LAS VEGAS, January 6, 2008 – A new line of JVC Everio Hard Disk Camcorders features a new, super-slim design that makes them the world’s smallest hard drive camcorders on the market. The new Everio line, unveiled today, also offers new functions that make operation simpler and more intuitive, and models available in four different colors.

For 2008, there will be Everio camcorders available in sapphire blue, ruby red, diamond silver and onyx black, allowing consumers to choose a model based on features, budget and style. Also new is Laser Touch, a touch-sensitive scroll bar that simplifies operation, both 30GB and 60GB models, and a new design that’s some 20 percent smaller than last year’s entry-level model. In addition, a higher-end model offers higher-resolution digital stills by virtue of a 7 Megapixel CCD, making it unnecessary for people to carry both a camcorder and a digital still camera. This model is the first in the world to have an embedded 1.3” hard disk drive (30GB), which allowed JVC to integrate a large 1/2.5” CCD and its accompanying large optical lens section, without getting bulky — thereby providing the quality benefits of a large lens while maintaining a small body and offering large capacity.

A new innovation found on all 2008 Everio G Series models is the Laser Touch Operation user interface – a touch-sensitive illuminated scroll bar just to the left of the LCD monitor screen. Simply moving a finger up or down along the scroll bar allows the user to browse through and select video clips to view or edit, and operate menus for camera set-up. The 2.7-inch widescreen LCD’s high-resolution GUI is linked to Laser Touch movements, but the feature eliminates the risk of smudging or damaging the screen that users face with a touch-screen interface. And to provide better LCD visibility when shooting outdoors, the display features a new Auto LCD Backlight Control.

The Everio G Series offers a triple advantage of easy shooting, easy editing and easy archiving. Archiving is made especially convenient with the optional Share Station DVD burner, which for 2008 sports a new dramatically slimmed-down design that makes it much easier to carry along when traveling. One touch of the camcorder’s Direct DVD button transfers footage from the camcorder to a Share Station DVD burner or PC to automatically burn a DVD containing all the footage, selected footage or new footage only. The Direct Back-up button backs-up recordings to a PC through a USB 2.0 high-speed interface to free-up camcorder hard disk space. A DV (IEEE 1394: i.LINK, firewire) output is on the Everio dock to allow easy dubbing to DVD or hard drive recorders, and enables footage to be imported using many third-party NLE (non-linear editing) applications. But some basic editing can be done without a PC. Scene playback order can be rearranged within the camera, and 20 preset title screens can be inserted into the footage while viewing it or burning it to a DVD. These colorfully designed title screens are linked to the menu language setting, so they can be displayed in English, Spanish or French.

Also adding to the picture quality is JVC’s proprietary Gigabrid Engine that integrates various noise reduction technologies to improve the signal-to-noise ratio by about 30 percent (3dB) over previous models without that technology.

Capping the 2008 Everio G lineup is the 30GB GZ-MG730, which features a higher-performance camera section with a 1/2.5-inch 7.38 Megapixel CCD with Primary Color Filter. It features a more rounded design that shows off the F3.5 Konica Minolta Lens. With the ability to shoot high resolution digital stills up to 3072 x 1728 (16:9 mode) or 3072 x 2304 (4:3 mode) in size, the GZ-MG730 is an ideal dual-use camera. Serious enthusiasts will enjoy the additional pro-style shooting features, including Auto Flash, Program AE dial with Shutter Priority and Aperture Priority, Auto Exposure Bracketing, Backlight and Spotlight compensation, Natural and Vivid color settings, and Histogram Display.

All models also feature PictBridge compatibility for direct printing, microSD card slot and USB mass storage compatibility, and come with a convenient remote control. The JVC Data Battery allows remaining recording time to be displayed on the LCD even when the camera is off. Power-Linked Operation powers up the camcorder and engages the standby mode simply by opening the LCD, while Quick Restart starts recording just about one second after the LCD is re-opened.

For use with PCs, Everio G Series camcorders come with CyberLink’s PowerProducer 3 NE for authoring DVDs, PowerDirector 5 NE Express for editing, and PowerCinema NE for Everio to browse camera contents and enable the Direct DVD/Direct Backup functions. Macintosh users will have an easy time importing Everio’s video files using iMovie ’08.

An enhanced lineup of optional accessories also serves to increase the appeal of the Everio G Series. Among the most noteworthy is the CU-VD3, the super-slim Everio SHARE STATION DVD burner, which can be placed upright or horizontally. For the aquatically adventurous, there is the WR-MG100 Marine Case that allows waterproof operation of Everio camcorders down to 131ft/40m under water. Colorful camcorders deserve colorful carrying bags, and the compact CB-VM60 which carries the Everio camcorder with attached battery is available in black, blue and red. The larger CB-VM70 offered in black is also available to carry a full system. And a nice way to kick-start a wonderful relationship with Everio is the VU-VM90K Starter Kit, which includes the CB-VM70 carrying bag and one BN-VF808 data battery.

Pricing and availability:
GZ-MG730 February 2008 $799.99
 

JVC Everio GZ-MG730 Best Prices (When Available)