Page 1 of JVC GZ-MC100 Everio Harddisk Digital Camcorder + Extras £300 + P&P

Don`t know much about this but "new" technology and well over £100 more elsewhere, particularly if you take the freebies into account.

Seems to use 4GB microdrive removable media for 5 hours of recording instead of tape or DVD. Could be expensive on media, compared to tape or DVD, if you need more than 5 hours storage at any one time. The most I`ve ever used is 61/2 hours on holiday. Nice lightweight machine though.

JVC GZ-MC100

Find out more HERE

Has won a few awards as detailed on JVC site.

This item was edited on Thursday, 26th January 2006, 19:15

You have to consider that the 5 hours recording time is at the lowest available quality. Using the top quality `DVD Quality` mode you will only get 1 hour.

I am lucky enough to have the top model in the range the MC500 and am delighted with it. It is a superb cam but these Everios will not suit everyone.

Plus points are size, recording quality and the ease of transfer to DVD.
Against that you have to consider the media to be fixed, it is very expensive to have a pocket full of microdrives. Its alright for days out, but for vacations you need to have some means of transferring the files, either a laptop or an image tank.

I got the MC500 because I have been waiting a long time for someone to produce a tiny 3-chipper and it is great. I don`t think I would put up with the hassle for a lesser cam.

This item was edited on Tuesday, 24th January 2006, 21:30

bytemaster

Thanks for the info. :) I did say I didn`t know much about it !!

Price has gone down now so I`ve changed the thread header. Knowing E-buyer I`ll be changing it every day !! :/

might as well spend an extra £100 and get the 30GB version off play:

http://www.play.com/play247.asp?page=title&r=ELEC&title=738571&p=321&g=409&pa=sr

Hi, just wondering, this camera can record sound at the same time as video right?
Will the sound quality be fuzzy? And it says it has a `48Khz` etc voice recording `function`. Does this mean that it can record sound much better but not at the same time as video?
Also, what kind of results can I expect to get on the highest quality setting compared to a Mini DV digital camcorder?
Basically, can this digital camcorder be used to make a commerical quality looking film?
(Assuming the editing process is commercial quality too).
Thanks for the help,
Beans

Don`t get confused by the `voice recording function` that is just an extra feature. It will record high quality sound along with the video.

Quality-wise you may compare it to Mini DV camcorders in the same price range. It will be better than some and not as good as others. The main difference is that whereas Mini DV camcorders use the DV codec to compress the video, and store it on tape; the MC100 uses DVD compatible mpeg compression and stores on a microdrive.

I have the MC500 and a Canon XM1 (high-end DV) and in my opinion the qulity of the results do not suffer from the use of mpeg compression. However you refer to editing and this is the achilles heel of the mpeg based camcorders.

The DV codec compresses every frame as a unique entity, mpeg gains much of its improved compression by considering previous and subsequent frames. This means that when editing DV video it is possible to avoid any re-compressing of the data and the subsequent quality loss. The same is not always acheivable when processing mpeg video.

I guess it comes down to what you consider to be `commercial quality`. I think that most people would agree that you will not get that sort of result from a £300 cam.

This item was edited on Sunday, 5th February 2006, 23:10

Bytemaster,

Thanks for your very objective comments. I have been looking for a digital video camera and it is refreshing to hear constructive comments about the quality and features of a product rather than the "I have one and it`s very good" which does nothing to aid a potential buyer.

Hi beans44

Just to add my two pen`th to what bytemaster has said, and I wouldn`t disagree with a word he has said.

"this camera can record sound at the same time as video right?" Yes

"Will the sound quality be fuzzy?" Not in my experience.

"Does this mean that it can record sound much better but not at the same time as video?" Not quite sure what this is!! Possibly either sound with the photo shoot function or dubbing additional sound on to previously recorded video via the camcorder itself.

"Also, what kind of results can I expect to get on the highest quality setting compared to a Mini DV digital camcorder?" Not sure myself but bow to bytemasters greater knowledge in that there will be no discernible difference.

"Basically, can this digital camcorder be used to make a commerical quality looking film?" Almost certainly no. However I have to say that I am always astonished at the quality of video and sound that can be obtained from a few hundred pounds worth of modern digital camcorder. A commercial quality camcorder will run into four figures and beyond.

With regards to editing, as bytemaster has said, there is a downside to editing MPEG encoded video as opposed to AVI. One thing that could tip the balance is that with MiniDV you can transfer AVI to your computer and edit in AVI. When you`ve finished editing etc. the results can then be converted to MPEG format. Bytemaster, Im sure, can tell you if there is a quality loss although I haven`t noticed one myself.

Finally, the extras mentioned in my original post have now been taken off but the price remains at £300.

Good luck whatever you decide. Best regards.
Inkitin

MikeElliot,

Many thanks for kind comment. I always try to be objective, something I have observed in a number of your posts.

I love my MC500 and think it is a superb little cam, but I am well aware of its limitations which might well make it a very poor choice for many others. `Horses for courses` as they say.

I was very nearly tempted by the MC100 when it was originally launched (at a much higher price), but decided to wait for a three-chipper. I suspect that it is quite a nice little pocket-cam, but as it has been available for some time now I woud think that there are numerous `objective` reviews availble to anyone who cares to Google for them.

Hi, thanks to both of you for the quick replies. That was really useful.
What`s a three chipper?
I don`t suppose anyone knows what 28 Days Later was made on? I`ve heard it was low budget on digital stuff but haven`t really got a clue!
Beans