Performance

The JVC Everio GZ-MG77 features a 1/3.9" CCD (2.18 gross MP), which is considerably larger than the 1/6" 680K CCD in the GZ-MG37. This upgrade should increase all around performance: from bright light video to low light video to still performance. Even though, the MPEG-2 compression will most likely bar this model from matching the quality of equally priced MiniDV camcorders, we’ll try to keep an open mind.

At 3000 lux, the GZ-MG77 showed a surprisingly *near-*adequate image. In other words, it isn’t as bad as we expected, especially given the poor standing of previous Everios. On the positive side, the image is bright, with bold colors that have no trouble popping out and differentiating themselves. The camcorder also managed to capture a good amount of fine detail, no doubt thanks to a higher pixel count than the lower-end Everios have.

On the downside… well, there are a few considerable downsides. For some reason, most of the Everios tend to expose much brighter than most camcorders. (In all of our testing, we shoot camcorders in their automatic modes as a standardization method.) The results are mixed: this helps colors appear stronger, but it also pushes the whites towards the blow-out range and truncates dynamic range in the darker regions. A correctly-exposed image with a slightly darker image overall would be much preferable.

Last year’s GZ-MG70, which has a slightly larger 1/3.4" CCD but fewer pixels (2.12 gross MP), also produced a slightly over-exposed image. It did not, however, show quite the same color strength, leading us to believe that the GZ-MG77 is also boosting some saturation levels. These are definite signs of improvement from last year.

This year’s GZ-MG37, the next model down, showed an abysmal color performance. Colors were pale and washed out across the spectrum. There was also a reddish hue to the grey and whites that we didn’t like. To top it all off, the picture was covered in a thin layer of fine grain noise, which we did not find with the GZ-MG77.

The DCR-SR100, Sony’s first HDD camcorder (though they have recently announced plans to release a high definition update to the DCR-SR100 this fall), runs for a few hundred dollars more than the GZ-MG77. The image quality indicates that this is money well spent. The picture is much, much sharper, with a vastly superior color performance. Fine detail capture is excellent. This is a great image all around.

Finally, we wanted to hold the GZ-MG77 up against a comparatively-priced DVD camcorder with a similar MPEG-2 compression. The Canon DC40, that company’s top-end DVD camcorder, had a darker image overall, with bold, saturated colors, particularly in the green areas of the spectrum. The camcorder had a little trouble reporting some fine details, but that seems to be caused more by a function of compression (where the image got "chunky") than imager resolution.

{column='Video Performance' models='JVC GZ-MG77,JVC GZ-MG70,JVC GZ-MG37,Sony DCR-SR100,Canon DC40'}

Video Resolution* (12.9)*

We tested the GZ-MG77’s video resolution by shooting a standard ISO 12233 resolution chart and running those stills through Imatest imaging software. In 4:3 aspect ratio, the camcorder produced 352.0 lines of horizontal resolution and 366.5 lines of vertical resolution, yielding an approximate resolution of 129008.0. In 16:9 aspect ratio, the camcorder produced 369.0 lines of horizontal resolution and 295.7, yielding an approximate resolution of 109113.3.

This score is commensurate with other camcorders in its price range. This is about on par with most camcorders in its price class. You should consider, however, that resolution is only portion of a camcorder's overall performance.

{column='Video Resolution' models='JVC GZ-MG77,JVC GZ-MG70,JVC GZ-MG37,Sony DCR-SR100,Canon DC40'}

**Low Light Performance ***(4.25)*

We tested the GZ-MG77 at two levels of low light, 60 lux and 15 lux, in order to determine its low light capabilities. Generally, the larger an imager a camcorder has, the better its low light performance should be. Of course, there are extenuating factors, but this is a good rule of thumb when you’re shopping. The GZ-MG77 has a 1/3.9" CCD, which is on the large size. Entry level camcorders typically have 1/6" chips, and prosumer camcorders have one to three 1/3" chips.

At 60 lux, the GZ-MG77’s performance was very poor. The colors lost nearly all of their strength, and there was no internal saturation boosting or similar process to save them. JVCs are known for their powerful automatic gain, which is a digital process that boosts the overall incoming signal (also boosting the noise within that signal). All camcorders have some sort of automatic gain, but only JVC lets you turn it on and off. (Panasonic is the only manufacturer to offer manual gain control on their consumer line.) The auto gain on the GZ-MG77 clearly worked to maintain an overall brightness in the lower light conditions, but did little else to improve the image. The picture also showed some strange, blotchy noise patterns in much of the image, similar to the blue noise that frequents Sony low light images, but whitish.

Last year’s GZ-MG70 did not come as close to blowing out, and maintained a little more color information. It was certainly not a desirable image, though. Auto gain levels appeared to be slightly lower. The GZ-MG37, this year’s next model down from the GZ-MG77, was much darker, due to the smaller imager and larger maximum aperture of the lens ( F1.2 versus the GZ-MG37’s F1.8) . Noise was also a problem with this image.

The Sony DCR-SR100, once again, was a breath of fresh air in a crowd of poor images. The image looks incredibly sharp and the colors are extremely well-saturated. In fact, it hardly looked different from the image at 3000 lux. There was really no comparison here. Finally, the Canon DC40, a DVD camcorder, had a darker image, dark enough that we started to lose some of the detail. However, colors were better represented.

The GZ-MG77 also offers manual shutter speed down to 1/15th of a second. This is not a setting that we would advise, as the blurring of objects at such a slow speed would make the video unwatchable. But 1/30th might be fast enough to capture slow moving or motionless scenes, as long as you were using a tripod. At 1/30th of a second, the image displayed much better colors, but the blotchy noise was still present.

At 15 lux, the JVC GZ-MG77 lost most of its color. The automatic gain clearly met its match, and it was difficult to make out any fine detail. You can make out general shapes, but not much beyond that.

Last year’s GZ-MG70 looked pretty much the same. This is not a surprise; 15 lux is difficult for any camcorder. Even the GZ-MG37 was hard to distinguish from the GZ-MG77, except for an increased noise factor.

The Sony DCR-SR100 still looks sharp at 15 lux, but most of the color information is lost here, too. Finally, the Canon DC40 was much the same. Clearly, 15 lux was the breaking point for all these camcorders.

Overall, the low light performance was weak: too bright and washed in at 60 lux, and too dark at 15 lux.

{column='Low Light Performance' models='JVC GZ-MG77,JVC GZ-MG70,JVC GZ-MG37,Sony DCR-SR100,Canon DC40'}

Wide Angle* (8.4)*

The JVC GZ-MG77 was tested for its wide angle field in both 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios and produced results that show some gain in horizontal resolution in widescreen mode. When shooting in 4:3 aspect the camcorder had a 42 degree field. When shooting in 16:9 the GZ-MG77 had 47 degree field of vision, representing a gain of 5 degrees. There was a slight amount of cropping on the top and bottom of the frame when the camcorder was switched into 16:9.

Format

Compression* (5.5)*

The GZ-MG77 uses MPEG-2 compression and 2-channel Dolby Digital audio. There are four video quality settings at 720 x 480 resolution: Ultra Fine at 8.5Mbps, equivalent to DVD camcorder bit rate, Fine at 5.5Mbps, and Normal at 4.2Mbps. There is also a much lower quality Economy setting a 352 x 240 size and 1.5Mbps data rate. All of these settings record video at a variable bit rate which the camcorder adjusts on the fly, enabling it to raise or loser the bit rate based on how complex the information in the frame is. MiniDV camcorders have a much higher a fixed data rate of 25 Mbps. 

When you copy video footage to your computer via digital connection, it appears with a .MOD file extension. Simply changing the .MOD file extension to .MPG allows playback on any media player, but may result in a loss of audio. Users of this camcorder who want maximum flexibility would be advised to look into file conversion programs like Quicktime Pro from Apple (available for both PC and Mac). 

Media* (4.0)*

The GZ-MG77 records video and stills to a 30GB internal HDD (hard disk drive). This capacity accommodates about 430 minutes (7 hours) of video at Ultra Fine, 640 minutes (11 hours) of video at Fine, 850 minutes (14 hours) of video at Normal, and 2250 minutes (37 hours) of video at Economy.

The HDD connects to a PC via the included Hi-Speed USB 2.0 cable, and can be mounted as an external hard drive. The HDD is protected from impacts by a floating suspension system and a drop detection system. Drop detection shuts the camcorder down in under a second when has been dropped. This is not a feature we were able to test for obvious reasons, but we would advise users to view it with skepticism since any fall long enough to cause the device to shut down would probably result in irreparable damage.

Editing* (4.0)*

Editing (4.0) Like its lower end cousins, the GZ-MG77 comes with a bundle of four video and photo applications: Digital Photo Navigator v1.5, PowerDVD 5 NE, PowerDirector Express NE, and PowerProducer 3 NE.

Digital Photo Navigator is a still photo management program, which would be useful for users who plan to make extensive use of the camcorder’s still photo capabilities.

PowerProducer is a DVD authoring program that provides several options for creating DVDs from footage shot with the GZMG77. It’s a useful program, and relatively easy to use. When you begin a project, you first select an output format: DVD, VCD, SVCD, or VR disc, the capacity of the media you are using, and the aspect. PowerProducer then enables capture of footage from the camcorder, but gives you the option of using material from other sources as well. It also offers an option for grabbing footage from an existing DVD. Once your footage it loaded, you can create basic Menus and chapters before finalizing your project and burning to disc.

PowerDirector Express NE is a basic but functional nonlinear editing (NLE) program that is better than most out of the box applications that ship with consumer camcorders. The interface resembles other NLE’s, with a window for clips, a playback monitor, and a timeline for editing. PowerDirector has typical NLE features including transitions and various ways of changing a clip’s duration.

PowerDVD is a DVD and media player that is comparable to Windows Media Player or RealPlayer, but it has a more limited range of functionality.

Tour

**The Front ***(8.35)*

The JVC GZ-MG77 is a very compact camcorder, and the front makes this immediately apparent. The most prominent feature is the JVC Video Lens. While it looks like the lenses on the MG77’s step-down models, the JVC GZ-MG37 and MG27, the 30.5mm filter diameter f1.2-f2.0 Bright Lens is the among this camcorder’s major upgrades. Directly below the lens is the onboard stereo microphone, and to the left of the lens and mic is a flash. The flash is set flat against the camcorder’s body, and the lens barrel protrudes a bit beyond it, which could result in nose shadows: the shadow cast by the lens barrel could appear in images captured using the flash. It won’t impact most photos, but users should be aware of this potential drawback.

**The Right Side ***(9.0)*

The right side of the GZ-MG77 is where users are reminded of the diminutive size of this camcorder. As an HDD device, this model has no hatch for media here, and the sole feature of the right side is the hand strap which, at first glance, seems oversized. In reality, it’s a conventional sized and nicely padded strap that happens to be on a very small camcorder. For users with larger hands like myself, this could lead to some strain while handling the GZ-MG77. Users with smaller hands, however, will probably find the camcorder a pleasure to hold and use. The DC port is also located on the right side, near the top rear edge of the camcorder. Its plastic port cover is affixed to the camcorder body by plastic connectors, which allow it to be swing out of the way when the port is in use.

**The Back ***(6.0)*

There is no viewfinder on the GZ-MG77, which is probably the most noteworthy aspect of the rear. The battery takes up most of the camcorder’s back end, and extends from the bottom edge to a few centimeters from the top. Just above the battery, where one usually finds a viewfinder, is a cover that conceals the AV and USP ports. This cover shares the design of the DC port cover: a simple plastic hatch connected to the camcorder body by plastic connectors. It looks to be a durable port cover, though it can be tricky to open. Along the right hand side, well-placed for a small thumb, is the record on/off button, which doubles as the shutter button for stills. There are no other features on the back of the GZ-MG77, giving it a Spartan appearance.

**The Left Side ***(8.5)*

The left side of the JVC GZ-MG77 is where all the action takes place – most of the camcorder’s controls are located either in the LCD cavity or on the LCD itself. While cramming all of the controls on this side is unorthodox, it seems to be a practical way of addressing the camcorder’s very small profile, which leaves little room for button placement. While locating the major interface features on the left side is not as convenient as distributing them around the camcorder’s body, it seems to be a reasonable trade-off given the compact size of the device. The widescreen LCD screen measures 2.7", opens to 90 degrees from the camcorder’s body, and rotates through 270 degrees to allow multiple viewing angles. The screen also can be folded LCD-out into the LCD cavity for monitoring from the left side.

On the outer edge of the LCD panel is one of the more interesting features of the GZ-MG77 - a small but effective joystick for maneuvering through playback and menus. This joystick is very small, and is another feature that users with large hands may find hard to use. Below the joystick is a tiny button that displays the remaining capacity of the HDD (press once), and battery life (press twice). The battery life meter, in particular, is excellent, providing a to-the-minute readout that is far better than the typical battery bar display found on most consumer camcorders.

Inside the LCD cavity, users will find a stack of buttons with the small blue Video/Still mode switch on top. Underneath that is a quartet of buttons: the Flash/Info button, the Auto/Manual mode selector button, the Delete button for file management, and the Menu button. Just to the left of the buttons is a standard S-Video port, rounding out a hat trick of video output options along with the AV and USB ports. Just above the S-Video port is a tiny reset button, used to return the camcorder to factory settings, and to the left of the port is the onboard speaker.

The Top* (7.5)*

Due to the small size of the GZ-MG77, the top functions largely as the camcorder’s grip, due to the fact that an average-sized hand wraps nearly to the left side of the camcorder. Once again, users with large hands may find this cramping, while users with small hands will likely appreciate the palm-friendly feel. The camcorder’s zoom toggle is located well for index finger access, and is a small, thin rocker that is light to the touch. Directly to the left of the zoom toggle is the Power on-off/Playback/Record mode switch, and three mode indicator lights for Power Off/Charge, HDD access, and Auto.

The Bottom*(unscored)*

The underside of the JVC GZ-MG77 is worth a mention because the SD memory card slot is on the camcorder’s bottom face. It’s not an ideal location: it is out of sight, and it prevents swapping cards while the camcorder is not tripod-mounted. A greater liability is the battery release, which is also located on the camcorder’s base and inaccessible when the GZ-MG77is tripod-mounted.

Auto/Manual Controls

Picture & Manual Control
Automatic Control (5.0)

The GZ-MG77 has a button, analogous to the East button on Sony camcorders, which allows users to toggle easily between automatic and manual control modes. This selector button is located in the LCD cavity and labelled, simply, Auto. The camcorder responds well in auto mode, making smooth adjustments in normal lighting conditions for focus, exposure, shutter speed, gain, and white balance. None of these automatic controls were as accurate and refined as on similarly priced Sony camcorders, but they do suffice for most point and shoot situations. The auto control that stood out was exposure, which worked very well in tandem with gain in low light environments. Although this exposure/gain combo added noise to images in low light, it tended to keep them brighter than most consumer camcorders, making it a good choice for shooting indoors at night.

White balance in auto mode was underwhelming, and the camcorder struggled to produce accurate colors in mixed light. We would recommend using the GZ-MG77’s manual white balance function, which is easy to access via the MSET menu, explained in the next section. There are several auto presets for white balance: Halogen, Cloud, and Fine (sunlight). These presets were also less accurate than we would have liked; the halogen setting under-adjusted for the bluish cast of halogen lighting. In contrast, the sunlight setting over-emphasized the red and orange end of the spectrum, creating an unusually warm and saturated image. Users looking for a true point and shoot camcorder should certainly take this control into consideration, and would be advised to get up to speed on the camcorder’s manual white balance function.

JVC GZ-MG77's LCD cavity, where the Auto mode button is located

The GZ-MG77 includes a number of automatic controls that allow users to fine-tune the camcorder without having to enter manual mode. These functions are a hybrid of auto and manual controls and are a means of governing how the camcorder makes automatic adjustments depending on the shooting environment. Backlight Compensation (BLC) is a remedy for very bright environments, like beaches or ski slopes, where the subject of a shot is often underexposed. BLC simply boosts the overall exposure of the image, making it more likely that the subject will be adequately exposed, though it may also blow out the background. Spot Exposure Control is JVC’s version of the spot metering function found on some camcorders, including Sonys. In full auto mode, the GZ-MG77 takes the whole image into account when adjusting exposure, while Spot Exposure Control allows a user to select the right, left, or center of the image for auto exposure. Sony’s version of this feature offers more precision by dividing the screen into nine sections rather than only three.

The GZ-MG77 also features four auto exposure (AE) modes that allow users to select preset exposure and shutter speed parameters optimized for specific shooting situations. These include Twilight, Spotlight, Snow, and Sport. AE modes are ubiquitous in the world of consumer camcorders: they’re shorthand methods for getting the image in the ballpark when auto mode doesn’t yield adequate results. If you do plan on using AE modes on the GZ-MG77, it’s a good idea to test them out so you have a good understanding of how they affect the image. For example, twilight mode will adjust exposure, gain, and shutter speed in tandem, and may add noise or give your video a stuttering appearance, depending on how much light is available.

In addition to these AE modes, this JVC camcorder features NightAlive mode, which is accessed by pressing the joystick left. NightAlive is another low-light shooting mode that automatically sets the shutter speed to between 1/2 and 1/15 of a second. The slow shutter will make the image stutter, but also enables the camcorder to capture colors more faithfully. If auto mode isn’t doing the job, adjusting the picture manually is generally a better option. In general, learning to navigate and apply this camcorder’s manual control features is well worth it.

No consumer camcorder would be complete without a set of cheesy in-camcorder effects, and the GZ-MG77 is no exception. These effects make it easy to apply a look to your video and include Strobe, Classic Film (a slower shutter speed), Monotone (black and white), and Sepia. Some users may find these effects fun to play around with, but working on your footage in a non-linear editing program (NLE) like Adobe Premiere or iMovie will yield better results and give you much more control over your image.

Overall Manual Control (5.5)

Manual controls on the JVC GZ-MG77 are very accessible. As on Panasonic camcorders, manual controls are accessed by depressing the joystick. The main distinction between this JVC and Panasonics is that the joystick is located on the LCD panel, requiring use of the left hand, while the Panasonic joystick can be operated with the right (shooting) hand, enabling true one-handed shooting. This camcorder provides good control over shutter speed, white balance, focus, and exposure, using EV steps. All manual controls can be set independently, which offers a higher degree of control than camcorders with only priority modes. The one enhancement we’d like to see on this camcorder’s manual control set is aperture control in F-stops rather than EV steps, which are a composite measurement of shutter speed and aperture.

The JVC GZ-MG77's Main Menu and Manual Control Menu 

The GZ-MG77’s well-designed menu structure is divided between an administrative menu, which governs camera settings not usually accessed while recording video, and a manual control "MSET" menu. Pressing the Menu button, inside the LCD cavity, brings up the administrative menu, and the joystick navigates within it. This menu includes options for recording quality, image stabilization on/off, time settings, etc. Pressing the Menu button again exits the administrative menu.

The MSET menu provides access to adjustments that are typically used while recording video, including exposure, shutter speed, and the other controls noted above. This menu is accessed by depressing the center of the joystick, which reveals a row of options along the lower edge of the LCD screen. Users can easily move through these options using the joystick, making this a very efficient way of accessing manual controls.

*The joystick is small, but pretty effective. *

The joystick is a big improvement for the MG77 over last year’s GZ-MG70, which had an undersized four-way touchpad. Although Panasonic was the first company to use joysticks across their line, we’re pleased that JVC and Canon have opted to use joystick-based interfaces on many of this year’s camcorders. Locating the joystick on the touch screen makes one-handed manual control impossible but that should not be a drawback for most users. Most compact camcorder shooters are accustomed to placing a hand on the LCD to help steady the camcorder or to adjust the screen angle as they move.

As a package, the MG77 has a very good manual control selection and an efficient and user-friendly interface. It also produces a much sharper image than the GZ-MG37 with its 1/6" CCD, though it still falls short of other HDD camcorders like the Sony DCR-SR100, (which costs $300 more).

Zoom (6.5)

The JVC GZ-MG77 zoom toggle is located on top of the camcorder, in a convenient if not somewhat cramping spot for most users. This zoom toggle has a familiar rocker-switch design, but, like the camcorder itself, is scaled down to a thin, almost sharp, ridge. The zoom toggle is adequate but did not allow for as much accuracy, in part because it just felt undersized and tuned with too much sensitivity. As a result, executing smooth, constant zooms on the go was very difficult, as the speed jumped from very slow to very fast with barely any change in pressure. With a little practice, the zoom works well, but users will not find it as forgiving as many other consumer camcorder zooms.

Zoom Power/Ratio (10.0)

The JVC GZ-MG77 has an optical zoom of only 10x, representing a significant drop from the 32x optical zoom of the GZ-MG37. While this may appear at first glance to be a downgrade, a camcorder’s optical zoom strength is determined in part by the ratio between chip and lens size – the higher the ratio, the stronger the optical zoom. With a larger 1/3.9" CCD (vs. 1/6" for the GZ-MG37) and comparably sized lens, the GZ-MG77 trades in a 32x optical zoom for better video performance. The camcorder also features a 300x digital zoom, which can be turned off or capped at 40x.

A digital zoom with a maximum of "only" 300x may seem unimpressive, but high digital zoom ratings are best seen as marketing gimmicks instead of features that add value to a camcorder. Digital zooms achieve their high magnifications by enlarging the pixels available at a camcorder’s top optical zoom setting, with the result that image quality falls off sharply in digital territory. Turning off the digital zoom feature of this camcorder will guarantee that your image is always as sharp as it can be, and is the setting used by most experienced shooters. A good rule of thumb is, if you are too far away from your subject, move closer before resorting to digital zoom.

Focus (4.0)

Manual focus on this camcorder works in much the same way as it does on Panasonic camcorders that feature a joystick interface, making it a better control than those found on many consumer camcorders, but not as good as a true focus ring. This control is located in the MSET menu. Selecting the focus option brings up a scale with icons at either end, representing nearby on the left (a person’s head) and far away on the right (a mountain).

At the same time, a cursor moves along the sliding scale to provide the user with a representation of their location in the camcorder’s focal range. The scale is helpful, but would be much improved if augmented by a numeric scale, which would provide an absolute measure for focus. The other issue (common to all consumer camcorders) is that assessing focus accurately using the 2.7" LCD is difficult. Viewfinders are often a superior means of assessing focus, and this camcorder doesn’t have one.

Exposure (Aperture) (4.5)

Exposure is another easy-to-adjust manual control on the JVC GZ-MG77, and it is measured in EV steps in increments of one, ranging from -6 to +6. The EV settings are displayed on a horizontal scale that appears when Exposure has been selected from the MSET menu. There is no pure aperture control, but this EV-based scale does work independently from shutter speed. True f-stop control over aperture would be ideal, but the independence of this control makes it nearly comparable. Another improvement JVC could make would be to expand the scale by adding a few more EV steps or half-steps to enable a finer degree of exposure adjustment.

*Shutter Speed (6.5) *

Shutter speed adjustment is accessed by pushing in on the joystick to bring up the menu and selecting the S.SP option. Pressing up again brings up a scale of options. As with all the GZ-MG77’s manual controls, shutter speed adjustment requires the camcorder to be in manual mode. The range of speeds on this camcorder is impressive, and includes 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/15, 1/30, 1/60, 1/100, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000, 1/2000, and 1/4000. Shutter speed control is one of this camcorder’s strong points, and we especially appreciate the options below 1/60.

White Balance (7.0)

White balance is reached via the MSET menu, and provides a manual option as well as several presets. Once the white balance option has been selected, the up and down arrows toggle through the submenu. The presets available are Auto, Halogen, Cloud, and Fine (sunlight). While this is a reasonable selection, calibrating the single artificial lighting preset for halogen seems an odd choice when most consumers are more likely to shoot in either incandescent lighting or fluorescent. For these lighting conditions, manual white balance is the best option on the GZ-MG77.

The manual white balance option is selected by toggling to the manual white balance icon, and then pressing and holding the joystick until the icon begins flashing. When the icon stops flashing, manual white balance has been set. While manual white balance yielded good results, setting it with the joystick is tricky because it is such a small control. Holding the joystick in without slipping up or down required some concentration, but with practice, users should be able to set white balance quickly. The white balance overlay occupies only a small portion of the screen, making it easy to assess changes while using the control.

Gain (1.0)

The JVC GZ-MG77 and Everio camcorders do not offer manual control over gain levels, but they have a Gain Up automatic control that can be turned on or off. Unlike the previous manual controls, Gain Up is located in the administrative menu, and accessed by pressing the Menu button in the LCD cavity. When Gain Up is enabled, images shot in low light suffer from the noise and color desaturation issues that are typical byproducts of gain controls. When shooting with the GZ-MG77 or any other camcorder, it’s important to be aware of the drawbacks associated with gain before making use of this low light quick fix. You’ll always get a better picture if you have the option to shoot in better lighting.

Other Manual Control (0.0)

The GZ-MG77 offers no other manual control options.

Still Features

---

Still Features* (7.0)*

The still features are one of the areas in which the GZ-MG77 has some features to distinguish itself from the GZ-MG37. The larger imager allows it to take larger stills, up to 1632 x 1224. Other still sizes include 1280 x 960, 1024 x 768, and 640x 480. Each can be captured in either Fine or Standard quality. Stills can be saved to the 30GB hard drive, but if that’s not large enough for you, JVC has also included an SD card slot, which loads at the bottom near the LCD cavity. We appreciate the option, of course, but bottom -loading slots are a real pain when you’re using a tripod.

*The SD card slot, an alternate still storage method, loads from the bottom. *

The camcorder is outfitted with a flash, located on the front to the lower right of the camcorder. This is not the best placement for a flash, because it can create unflattering shadows if the camcorder’s own nose (lens barrel) shadow finds its way into the image. The flash can be set to automatic, forced on, or used in conjunction with slow shutter, and red-eye reduction. Digital zoom is not available when recording images in still mode.

The GZ-MG77 offers continuous shooting (i.e. the ability to capture stills while recording video) at all resolution levels. This is a standout feature of this model: while many camcorders offer a continuous shooting option, images are often limited to only 640 x 480 in size. The options available in the MSET menu for shooting stills are largely the same, but manual exposure settings undergo some modification. When shooting video in manual mode, the MG77 offers EV steps only in whole number increments from -6 to +6. In still mode, EV steps range from -2.0 to +2.0, and are measured in 1/3 step increments.

Still Resolution* (5.1)*

The stills of the JVC GZ-MG77 were tested for their resolution by shooting a standard ISO 12233 resolution chart and running those stills through Imatest imaging software. In total, the highest resolution still (1632 x 1228) yielded an approximate resolution of 514436.43.

Below is a chart that shows how the GZ-MG77 fared against the competition. The large imager aided in the relatively good resolution score, but the colors were lacking, as we discuss in the next section.

{column='Still Resolution' models='JVC GZ-MG77,JVC GZ-MG70,JVC GZ-MG37,Sony DCR-SR100,Canon DC40'}

Still Performance* (5.5)*

By and large, the still performance of the GZ-MG77 is a not a worthwhile reason to purchase the camcorder. A maximum resolution of 1632 x 1224 (2MP) is good, by camcorder standards. It makes for a fairly sharp image. We did see significant lens drop off around the edges, even as close as halfway out from the center in a concentric circle. That’s the sort of quality control that you should learn to avoid.

Colors were dull compared to video, but that is generally the case with all camcorder stills. Effectively producing stills requires a different set of processing than video, and it’s rare to get a good still. On the GZ-MG77, the blues clearly come across stronger than the other colors. Thankfully, the stills do not seem to have the same tendency to blow out the whites that we saw on the video.

The JVC GZ-MG70, which had a negligibly smaller still of 1600 x 1200, looked exactly the same in all nearly all picture regards – color, sharpness, and noise. There was not, however, any indication of lens drop-off.

The JVC GZ-MG37 has a maximum resolution of 640 x 480. When compared to the 640 x 480 still from the GZ-MG77, the MG37’s image had much poorer color performance – blown out, really – and far more noise.

The Sony DCR-SR100 had a larger resolution: 2016 x 1512. As with its video, it looked much sharper than the GZ-MG77. The colors are actually weaker than on the MG77, though. Finally, the Canon DC40 showed the most balanced color spectrum of any of these camcorders in its 2304 x 1736 still. It didn’t look quite as sharp as the DCR-SR100, but it was certainly better than the GZ-G77 and all the other competition mentioned here.

{column='Still Performance' models='JVC GZ-MG77,JVC GZ-MG70,JVC GZ-MG37,Sony DCR-SR100,Canon DC40'}

Handling and Use

Ease of Use* (7.0)*

Along with portability, ease of use is the area in which this camcorder excels. The MSET menu is instantly accessible when shooting in manual mode, and very easy to navigate and adjust. While Panasonic camcorders provide better manual controls overall, this JVC serves up the most important controls for everyday shooting, and keeps them simple. The fact that this is an HDD camcorder contributes to its overall user-friendliness. The camcorder uses no media, so you won’t be able to misplace tapes or DVDs, and you won’t have to worry about your tape or DVD mechanism breaking down. The GZ-MG77 is a simple, small, self-contained unit. The fact that there is no viewfinder makes using the camcorder simpler still – the LCD is your only image monitoring option.

Shooting with such a simple device is a pleasure. You switch it on, and if you’re in auto mode, you need only hit record, and as long as your HDD has space, you’ll never have to search for a blank section on your tape. When you are ready to download your footage, you simply connect the GZ-MG77 to a computer using the supplied USB cable, or to JVC’s Everio-compatible DVD burner.

For point and shoot users who want the simplest camcorder available, the GZ-MG77 may be the right choice. For users who plan on doing more with their footage than simply archiving to DVD, the camcorder is less than ideal. It records video in MPEG2 format, which is not well-supported by editing software. Another potential drawback to this camcorder is the risk of damage to the 30 GB HDD drive. While HDD drives are fairly durable, they won’t last forever, especially after months or years of jostling.

Handling* (4.5)*

The GZ-MG77 handles very well for an ultra-compact camcorder with a miniaturized interface and relatively extensive suite of features. A notable improvement over last year’s G series camcorders is the replacement by JVC of four-way touchpad with a joystick controller. The controller has also been moved from the LCD cavity to the outer edge of the LCD screen so that it now faces the user. This placement initially struck us as odd, in comparison to the more typical location of controls on a camcorder’s body. It turns out to feel surprisingly natural because so many users already shoot with two hands, gripping a camcorder with their right and stabilizing it with their left hand on the open LCD panel.

This is also one of the smaller camcorders on the market, so it should please buyers looking for a camcorder they can literally slip into their pocket. The camcorder’s very small body may limit its appeal to people with large hands, and even a people with small hands may find that their index finger overshoots the zoom toggle. Other controls have been scaled down as well, and it does take considerable finger dexterity to use the joystick without making the occasional mistake. However, these handling issues are to be expected from such a small camcorder, and the GZ-MG77 is far easier to use than its pint-sized scale might suggest.

The Battery Info feature, which is unique to JVC, is another perk on this camcorder. It is accessed by pressing the Battery Info button, and provides a precise measure of the amount of battery time and recording capacity remaining. Most consumer camcorders indicate battery life with something like a simple battery bars display that is at best a rough indication of battery life and at worst are inaccurate. Also, the body on our test model had a tendency to make a squeaking sound when we grip the top, something that will end up on your audio track.

Portability* (9.5)*

The GZ-MG77 is extremely portable measuring 68mm x 69mm x 109mm (2.7" x 2/7" x 4.3"), and weighing in at 430g (.95 lb) with battery. To put that into perspective, many camcorders on the market are small enough to fit into a large pocket on a pair of men’s jeans – but they create a huge bulge, rendering walking around or sitting down impossible. Slipping your average camcorder into a women’s pants pocket is an exercise in futility. This is one of the few camcorders on the market that really is pocket-sized, at least for men or women who wear cargo pants. It has a diminutive profile, and the fact that it’s completely self-contained adds to its portability. Of course there are drawbacks such as the miniaturized interface that will cramp shooters with larger hands – but that’s the price you pay when you opt for an ultracompact like the GZ-MG77.

LCD/Viewfinder* (5.5)*

The JVC GZ-MG77 only has an LCD, so consumers who rely upon and need an electronic color viewfinder should look elsewhere. When well designed, an electronic color viewfinder can be a valuable asset; when the camcorder is low on power, the switch from LCD to viewfinder will lessen battery consumption and allow for longer periods of shooting. Another advantage of an included viewfinder comes when shooting in lighting situations that aren't conducive to using an LCD, such as harsh sunlight that causes solarization, or places where a low profile is essential and a bright glowing LCD is unwanted.

Battery Life* (4.5)*

When we tested the MG-GZ77 battery for endurance, it performed poorly clocking in with only 45 minutes of uninterrupted recording time with the included BN-VF707U battery pack. This compares unfavorably with the GZ-MG37, which was capable of about 83 minutes of recording time. There are extended life batteries available for this camcorder that the manual claims will provide up to 5 hours and 40 minutes of recording time.

Audio/Playback/Connectivity

Audio* (4.0)*

For a camcorder with an MSRP of $800, the JVC GZ-MG77 offers little in terms of audio beyond the onboard stereo microphone. Many other camcorders in this price range include a jack for an external mic and headphones, but this JVC has neither. There is a wind cut feature, which is a standard offering on most consumer camcorders and can help to increase the quality of recorded audio in breezy conditions. Wind cut is a digital high pass filter that helps to ameliorate the buffeting sound of wind by eliminating some audio information in that range. Wind cut is an effective means of improving signal to noise, but it does decrease the overall audio signal quality, so it’s best to leave it off most of the time. It is also worth noting that wind cut is not nearly as effective at reducing wind noise as an external mic fitted with a good windscreen – an option that’s only available on camcorders that do include an external mic jack.

VCR Mode* (5.0)*

Calling the GZ-MG77’s playback function VCR mode doesn’t do it justice. VCRs play cassettes linearly, and moving from one section of the tape to the next can only proceed as fast as the tape heads can spin. This camcorder records footage to HDD, allowing the kind of random access to footage that is impossible with a linear tape device.

Playback mode is engaged by selecting the playback mode icon using the switch on top of the camcorder body. Within playback mode, users can switch between video and still image playback using the switch located in the LCD cavity; moving between video and still review only takes a few seconds. Clips and images on the HDD can be browsed one at a time or in a nine-to-a-page thumbnail format. The GZ-MG77 also allows users to view images in a three-to-a-page date index format in order to browse clips by the date and time they were shot. Numerous options are available for managing files, including rating clips in order of preference and protecting clips from deletion. The still image review mode limits users to the nine-image thumbnail view or the date index screen.

When playing back a single video clip, the all-purpose joystick serves as the VCR function controller. Although using the joystick for playback is not difficult, there are no labels to indicate Play or Rewind, so using this control entails some practice (though a guide does appear for a few seconds when playback mode is entered). Depressing the center of the joystick plays or pauses a clip, while pressing left or right scans back or forward. Pressing up and down skips to the beginning and end of a clip respectively. When a clip is paused, pressing left or right repeatedly engages frame-by-frame playback, and pressing and holding left or right plays back footage in slow motion. Moving from one VCR action to another is not instantaneous, but it was still faster than the delays encountered during DVD playback.

In addition to random access to clips and images and a plethora of file management options, the GZ-MG77 includes a playback zoom function. This feature magnifies a paused clip or still image on the LCD screen up to 5x, using the zoom toggle. When a paused clip or image is magnified, moving the joystick pans the magnified view over different parts of the image. In still playback mode, it is also possible to rotate images via the up and down arrows on the joystick. The up arrow will rotate images counter clockwise while the down arrow will rotate images clockwise.

Ports* (4.0)*

Given its small size, JVC has done an admirable job of cramming a decent number of ports onto the GZ-MG77. On the right side of the camcorder’s base is the SD memory card slot, protected by a stiff plastic port cover that opens on a hinge. The underside is not an ideal location for ports or card slots, because access to any underside feature is hampered when the camcorder is affixed to a tripod. The USB 2.0 and A/V out ports are located on the back of the camcorder above the battery, and are protected by a plastic port cover. This cover is serviceable, but the plastic strips connecting it to the camcorder body could be more robust. An S-Video port is located in the LCD cavity, and does not include a port cover. The DC-in port is located on the camcorder’s top right side near the back end of the camcorder. It is protected by a port cover of the same dangling hatch design as the one protecting the USB and AV ports.

*Most of the ports on the GZ-MG77 are located near each other. *

Other Features

Widescreen/16:9 Mode* (6.75)*

JVC claims the GZ-MG77 provides users with "true 16:9 recording" and toggling between 4:3 and 16:9 is easily accomplished by tapping the joystick right. Our testing indicates that this camcorder does not offer what we would classify as true 16:9, but it adopts a technique that we would term partial 16:9. In 16:9 mode, information captured horizontally increases by five degrees, generally an indication that a camcorder possesses a widescreen chip. However, information is lost at the top and bottom of the frame which suggests a hybrid approach to achieving a 16:9 aspect ratio that crops the frame vertically but utilizes more chip horizontally. Images shot in 16:9 on the JVC GZ-MG77 will surely display properly on a widescreen TV, but claims that this is a true widescreen camcorder should be taken with a grain of salt.

Scan Rates/24p* (0.0)*

The JVC GZ-MG77 does not offer frame rate options beyond 29.97 frames per second, the standard rate of capture for most consumer camcorders on the market.

Other Features* (7.5)*
Digital Image Stabilization - The JVC GZ-MG77 does not distinguish itself in this area, sporting a digital image stabilization system that is similar to what is offered on most consumer camcorders. Digital image stabilization minimizes the perceived affects of hand shake on the recorded image, but does so at a cost to image quality. Optical image stabilization is a superior means of stabilizing an image that does not degrade overall image quality, but it’s only available on a few consumer camcorders like the higher-end Panasonic PV-GS500.

Battery Info - The Battery Info feature is accessed by pressing a small button underneath the joystick. When engaged, detailed information about the hard drive is displayed, informing users of maximum recording time available in all four quality settings. The second Battery Info screen displays battery level in percentage and maximum remaining recording time.

*Direct to DVD burning *- The JVC GZ-MG77 is compatible with their Everio Share Station CU-VD10 DVD recorder, which allows direct DVD burning via a USB 2.0 cable. This device converts the camcorder’s native .MOD files to DVD video and accommodates DVD-R and DVD-RW discs. An hour of video footage will be recorded in an advertised forty-five minutes, although the speed of burning will most likely vary. The Share Station includes an onboard 2-inch LCD screen for monitoring footage, and can be connected to a computer. The CU-VD10 retails for about $200.

Digital Effects - The GZ-MG77 offers as number of special effects for use during playback. Unlike many consumer camcorders, the effects functionality on this camcorder does not allow them to be applied permanently to footage but we do not regard this as a problem since the quality of in-camcorder effects is no match for effects applied in an NLE. Digital playback effects include fades, several wipes, as well as sepia, black and white, classic film and strobe.

Drop Detection - The drop detection system causes the camcorder to immediately shut down when the camcorder perceives it has been dropped. This may help to prevent damage to the hard drive but it’s not the kind of feature we could test here in our offices. In a best case scenario, this feature would preserve the integrity of footage already captured to the hard drive, even if the camcorder itself is badly damaged.

NightAlive - NightAlive is JVC's branded night shooting mode, and reduces the shutter speed range to 1/2 to 1/30 seconds. It is an automatic control, and will result in the blurring of any parts of the frame that are in motion.

Comparisons/Conclusion

Comparison
JVC GZ-MG37
The $900 MSRP GZ-MG77 is a considerably better camcorder than its step-down cousin, the GZ-MG37 with an MSRP of $800, and we think it’s a better value despite the $100 price spread. Both camcorders have a 30GB hard drive, but GZ-MG77 has a larger CCD (1/3.9" vs. 1/6" CCD), a better lens in low light (f1.2 vs. f2.0), and better still resolutions of up to 1632x1224 versus 640x480. It also boasts much better video performance in a package that is equally compact. The only area in which the GZ-MG37 has a clear advantage is in optical zoom, where its 32x trounces the 10x zoom of the GZ-MG77. In all other respects, the GZ-MG77 is the clear winner.

JVC GZ-MG70
The GZ-MG77 shares most of its core features with its 2005 predecessor, the GZ-MG70 but a few things have been changed. This year’s model actually features a smaller CCD (1/3.9" vs. 1/3.4") but it has a greater number of gross pixels that yielded improved video performance with better color saturation. The GZ-MG77 also features a joystick mounted on the outside edge of the LCD which is a much better menu navigation and manual adjustment tool than the four-way touchpad in the GZ-MG70’s LCD cavity, and it has one-touch DVD burning with the Everio Share Station. All this adds up to another win for the GZ-MG77.

Sony DCR-SR100
Sony’s $1100 DCR-SR100 is an impressive camcorder, and it does surprisingly well for an HDD camcorder in terms of the video quality it delivered. With a 1/3" CCD which is significantly larger than the 1/3.9" CCD on the GZ-MG77, its video was sharper and brighter in low light. It also handled very nicely like a classic Sony. It’s easy to use, has a great zoom toggle, and like the GZ-MG77, has a one-touch DVD burn function that works with Sony Vaio computers. There are a few areas in which the Sony falls short of the JVC, notably in manual controls and portability. The DCR-SR100 is made for point and shoot use, and in Easycam mode, it performed well – but it just doesn’t offer the level of image control available on the GZ-MG77. It is also a larger camcorder that doesn’t fit comfortably in an average-sized pocket. In the end, though, we think Sony has made a better camcorder, as long as you’re willing to deal with its limited manual control feature set.

Canon DC40
The DC40 is Canon’s top-of-the line DVD camcorder, and while it uses a different recording format, it also records using MPEG2 encoding. In terms of handling, it is not as simple to use as the GZ-MG77. You’ll need to keep track of DVD media, and won’t be able to slip it so easily into your pocket. Its video performance was comparable, though slightly better than the JVC while its still performance was the clear winner with a maximum resolution of 2304x1736 vs. the maximum resolution of 1632x1224 for the GZ-MG77. We don’t expect many users on the market who are searching for an ultra-compact camcorder like this JVC to look at a DVD camcorder like the DC40, but the comparison is worthwhile since the two camcorders offer comparable overall performance, use the same compression method, and retail for around $900. Choosing the better camcorder is a toss-up, but for buyers who are looking for something small they will be better off with the GZ-MG77.

Who It’s For
Point-and-Shooters *(6.5)*

The JVC MG-77 is very easy to use in auto mode, and performs well in well-lit shooting environments. However, when the light gets low, performance suffers making Sony’s DCR-SR100 a better overall choice with its very competent auto functionality. Then again, the JVC GZ-MG77 does cost $200 less…

Budget Consumers* (2.5)*

For the budget consumer, this camcorder probably won’t enter the running with its $900 price tag when MiniDV camcorders offering much better performance are available for a fraction of the price. However, for a HDD camcorder market where there are no low-priced options, the GZ-MG77 may seem like a deal in comparison to Sony’s DCR-SR100.

Still Photo / Video Camera Hybrid* (3.0)*

The GZ-MG77 is not a bad hybrid camcorder, offering up photos at a respectable if not stellar 1632x1224. But for those who are really looking for a camcorder that can do it all, there are better options including the Canon DC40 DVD camcorder, and JVC’s own impressive GZ-MC500.

Gadget Freaks* (8.0)*

This isn’t a bad camcorder for gadget freaks who want a capable HDD model that they can slip into a pocket. The nifty Everio Share Station is a nice add-on that should be attractive to those who want to impress friends or first dates with their own instant copies of the weekend’s exploits.

Manual Control Freaks* (4.0)*

The manual control freak will find a decent manual control feature set on the JVC GZ-MG77, including gain up, white balance, exposure, focus, and shutter speed. There are many Panasonic camcorders that best this particular JVC in terms of the refinement and flexibility offered by their manual controls, but there are few that can pack so many adjustments into such a tiny package. In the end, however, this group would be advised to look for a camcorder that turns in better performance along with manual adjustability.

Pros/ Serious Hobbyists* (2.0)*

This Everio is a stronger performer than its lower-priced cousins, and it does have a decent manual control feature set, but it is too little too late for the JVC GZ-MG77. Pros and serious hobbyists tend to be concerned with video performance above all else, and MiniDV camcorders like the Panasonic PV-GS500 offer much more for the price. To make matters worse for JVC, Sony has just announced its HDR-SR1, an HDV (high definition) HDD camcorder that should put the GZ-MG77 to shame in just about every measure.

Conclusion

The JVC GZ-MG77 may have seen some improvements since last year, but a few minor upgrades and slightly reduced price does not rezone this camcorder into the "pricey, but worth it" neighborhood. We all give credit to JVC for leading the pack on HDD camcorders. They offer great convenience and ease of use, which is clearly the direction digital imaging is headed. But the cost of launching such an effort has prevented them from following through with the means to bulk up supporting elements such as image quality and next-generation innovation.

That’s precisely where Sony has taken over, first with the DCR-SR100 HDD camcorder, which simply walloped the Everios in quality, and then followed it up seven months later with the HDR-SR1, an HDD camcorder utilizing the new high definition format AVCHD.

We haven’t yet seen the top-end Everio, the JVC GZ-MG505 (don’t worry, it’s on its way), but if history has anything to say about it, the camcorder will still leave us yearning for a Sony. Sorry, JVC.

 

Specs/Ratings

{{manufacturer_specs_table}}{{raw_scores_table}}