JVC MS120

Camcorders are literally flooding the market place, with high definition recording to mini micro-cameras to more standard camcorders. The JVC Everio MS120 is a low-end standard mini camcorder, which retails at less that $300, which is pretty good in terms of price. So, what are you getting for you money? We have had the JVC Everio MS120 in the offices to road test, so we can let you know what we found and whether this is the choice for you or whether you need to keep looking.

JVC Everio GZ-MS120 Camcorder

Design

The camcorder is about the right size for a mini camcorder, and is 2.2 x 4.4 x 2.6 inches, which fits nicely in the hand for one-handed operation. It has a chunky looking color system in either black and silver or red and silver dependant on which you choose, although the battery pack at the back is gray which is disappointing and stands out on the red model. The rest of the camera looks pretty standard – a flip out screen on the left which is a fair size and has a row of control buttons underneath, and a hand strap on the right hand side, which is rather flimsy and we would worry a bit about dropping or damaging the camcorder if the strap breaks. The overall feel of the camera is good. It seems fairly sturdy and well made which is good as we haven’t seen much of JVC, but their reputation is solid.

Actual user review:
“This is a great little camcorder. Its a little bigger than the palm of your hand and not much bigger than a digital camera. I tried out the ultra fine mode and economy mode and both work great. The ultra fine give you better detail but takes up lots of room. The economy mode works just as good but provides less detail. It shoots very clear picture in adequate lighting but in low lighting, you will need to turn on the LED light or make the proper adjustments. Also, you can view what you recorded right on the camcorder. It is also very easy to convert the videos you record to a workable format. For the price of $270 you can’t go wrong. I recommend it to everyone.” – J.Lo (MN,USA)

Functionality

The JVC Everio MS120 has chosen not to go down the large internal storage route, which obviously brings the cost down as internal memory does add rapidly to the price – so the camera itself has literally nothing in there, but what the lovely JVC people have done is introduce dual smart media. That is two, so you will find not one but two slots on the base of the camera capable of running SD/SDHC media cards, so the amount of storage and how you organize your videos really is up to you. Obviously this does detract a little from the price offer as you are going to have to invest in cards before the camcorder can be used. However, in terms of performance you get what you pay for. There is a good level entry recording performance, a 35x optical zoom gives you excellent image selection, and you can take still images while you are recording which is also a nice touch.

Images recorded are clear enough that you will be happy watching them in years to come. This isn’t high definition, but most of us haven’t gone over to high def recording yet and what you get on here works. The colors are real enough on playback and there are several camera effects from black and white to classic film, so there is scope to create the perfect movie here.

Conclusion

For level entry kit the JVC Everio MS120 is a good camcorder that does what it says and does it to a more than satisfactory level. If you want more you are going to need to get saving and step up a category. If not then get the JVC Everio MS120 and enjoy.

Average User Rating:

• “After doing much research I bought this camera from a chain store to ensure that I could return it easily if need be. Good thing I did, the first one had a small red dot that showed up on the left hand side of the screen while in low light conditions. This dot also showed up in the recordings when played back on the TV. I returned the camera for an exchange and I’m happy to report that the new one does not have this problem. Defective unit I guess. However I’m not going to hold this fluke against this camera as it is an awesome camera. The recordings from it look every bit as good as a digital standard definition broadcast signal does on my 42″ TV. The camera also has very impressive low light recording quality, however there is some noise, but not enough in my opinion to be bothersome. The bottom line – if you’re looking for a camera for general video capture inside the house or outside with good quality and that will not break the bank look no further. Would highly recommend.” – A.Carver (USA)
• “The JVC Everio MS 120 is a great camera. Small, light weight, and a long lasting battery. Great value! Recording to a memory card solves so many problems with running out of tape. With no moving parts, the battery, though small, is long lasting. Only drawback is that its not HD.” – J.Anderson (TX,USA)

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