JVC Everio GZMG255 Camcorder

The night time settings are lame. Recording with proper lighting is a must with this model. The 20 gb hd is plenty, but I can’t give this camcorder more than 3 stars.

Good video is not that easy to capture with this camera. If one uses a tripod all the time then the clips will be acceptable. Once you try to capture holding the camera the slightest movement results in some distortion. I have had to edit most clips to cut out disorted parts. Lighting also is a problem at times resuling in poor color. If one thinks they are going to take the camera right out of the box and take professional quality video you are going to be most disappointed. With practice one can improve quality. The size of the camera makes it most difficult to stablize the camera for taking clear and sharp pictures. Personally I feel these small video cameras are not worth the price.

I have to admit that I acted a bit on impulse when I went ahead and bought this digital video recorder after doing a limited amount of research and having read some of the reviews here. Our previous video recorder never entirely satisfied me because it never let in enough light to make the picture look good. It would always be either too bright (from the light present or using the onboard-light) or too dark. Thus, you can imagine my impulsive action after reading the rave reviews on the video quality of this camera. As it turns out, everyone here couldn't be more accurate. I've used the camera in several different settings with different lighting and the resulting video is consistently clean and crisp. The only complaint I have so far is that the auto-focus isn't perfect...if you watch really close you can see moments where the focus adjusts just enough for a fraction of a second to cause a slight blurring only to readjust back to fully in focus. I haven't been able to identify ... Read more

I read a lot of the other reviews before buying this camera, which was a BIG help. Just got back from Hawaii and using the new camcorder for two week and the movies it makes are UNBELIEVABLE. A relative that went on the trip also bough a HD camcorder (different brand) and we played our different movies back on the same TV and this camcorder provided better clarity. When I looked at their camcorder I thought OH, OH, because it was a lot heavier, but overall this unit was better. Trying to think of a negative to provide and cannot think of any.

I agree 100% with previous reviews - I tested, side-by-side, the 255, the new 330, and the new 730. Hands-down, under every possible scenario and lighting condition, the older 255 is BY FAR SUPERIOR. C681's review is 100% dead on. See my review under GZ-MG330 for full details. BUY THE 255 over any of the newer JVCs - none offer the larger f1.2 lens, and it IS the difference!!!

I'm sure I can't give a better tech review than c681 has given. So I will say how it feels Satisfying: easy to use, but you do need to get the feel of it like anything else, use a tripod and the remote mostly. Getting a feel for the zoom on the cam is the main thing. The remote is full speed, so not real useful zoom buttons. I agree with c681 about low light recording quality, real good, I find a big huge zoom capability is not functional for a grandbaby crawling on the living room floor, for instance. If I wanted big, magnification zoomed I would not be buying a little minicam. I've seen discussions about Firewire or ieee640 or whatever. USB works fine as does 6 to 4 pin firewire. This video cam will not be a webcam. You can import mpeg2 files into imove or play files in ichat. Can't go into how here. It's a machine, nothing is perfect, but WoW I'm happy.