JVC Everio GZMG630 60GB Standard Def Camcorder Silver

Warning from Video Novice
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
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I rarely write a one star review, but I strongly felt that purchasers should be warned about this camera. I am a satisfied user of the Flip Mino and a novice video maker on YouTube with 95 videos; I felt ready to upgrade to something better, so we eagerly anticipated our JVC Everio camera. It was a breeze to figure out how to use, and resulted in very high quality videos as seen on the camera itself. I was delighted! My husband was very excited to use it as well, since he wanted to add a video component to his business.

However, once we tried to upgrade the video clips for editing, we had problem after problem. We spent hours individually trying to get the camera to work and to search out solutions on the Internet to no avail. Increasingly frustrated, we finally called JVC. They said that this Everio will not work on computers without Vista! We were astounded as this was not mentioned anywhere in their promotional material on Amazon. They also said that we could buy more software from them from $39 to $99 to get it to work if all else failed; this was a bit of bait-and-switch we thought, so we declined.

We were able to procure a Vista computer and were hopeful about being able to keep the camera, since it is just what we needed. Unfortunately, neither of us were able to get it to work even then. It was especially frustrating and even infuriating because all of JVC’s literature refers to the software as easy and states that you “simply follow the prompts”. It was not easy. Not. Easy. My husband is very tech saavy; we are both professionals. We simply couldn’t do it. Today we gave up the struggle and are relieved to be returning it.

You may be able to get this camera to work, but unless you’re willing to gamble with that, I would strongly advise against purchasing this product. Of the more than a thousand reviews I’ve written, I have never so vehemently panned a product.

Strongly not recommended.

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Great VideoCam, only missing one thing . . .
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’ve had this video camcorder for right around a month now and I love it! It’s small, lightweight (even with the heaviest battery), and it’s very easy to use. I began using it for recording video and taking pics, and uploading to my computer without even cracking open the instruction manual. The zoom is huge, and the stabilization of the video is among the best that I tested out over a variety of cam makers. Some people say taking still photos isn’t that great and it’s true; but it’s true because the resolution of the photos are near standard definition TV and people are used to much better quality than that nowadays. In my opinion, the still images are fine if all you have is this camera handy and you need to take a quick shot of something. Otherwise, buy yourself a real still-photo camera! The only other gripe I have with this camcorder is that there is no active-IR night mode and when the lighting is low the autofocus doesn’t work at it’s peak (as with all cameras). Other than that though, I’ve been very satisfied with this camcorder and I highly recommend it! The hard drive is huge and the heavier battery that I also bought hasn’t run out on my yet!

I Luv It!!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I purchased this camera the first day it was released and eagerly anticipated it’s arrival. I had recently saw an older version in a store and was simply mesmerized by it’s size and clarity. Initially I was gonna go with the 330 but when I saw the negative reviews about file playback and how confusing it can be I decided against it.

I then checked out JVC’s site and saw that they were releasing these and decided to give this one a try. It’s unfortunate you have to have Vista in order for this cam to work properly but fortunately I just purchased a new computer with Vista on it and the installation, playback, all features work flawlessly. I absolutely love it and I carry huge bags which this camera fits quite nicely in due to it’s small stature.

So overall, I would definately recommend if you have proper system. It’s extremely easy to use, the video is nice and clear, and it’s small size makes it even easier to tote around for spur of the moment action.

product purchase
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Hi,I’m satisfied with my purchase I think the price is acceptable an the camara record with good images.

Great for Vacation & Everyday Use
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is a great camera. This is my first video camera so I’m not familiar with other brands. Its very easy to learn to use. I don’t use the software that came with the camera. I just plug it up to my pc which I’m running Windows XP, and it works great. I just drag and drop my videos to my pc to back them up. The quality of the videos are very good for the price. It doesn’t work that well under low light. I’ve seen better cameras under low light. Overall its a great camera. Don’t forget to get the longer lasting battery, because the 1 hour battery just doesn’t cut it when your out and about using zoom and such.

I recommend it.

A good camcoder for great price
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
A good camera with a good price. I have been using this product from last month. I have taken video at Las Angeles and Las Vegas. All the video has come well with good quality. While converting from .mod file to .Mov using everio media browser, quality is not so good. Use some other 3rd party tool, to make movie. It will come nicely. Still picture quality is not good. For small price we cannot expect more. Battery back up comes upto 45 mins. You need to buy one extra battery, so that there will be no drawbacks on this camera.

A Great Little Camcorder So Far
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought this camera after comparing many customer reviews of this and competing products. The reviews of this camera were consistently high, and I must say that mine is no different. I am really enjoying using this camera so far. I have had it for only a month, and everything is working as advertised. Even the included software loaded onto my Vista operating system (Gateway laptop) without a problem and appears to be working perfectly. The video is pretty crisp for a non-HD machine and I am happy with the sound. The best thing about these hard drive-equipped machines is that there is no card to change and the 60 gig drive on mine seems to be plenty big, even for long vacations. At “ultra” quality, I get almost 15 hours of recording time! I have taken a lot of video footage so far, and still have plenty of space left for more. I would highly recommend this camera.

Extremely satisfied with the product
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Unless you want a High Definition camcorder, I highly recommend this camcorder to anybody who wants a camcorder that is small, light, and easy to operate, has a hard disk drive, gives high quality videos, and is still reasonably priced.

I got this camcorder about a month ago, learned how to use it in a few minutes, and shot quite a few videos with it including four test videos which you can see at Shoban Sen’s YouTube channel.

I especially like the cameras zooming capabilities, strong built-in microphone, and the image stabilization feature (it automatically and effectively neutralizes camera shake to a great extent though the manufacturer does not advertise this feature much). The microphone is so strong that it picks up the noise made by blowing wind during outdoor shootings – you have to turn on the “Windcut” feature from the camera’s menu to stop this noise. The low-light shooting capability is also reasonably good, although the camera’s built-in light is nothing but a gimmick (and the camera does not have a shoe to attach external video light). The laser touch scroll bar of the camera eliminates the need to touch the LCD monitor to select desired functions, and I love it. No more finger prints on the LCD monitor. The little remote control that comes with the camcorder is very handy – almost addictive! I have not tried the Core Filter yet. I did notice some annoying background noise (sounds like rumble of thunder) in some of the scenes that I downloaded in my computer. The manufacturer says, “The core filter reduces interference caused when connected to other devices.” I think when downloading videos to my computer, if I use the provided Core Filter on the USB cable, this noise will go away or will be reduced to a great extent.

THE SOFTWARE THAT COMES WITH THE CAMCORDER WORKS FINE WITH WINDOWS XP (BOTH HOME AND PROFESSIONAL EDITION WITH SP2/SP3). BUT DO CHECK THE CPU AND RAM REQUIREMENTS. THE MANUFACTURER CLEARLY TALKS ABOUT THE OPERATING SYSTEMS ON PAGE 29 OF THE ENGLISH MANUAL THAT COMES WITH THE CAMCORDER. THE SOFTWARE WORKS WITH WINDOWS VISTA AND WINDOWS XP. Only the Direct Upload to YouTube failed when I tried it once. But I won’t say, it is the fault of the software – I may have made some mistakes myself. I tried it only once. I do not use that feature anyway.

I have one negative point to talk about. The first Everio camcorder I received had a faulty rubber cap or cover on the USB port on the front side of the camcorder. It didn’t close after I opened it for the first time. But thanks to Amazon.com’s excellent Return Policy. They immediately shipped a replacement camcorder to me, even before they received my return!

A word of caution: do not swing or jerk the camcorder while carrying it. Its Drop Detection mechanism is very sensitive. The camcorder shuts itself off if you unknowingly swing the camera a bit while carrying it.

In conclusion, TWO THUMBS UP to this product. You cannot buy a better camcorder at this price.

OMG Great CAMCORDER!!!!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I just received this camcorder by UPS today and was using it all day. The camera part of it is good it looked clear, the video recording is great so crystal clear!!!! I compared this with a Sony camcorder with 60gb as well and this camcorder was wayyyyyyy better! I haven’t gone home yet to put on the TV so we will see later on tonight. Great buy!

Great Camcorder
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
For the price this is a great camcorder. I think that the software that comes with this camcorder is lacking a lot of features, but hopefully you can use something else like I am doing. For the price you will be very happy with this, but make sure you have a lot of space on your computer because the files are LARGE!!!!!!!!

outstanding camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is an outstanding camera. Out of the box it was easy to use and performed flawlessly. Took it to NHRA drag races and captured all the action without a hitch. Sound quality is outstanding, picture quality is almost as good as HD. Software included makes backing up the video a snap. Great lowlight enhancement also.

Awesome family recorder
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Love how easy it is to use, easy to transfer video, tons of storage capacity-never need to delete another moment. Easy to use software

worked well
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I purchased this camera a week ago, used it for the first time yesterday, filming a concert, and it worked flawlessly….I was very pleased with it, especially since the light was very dark in the club where the band was playing…I downloaded the video to my computer using their software, and after I figure it all out, I think it will work fine, seems to be simple to use…the picture quality is very good, the sound could be improved, but, all in all, not bad for a built in mic..I was concered by the negative review I saw here, but since having the camera, Im pleased with my purchase….the only thing it needs, is a longer life battery, I will have to buy the bigger battery for filming a concert or a trip, the one provided is only 90 minutes or so..bottom line is, Im happy with it, and would recommend it to anyone

Camera Good; Upload to PC not so Good.
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
Hello All, I recently purchased this camera and was so excited. First off, I feel that camera is great. Easy to handle, very small, good video quality, and the like. My problem is not with the camera, it is with the software that it comes with. If you are not uploading to iTunes or YouTube, you cannot upload it directly to your PC. The third and final option is to upload it directly to a DVD. It also saves in a .MOD format, which is a pain in the butt to convert to AVI or MPEG. My disappointment is that I want to upload directly to my PC and be able to edit the movies to make DVD’s of my kids. So I don’t use itunes or You Tube, which leaves me with going directly to a DVD. But if you want to edit your videos you have to record directly to a DVD, then from the DVD to my editing software (I still haven’t figured out how to convert it yet), then the editing software to my PC, edit the movies, then back to a DVD. C’mon…there has got to be an easier way. But much research on the web and reading JVC user discussion boards say the same thing. They talk about downloading various Codecs and what not. I don’t have the time or desire to figure out codecs and other software.

Look, I just want to take video of my kid and up load it to my PC. I want to edit out the boring parts and make a good home video. I feel that I am working too hard to accomplish this.

I’m not sure what I am going to do return the camera or deal with it.

MUST READ (movie files saved in .MOD format may mean headache)
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I’ve reviewed this camera once, and had the same problem everyone else did. The recording format. The .mod files were useless, unless you bought software to change them. EXCEPT now I’ve figured out that I can just plug the camera into the computer, open the file folder, and change every .mod to .mpg (it will ask..”are you sure you want to” YES! I know have movies I can use, email, burn, rip, send, my God I’m so glad I figured this out. 5 star camera with 3 star review due only to the screwballs at JVC formatting the videos in whatever “MOD” extension is.

Good Camera but DON’T BUY FROM AMAZON!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Nice camera. It was just as described. Easy to hold. Once you read the manual, it all becomes clear and is easy to operate. Installing the software was also easy. I’m used to doing that so I suppose it’s possible that it could be intimidating if you’re not used to it. I like the way this camera turns on and off easily. The buttons are small so I do need my glasses, but everything works as described. The camera size is perfect for easy travel. You can spend alot more and get many more features that are desirable. But I have specific uses for this camera. There was no need to spend $800. For my money, this was a good deal. Now a word about Amazon: Do not buy this camera from them if careful packing and shipping are important to you. The camera box is about 6x6x3. It was packed in a shipping box three times that size with one small piece of packing material (the pillow-like clear stuff). When I picked up the box from my front door, I could feel the box sliding around. Imagine how many times this box had been handled from the time it was packed to the time it was delivered. If it was not transported in a way that prevented it from moving around, then the camera box inside the packing box bounced around all over the place. I was nervous that the camera would even work. I emailed Amazon. Their response was that my concern would be forwarded to the shipping/packing area. It seemed an afterthought. I’ve bought things from Amazon before that were not packed adequately and left subject to damage during shipping. It’s pretty clear they have no intention of properly packing a $340 movie camera. My advice is to get it elsewhere, either in person at a retailer or from an online company you trust.

Good camera
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Very easy to use and to backup to computer. I like not having to worry about tapes. The picture could be clearer though.

Camcorder, JVC Everio GZMG630
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
The Camcorder does what you need it to do. The software that comes with it stinks. I have uploaded the disk several times and have yet to get it to work. Went to JVC site to see if I could get advise/help–no luck. If you just want to record and not save on your computer this camcorder is O.K., if you want full function this isn’t it. By the way, my PC runs Windows XP.

Nice camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The best thing abot this camera has been the image stabilization. I compared it to similar makes by Sony and Panasonic in Best Buy. They both had better zoom but their image stabilization were not up to par. For someone who plans to have the camera in their hands and not on a tripod this is going to work better for you. But if you plan on having it on a tripod and would rather have the Huge zoom, go with the Sony or Panasonic.

I read a lot of reviews about the JVC, Panasonic and Sony cameras and read positive and negative reviews about each. The biggest problem I read about the JVC was how it performed in low-light situations. I’m not sure if people expect night-vision but I used it in my living room one evening with incandescent bulbs and the picture was clear and maybe a little brighter than it actually had been in the room.

I’ve had NO problems with this camera thus far and I hope it continues. It is very easy to use and produces good video and images.

Great quality video, but HDD very unreliable.
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Quality of the video is outstanding, optical zoom is great and even the stills are better though ideally need a still camera instead is needed, compared earlier models. However just like earlier models the HDD are unreliable. HDD don’t like being carred around, shaken or moved a lot period, due to its size and weight a HDD in a camcorder is likely to be shaken around more than one in a laptop. HDD just don’t like this and will fail, HDD are generally less reliable than SD media which I have since purchased without any problems.

Easy transfering video to my PC and played in Vista or Windows 7 without a problem. Shame the HDD’s are so unreliable as I do really like the video quality of this camera.

Great little cam
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I just purchased the JVC Everio GV-MG630 and i must say it has not disappointed me. It’s a great buy and the price isn’t too bad either. I’ve never had a camcorder before but this has been pretty easy to figure out. It takes really nice video…even in dark places it’s light enough to see well….but of course that would naturally depend on “just how dark” is dark. Has nice sound and the video quality is very good also.

As for those who say it doesn’t work with WinXP…i’m sorry. Don’t know what to say other than mine works with WinXP and haven’t had any really big problems other than just not knowing how to use the software. But, as i learn…no problems….and i’m still learning.

I like the compact size and features it offers….the 60gb hdd and even has a slot of a sd card. So, over all it’s a very nice camcorder. I would recommend it to others for a fun time.

Great camera….HORRIBLE software
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I was extremely excited when I ordered this camera. I had been wanting to get a HDD camcorder for a long time as I am tired of buying tapes for my old miniDV. I went with JVC because of the fact that they have been making HDD camcorders for a long time and I have owned several JVC items in the past, plus the price was right on.

Positives: records to either HDD or microSD, lightweight, internal lens cover, video light, 60GB hard disk

Negagives: only ONE…PLAN ON USING A DIFFERENT SOFTWARE. worked twice on my spouses VISTA x64 laptop. Upon third attempt, showed files were corrupt and automatically deleted them. Called JVC and they said its a software problem not a camera problem so I called Pixela. After chatting with them, found out the software is incompatible with x64 operating systems. Learning that I went to XP Professional desktop and tried again. This time the program wouldn’t even run, it would open but freeze immediately. Called back and tried to get more help and was told that since i was running an AMD processor and not an Intel they couldn’t guarantee it would work since they only recommend Intel based systems. Needless to say I was greatly disappointed.

Please don’t get me wrong, the camera itself is awesome, I don’t fault JVC at all and would recommend this product to anyone looking for a budget HDD based camera. Just be prepared to look into different software options. I purchased AVS media converter to change from MOD to AVI/MPEG4, works flawlessly.

NOTE: Pixela mentioned it is compatible with IMovie ’09 for Mac users. I own a Macbook pro with IMovieHD and I couldn’t figure it out.

GZ MG630 Camcorder
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I’m very happy with this device. It does everything I wanted it to do. I don’t do broadcast, but I do post video to iTunes for use on my college campus. The good video quality and the included software make file conversion and uploading to iTunes very painless. I really like the hard drive; I doubt that I could ever go back to tape storage. It seems to have good picture stability when zooming. If I could change anything about it, I would consider two things. First, I would make the documentation a bit more understandable. I have a PhD and it still took me quite a while to understand the conversion and uploading process. There are two sets of documentation, one print and one on the CD, and both continually refer you to the other. I eventually got where I needed to get by trial and error. The other thing I would change is that I think it would be nice to have an input for an external microphone. In general, I am pleased with this product.

Love This Camcorder!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I had read nothing but positive user reviews on another website and then read the negative ones on Amazon regarding the bundled software only working on systems with Vista. The camera itself had had such great reviews, and it was a great price, so I decided to buy it last week so I could film my son’s school performance. The camera did an awesome job in a darkened auditorium — the video was nice and clear, there was minimal distortion when zooming in, and the audio was clear and at a good level as well. Afterwards, I installed the software on my Windows XP computer, hooked up the camera via USB, and was able to easily transfer the video to my computer. Playback was extremely clear! While I did have trouble with upload fails trying to get it to YouTube using the MediaBrowser software, I was able to upload from YouTube without a problem. I just fell compelled to write and let other readers know that the camera and software DO work with XP — no problem at all. I’m very happy with this camera!

Try another brand or model not this one
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
Had it for a year, then it stopped working. It signaled the lens cap was on even when it wasn’t. And it had other issues.

Sent it away and it cost $65 just to get an estimate now they want to charge another $171 to actually fix it.

Pissed beyond belief as I bought it when it first came out and it cost me around $600!!!

Don’t buy this crap…
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I decide to do a rental on this JVC camcorder. Thank god I did, because I never seen such a terrible camcorder with picture quality that destroys the point of making a video all together. Anyone who gives any rating higher then a 1 star for JVC cameras, don’t know the quality of a real video camera. This JVC records terrible video for this particular model is just one of the junkiest they make. I never seem such a camera have such terrible video recording except when I look threw a VHS video recorder dated back in the 80′s. It probably cost JVC $5 to make this lousy piece of crap and here they and Amazon are selling it for $350. Do yourself all a favor don’t buy any JVC products that has anything to do with picture taking and video recording. You will save yourself the misery later on when someone in your family brings over a “Walmart brand cam corder :-/” for less and takes better quality pictures and video.