JVC Everio S GZ-MS100 June 16th, 2008 | by David Elrich
Full Review
Features and Design The front is dominated by a 35x optical zoom that provides an excellent range (36-1260mm in 35mm terms) that’s slightly wider than other models for easier group shots and landscapes. The Konica Minolta lens has a manually operated cap that certainly beats a cheesy cover attached by a piece of string. It also accepts 30.5mm diameter filters. Also here is a stereo mic and a tiny—and I mean tiny—LED light to illuminate close-up subjects (within 4.5 feet) that does a surprisingly good job (objects really need to be close though). Below the light is a compartment for the USB out. The right side of the primarily plastic camcorder is nicely sculpted with several embossed logos touting the brand and the fact it accepts SDHC cards (up to 32GB which lets you record 7.5 hours of Ultra Fine video; a more common and affordable 4GB card does an hour). The card compartment is here as well. You’ll also find a fairly comfortable Velcro strap and an A/V output jack. There’s a strange compartment here that takes a knife to open—it gives service people access so they can run diagnostics. Take a look, then quickly close and forget about it. The left side has a fold-out 2.7-inch widescreen LCD monitor so you can frame your 16:9 epics. It’s a good one that handles direct sunshine with a minimum of problems. On the far left bezel is a bar offering Laser Touch Operation so you slide your finger to move through menu options rather than toggling a joystick. There’s a cool blue light behind it to show it’s working. Below the screen are five small buttons including OK, Menu and three that align under specific menu icons so you can make adjustments. I found working with the Laser Touch OK after a little trial and error. Like an iPod there are times when you fly by the item you want to adjust. The buttons required a squeeze of the key and the screen’s outer cover with two fingers rather than a simple press. Not a big deal but clearly these are not the most sensitive controls out there. On the inner body are a number of basic controls including power on/off, One Touch Direct DVD burn/Info and Upload to YouTube, the Play/Record button, a switch to change between video/still and Auto/Manual control. You’ll find the speaker here as well. The Info button shows how much space you have left on your card and remaining battery life to the minute, great things to have quickly at hand. As a nice touch, once you power up, the camcorder turns on and off simply by opening the LCD screen. With the screen closed you’ll see a silvery JVC and SDHC logos. Near the front is the slider switch mentioned for the lens cover.
Since the silver-bodied JVC Everio S GZ-MS100 does not have a disc or tape mechanism or even a hard drive, it’s small measuring 2.18 x 2.68 x 4.37 (WHD, in inches), weighing 9.6 ounces with card and battery. It easily fits in the palm of your hand and you can carry this one around all day with no problems.
The top of the unit has the wide/tele toggle switch and a Snapshot button for stills. Since the GZ-MS100 has only a 1/6th inch 680K pixel CCD it only takes 640 x 480 pixel stills, barely worth the trouble unless you’re posting to the web. Given the low price, I hardly expected a hot shoe for optional mics and lights; I wasn’t disappointed.
The rear has the slot for the battery that fits fairly flush to the body and isn’t intrusive at all. There’s the record button, a DC-in jack to charger things up and two tiny access lights.
You get the basics when you buy this camcorder: a 2-hour battery, AC adapter, USB and A/V cables, a 40-page basic manual and a CD-ROM with PowerCinema NE for handling video files and YouTube uploads as well as Digital Photo Navigator ver. 1.5 to deal with stills. There’s a more in-depth guide on the CD-ROM too but it’s only 74 pages; JVC should include it in the package.
This is not the most sophisticated camcorder on the block but it’s straightforward and geared for quick videos—and a little more once you get a handle on the basics. After charging it up, loading a 4GB Class 6 SDHC card, it was time to start recording and sharing.
Image Courtesy of JVC
by Jeff on November 8, 2009:
“I recently purchased this as a refurb unit. It came with everything that the original retail unit is packed with. I swear, the first thing I thought when I touched the camera was, "Aiptek". It just feels that cheap and flimsy. Although the camera has a...” More...