The JVC Everio GZ-MG255 hard drive camcorder is compact, and one of the first hard-drive based camcorders out there.
Like all JVC Everio camcorders, the MG255 has a very small profile, and feels very light. It is less than 3 inches thick and wide, and weighs less than a pound with its battery. This lightweight design makes the camcorder easy to carry around. It's too big to slip into most pockets, but it should fit into almost any bag.
The joystick mounted on the flip-out screen lets you navigate the MG255's menus. 4 additional controls sit next to the Menu button, including playback, automatic/manual mode toggle, and Direct DVD and Direct Backup buttons. Direct DVD and Direct Backup let you burn your movies to a DVD recorder or back them up to a computer's hard drive. Like all Everio camcorders, the MG255 is compatible with JVC's Share-Station external DVD burners.
With a large 30GB hard drive, the MG255 can shoot up to 37.5 hours of MPEG-2 video. You'll only get those 37-plus hours if you shoot at the camcorder's lowest setting - which isn't too great. If you shoot at the higher-quality Fine or Ultra-fine modes, you can expect to fit between 7-10 hours of footage on the camcorder.
I personally don't like the MPEG2 Codec it uses to record in .MOD format, as there are compatibility issues with Mac - Windows is fine though.
The MG255 can also accept SD memory cards. Though, you can only record still photos to the cards, and since you can do that with the hard drive as well, the SD card slot isn't very useful.
A 2-megapixel sensor drives the MG255, capturing both 720x480 wide-screen video and 1600x1200 still images. While its relatively low resolution won't provide the highest quality video or largest still photos, it makes a good middle ground between the cheaper, lower-resolution Everio GZ-MG155 and GZ-MG130, and the much more expensive, higher-end GZ-MG555. The MG255's 2-megapixel still photos certainly won't replace larger, sharper pictures from a dedicated digital camera, but they can make passable 4x6 prints.
All-in-all, it's good, but not great.
More details
Movie Quality
OK
Evaluate this review
How helpful would this review be to someone making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
JVC GZ-MG255
The JVC Everio GZ-MG255 lets you keep shooting, with nothing to load or eject. This is a
... more
hybrid camcorder, recording directly onto the 30GB hard drive or SD Memory Card. The hard drive stores up to 37 hours of video! 10x optical and 300x digital zoom l...
Add to list 
Recommend it 
Receive review alert 
Write a review 
Publish video review 
Make a comment 
Print it 
Featured retailer
