JVC GZ-MG130U HDD Camcorder - Refurb.
Jvc
- GZ-MG130
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Reviews
(40)
1
I spent hours searching for a camera to fit my budget and to suit my very amateur needs, whilst still working well with my Mac Powerbook. I had read about using 3rd party software to convert the video files but was sceptical. I'm pleased to report I have the camera, have managed to convert the files on my Mac, put them into iDVD and burn them to a DVD with out any hitches and very easily too. I'm happy with the camera - especially as I'm dreadful at reading instructions before playing, so the easy to navigate menu system is a real bonus. The camera does what it says on the tin and is surprisingly small and light. My concern about whether I had done the right thing (between submitting my order on line and me getting to play with the camera) was unwarranted. I'll definitely be ordering a bigger battery as I can't see the 1hr 30mins or so from the standard one ever being enough. The hard-drive storage is great for deleting video from the camera, freeing up space on the go too. Pleased with
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5 price(s)
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SO Far SO Good! This little camera is perfect for shooting kids sporting events, etc. I am sure I will not use it to it's potential, but it sure has performed well for what I need it for. I am learning more and more about it and so far no issues! A great buy in my book!
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I have never owned or really even used a camcorder before. I decided to purchase one because I am currently expecting my first child and all our family live abroad, so I wanted a camera to upload video on the internet. After reading around I decided that I wanted a hard Drive camera because I would want to upload all my video onto the computer and didn't want to deal with the limits of DVD etc. So after reading many reviews and evaluating cost I decided that this was the camera I am was going to try. I thought the price was very reasonable and since receiving the camera a lot quicker than expected I have not yet been disappointed. I have found it easy to use and I have been able to upload video onto my computer and allow family to access it. I have not used it for long periods of time as yet and feel that when I need to I will have to buy a better battery but for the money I paid I am very happy. It is small and compact camera. After scanning through the instruction book I quickly
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I love using mine for taking video go my buddys and myself riding our fourwheelers, snowmobiles and all the other fun stuff we do.
Its also nice to be able to take still pictures with the same camera. Although it is hard at first to take still pictures one handed without them being blurry.
All in all it is an excellent choice and the software included is easy to use.
Its also nice to be able to take still pictures with the same camera. Although it is hard at first to take still pictures one handed without them being blurry.
All in all it is an excellent choice and the software included is easy to use.
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I had this camera for about 5 days. I tried to work with it, I really did. But it's just awful. The only good thing about it is the design. But I prefer functionality over design any day.
1. The video quality is horrible. Videos look great when viewed on the camera's LCD screen. However, when you transfer them to your computer or post them online, the result is terrible.
2. Poor lighting.
3. The .mod format this camera records in is a bit difficult to work with. Yeah, it's MPEG-2, but simply changing file extension does not work. I changed the extension to .mpg and the video wouldn't open in Sony Vegas. It wouldn't play in Zoom Player or Windows Media Player either. I had to actually convert the video to get any use out of it at all.
4. Like most people have said, the software that comes with the Everio is useless. I uninstalled it after the second day.
I read a lot of good reviews before purchasing this camera. People were either lying or didn't know a thing about good quality.
1. The video quality is horrible. Videos look great when viewed on the camera's LCD screen. However, when you transfer them to your computer or post them online, the result is terrible.
2. Poor lighting.
3. The .mod format this camera records in is a bit difficult to work with. Yeah, it's MPEG-2, but simply changing file extension does not work. I changed the extension to .mpg and the video wouldn't open in Sony Vegas. It wouldn't play in Zoom Player or Windows Media Player either. I had to actually convert the video to get any use out of it at all.
4. Like most people have said, the software that comes with the Everio is useless. I uninstalled it after the second day.
I read a lot of good reviews before purchasing this camera. People were either lying or didn't know a thing about good quality.
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I just bought the JVC Everio GZMG130 yesterday. I had some hesitation because of the difficulty some were having using their own video editing software. I used Nero 8 (specifically Nero Vision) and had no difficulty at all with the .mod files. The files were a little tricky to find but once I found them they were imported and read by Nero 8 without any problems. So far I'm very happy with the camera.
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We bought this camera with high hopes of convenience. The camera itself we like however the software is problematic. I even went to the website for the software to see if others had the same erros when burning and they did but the tech didnt seem to have a clue or care. I would not buy it until they change the program,
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I worked as a sub-contractor for this co. last year. Worked at some big retailers. Really seemed like a good deal. Bought one for my son only to find that its Mpeg 2 movies only are very hard and cumbersome to convert to something that Final Cut or Creative Suite (movie editing software for intermediate and advanced movie produciton) can use. Really friends, its just not what you want if you want a HDD camera. Go with dvd or tape camera's if you only have $400 to spend. I am currently regretting this purchase.
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WE BOUGHT THIS ITEM ABOUT A MONTH AGO. AFTER A LOT OF RESEARCH WE SETTLED ON THIS ONE. THE PICTURE QUALITY ON THE LCD SCREEN IS NOT GOOD. WE HAD AN OLDER DV CAMCORDER THAT WAS MUCH BETTER. WE HAVENT TRIED TO PLAY ANY VIDEOS ON THE TV OR COMPUTER TO KNOW IF THE PICTURE QUALITY IS ANY BETTER.
ON A BETTER NOTE THE CAMCORDER IS EASY TO USE AND LIGHTWEIGHT. IT HAS MANY COOL FEATURES AND SPECIAL EFFECTS YOU CAN USE.
ON A BETTER NOTE THE CAMCORDER IS EASY TO USE AND LIGHTWEIGHT. IT HAS MANY COOL FEATURES AND SPECIAL EFFECTS YOU CAN USE.
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If it was only a camera, I would have given this four stars. However, the vast majority of users will want to download the videos to their computers and this is where the trouble begins.
For some bizarre reason, JVC chose to use a .mod extension (which different forums say is an mpeg2 format) for the videos. The result is that none of your video editing software will work on your files. The videos MAY play in Media Player, Real Player and your other players, if you are lucky.
Once you decide to actually try and edit the videos, you can't do so with any of the major editors on the market. I consider myself fairly proficient around computers but my attempts at solving this solution have me incredibly frustrated. I
Before purchasing an Everio camera, be sure to read the forums about converting .mod to .avi or other formats and you will see an ever-growing list of frustrated users. The thing that adds to the frustration is the fact that some of the posts are a couple years old, meaning
For some bizarre reason, JVC chose to use a .mod extension (which different forums say is an mpeg2 format) for the videos. The result is that none of your video editing software will work on your files. The videos MAY play in Media Player, Real Player and your other players, if you are lucky.
Once you decide to actually try and edit the videos, you can't do so with any of the major editors on the market. I consider myself fairly proficient around computers but my attempts at solving this solution have me incredibly frustrated. I
Before purchasing an Everio camera, be sure to read the forums about converting .mod to .avi or other formats and you will see an ever-growing list of frustrated users. The thing that adds to the frustration is the fact that some of the posts are a couple years old, meaning
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To start things off, this camera is great! I know that there are a lot of people that are giving it bad reviews for one apparent reason: the file format of the videos not being readable. I have a SOLUTION: go to this link: [...]. From there, there is another link to a file renaming program that is FREE. By file renaming, I mean changing the extension on the video files. MOD is the extension of the video files on the Everio. They're actually MPEG2 files, but with the MOD extension. The file renamer allows you to change the MOD to MPG, so your computer will recognize the format. I know this sounds complicated, but TRUST ME, it's not. And it will save many, many customers lots of money! Now, past that, this camcorder is simply amazing. The quality of sound and video is 5 star quality. I plan on owning this thing for years to come!
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I have never owned a video camera before and I just got this one yesterday! This thing is amazing! It is small, easy to use, zoom's really far, and the sound quality is superb. I didn't even need to read the directions to begin using it. The only reason I looked at the directions was to put the strap on. I love this thing and can't wait to get some good video with it.
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If you aren't computer savvy do NOT buy this camera!
This camera boasts the ability to edit video-- YOU CANNOT.
The software package that came with this camera FROZE my computer many times. It is VERY buggy. After installing, downloading updates from JVC etc. NOTHING worked. I scrapped the included softare.
I now save files from my camera RIGHT to my hard drive on my computer. THEN, I have to use a codec to go from .MOD to a file I can work with, usually WMV. I like to edit movies with my windows movie maker, and you can NOT edit movies and have them look as slick as with a movie editing program. The included software was SCANT, at best. And, I'm used to stilling video and capturing a picture. You can NOT do that with the included software.
JVC needs to improve the software, or give up with the .MOD files and have the camcorder at least use files the average person can work with.
NOPE, didn't like it. Buggy software and crappy .MOD files.
I wanted to return this to amazon, but my return
This camera boasts the ability to edit video-- YOU CANNOT.
The software package that came with this camera FROZE my computer many times. It is VERY buggy. After installing, downloading updates from JVC etc. NOTHING worked. I scrapped the included softare.
I now save files from my camera RIGHT to my hard drive on my computer. THEN, I have to use a codec to go from .MOD to a file I can work with, usually WMV. I like to edit movies with my windows movie maker, and you can NOT edit movies and have them look as slick as with a movie editing program. The included software was SCANT, at best. And, I'm used to stilling video and capturing a picture. You can NOT do that with the included software.
JVC needs to improve the software, or give up with the .MOD files and have the camcorder at least use files the average person can work with.
NOPE, didn't like it. Buggy software and crappy .MOD files.
I wanted to return this to amazon, but my return
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0
I'm very pleased with this camera. The only drawback is the use of a proprietary file format for the videos it produces (*.MOD), although it appears the files can be renamed to .MPG so that Media Player and other software recognize the files. Other than that video quality and ease of use is great.
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Great little camcorder. Uses a built in 30 GIG hard drive so there are no disks or tapes to mess with. Color seems fine. Low light features works great. DIS is weak though. If you are shooting anything with the zoom feature do yourself a favor and get a tri-pod. The included software takes a bit to get used to but has nice features.
Anyway, we like ours.
Anyway, we like ours.
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If you buy this video camera , you have to add another 100 bucks to buy a software for making DVD, otherwise you would be turned out like my situation: take quite many hours of video but no solution to transfer to DVD. The attached software has bug, I tried several times to make movie, it just wasted my DVDs.
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Very pleased. I don't care much for the software that came along with it. Not very intuitive and required me to start over multiple times (very time consuming to start over) because of a simple error. But the camera performed well.
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Very good camcorder. Exactly what we were looking for: digital camcorder with a hard-drive rather than DVD. This keeps the camcorder compact. Was concerned whether 30 GB is enough. We use it to tape snippets of our new born son. So far we haven't run out of space on the hard-drive. Also, seem very easy to connect to a PC to transfer file. The only quibble I have with this is the controls and on-screen menu were not intuitive.
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Took this on our vacation to Nashville this summer. Takes awesome video but don't buy it for the Still pictures though as it's quality is very poor.
You can edit the videos in other programs by renaming them with a ".mpg" file extension.
You can edit the videos in other programs by renaming them with a ".mpg" file extension.
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The camera so far is working fine with no major wow's is great that you can download straight to your computer if you have windows ME 98, 2000 or XP but if you want to use is it for windows vista you are out of luck cuz the software is not compatible and unfortunally the overstock website says it is compatible with windows but failed to mention that it doesnt work with vista.
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We were down between the comparable Sony and this one. The guy at Circuit City suggested this one, even though it was $100 cheaper than the Sony. After several uses, this is what we think:
Decent video quality. Better than Hi8, not as good as DVD cam.
Included software--Don't bother. Copy all .MOD files to computer (using explorer) and rename to .MPG. Then download k-lite codecs from http://www.free-codecs.com/download/K_Lite_Codec_Pack.htm.
After extensive use, the unit gets very warm in hand.
Is somewhat uncomfortable for large hands.
Using the zoom button with large hands can cause the mic to pick up the "click" sound from the button snapping back into place.
Low light filming is very good.
Don't plan to use the still cam. The resolution is horrible.
Battery life is 1hr, 15min.
Bottom line, if you are debating over this model or the competition...Save your money and buy this one. Use the extra money to buy a long-life battery.
Decent video quality. Better than Hi8, not as good as DVD cam.
Included software--Don't bother. Copy all .MOD files to computer (using explorer) and rename to .MPG. Then download k-lite codecs from http://www.free-codecs.com/download/K_Lite_Codec_Pack.htm.
After extensive use, the unit gets very warm in hand.
Is somewhat uncomfortable for large hands.
Using the zoom button with large hands can cause the mic to pick up the "click" sound from the button snapping back into place.
Low light filming is very good.
Don't plan to use the still cam. The resolution is horrible.
Battery life is 1hr, 15min.
Bottom line, if you are debating over this model or the competition...Save your money and buy this one. Use the extra money to buy a long-life battery.
0
I really like this camcorder. I have NOT had most of the problems any of the other reviewers have had. Except i agree that the still photo function is not very good but i have a digital 8.0 megapixel compact point and shoot as well as a Nikon digital SLR. The still photo function should not be used for prints but if you just want to take a quick photo for your MySpace page or something similar then it works just fine. Oh and the light for the camera is only good if you are shooting up close at night and the night vision feature leaves allot of tracers.
JVC offers a variety of attachable lens, including a telephoto and wide angle lens as wells lens filters. All of which work great. I have no problems editing using the powerdirector and powerproducer software that comes with the camera. Although to use the advanced features you have to purchase the upgrade but the basic model has plenty of easy to use features to make some great videos without upgrading. all of the features in the software
JVC offers a variety of attachable lens, including a telephoto and wide angle lens as wells lens filters. All of which work great. I have no problems editing using the powerdirector and powerproducer software that comes with the camera. Although to use the advanced features you have to purchase the upgrade but the basic model has plenty of easy to use features to make some great videos without upgrading. all of the features in the software
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Lightweight and compact, it's great for vacations. The battery life is okay and it's easy to use although some of the controls are not well documented. While I'd give the camera a five-star rating for its price range, the software is a dismal two-star. I find it easier and more convenient to just extract the video files using Windows Explorer and then edit them with Studio 10 by Pinnacle.
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The camera is great, but the main purpose of it is to import it to a computer. They claim its Mac compatible, but you have to buy hundreds of dollars of additional HORRIBLE software to get it to work. Their "mac friendly" claim is a lie and misleading. I was thinking plug in, imovie, happy. Thats what the salesman led me to believe too (because they claim its mac compatible). I'm taking it back tomorrow. PC USERS: Have fun. MAC USERS: Run while you can.
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I have had this for about a month and have taken a few movies. Some of my family who I don't see all that often. The 16.9 aspect on the camera screen is great and easy to change to regular screen size if that is you preference. It is great to have my home videos in wide screen format and the picture looks good on my 42 inch plasma. Made one dvd so far with out to much hassle. If you play around with the files in the camera you can edit down video before putting in your computer. It allows you to make shorter files from original footage then you just delete the parts you edited and anyway it works great and is pretty user friendly if you are at all computer savvy since screens on camera and controls make sense after a few wrong button pushes. Great size and weight. Can't wait for our vacation to really put this thing through it's paces. You will need an extra battery, bigger is better and a wall charger is very handy especailly if you are traveling. Amazon had best price. Originaly
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My wife and I have our first child due on July 10th. Time for me to get a camcorder. The MG130 is a great entry level camcorder for us. Takes very nice video, still shots are so so but we have a digital camera for that. Has nice feature set and does what it is supposed to do. Easy to copy from hard drive to dvd. Pretty much plug it in and it does its thing. Burned disc faster than I thought. I would highly recommend for the novice user. Included battery does not allow for long record times at all. You will definitely need to purchase a larger battery. I just bit the bullet and bought the biggest battery Amazon carries for it. Costing me another 100 bucks but as one reviewer said. "You can never have too much power" I am very satisfied with my purchase.
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This is my first camcorder, and I like it a lot. The style and the weight excellent. I only made a few movies and I very happy with the quality. It is easy to use and easy to transfer the movies to the computer or watch them on the tv.
I recomend it to any one who is a first time camcorder buyer.
I recomend it to any one who is a first time camcorder buyer.
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The saleman at BestBuy assured me that the camera was compatible with iMovie software on our Mac computer, but my experience, and what I have read since on the web tells me that is simply not true. I will probably return the camera. Bummer.
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I started with the GZMG130, but the still camera is worthless and the resolution is 640x480. The 255 has 2.0 Megapixel and a flash and firewire built in. Just plug it in and iMovie imports the clips right in. Plug into USB and iPhoto opens right up.
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After struggling with this camera for several hours and several phone calls to JVC customer support and Best Buy customer support, I found out that the JVC GZ-MG130 camcorder is not truly compatible with the iMac. JVC said the problem is that the MG130 does not have a firewire port. You can only hook it up to the iMac via USB and transfer the camera's video MOD file to the iMac. If you try to open it on the iMac, you get an export error message saying "QuickTime couldn't parse it: -2048".
So you have to purchase additional video editing software (either capty or pixela) in order to play and edit the video MOD file. Those apps will then convert the file to MPEG-2, which you can burn. iMovie requires MPEG-4, and you would have to buy additional software to convert the JVC file into that format, but I assume it would take several hours to convert an hour of camcorder video this way.
Unfortunately, I found all this out too late to return the camcorder. Note that there is nothing in
So you have to purchase additional video editing software (either capty or pixela) in order to play and edit the video MOD file. Those apps will then convert the file to MPEG-2, which you can burn. iMovie requires MPEG-4, and you would have to buy additional software to convert the JVC file into that format, but I assume it would take several hours to convert an hour of camcorder video this way.
Unfortunately, I found all this out too late to return the camcorder. Note that there is nothing in
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We had the camera about 3 weeks now. Recorded my daughter's school musical with it, slightly over an hour long. The white balance seems a little off, but it should be correctable. The direct back-up of these files onto DVD disc fails -- no idea why, because the program and "manuals" are more point and shoot than the camera. (You can examine the user manuals at JVC website to satisfy yourself of this point.) However, the files are backed up by the camera into a deeply buried folder called "My Works" on the computer.
I then used the provided cyberlink software to try to edit out the dead spots. I was able to do something only because I have used Roxio programs. Explanation and documentation of the cyberlink program is generic and minimal. So after I produce the movie, I get the news: TO BURN A DVD DISC, ONE MUST PURCHASE THE UPGRADE!!!! My independent Nero burner program will not recongize the mpg files, and I can only produce a disc readable by Windows media reader, and not a DVD
I then used the provided cyberlink software to try to edit out the dead spots. I was able to do something only because I have used Roxio programs. Explanation and documentation of the cyberlink program is generic and minimal. So after I produce the movie, I get the news: TO BURN A DVD DISC, ONE MUST PURCHASE THE UPGRADE!!!! My independent Nero burner program will not recongize the mpg files, and I can only produce a disc readable by Windows media reader, and not a DVD
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