We’ve made no secret of the fact we’ve been disappointed by the quality of the hard-disk drive camcorders reviewed so far for DigitalTrends.com including the new Toshiba gigashot and JVC Everio models. Camcorders record memories and if the video quality isn’t better than a $400 tape-based edition, what’s the point of saving hours and hours of noise-filled footage--and spending more money for the privilege? We felt the same way about most DVD camcorders too—until we tried the Panasonic VDR-D300. What made this camcorder a winner was the fact it uses three CCDs to capture video. Now JVC has moved to address the shortcomings of HDD camcorders by introducing the GZ-MG505, the first one with three CCDs. In theory, dedicating an individual chip to record the three primary colors of red, green and blue results in more accurate, life-like images without the jagged lines and swirling noise that plagued other HDD camcorders. That’s the theory. Also adding to the allure of this new model is its ability to take 5-megapixel stills (2560 x 1920 pixels) and with the 30-gig drive you can save over seven hours of memories at best quality without worrying about spare tapes or discs. You’ll need a handful of batteries to accomplish this task but that’s another story. 

Could this HDD camcorder be the one to solve the substandard video problem? This is what we hoped to discover as we anxiously opened the carton and prepped the JVC Everio GZ-MG505 for a hands-on test. Read on to discover if you should start saving over a grand for this stealthy new camcorder…