Design
The Everio MG275 is a short squat camera with very few external controls. We fished around in the box for a short while to find the lens cap -- nearly always the first thing lost for new cameras -- only to realise that it has an automated shutter-style lens cap, neatly sidestepping the lost cap problem entirely. The MG275 measures in at 66 by 71 by 110mm with a carrying weight (including battery) of 400g. It's a comfortable camera for handheld operation, and it's in handheld mode that you'll have to utilise it, as it lacks a viewfinder entirely; all selections and shooting have to be done by flipping out the 2.7-inch widescreen LCD. The top of the camera houses the zoom control (10x Optical, 300x Digital) with a record button at the back -- very easy for novices to learn.
The MG275 has limited direct connection capabilities to PCs or DVD recorders, or for charging. Instead, it utilises a supplied camera dock, which doubles as a charger. Video connections from the dock include USB, Firewire and S-Video, making it very easy to connect it up to just about any external video recording destination. It is still possible to charge the camera and connect it up to external video from ports on the camera, but they're rather stiff and fiddly to use.
Features
The MG275 is a hard-disk camcorder; it shuns discs or tapes and instead records directly to a tiny 1.8-inch 40GB hard-disk within the camera instead. The CCD within the camera is a 2.18 megapixel model, with an effective rating for video of 1.23 megapixels. If you're shooting stills it operates as a 2.0 megapixel camera. Your 40GB of storage equates to nine hours of widescreen recording at full quality, or up to 50 hours if you're not as fussed about the quality. You won't get fifty hours of recording in a single gasp, however; the battery simply won't last that long.
The Everio MG275 also sells itself on direct DVD recording, sans any kind of PC connection. This is done by connecting it up to JVC's Share Station DVD burner, an optional extra that will set you back another AU$329. We were unable to test the direct burning option, so we'll save comment on that particular aspect of the MG275's operation.
Performance
The one aspect of the MG275's performance we weren't happy with was one we predicted before we'd even opened the box: the digital zoom. The 10x optical zoom worked well, although it's hardly earth shattering. The 300x digital zoom, on the other hand, might in fact be earth shattering; it certainly scarred our retinas when we attempted to watch the blocky video that resulted.
That having been said, the MG275 acquitted itself well for general shooting. It's clearly a camera that's marketed more towards happy-snappers, especially given that it lacks a viewfinder. It handled itself nicely for regular daytime shooting and managed to keep digital noise to an acceptable minimum for shooting in less than optimal conditions.
The only other caveat we'd put on the MG275 is that consumer HD camcorders are fast tumbling in price, and the MG275 isn't an HD model. It's a good camera certainly, but if you're looking at a camera as a long-term investment, anything costing north of a thousand dollars has to be viewed with the perspective that HD models are quickly dropping into this kind of price area -- only a small amount of extra investment can get you a camera with much more resolution.
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