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General Features
Video Features
Digital Still Camera Features
Media Storage Capacity
Software and Computer Information
General Features
2.7"
Color LCD Monitor: The GZ-MG37 features a wide screen color LCD monitor that flips out from the left side of the
camcorder. The screen can be rotated up to 270° (180° forward and 90° back),
allowing you to choose the best angle. When the screen is rotated 180° forward
the picture inverts so it's seen right side up from the front of the camera, or
you can fold the panel flush against the side of the camcorder, with the screen
facing out. The LCD's brightness is adjustable.
Compatible Media:
The GZ-MG37 records video and still pictures to a built-in 30 GB Hard Disc Drive
(HDD). In addition to the HDD there is a Secure Digital (SD) card slot, so you
can also record video or still pictures to a removable SD card.
3-D Noise Reduction (3D NR):
This frame-based innovation in
3-dimensional noise reduction provides more accurate noise reduction because it
is based on twice the amount of visual information than conventional field-based
types. Video noise is reduced by 30% in low light for a 2dB improvement in the
signal-to-noise ratio. This technology allows you to get a bright picture with
less noise, even in low light.
Digital Zoom: The GZ-MG37 has
a selectable digital zoom of 2x or 25x. Combined with the 32x optical zoom, the camcorder has a
64x or 800x total
zoom.
Focus: This unit offers both
automatic and manual focus. The camcorder's Full Range AF system offers
continuous focusing ability from close-up (as close as approximately 2" from the
subject) to infinity. When correct focus cannot be obtained automatically, you
may focus the camcorder manually.
Tele Macro: At the maximum
telephoto setting, the lens is usually out of focus when the subject is less
than 3.3 feet away from the camcorder. By turning on the Tele Macro setting in
the menu, you can shoot a subject as large as possible at a distance of
approximately 1.3 feet.
Backlight Compensation:
Typically, backlight compensation is done automatically. In addition to
automatic backlight compensation, this unit allows manual backlight compensation
adjustment.
Spot Exposure Control: Selection of a spot metering area enables more precise exposure
compensation. You can select one of the three metering areas (left, center, or
right).
NightAlive: When the NightAlive
function is activated, the shutter speed is adjusted from 1/2 to 1/30 seconds to enable
shooting with little light.
Battery Pack: The supplied
BN-VF707U Lithium-Ion battery pack gives you
approximately 70 minutes of continuous recording time. It takes approximately 90
minutes to fully charge the battery pack.
Data Battery System:
The remaining battery capacity is presented as a multi segment bar graph. The
total remaining time is listed in ten minute increments.
LED Light: When shooting video
or still photos with insufficient light, the LED can turn on to improve
visibility. The light has a useful range of about five feet.
Tripod: There is a threaded
tripod insert on the bottom of the camcorder.
Auto Power Off: To save battery power, the
camera will automatically turn itself off if it's not operated 5 minutes.
Video Features
Digital Image Stabilization (DIS):
To compensate for unstable images caused by camcorder shake, particularly at
high magnification, you can turn on the camcorder's Digital Image Stabilization. DIS is also helpful when shooting subjects with vertical or horizontal stripes,
dark or dim images, subjects with excessive backlighting, scenes with movement
in various directions, or low-contrast backgrounds. The DIS feature should be
turned off when recording with the camcorder on a tripod.
Note: DIS does
not function during Digital Still Camera operation.
Recording Modes:
When shooting video, you can choose from the following recording modes:
- Ultra Fine:
- Video:
720 x 480 pixels, 8.5 Mbps (VBR)
- Audio:
48 kHz, 384 kbps
- Fine:
- Video:
720 x 480 pixels, 5.5 Mbps (VBR)
- Audio:
48 kHz, 384 kbps
- Normal:
- Video:
720 x 480 pixels, 4.2 Mbps (VBR)
- Audio:
48 kHz, 256 kbps
- Economy:
- Video:
352 x 240 pixels, 1.5 Mbps (VBR)
- Audio:
48 kHz, 128 kbps
Wide Mode: Use wide mode when
the video will be played back on a wide screen TV (16:9). The image is
recorded in 16:9 aspect ratio to fit the screen without distortion.
Wind Cut: This feature helps to
cut down on noise created by the wind on the microphone. It can be turned on or
off through the menu.
Gain Up: When shooting dark
scenes, you can activate the Automatic Gain Control (AGC) to brighten the image.
The image is brightened but the overall color tones will appear grayish.
Manual Recording Functions:
You can use manual recording functions easily by selecting the following
items in the MSET menu:
- Manual Exposure (AE): allows you to adjust the
exposure from -6 to +6, or set it to Auto
- Manual Focus (AF): allows you to manually adjust
the focus
- White Balance: to obtain
accurate color reproduction under various types of lighting, the camcorder
features automatic, preset, and manual white balance adjustment, there are three
presets: Fine (outdoors on a sunny day), Cloud (outdoors on a cloudy day), and
Halogen (with a video light or similar type of lighting), manual white
balance adjustment can be done through the menu
- Shutter Speed: allows you
to choose one of the following shutter speeds: 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/15, 1/30,
1/60, 1/100, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000, 1/2000, or 1/4000
- Program
AE: allows you to choose one of
the following Program AE modes:
- Sports:
fast shutter speed allows fast-moving
subject to be captured one frame at a time vividly
- Snow:
compensates for subjects that may appear
too dark when shooting in extremely bright surroundings such as in the
snow
- Spotlight:
compensates for subjects that may appear
too bright when shooting under extremely strong direct lighting such as
spot lights
- Twilight:
makes evening scenes look more natural
- Effects: You can add special effects to your
recording images:
- Sepia:
the image has a brownish tint like old
photos
- Monotone:
the image becomes black and white like
old movies
- Classic Film:
the image skipping frames to give the effect of an old movie
atmosphere
- Strobe:
the image looks like a series of
consecutive snapshots
Index Display: You can view
multiple files stored in a recording medium at a time. This browsing capability
makes it easy to locate a particular file you want.
Playback Zoom: You can magnify
the playback image up to 5x.
Wipe/Fader Effect: You can view
videos with various effects of scene transition:
- Wipe:
- Corner: wipe in from a black screen from the
upper right to the lower left corner, or wipe out from lower left to
upper right, leaving a black screen
- Window: the scene starts in the center of a
black screen and wipes in toward the corners, or comes in from the
corners, gradually wiping out to the center
- Slide: wipe in from right to left, or wipe out
from left to right
- Door: wipe in as the two halves of a black
screen open to the left and right, revealing the scene, or wipe out and
the black screen reappears from left and right to cover the scene
- Scroll: the scene wipes in from the bottom to
the top of a black screen, or wipes out from top to bottom, leaving a
black screen
- Shutter: wipe in from the center of a black
screen toward the top and bottom, or wipe out from the top and bottom
toward the center leaving a black screen
- Fader:
- White: fade in from or out
to a white screen
- Black: fade in from or out
to a black screen
- Black and White: fade in to a color screen
from a black and white screen, or fade out from color to black and white
Playback Effects: You can add the following special
effects during playback:
Sepia,
Monotone,
Classic Film, or Strobe.
Playlists:
You can create a playlist by collecting
previously recorded video files. By playing back the playlist, you can view your
original video clips in whatever order you like. The playlist can then be modified or deleted. If desired,
you can dub a playlist to an external device.
Continuous Recording:
After 12 consecutive hours, recording stops automatically. A new file is created
for every four GB of continuous recording.
Dubbing to a VCR: Using the
supplied AV cable, the
camcorder can be used to playback video to be recorded onto a VCR.
Digital Still Camera
Features
Image Size/Quality:
When recording still pictures the image size is 640 x 480 and you can set the image quality to Fine or
Standard.
Self-Timer: By setting the self-timer, a still image is recorded 2 or 10
seconds after pressing the Recording button.
Continuous Shooting: When
Continuous Shooting is turned on and the Record button is held down, the
camcorder stores one still image after another. The interval between
still images is approximately 0.3 seconds.
Manual Recording Functions:
You can use manual recording functions easily by selecting the following
items in the MSET menu:
- Manual Exposure (AE): allows you to adjust the
exposure from -2.0 to +2.0 (EV)
- Manual Focus (AF): allows you to manually adjust
the focus
- White Balance: to obtain
accurate color reproduction under various types of lighting, the camcorder
features automatic, preset, and manual white balance adjustment, there are three
presets: Fine (outdoors on a sunny day), Cloud (outdoors on a cloudy day), and
Halogen (with a video light or similar type of lighting), manual white
balance adjustment can be done through the menu
- Shutter Speed: allows you
to choose one of the following shutter speeds: 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/15, 1/30,
1/60, 1/125, 1/250, or 1/500
- Program
AE: allows you to choose one of
the following Program AE modes:
- Sports:
fast shutter speed allows fast-moving
subject to be captured one frame at a time vividly
- Snow:
compensates for subjects that may appear
too dark when shooting in extremely bright surroundings such as in the
snow
- Spotlight:
compensates for subjects that may appear
too bright when shooting under extremely strong direct lighting such as
spot lights
- Twilight:
makes evening scenes look more natural
- Effects: You can add special effects to your
recording images:
- Sepia:
the image has a brownish tint like old
photos
- Monotone:
the image becomes black and white like
old movies
Index Display: You can view
multiple files stored in a recording medium at a time. This browsing capability
makes it easy to locate a particular file you want.
Slide Show: You can playback
all the still images automatically using slide show. Each picture is displayed
for about six seconds.
Playback Zoom: You can magnify
the playback image up to 5x.
Image Rotation:
You can rotate a still image in 90°
steps, clockwise or counterclockwise.
Playback Effects: You can add the following special
effects during playback:
Sepia and
Monotone.
Copying Still Images:
You can copy or move still images between
the HDD and SD card in either direction.
PictBridge Printing
Capability: Using the supplied USB
cable, you can connect this camcorder directly to a PictBridge compliant
printer. PictBridge is a standard that allows you to connect a PictBridge
compliant camcorder directly to a PictBridge compliant printer and make prints,
regardless of brand.
DPOF Print Setting: This
camcorder is compatible with DPOF (Digital Print Order Format). You can choose
which images to print and the number of prints. This feature is useful when
printing with a DPOF-compatible printer, or taking the memory
card to a photo lab for printing.
Media Storage Capacity
Approximate video recording time
(minutes):
|
Quality |
SD
Card |
Hard Disc Drive |
|
128 MB |
256 MB |
512 MB |
1 GB |
2 GB |
30 GB |
|
Ultra Fine |
1 |
3 |
7 |
14 |
29 |
430 |
|
Fine |
2 |
5 |
10 |
21 |
43 |
640 |
|
Normal |
3 |
6 |
14 |
27 |
57 |
850 |
|
Economy |
8 |
18 |
37 |
73 |
152 |
2250 |
Approximate number of storable images
(still):
|
Image Size |
Quality |
SD Card |
Hard Disc Drive |
| 128 MB |
256 MB |
512 MB |
1 GB |
2 GB |
30 GB |
|
640 x 480 |
Fine |
520 |
1035 |
2060 |
4160 |
7750 |
9999 |
| Standard |
1115 |
2225 |
4415 |
8915 |
9999 |
9999 |
Software and Computer
Information
Windows Software: The
camcorder includes a CD-ROM with the following programs for Windows:
- Digital Photo Navigator 1.5: used to organize still images and convert them to a
variety of formats
- CyberLink DVD Solution:
- PowerProducer 3
NE: create movie discs using video and slide shows
- PowerDirector Express
NE: edit MPEG, AVI, and other video files, still images, and
other contents to create a movie
- PowerDVD 5 NE:
for easy
video clip and DVD playback
Digital Photo Navigator
System Requirements:
-
Operating System
(pre-installed):
-
Windows 2000 Professional service
pack 4
- Windows XP Home Edition
-
Windows XP Professional
- CPU: Intel Pentium III, at
least 700 MHz
- RAM: at least 128 MB
-
Free Hard Disk Space: at least
10 MB for installation, at least 500 MB recommended
- Connector: USB port (2.0
High Speed)
- Display: must be capable of
displaying 800 x 600 dots with 16-bit color
- Miscellaneous:
Internet Explorer 5.5 or later
CyberLink DVD Solution
System Requirements:
-
Operating System
(pre-installed):
- Windows 2000 Professional
service pack 4
- Windows XP Home Edition
- Windows XP Professional
- CPU: Intel Pentium III, at
least 700 MHz (Intel Pentium 4, at
least 2 GHz recommended)
- RAM: at least 128 MB (256
MB recommended)
- Free Hard Disk Space: at
least 350 MB for installation, at least 10 GB recommended for creating DVD video,
at least 1 GB recommended for creating VCD
- Connector: USB port (2.0
High Speed)
- Display: must be capable of
displaying 1024 x 600 dots
- Miscellaneous:
Internet Explorer 5.5 or later, DirectX 9.0 or later
- Supported Media:
- DVD Video: DVD-R/-RW,
DVD+R/+RW
- DVD-VR: DVD-RW,
DVD-RAM
- DVD+VR: DVD+RW
- Video CD: CD-R/-RW
Macintosh Software:
The camcorder includes a CD-ROM with the following programs for Macintosh:
- Capty MPEG Edit EX: edit
video files (MPEG-2 format) and write them into QuickTime and a variety of
formats
- mono DVD:
create DVD disc using MPEG-2
Capty
MPEG Edit EX System
Requirements:
- Hardware: iMac G4, iMac
G5, iBook G4, Power Mac G5, PowerBook G4, eMac, Mac Mini
- Operating System
(pre-installed): Mac OS X (v10.3.1 to v10.3.9, v10.4.2 to v10.4.3)
- CPU: PowerPC G4/800 MHz or
more
- RAM:
- OS X v10.3.1 to v10.3.9:
at least 128 MB (at
least 256 MB recommended)
- OS X v10.4.2 to v10.4.3:
at least 256 MB
- Free Hard Disk Space: at least
30 MB for installation
- Connector: USB port (2.0
High Speed)
- Display: must be capable of
displaying 1024 x 768 dots with full color
- Miscellaneous: QuickTime
6.5 or later
mono DVD System
Requirements:
- Hardware: iMac G4, iMac
G5, iBook G4, Power Mac G5, PowerBook G4, eMac, Mac Mini
- Operating System
(pre-installed): Mac OS X (v10.3.1 to v10.3.9, v10.4.2 to v10.4.3)
- CPU: PowerPC G4/800 MHz or
more
- RAM:
- OS X v10.3.1 to v10.3.9:
at least 128 MB (at
least 256 MB recommended)
- OS X v10.4.2 to v10.4.3:
at least 256 MB
- Free Hard Disk Space: at least
50 MB for installation
- Connector: USB port (2.0
High Speed)
- Display: must be capable of
displaying 1024 x 768 dots with full color
- Miscellaneous: QuickTime
6.5 or later
