It usually happens like this:

The golden moment arrives — the baby says some silly word for the first time. Or he starts dancing to a pop song on the radio. Or perhaps the sun sets in a uniquely spectacular way. I grab my DVD camcorder, turn it on, press Record, and …

… the disc is full.

By the time I load a new disc, the moment is over. Now I either have to lamely attempt to recreate it — which sometimes works and sometimes doesn't — or I have to film anyway and hope that "golden moment" happens again. Too often, it never does.

If you have a video camera, whether tape-based or disc-based, I'm sure this has happened to you. And I'm wondering if JVC had this problem in mind when they equipped each of their 2006 Everio camcorders with a built-in hard drive — the same high-capacity memory medium that lives inside your computer, your iPod®, or your TiVo®.

The new GZ-MG37, for instance, boasts a 30GB hard drive that can hold up to 7 hours of video at the highest quality setting, with no tapes or discs to replace. Compare that to the roughly 20 minutes of highest-quality video per disc that I can record with my DVD camcorder, and you'll see the appeal of the hard drive for memory storage.

About a year and a half ago, I reviewed a first-generation JVC Everio. That camcorder stored video and photos on a removable 4GB MicroDrive® — higher-capacity than tapes or discs, but lower than the new Everios' hard drives.

I was pleased with the first Everios' small yet easy-to-handle body design and clear video and photos. Now that JVC has updated the line, I wondered: how would the new Everios stack up?

First things first: Video quality

As I mentioned, the 'MG37's built-in 30GB hard drive can hold up to 7 hours of video at the highest quality setting. This compares favorably to the capacity of the earlier Everio's 4GB MicroDrive, which held an hour's worth of video.

Speaking of video, it's worth mentioning that like its predecessors, the GZ-MG37 records in MPEG2 format, the same format used by DVDs. But because not all MPEG2 video is created equal — due to each camcorder's lens and CCD size, just to name a couple of factors — I compared the 'MG37's video quality to that of my DVD camcorder.

In my judgment, the 'MG37's video is comparable to the great video I shoot with my own DVD camcorder. Initially, I wasn't sure — when I viewed movies on my computer, I noticed some "blooming" (bright colors bleeding onto less bright areas) and "stair-stepping" (pixelation evident when diagonal lines are filmed). But when I watched the video on my television, the artifacts disappeared! Whether the culprit is my computer's LCD screen, its processor, or the software JVC includes for viewing video on the Mac, is anyone's guess. But it doesn't seem to be the 'MG37. Overall, whether indoor or outdoor, slow- or fast-moving, the subjects came out looking vivid and lifelike.

Video shot with the GZ-MG37, including this video of an Easter egg hunt, came out looking just about as good as movies shot with my DVD camcorder.

Photo Quality

The 'MG37 can shoot photos, too. Because of the CCD size, there's just one resolution setting available on this model: 640 x 480. That resolution works well for pictures you email or post online, but not as well for prints. So, the 'MG37 is good for snapping shots in a pinch, but you'll want to use a digital camera as your go-to picture-taking device. (Alternatively, take a look at the 'MG37's big brother, the GZ-MG77, whose sharper 2.2-megapixel CCD can snap shots up to 1632 x 1224.)

Also, keep in mind that the GZ-MG37 doesn't have a built-in flash, like its predecessors did; for shooting video and photos in low-light settings, the camcorder is equipped with an LED light.

Interestingly, the LED might not be your best choice in every setting. I took two pictures indoors, the first with the LED on, and the second with it off. For both shots, the camcorder was in full auto mode. The first shot, as you can see, is actually slightly darker than the second. I presume that the second shot is brighter due to the camera slowing down the shutter speed to let the right amount of light in. There's a drawback to a slower shutter speed, however: increased blurriness.

Above: This picture was taken indoors, with the camcorder's LED light on.
Below: This picture was taken moments later, with the LED light off.

Easy on the eyes — and hands

Last year, I really liked the first Everios' small size and elegant styling. The GZ-MG37 is also impressively small and lightweight, although at 14.2 ounces, it does outweigh its predecessor's slight 11.1 ounces. The design has changed, too; the first-generation Everio I reviewed came in a vertical, black and silver chassis. The 'MG37 is a horizontal-style camcorder — that is, your hand goes through the strap and over the body of the camera, instead of in front of it. The chassis is mostly a charcoal color, with silver accents.

The GZ-MG37 has a horizontal body style, in contrast to the earlier GZ-MC100.

I still like the styling of the GZ-MG37, even if it's a little less flashy than the mostly silver GZ-MC100. The 'MG37's horizontal body style is nice, too; it's easy to hold and operate. At first, I found myself using two hands to push the Record button. Even though it was designed for one-handed operation, I didn't want to risk adding extra shake to my shot, so I steadied the cam with my left hand while I pressed the button with my right.

However, the more I used the 'MG37, the more I realized this was an unnecessary reflex. I was able to retrain myself to hold and use the camcorder with one hand, without compromising the shot. However, if you have shorter fingers than I do, you'll probably find one-handed operation more difficult.

Cool Extras

One really nice perk of the 'MG37's design is the 4-way joystick control you use to navigate the menus. It's easy and intuitive to use. And by the way, the graphic menu itself is simple to read and navigate, which is nice.

The large widescreen LCD made shooting and playing back video much easier.

Another great addition to this Everio was the larger 2.7" viewscreen. It's nearly an inch larger (measured diagonally) than the previous Everio's viewscreen. That's quite a bit of real estate, which you'll really appreciate when you're shooting or playing back video and photos … especially since the 'MG37 does not include a viewfinder.

As I mentioned in my review of the earlier GZ-MC100, a viewfinder is nice for at least three reasons. First, it lets you conserve battery power; a viewscreen, naturally, uses more juice. Secondly, holding the camcorder up to your eye effectively anchors it, minimizing shakiness. Third, it's easier to use outdoors in sunlight, where the picture on an LCD screen can get "washed out."

So, is there any way to compensate for this "missing" viewfinder? Well, keeping a spare, charged battery on hand solves the first problem. To address the second, JVC includes Digital Image Stabilization (DIS), which steadies your shot. And incidentally, I found the DIS to be really helpful and effective, just like on the first Everio I tried. The DIS does work better on wide-angle shots than close-ups, though. So if you plan to shoot a lot of faraway subjects — and since this camera comes with an impressive 32X optical zoom, you just might — I suggest using a tripod.

Unfortunately, there's no substitute for a viewfinder when it comes to filming in bright sunlight. I found this out when filming my son's first Easter egg hunt. At times, it was difficult to see exactly what I was shooting.

Thanks to its compact design, the CU-VD10 is easy to transport.

Burning Video to DVD Using the Everio Share Station

It's all well and good that the GZ-MG37 lets you capture 7 hours' worth of movies without having to change tapes or discs. But then you have to connect the camcorder to your computer in order to record that video onto a DVD and share it, right?

Not if you pick up the separate CU-VD10 Everio Share Station. This portable DVD burner is a great solution for copying video when you don't have access to a computer — for instance, when you're on vacation.

I found using the Share Station to be super-simple. I simply plugged both the Share Station and the camcorder into their respective AC adapters, and connected them to each other by means of the Share Station's included USB cable.

The simple back panel has a USB connector, an on-off switch, and a power connection.

It did take me a few minutes to figure out that burning has to be initialized from the camcorder, not the Share Station. But once I realized that, the 'MG37 made the process simple: a menu appeared on the LCD screen that asked me to choose which scenes I wanted to record. I simply selected "All," and told it to burn the DVD. A few minutes later, out came a DVD-R full of the video I had shot using the GZ-MG37. (Important note: I hadn't recorded too much footage — a full hard drive would take longer to burn to DVD.)

The Hard Drive Camcorder: An Idea Whose Time Has Come

JVC's newest Everios prove that a camcorder that records video onto a built-in hard drive can now be practical and convenient. They're especially handy for situations where you don't want to be changing tapes or discs frequently (like weddings, sporting events, parties … basically anytime you find yourself with a camcorder in hand).

To sweeten the deal, the GZ-MG37 also offers lightweight portability and intuitive controls. Add on the Everio Share Station, and you're ready not just to shoot and edit home movies, but to share them on the go as well.