JVC GC-PX10

JVC is marketing its GC-PX10 ($899.95 list) as a hybrid camera?one designed to merge the functions of a camcorder with a digital still camera. In reality, it is more of a 1080p video camera that happens to take nice 12-megapixel stills. A dead giveaway is the inclusion of 32GB of internal flash memory, a feature that is almost never seen in digital cameras. The controls are laid out in a way that make more sense for video use, and can be a bit awkward to use for stills in anything but automatic mode. Its menu interface must be navigated via a touch-screen interface, which makes it very difficult to adjust settings with which photographers often fiddle.

Design and Features
The GC-PX10's design is rather unique among camcorders, as it is a departure from both handheld shoot-and-share and traditional palmcorder designs. It measures 2.7 by 5.2 by 4.8 inches and weighs 1 pound, 3.2 ounces. It dwarfs our very-compact Edtitors' Choice pocket camcorder, the Sony Bloggie Touch 8GB ($199.99, 4 stars), which is only 2.1 by 4.3 by 0.6 inches and weighs a mere 4.2 ounces?almost a full pound less than the JVC. Nor can you take it on extreme sporting adventures, as you can with the compact Kodak Playsport Zx5 ($179.95, 4 stars) and Contour+ ($499.99, 3 stars) helmet camera.

The camera that the GC-PX10 resembles most is the Sony NEX-5N ($699.99, 4.5 stars), which also has thin body, deep handgrip, and long lens. Unlike the NEX-5N, you won't able to change lenses. The JVC's fixed 10x Konica Minolta HD zoom lens is firmly, and permanently, attached. When shooting video the lens covers a 43-433mm f/2.8-4.5 (35mm equivalent) field of view, which is great for telephoto recording, but can be a bit limiting in when shooting in tight spaces. The field of view changes a bit when shooting stills, which are in 4:3 aspect ratio rather than 16:9. The camera covers a slightly wider 37-374mm range, which is still limiting when trying to snap group shots in average-sized rooms. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150 ($499.99, 3.5 stars) is a better option for wide-angle shooting, its lens covers a 25-600mm field of view and the camera is capable of capturing some very nice HD video footage.

The rear of the camera is dominated by a 3-inch, 230k-dot touch-screen LCD. It is hinged, but can only be tilted along one axis, in one direction. This makes it possible to tilt the screen so that you can use the camera at your waist or with the lens facing you, but you can't tilt it so that you can use the camera over your head. This is a bit limiting, as lifting the camera up to record footage can be quite helpful in crowded environments, such as concerts and sporting events. The LCD isn't as sharp as some, and is prone to glare in bright light. Its ability to tilt should help to alleviate that, but a dual-hinge system would be better for this purpose.

There are some physical controls on the camera, including a zoom rocker, video record button, and shutter release for stills. Additional controls on the left side of the lens include a mode dial, flash control, exposure adjustment toggle, and a control wheel. These will come in handy when shooting, but sadly will not allow you to navigate through menus. All menu adjustments are through touch only, which can slow down access to certain helpful settings, including focus assist, ISO adjustment, and white balance.

The GC-PX10 features an omnidrectional built-in stereo mic which captures clear audio from all directions. The sound of the lens zooming in and out is not audible on the audio track, but there is a cold shoe located on the top of the lens if you'd like to add a better microphone or other accessory, like a self-powered video light. ?Ports to plug in the mic and other cables are located under a flap on the left side of the lens. The camera sports a headphone jack, mini USB, and mini HDMI ports. There is no dedicated battery charger, instead you plug the camera into a wall outlet to charge and power it. If 32GB of built-in memory isn't enough to suit your needs, you can add storage via a standard memory card slot that supports SD, SDHC, and SDXC cards.

Performance, Video Quality, and Conclusions
The camera is a bit slow to start up, taking a full 4.7 seconds to turn on and take a photo. It does a bit better in terms of shutter lag, taking only 0.1 second between pressing the shutter and grabbing a shot. Its recycle time is also quite impressive. It can shoot a photo once every 0.3 second continuously, and also supports high-speed burst shooting. You can grab 100 shots in either 13.1 seconds or 3.3 seconds depending on the speed chosen, although there is a long recovery time?up to 28 seconds?after grabbing a large number of shots in a short amount of time. This puts it in the same class as the Panasonic FZ150, which is a bit speedier thanks to a 2-second startup, but matches the 0.1 second shutter lag. The FZ150 can shoot continuously with a 0.2 second delay between photos, and also supports capturing a burst of 12 images with a 0.1-second gap between each photo.

I used the Imatest software suite to measure the quality of the GC-PX10's photos in terms of sharpness and noise. The camera recorded 1,640 lines per picture height of sharpness, which is a bit shy of the 1,800-line mark that denotes a sharp image. It is in line with the results of the Panasonic FZ150, which grabbed 1,700 lines. In terms of image noise, the PX10 scored respectably, keeping noise under 1.5 percent through ISO 800. This will let you shoot in less-than-perfect light, especially when you have the lens at its widest focal length, a setting at which its lens is able to capture quite a bit of light thanks to its large f/2.8 aperture.

The strength of the camera is its video quality. It records 1080p60 footage at a 36 megabit per second sampling rate. The footage is crisp and detailed, and motion is smooth. Files are stored in MP4 format, which can be edited in popular applications. You'll be able to record up to 2 hours of footage onto the camera's internal memory at highest quality. You can increase that recording time by an hour by dropping the bitrate to 24 megabits per second, or to 5.6 hours by recording in 720p.

There's also a super-slow motion mode, which captures video at 300 frames per second and slows it down to 60 frames. For every five seconds of footage that you shoot, one second is recorded in the video. The resolution is limited to 640 by 380 in this mode, but the results can be quite stunning when shooting wildlife or sports.

If you're primarily interested in video, the GC-PX10 is not without faults, but overall it's a solid (albeit pricey) camcorder. Its 1080p footage looks great and is full of detail, and it records in the standard MP4 format for easy editing and sharing. It also captures nice stills, although experienced photographers will feel a bit hindered by the need to use its touch screen to change certain settings. If you're more interested in still photos, you may want to consider the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150, which offers a wider zoom range and still captures very-good-quality HD video. If you're happy with a shorter zoom, consider the Sony NEX-5N, which records 1080p footage and ships with a lens that covers a 27-82mm field of view. It's $200 less, is a top performer, and offers more features including the versatility of interchangeable lenses.

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