JVC Picsio GC-FM1 Camcorder Review

Colour & Noise Performance Summary
• Very good colour accuracy in bright light—as good as JVC's regular consumer camcorders (like the GZ-HD300 or the GZ-X900). • Saturation levels were also good and colours were strong and vibrant. • Noise levels were on the high side, but they weren't the worst we've ever seen.
	Product Tour	(Page 3 of 17)	Motion & Sharpness Performance

Colour (10.94)

The JVC GC-FM1 surprised us with its excellent colour accuracy in bright light (and low light too, for that matter). The camcorder registered a colour error of 3.2 with a saturation level of 86.4%. These are better numbers than most budget flash camcorders are capable of. In fact, the GC-FM1's colour error is very similar to what most of JVC's regular consumer camcorders earned in this test. This is a testament to JVC's ability to render accurate and strong colours in all of its models. (More on how we test colour.)

Colour Accuracy Performance
Colour Test Chart (above), Colour Error Map (right)
The JVC GC-FM1 produced a colour error of 3.2 and a saturation level of 86.4% in our bright light colour testing. (The map on the right is a diagram of the colour error. The length and direction of each line indicates how the camcorder processed each particular colour.)

The Error Map above shows that the GC-FM1 was most accurate rendering reds, blues and certain browns, while green tones gave the camcorder the most trouble. The GC-FM1 has no colour mode options, so there is no way to tweak the saturation or adjust the colours on the camcorder. Below is a sample image from our colour testing.

JVC GC-FM1 Colour Sample
Auto	100% Crop

Many ultra-compact camcorders have difficulty rendering an accurate white balance during our colour testing. The Kodak Zx1 was the worst culprit and the Flip UltraHD also showed a slight yellow hue. The JVC GC-FM1, however, seems to handle auto white balance quite well. Its bright light image is evenly-toned with accurate colours. The Sony MHS-PM1 also fared well with white balance, but colours were less saturated and less accurate than those rendered by the Picsio.

JVC GC-FM1 Colour Comparisons
JVC GC-FM1	Flip UltraHD
Sony MHS-PM1	Kodak Zx1

Since there is no real way to define "what colour looks best," we urge you to take a look at our colour comparisons above and below and decide for yourself which camcorder has the best colour. We can tell you that the JVC GC-FM1 had the most accurate colours, but as far as the most pleasing colours—well, that's a matter of personal preference. In the close-ups below you can really see how much the Kodak Zx1's poor white balance affected its image. We should also note that the JVC produced a slightly darker image than the rest of these camcorders, but that is a result of the camcorder's auto exposure system under-exposing the image a bit.

	Close-Up Colour Comparisons
	Ideal	JVC GC-FM1	Flip UltraHD	Sony MHS-PM1	Kodak Zx1
Red
	Ideal	JVC GC-FM1	Flip UltraHD	Sony MHS-PM1	Kodak Zx1
Green
	Ideal	JVC GC-FM1	Flip UltraHD	Sony MHS-PM1	Kodak Zx1
Blue
	Ideal	JVC GC-FM1	Flip UltraHD	Sony MHS-PM1	Kodak Zx1
Skin Tone 1
	Ideal	JVC GC-FM1	Flip UltraHD	Sony MHS-PM1	Kodak Zx1
Skin Tone 2

Colour Score Comparison		Compare the JVC GC-FM1 to the Flip UltraHD
		Compare the JVC GC-FM1 to the Sony MHS-PM1
		Compare the JVC GC-FM1 to the Kodak Zx1

Noise (2.28)

The GC-FM1 didn't have very good noise levels in our bright light testing. The camcorder averaged 1.2775% noise, which is more than double the amount of noise we measured on the Flip UltraHD (it's also more noise than the Sony MHS-PM1 and Kodak Zx1 measured). Interestingly, the GC-FM1 actually measured less noise in our low light testing than in our bright light test. (More on how we test noise.)

Noise Comparisons
JVC GC-FM1 100% Crop	Flip UltraHD 100% Crop	Sony MHS-PM1 100% Crop	Kodak Zx1 100% Crop

You can see some of the noise present in the FM1's image by looking at the crops above. Notice that the Flip UltraHD looks a bit cleaner in comparison. The crops also give you some idea of the sharpness of each camcorder in bright light. The FM1 managed a very sharp image in our bright light testing—sharper than the rest of the ultra-compact camcorders by far.

Noise Score Comparison		Compare the JVC GC-FM1 to the Flip UltraHD
		Compare the JVC GC-FM1 to the Sony MHS-PM1
		Compare the JVC GC-FM1 to the Kodak Zx1