JVC Picsio GC-FM1

Ease of Use (6.90)

The most basic functions of the JVC GC-FM1 are quite simple to activate. Recording, switching between photo and video mode, entering playback mode... these are all easily accomplished. What's a lot more difficult is accessing anything more complicated than that. Switching between the handful of recording methods (1080p, 720p, VGA, QVGA) requires you to double-click on the left directional button. Not only is this is a completely unexpected action, but it's also hard to do. The dpad isn't built well for 'double-clicking. Even more confusing than this is the obscurely hidden 'menu,' discussed below.

As for working with the files in post-production, the Picsio has a simple playback interface and is easily connected to your computer via USB. The built-in editing software (described below) is easy enough to use.

All things considered, the Picsio is much easier to use than traditional consumer camcorders, which typically have more buttons and lengthy, complicated menus. It's also easier to use than the Sony Webbie series, which has a handful of buttons that are used in a confusing way. Nothing, however, has yet to top the incredibly simple Flip series.

Handling (5.05)

The JVC Picsio GC-FM1 handles much like the vast majority of ultra-compacts on the market, including the Flip. The vertical body is held upright, with the broad face of the camcorder pointed toward your target. In this regard, using the Picsio feels a lot like taking photos with a cell phone. Also like most ultra-compacts, the record button is situated directly in the centre of a four-way control pad.

The Picsio is small, but comfortable to hold

Though the Picsio is small in your hand (even smaller than most of the competition), it doesn't feel as awkwardly diminutive as you might expect. It still isn't as comfortable to hold as similar models from Kodak and Pure Digital, but the cause is not the small size. The centre button of the Picsio (the record button) is lower on the body of the camcorder. This requires you to either bend your thumb awkwardly or slide your hand further down to compensate. Either way, the camcorder feels less steady in your hand.

The dpad's position forces you to hold the camcorder lower on its body.

The Picsio has one other failing: the quality of the camcorder's actual construction. Many of the pieces on the FM1 feel cheaply made, especially the exposed A/V ports on the right side and the tele-macro switch on the left. In fact, the tele-macro switch is so cheap that it sometimes causes minor focus problems, with the camcorder stuck between tele and macro modes. Occasionally, we would see the right half of our footage out of focus, only to discover that the switch had to be jiggled into the proper position. Though the focus problem wasn't persistent, the switch seems likely to wear out more over time and require increasingly frequent jiggles to work properly.

On the right side is a very jiggly tele-macro button.

Stabilization (0.0)

The GC-FM1 is equipped with a digital image stabilization system—a feature that is not commonly found on ultra-compact camcorders. The thing about the FM1's stabilization, however, is that it can't be turned off, which means there's no way to test how well it works. Does the FM1 capture a more stable image than other ultra-compacts? It's hard to tell, really. These little camcorders don't offer much in the way of zoom capability, so, for the most part, stabilization really isn't that necessary. We didn't find the Sony MHS-PM1, Kodak Zx1, or the Flip camcorders to capture inherently unstable footage... it all looked fairly stable to us. So, from what we can tell, the GC-FM1's digital stabilization doesn't appear to help out all that much.

The Sanyo VPC-CG10 also offers digital stabilization, but its feature can be turned on and off (and it wasn't very effective in our testing). (More on how we test stabilization.)

Portability (11.31)

The GC-FM1 is every-so-slightly smaller and lighter than the Sony MHS-PM1 and the Kodak Zx1, but we're really picking at bones here in determining which ultra-compact camcorder is the most... ultra-compact. The GC-FM1, Flip MinoHD, Sony MHS-PM1, Kodak Zx1, and Sanyo VPC-CG10 are all small enough to fit in your pocket with ease, and their differences in weight and size are negligible. The Flip UltraHD is a bit larger than the rest of these camcorders.

The fact that the GC-FM1 has an SD/SDHC card slot does help its portability a bit. Unlike the Flip, which records to internal memory only, you can simply insert a new memory card into the FM1 when your original one fills up. Most ultra-compact camcorders have this option (the Sony Webbie HD camcorders record to Memory Stick PRO Duo cards, however).

The GC-FM1 does not have a DC power input, which means you can only charge the camcorder's internal battery using a USB cable. This is a bit of a drag for portability because it means you must have access to a computer whenever you want the camcorder to charge. There are adapters, however, that allow you to plug a USB connector into a regular mains power, but these must be purchased separately from the GC-FM1.

Battery Life (3.75)

The Picsio GC-FM1 had a battery life of approximately 75 minutes (1hr., 15m, 17s). This is a very poor battery life for an ultra-compact camcorder. It's hard to tell whether that's due to a small battery or high power consumption, but we assume it's the former. (More on how we test battery life.)

Battery Life Comparisons

Like the Flip Mino, the Picsio has an internal, non-removable battery that is charged via USB. There is no option for recharging via DC power or removing the battery and placing it in a wall charger. This also means you can't replace the battery if it begins to have trouble holding a charge. That doesn't leave you with many choices—a fact that we find a bit troubling. The Picsio also lacks the retractable arm that gives the Flip its name. You must use the USB cable to recharge the FM1.

LCD & Viewfinder (4.77)

The GC-FM1 has a 2-inch LCD screen, but JVC does not list the screen's pixel count. Two inches is about as large as LCDs get for ultra-compact camcorders. The Flip Mino has a 1.5-inch screen, the Sony MHS-PM1 has a 1.8-inch, and the Kodak Zx1 and Flip Ultras both feature 2-inchers as well. The JVC GC-FM1 does not feature a viewfinder and its LCD is completely stationary on the back of the camcorder.

The 2-inch LCD of the Picsio GC-FM1

Menus (4.50)

The JVC Picsio GC-FM1 features only a single menu, called the set-up menu. As is often the case on these ultra-compact camcorders, the menu is very difficult to access. It requires you to hold down on the delete button and then press the 'display' button.

The simple set-up menu has very few options.

The menu is very simple, containing only options for date/time, NTSC/PAL output, formatting the memory card, and displaying the version number for the firmware. Options within the menu are easily navigated with the directional pad.

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