JVC Picsio GC-WP10 Waterproof Pocket Video Camera (Blue) NEWEST VERSION

by JVC

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 2.4 x 4 x 1 inches ; 5.1 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B003Z6QHSK
• Item model number: GC-WP10
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,887 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
  • #50 in Electronics > Camera & Photo > Underwater Photography > Camcorders
• Date first available at Amazon.com: August 23, 2010

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

GC-WP10 Full HD Pocket Cam featuring 3" touch panel operation, improved low-light performance, and new built-in software for easy editing and sharing.

• Waterproof Design (3m/10ft)
• 3" Touch Panel with Icon Graphics and Large Playback Picture
• Built-in LoiLoScope EX software for "Plug & Share"
• Easy Upload to YouTube / Facebook / Vimeo
• Easy Export to iTunes Library
• iMovie-suitable iFrame Video Recording Mode
• Time-Lapse REC
• MP3 Audio Recording (Stereo)
• Face Detection
• Eye-Fi Card Ready for Wi-Fi Connection*

* Use of Eye-Fi card may be illegal and prohibited in countries and regions where it has not been approved by competent authorities. Please contact Eye-Fi support for the details of approved countries and regions.

Touch the Fun and Show Everyone Since PICSIO is touch-panel controlled, you just touch the icon graphics to intuitively operate everything from recording to playback. Works even with gloves on! The 3" large screen offers comfortable viewing during playback.
"Plug & Share" Simplicity Just connect to any Windows PC. LoiLoScope EX software is pre-installed in PICSIO so you can start using it right away, no installation to PC necessary!
Mac Users Welcome Here! If you’re a Mac user, shoot video in iFrame mode which is the native format (960x540) used in iMovie. Recorded files can be easily handled by your Mac for editing.
Direct Upload to Populas Sites, and More LoiLoScope EX has direct menus for upload to YouTube or Facebook in just a few simple steps. There are also options for exporting data to your iTunes library, or outputting for DVD creation.
Spice Up your Video wiuth Creative Effects In addition to easy file trimming, you get a variety of special effects like animated decorations, plus image cropping and rotating.
Go Wi-Fi for "Unplugged" Connectivity Insert an optional Eye-Fi card into the SD card slot and PICSIO is ready for wireless connection. In your home, or café, anywhere Wi-Fi is available, you can upload your videos and stills without using a PC.

Product Description

JVC's new GC-WP10 Waterproof Picsio, a pocket camera designed for fun. Fun, because it's so small, lightweight, easy to use and a cinch to share videos and photos using YouTube, Facebook and other social media sites. Plus the GC-WP10 is waterproof and can be used underwater up to 10 feet! This Picsio features a 3-inch touch screen. Record and playback functions are easily activated by just a light touch on the screen icon. The controls are easy to use and can be operated when wearing gloves. During playback that you'll appreciate the large 3 inch screen by how great the image looks on a larger screen. Other features include electronic image stabilization to minimize camera shake while recording, 4x digital zoom lens and a time-lapse recording mode and records digital stills up to 5-megapixel native resolution, without interpolation. There's a stereo microphone that can be used to record audio as mp3 files. HDMI and AV output to easily connect to a TV.The GC-WP10 Picsio uses a CMOS sensor to record up to 1920 x 1080, 30 frames progressive Full HD video. The video format is MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 and is stored as standard MP4 files for easy importing into various applications without any quality loss. There are three other video recording resolutions, including iFrame, to optimize performance in iMovie '09. Video and stills are recorded to a removable memory card that goes into the SD card slot that can accept SD, SDHC and SHXC memory cards. The memory card slot is also optimized for Eye-Fi cards, which adds wireless capabilities.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

75 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars First Impressions are Good!, October 1, 2010

By 

spaceboy "spaceboy5367" (toledo, oh United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: JVC Picsio GC-WP10 Waterproof Pocket Video Camera (Blue) NEWEST VERSION (Electronics)

Length:: 1:39 Mins

I recently noticed that true HD was making its way to the pocket video camera market. There were two others that came out very recently that I was looking at (a Panasonic and a Kodak) before I decided on this JVC. The deciding factor was that this one is waterproof and is capable of time lapse.

Upon what must have been a delayed release, I finally got mine today and must say I am glad I went with this one. There's a little weight to it as you hold it in your hand and cosmetically, well with all the ugly gadgets out there I have to give the designers at JVC props for making this an attractive, even sexy unit, one that I would not be ashamed to take home to Mother. I want to call this a matte finish or something... look at the high res pics and you'll see what I mean.

The quality of the video is as good as you would expect. I am hoping that future software updates will be more feature rich. You can record audio but there don't seem to be any options or settings with regard to the quality. I'm assuming it's recording in mp3 format and if it is, I'd prefer to be able to select the bit rate (320kbps). The time lapse feature is cool and I'd love to see the ability to shoot at a very high frame rate so as to be able to capture a water balloon popping. Overall, the user interface is simple and will not take long at all to get used to.

If you plan to do a lot of time-lapse you'll want to purchase the optional power adapter which will cost you about $35 (Ouch!). Get yourself a 32gb SDHC card and a 2tb external hard drive and you'll be good to go. I won't be able to test the waterproof feature until next Summer. Finally, I can't comment on the on-board editing software because I use a professional editing suite. I'm sure it'll suit most basic needs.

Peace

UPDATE: I had a chance on Monday to shoot some video at our local Zoo. I learned a couple of things worth noting. The battery fully charged does not last long. We weren't at the Zoo for even three hours and I ran out of juice before we left. It makes me wish the thing ran on batteries. The second point is the zoom...I'd advise against using it. If you watch this video, you'll see some outdoor/indoor stuff, and the use of the zoom. I'm noticing what is common among digital zooms, clarity is drastically sacrificed. The indoor shot of the bird is most obvious. I assume that both of these issues are similar to other cameras in the same category. Hopefully in ten years the battery life will be greatly improved. I can't help but wonder if a simplified interface wouldn't help conserve the battery power. Still, not a bad camera for the price.

33 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars It's a video miracle - but it's an audio disaster., November 3, 2010

By 

OldJim - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: JVC Picsio GC-WP10 Waterproof Pocket Video Camera (Blue) NEWEST VERSION (Electronics)

GREAT video, either 1080P 30 FPS, or 720P 60 FPS (the faster frame rate is better for moving subjects). It also has modes for YouTube and Apple that I haven't tried yet - and don't forget it does time lapse sequences as well!

The color touchscreen controls are very intuitive. You won't need the written manual.

I was disappointed by the stereo audio which sounds thin and phasey. (Perhaps I have a bad unit?)

It does a credible job of shooting stills, although they are not as sharp, nor do they have the dynamic range available in most $100 digital still cameras. But the submersible Picsio fits in your pocket and shoots great HD video!

Picsio also will record mp-3 stereo audio, but the audio quality is marginal in my unit. (I am talking myself into exchanging mine to see if the audio should really be better. Good audio should be technically easy to achieve compared to HD video.)

As an all-in-one camera, this waterproof Picsio is perfect - except for the audio deficiency. The softer still shots are acceptable considering everything else this very well-made camera does.

Post script: I have discovered that I cannot return or exchange the unit due to my own ignorance of the Amazon 30 day return policy on electronics. My fault. Now I must send the unit to the JVC factory warranty repair center in Texas. This I will do since I think the audio on my unit is surely not up to specs. More later.

Later post script on 12JAN2011: I sent my Picsio to the JVC Repair Center in McAllen, Texas. About 10 days after sending it, a technician from the JVC Repair Center telephoned me to ask more specifically about the audio problems I had described. Being a retired radio and television broadcast engineer with some 50+ years experience, I described in scientific detail the audio problems my unit exhibited. The technician obligingly said that he would confer with JVC engineers on site and compare my unit to others known to be working properly. The next day the technician called back with the news that "all of them worked the same". He said there was nothing more he could do but to send it back - which he did.

Now I again have this well-made camera with excellent video - and the same very poor audio.

JVC has either screwed up in the design or in the repair of the Picsio.

My advice: Don't buy the JVC Picsio unless you're looking for a video only application. My Picsio is going to be relegated to duty as an overly expensive video-only security camera.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Little Camera, June 16, 2011

By 

Steven Naramor - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: JVC Picsio GC-WP10 Waterproof Pocket Video Camera (Blue) NEWEST VERSION (Electronics)

Length:: 0:59 Mins

I'm not sure how anyone could write a review for a WATERPROOF video camera without actually testing it in WATER. I bought this camera to take white water rafting last weekend.

Forget the touch screen; you don't even need to use it. Once you have the camera set up how you want it, hit the Screen Lock button. Then you just use the big red stop/record button. You can even use the video/picture button to quickly switch between videos and photos. I left the camera turned on for the entire 3-hour trip, strapped to my life vest. I could quickly lift it up, hit record, and catch some great videos. I was able to take some nice snapshots before and after the trip too.

The sound quality is about what you'd expect for this kind of camera, but you can clearly hear everyone in the raft, including the guide who was all the way in the back. I can't imagine why you would need much better sound quality than that.

The battery lasted for the whole trip, no problem. As far as charging it, it just uses a standard USB-mini connector, which you can find on just about every device manufactured these days. If you don't have a computer (seriously?), you can get a car adapter or a wall adapter for about $5, or you can get a USB battery backup pack for about $10 to $20.

This was $99 at Costco, and it came with a 4 Gb memory card which is good for about 45 minutes of HD Video. I swapped it out for a 16 Gb card for $20, which gave me 3 hours of recording time.

NOTE: The original video was shot in 1080p at 12850kbps. Amazon downsamples their videos to about the 700 kbps range and 480p resolution. Even YouTube cuts the bit rate for HD video in half. So, unfortunately, there isn't really a practical way to highlight the full quality of any HD video camera online. It does, however, accurately demonstrate the audio quality, and the waterproof functionality.