This camera is capable of shooting full 1080p video at 50fps.  The picture quality is lovely and sharp because the shots are progressive (with each frame being a full image) as opposed to interlaced (when each frame contains only 50% of the image and the next frame contains the remaining 50%).  Data is stored at up to 40Mbps (36Mbps video and 4Mbps audio) and you’ll want a fast SDXC card to make the most of it.  I’m using a Sandisk Extreme which can write data at 45Mbps.

It can shoot in MP4, AVCHD and iFrame formats but also includes MOV because its audio is recorded in a lossless (uncompressed) format, a thoughtful addition.  The image sensor is a 1/2.3 inch 12.8MP back illuminated CMOS and the lens is specifically designed for low light being F1.2.

500fps and Time Lapse

Finding their niche, JVC are promoting the GC-PX100 as a sports camera with its ability to shoot up to 500fps (600fps for the US model) but doing so drops the resolution significantly to just 640×360 at 100 and 200fps and 320×176 at 250, 400 and 500fps.  This results in blurring in the picture but is still perfectly acceptable for watching the form of an athlete or sportsman to see where improvements can be made.

Fully-Featured Professional Camcorder?

It was the GC-PX100′s ability as a general all-rounder that got me the most excited.  In addition to the full Intelligent Auto shooting mode there are aperture and shutter priority modes, a full manual mode and a special mode which automatically remembers the settings you use most.  The scenes options are extensive, containing the usual suspects such as sports, sunsets, landscapes and fireworks but also included is a backlight compensation mode which does an excellent job of making sure that foreground people and objects look good when there is a strong backlight, such as a sunny window.  This works well both indoors and outdoors.  Lastly a portrait mode uses face tracking to help you get the best shot when shooting a person front on.

You also get some excellent time-lapse settings which range from 1fps down to 1 frame every 80 seconds, and this feature works extremely well too.

I’m going to let you decide for yourself from this review and from the test videos I’ve included about whether this is a suitable professional video camera primarily because you will all have different requirements and be producing video for very different purposes.  I’ve run a full battery of tests on the GC-PX100 however which have included accessory hardware such as the JVC MZ-V10 external stereo microphone (which hadn’t gone on sale when I wrote this review so many thanks to JVC for sending me one), a Hague MMC steadycam, a 64 LED external light and, most interestingly of all, a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 tablet computer.  I’ll talk more about the tablet integration shortly.

Elsewhere there is a 46mm screw thread on the lens which allows for the addition of lens filters, though these will interfere with the in-built light so it’s best you have an external light if you need a light boost while using lens filters.  I bought the usual mixture of UV, polarising and neutral density filters.  Behind the lens is a manual focus ring, providing full focus control when needed.

The lens has a 10x optical zoom which can be extended to 19x in 720p mode and up to 64x with a digital zoom, though this will hugely decrease your resolution.

The 460k pixel, 3 inch touch screen on the rear of the camera (which comes with an attachable light shield) is where you will access most of the features of the camera and the menus are both simply laid out and very comprehensive with control over every aspect of your shot.  The rest of the controls are sensibly laid out around the camera and include a DSLR-type settings dial on top and a control jog-wheel on one side.  The screen is also articulated, capable of being pulled outwards from the camera body and angled up and down to help with visibility.

DSLR Pretentions

The GC-PX100 can also be used as a 12.8MP camera with DSLR-type controls and quick switching from video to camera mode via a single button press.  A separate button allows you to take a quick selection of 9 still images at 2MP while recording video.  The maximum resolution for images is 4000×3000 pixels, which should satisfy all but the most demanding photographer.

Tablet / Smartphone Integration

The integration with Android and iOS tablets and smartphones is a feature that JVC do shout about though not nearly as much as the feature truly deserves.  JVC have released apps for Android and iOS that, as they like to say, offer the ability to review video live in the field and annotate that video when discussing the shoot as a team.

The GC-PX100 does this by creating it’s own ac-hoc Wi-Fi network that you connect your tablet or smartphone to.  You then run the appropriate JVC app, of which there are two, to view or annotate your video.  However what I discovered in use is much more useful and interesting.  You can use one of the JVC apps to control the camera remotely, helping people like myself who won’t always have a camera-person handy.  You get full control over the camera too including the light, zoom and more.  Getting the camera to record you from a wireless device is incredibly useful and frankly, pretty cool.

It gets better however as if you don’t have access to an Android or iOS device the camera will provide you with an address you can type into the web browser of any computer or device running any operating system.  This will display the camera’s in-built control interface that runs within your browser, and you can genuinely use any device that can connect to Wi-Fi and that has a browser!  Why JVC don’t shout about these features I don’t know as they’re headline grabbing so far as I’m concerned.

The Other Stuff

Battery life on the GC-PX100 is a pretty standard 3½ hours when filming, which is around the same amount of video you’ll get on a 64GB memory card.  External microphones plug into a standard mic in socket so you can use a variety of microphones including wireless ones.  The addition of a headphone jack is useful and there’s a hotshoe near the front of the camera for mounting a light, microphone or other accessory.

The camera comes with a detachable digital viewfinder to help you get the best shot in bright sunlight.  It’s not as good as the screen but very useful none the less.

Conclusions

I bought the GC-PX100 because I needed a professional video camera that didn’t cost the earth and that was small and light enough to travel with while not making too much of a dent on my luggage allowance.  On these scores the GC-PX100 meets every one with ease.  The light weight and small size mean it’s easy to sling into any bag for any trip and the professional features and full manual control, coupled with the addition of support for lens filters, will make sure that even professionals wanting a small camera for broadcast will undoubtedly find a level of control that suits them.

When I film my own videos it’s common that I have to do so without support and so the ability to remotely control the camera from a smartphone or tablet is the icing of the cake.  This feature is so incredibly useful, and in so many scenarios, that it definitely makes the GC-PX100 worth having.

These all build up into a very impressive and desirable package.  The GC-PX100 is one of those products into which genuine thought and attention has gone, rather than just having a next generation of something.  I would recommend this camera to enthusiastic amateurs and professionals alike.

Overall 5/5

Sample Video

I’ve included here a collection of various videos that I have taken with the GC-PX100 edited into a single demonstration.  Do bear in mind though that these have been taken using my own enthusiastic-amateur skills, and the camera is probably capable of even more in professional hands. 

Specifications

* To record video, SDHC/SDXC card with Class 4 or higher performance is required. For MOV/MP4 1080p/iFrame/AVCHD 50p mode, please use Class 6 or higher (Class 10 recommended). Digital stills can be recorded on SD, SDHC or SDXC cards. SD memory cards (256MB to 2GB), SDHC memory cards (4GB to 32GB) and SDXC memory cards (48GB to 128GB) have been tested for the following brands: Panasonic, Toshiba, SanDisk. UHS Speed Class is not supported, but UHS-I SDHC/SDXC cards can be used in the same manner as standard SDHC/SDXC cards. Note that using other media may result in recording failure or data loss. For compatibility of memory cards, please consult an authorised JVC dealer.

To enter email the answer to this question to mike@MVPs.org

Which editions of Windows 8 can connect to a company domain? 

And that’s it!  Terms and conditions can be found at the bottom of this page and good luck to everyone who enters 

Prepare for Exam 70-687—and help demonstrate your real-world mastery of Windows 8 setup and support. Designed for experienced IT Professionals ready to advance their status—Exam Ref focuses on the critical-thinking and decision-making acumen needed for success at the MCSA level.

Focus on the expertise measured by these objectives:

• Install and upgrade to Windows 8
• Configure hardware and applications
• Configure network connectivity
• Configure access to resources
• Configure remote access and mobility
• Monitor and maintain Windows clients
• Configure backup and recovery options

So here are the terms and conditions…

• Entries will be accepted internationally
• Valid entries must include an email sent to mike@MVPs.org so the winner can be contacted
• Following Mike Halsey (HalseyMike) on Twitter, Facebook or YouTube will also increase your chances of winning
• The competition runs from 15th May 2013 for one week until end of the day on 22nd May 2013
• One winner will be chosen at random after this time and notified within one week of the close of the competition
• Should the winner not reply to the win message within two calendar weeks the prize will be reallocated to a new winner
• The winner will be announced on Facebook and Twitter after they have acknowledged the win message
• The prize will be dispatched within 28 days of the winner acknowledging their win and will be sent by regular mail, any loss in the post cannot be replaced
• The judges decision is final and no correspondence shall be entered into

Good luck everybody 

1. Open PC Settings from the Settings Charm
2. Click the General Section
3. In the Touch Keyboard section, activate the switch Make the standard keyboard layout available

Now when you activate the on-screen keyboard, you will see an additional option when clicking the keyboard type button.  This will display the full PC keyboard including all the function keys and, on a press of the virtual Fn key, access to the PC’s function keys too, which is very useful for accessing features in some desktop software.

Standout Features

The first of these is the ability to capture 50fps HD video in full progressive mode, meaning that every frame is a full picture as opposed to interlaced video where only half a frame is captured alternately.  It can record video to an SD card at 36Mbps (video) and 4Mbps (audio) and paired with the latest and fastest SD cards (I’m using a SanDisk 64GB Extreme which can operate at up to 45Mbps) holds the promise of broadcast quality video.

The other standout feature is its full gamut of time-lapse and super-fast recording.  These range from 1 shot every 80 seconds to 1 frame a second in time-lapse to 100, 200, 250, 400 and even 500 frames a second for slo-mo action.

This isn’t quite as headline-grabbing as it might appear however as upping the frame rate to 100, 200 or 250fps drops the maximum capture resolution from 1920×1080 down to 640×360, and increasing the frame rate to 400 or 500fps drops the resolution further to just 320×176. Dropping the resolution like this can result in seriously blurry imagery and it’s not suitable for broadcast.  The fast frame-rates in this camera however are clearly aimed at sports training where you’re looking for form, trying to eliminate the slice from your backswing in golf, or improving your pitching arm in baseball.  Here you can use the GC-PX100′s in-built WiFi to pair the camera directly with an iPad, iPhone or Android phone or tablet (alas no Windows Phone or Windows 8 support yet) to view your video live in the field on a larger screen and use the tablet or phone apps to annotate video or even view two videos side by side.  This isn’t just a niche feature either as there are many scenarios where film-makers will want a larger available screen than the in-built 3 inch touchscreen on which to immediately review video.

DSLR Features

The form-factor of the camera is reminiscent of a DSLR even down to a control knob with intelligent auto, portrait, scene, programmed auto, aperture priority, shutter priority, full manual and a custom saved settings option.  There’s a full manual focus ring too for fine control.  The scenes are extensive containing everything from specialist night-time scenes (including portraiture) to a backlight compensation mode for when a subject might appear too dark against a backdrop.

You can use the GC-PX100 as a 12MP stills camera too in the same way, and with the same controls as you would find on a DSLR.  A snapshot button allows you to capture a series of nine 2MP stills while recording video as well, and switching between video and photo modes is a simple matter of a single button press. Elsewhere the camera is controlled through a 3 inch articulated touch screen which can pull away from the camera body slightly and angle upwards and downwards to allow the maximum flexibility when lining up your scene.  The GC-PX100 also, and very helpfully, comes with a screen shield which prevents glare when using the camera outdoors while also protecting the touch screen when the camera isn’t in use.

Optics and Recording

The lens is a 1/2.3 12.8MP back-illuminated CMOS with a low-light F1.2 and an in-built 10x optical zoom operated from a rocker atop the camera or from the touch screen where you can pre-program a zoom-point (boostable to 19x at 720p and up to 64x digitally, though this will drop resolution considerably and isn’t to be used with ultra-high frame rates).

The camera can record video in AVCHD and MP4 formats but also supports MOV recording because the audio is stored in a non-compressed, lossless format.  On a 64GB SD card you will get 3½ hours of the highest quality video, which is slightly longer than the battery will last when recording constantly anyway and this seems perfectly adequate (and the battery will charge fully in a little over an hour). Atop the camera is an optional digital viewfinder which can guarantee you get the right shot in bright light.  This is provided with the camera and can be clipped on or unclipped quickly as needed. Also atop the camera is a hotshoe providing an easy way to attach an external microphone (the GC-PX100 comes with stereo microphones on the body) or an external light unit (again the GC-PX100 comes with a powerful LED above the lens).

Video quality

Obviously the proof of just how good the GC-PX100 is comes from the quality of the video it shoots and I’ve included here a few videos that I have recorded.  The thing to bear in mind with these is that I’m an enthusiastic amateur when it comes to understanding how to get the very best out of video, and I’m sure a professional cameraman could obtain significantly better shots than I.  You can see the videos at the end of this review.

Conclusions

The GC-PX100 initially caught my eye because I needed a small-form-factor, professional grade camera that wouldn’t make too much of a dent in my luggage allowance while travelling, but that also included important features such as a light and support for an external microphone.  On the former the GC-PX100 really is dinky and weighs almost nothing, it’s lighter than many DSLRs while offering significantly more at the same time.

On the latter, I’m looking forward to pairing it with the JVC MZ-V10 external microphone which I’ve got on order and my own radio microphone. Yes, you read that right.  I’m so impressed with the GC-PX100 that this isn’t just any old review model provided by the manufacturer, this is mine.

I bought this video camera because the Sony consumer camera I had been using previously and which I used for my first round of location filming in February this year in the USA, was clearly inadequate for the task at hand and unable to provide the broadcast-quality video I required.

The GC-PX100 is an excellent camera that offers non-professional film-makers every feature they’ll ever need and then some, sports coaches a unique way to monitor and evaluate performance and professionals a body that’s small and light enough to sling into any bag and carry anywhere.

So I’m going to give this camera an initial review score, but in a couple of weeks when I’ve used it more and with more peripherals I’ll come back and expand on this review.  It will be interesting to see just what I’ll be able to get out of the GC-PX100.

Overall 5/5

Full HD test

Full HD test, testing hand-held image stabilisation

Full HD test, time-lapse and low light

Full HD test, indoor with backlight compensation

Full HD test, indoors in shady area

Full HD test, indoors with camera light in shady area

250fps test

500fps test

1) Right-click anywhere in a black space on the desktop and from the context menu that appears click New and then click Folder

2) When a “New folder” appears on the desktop it’s name will be highlighted, paste this text into the folder name and press Enter on your keyboard.

Programs.{4234d49b-0245-4df3-b780-3893943456e1}

Note: If the folder name doesn’t appear as being editable, right click on the folder and select Rename from the options that appear

That’s it!  That’s all you need to do.  You now have a folder on your desktop containing all of your installed programs and apps.

The new app aggregates all Mike Halsey’s videos and articles into an easily accessible and understandable format.  You can find out everything from the basics of using the new Start screen in Windows 8 to troubleshooting and repairing startup issues and lots more.

To enter, write a review for the app in the Windows Store or online and email mike@MVPs.org to let me know your email address so I can contact you if you win.  The competition runs from now until Sunday 19th May 2013.

So here are the terms and conditions…

• Entries will be accepted internationally
• Valid entries must include an email sent to mike@MVPs.org so the winner can be contacted
• Following Mike Halsey (HalseyMike) on Twitter, Facebook or YouTube will also increase your chances of winning
• The competition runs from 19th April 2013 to midnight on 19th May 2013
• The rating, length and content of app reviews will not factor into the judges decision
• One winner will be chosen at random after this time and notified within one week of the close of the competition
• Should the winner not reply to the win message within two calendar weeks the prize will be reallocated to a new winner
• The winner will be announced on Facebook and Twitter after they have acknowledged the win message
• The prize will be dispatched within 28 days of the winner acknowledging their win and will be sent by regular mail, any loss in the post cannot be replaced
• The judges decision is final and no correspondence shall be entered into
• The copy of Windows 8 is not for resale and must not be sold

Good luck everybody 

It’s not a small handset either at 130.3 by 70.8 by 10.7mm and weighing in at 185 grams this is one of the heaviest handsets available, though certainly not one of the largest.  We should start with the size and weight though because despite what you might think, this doesn’t feel heavy in a trouser pocket nor is it too large to carry in one.  Some people like to have a slightly weightier smartphone so that they know it’s still there and the Lumia 920 certainly falls into this category without being too heavy to annoy.

The camera is extremely impressive, having superior optics and being mounted on springs so as to minimise camera shake.  The phone also comes with a clutch of apps that help you make the most from this lens too.

Build quality is even better than that of it’s predecessor, the Lumia 800.  Made form the same one-piece polycarbonate shell it doesn’t have the flaky USB cover of the Lumia 800 and overall build quality is superb.  The screen is smear resistant (mostly) and extremely clear.  In short the screen is a genuine joy to use.

The phone comes in several colours including black, grey and red but I tried the white and yellow ones and I felt the yellow handset, while unusual, felt fresh and funky.  I really liked using it.

With the Windows Phone 8 OS on board the phone is responsive and extremely quick.  The large on-board storage (double what comes with many tablets these days) allows you to install as many apps and maps as you like (something that is a problem with my own HTC 8S handset which has only 8GB of storage).

In day to day use, innovative features like Tap to Play, NFC and the gloves-usable touch screen add an overall appeal to the Lumia 920 that’s so far unbeaten by any other smartphone on the market including from the market leaders Samsung and Apple.

Overall this is an extremely capable and fully-featured handset that provides everything that can reasonably be asked for.  Add to this excellent voice call quality and great mobile reception and we end up with a handset that’s difficult to beat!  Highly recommended.

If you can’t find the answer to your question in this app you can get additional help by following Mike Halsey on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or emailing him directly.  Use the buttons below to stay in touch with and contact Mike Halsey.

Mike Halsey (born March 1970 in Camberley, Surrey) is a technology author and blogger. He is a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) awardee of several years and has also worked as a web designer and a club singer.

Biography

Mike Halsey came to ICT through the home computer revolution when he was 11 and his parents bought him a Sinclair ZX81 and the year later a ZX Spectrum. His resultant love for computers also included the Apple II, early IBM Personal Computers and Sinclair QL. He later moved to Psion’s handheld devices such as the Organiser II, Series 3 and Series 5 before finally coming to the modern PC revolution in 1999.

Before working in IT he has had a variety of occupations including working as a deck hand on Brighton Pier, a job he said he loved, and a short period working as an architectural and portrait photographer during which time he had two small photographic exhibitions in Brighton, UK.

Mike spent three years in his mid-20′s touring the UK as a club singer and then worked in website and print design when he lived in Brighton. Throughout these early years Mike also provided IT support services to small businesses and individuals in their homes.

Eventually the call to a full time job in ICT beckoned and Mike moved to a position with Siemens providing second and third-line technical support to blue-chip clients and major multinationals.

In addition to his work as an author for Microsoft Press and a technology blogger, Mike now also works as a teacher of English and Maths adult basic-skills.

Writing

Mike began writing for technology blogs in May 2009 starting for Windows7News.com, he later took on writing jobs for ConnectedInternet.co.uk, Windows8News.com and gHacks.net.

He self-published his Windows 7 Power Users Guide at the end of August 2009. His first book for Microsoft Press, Troubleshooting Windows 7 Inside Out was released in October 2010 and Mike is continuing to work on projects for Microsoft Press, O’Reilly, APress and other publishers.

In 2013 Mike took on the role of Technical Editor for the O’Reilly book Windows 8 The Missing Manual by David Pogue.

MVP Award

In January 2011 Mike was awarded a Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional) title in the Windows Expert (Consumer) category.  He was renewed for the award in 2012 and 2013.

List of works

• The Windows 7 Power Users Guide released September 2009
• Troubleshooting Windows 7 Inside Out (Microsoft Press) released October 2010
• Need2Know Office 365 Security Essentials (Fair Trade DX) released November 2011
• Beginning Windows 8 (APress) released October 2012
• Windows 8: Out of the Box (O’Reilly) released October 2012
• Troubleshoot and Optimize Windows 8 Inside Out (Microsoft Press) released October 2012
• 70-687 Configuring Windows 8 Exam Ref (Microsoft Press) released May 2013

Fortunately such a feature does exist in Windows and it’s called Saved Searches.  Let’s have a look at how it works and how you set them up on your own computer.

1) In File Explorer (Windows 8) or Windows Explorer (Windows 7) open the library that contains the files you wish to create a saved search for.  If the files are scattered further afield on your hard disk than one library open the hard disk in the Computer view.

2) In the search box in the top right of the window you need to search for the files or content you wish to find.  You can see in the example below that I’ve searched for Adobe PDF files but let’s have a look at some of the common search types you can use.

TIP!  When you are searching in Windows 8, a Search tab will appear on the ribbon in File Explorer containing easy to use search tools and options.

• Kind: displays a list by default of common file types but you can type *.pdf or another file extension to search for a specific file type (the type: search command can also be used for this)
• Authors: will display a list of document authors that already exist in the index, though you can also type a different name if required
• Name: will display files with the specified name (exact or partial), you can also use Title: for this
• Tags: will display all files tagged with the search term
• Size: will display a list of available file sizes to search for

• DateModified: will display both a list of available date ranges and also a calendar on which you can select specific dates or date ranges

TIP!  You can click the month at the top of the calendar to change the view to all the months of the year or all available years

3) Now you need to save you search…

1. In Windows 7 click the Save Search button on the toolbar across the top of Windows Explorer
2. In Windows 8 click the Save Search button under the Search tab on the ribbon in File Explorer

4) Give the search a meaningful name and click the Save button in the save window at appears

5) The Saved Search will then appear in your Favorites list in File Explorer (Windows Explorer in Windows 7).  It will operate exactly the same as a library in that it will be kept automatically updated (provided the contents are in folder locations on your hard disk that are indexed) so it will always be up to date with the latest files and changes.