JVC GC-PX10 Camcorder Manual Controls

The GC-PX10 offers a good amount of manual controls in video mode, but the method for adjusting these controls is unsatisfactory. Switching the mode dial to "A" allow you to use aperture priority mode and switching it over to "S" lets you adjust controls in shutter priority mode--just like the traditional modes found on JVC Camcorder Battery Charger. A full manual mode, where you can set aperture and shutter speed independently from one another, is available as well.
There's a good range of shutter speed options on the camcorder, and they go all the way down to 1/2 of a second if you want to create some shifty slow shutter effects. The aperture range is not as extensive, with the camcorder only offering a few different f-stop selections. Adjusting both controls is made possible by the small wheel embedded into the side of the lens barrel. We wish this wheel had been made both larger and with more friction when you rotate it, as the loose design of the wheel makes precise adjustment of controls very difficult. A better dial or ring on the GC-PX10 would make us far more likely to recommend the GC-PX10 to manual control enthusiasts.
This wheel is also used to set focus and basic exposure, but the basic exposure control can only be used in program mode. Focus assist is available on the camcorder in the form of peaking, and you can set the peaking specks to three different colors. This feature is somewhat fun, but we'd rather have JVC Battery Charger put some energy into designing a better interface than offer three different peaking colors. Manual white balance is even more of an annoyance to set than the other controls on the camcorder. You must select the option from the menu, and then hold down the manual white balance button until you hear two beeps. It's a terrible system that isn't intuitive and isn't well explained unless you read the instruction manual thoroughly. And the fact that JVC has repeatedly used this sloppy manual white balance interface on its camcorders for a few years now is even more disheartening. JVC rounds the PX10's manual control set out with a limited gain adjustment option. You can turn gain off, or set the gain to 6dB, 12dB, 18dB, or auto gain control. A final option of Auto-S allows the camcorder to set gain automatically and use an auto slow shutter if necessary.
A feature that sounds better than it really is, all tale macro lets you do is record close-up images when using the PX10 JVC Camcorder Charger near-maximum amount of optical zoom. You don't need to turn the feature on to get close-ups where you can hold the camcorder very close to your subject, but you will need it if you use optical zoom to focus on a subject close-up.