Here comes a camcorder from JVC, the GC-XA1 ADIXXION, which is shockproof, waterproof, dust proof and freeze proof. The Quad proof camera, as JVS calls it, can sustain a drop upto 6 foot, can sustain water drowning upto 30 min, resistant to dust and resistant to freezing temperatures of 14°F. The GC-XA1’s is a 1080p shoot camera, compact in size and weighs just 4 ounces.
It has a 5MP CMOS sensor capable of capturing videos at 1080/30p and 720/60p. It also captures still JPEG images at high resolution. With its wide angle of 170° and f/2.8 fixed focal lens, it has capability to shoot actions and images perfect while it is mounted on your vehicle or attached next to you goggle or to your helmet.
The GC-XA1 has 3 more shooting modes, the Endless Recording, Time Lapse, and Picture Inversion mode. In the Endless Recording mode, you can capture upto 15 min of video recording before you actually press the record button. It buffers the video into the camera memory. The Picture Inversion allows you to invert the image properly whereas the Time Lapse mode captures a single frame of video every second thereby speeding up the time. The image stabilization of the camera is very good.
The GC-XA1 built-in Wi-Fi mode allows you to immediately upload and stream your videos to an iPhone or an Andriod smartphone using JVC’s WiVideo application. You can access the camera wirelessly, shoot and preview them on your smartphone. This is one of the most interesting feature provided. There is no remote control provided by JVC but you can use free remote control applications available for your smartphone which you can download and control the camera. However, you cannot view and record at the same time.
The LCD camera of GC-XA1 is tiny at 1.5 inches/3.8cm, but JVC has provided large menu icons and buttons. The image transfer using Wi-Fi mode is bit slow but you can use USB connectivity also to transfer the images or using the SD memory card to record and transfer the images using memory reader. The battery gets charged when connected to USB port. It normally takes 3 hrs to charge completely. The battery life is little short when used at 1080p resolution.
In summary, the GC-XA1 is a good camera for 1080p resolution recording. With its Wi-Fi capability and controlling it using your smartphone could be an added advantage. The market price of this light weight and Quad proof JVC GC-XA1 is approximately $299.
