Sony's GC-1 does triple duty, taking stills, saving videos and streaming video. But was this jack-of-all-trades a master of none?
Review summary of the Sony GC1:
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 The GC1 is certainly a jack-of-all trades, and manages to pack a lot of standard features from more expensive point-and-shoots into its funky-looking package. It scored well in most of our categories, but the image quality suffers from an extremely low-quality lens, and being the most important aspect of a digital camera, it suffered. The GC1 is great for a child or teenager unconcerned with excellent image quality, given its versatile nature. But for even the most casual photographer, it doesn't make the cut. As a camcorder it faired slightly better, but as a "Net-Sharing Cam," the only convenience it offered over a standard camera was that its software finds the URL of the video you want to share, falling well short of competitors like Casio's YouTube uploader. As a webcam, it did what it said it would, but the quality was just average. Ultimately, it did a lot of things, it just didn't do any of them particularly well. Release: September 2007. Price: $150.
Pros: One-handed design, versatile, inexpensive
Cons: Poor image quality, boxy design, poor flash placement
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Full Sony GC1 Review:
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Design & Interface – Very good
At first glance, the GC1 seems unremarkable; a black rectangle, a half glossy, half matte brick. When opened, it looks slightly more interesting, but the harsh lines remain. We think there might be too many buttons, but they seem to be logically designed for one-handed shooting and thumb navigation. We especially liked the dedicated shutters for movie and still photography mode.
The 2.4-inch display is slightly below average, but this is a budget camera, after all. 123,000-pixels is pretty atrocious, but for $150, it’s forgivable. But it’s the 360-degree swivel that highlights this LCD, allowing shots from the most extreme angles. With all that versatility, we still would have liked to be able to frame shots with the LCD closed, perhaps through an optical viewfinder.
The interface was simple and functional, if unnecessarily ugly. Consisting of a transparent strip along the bottom of the screen and upwardly-extending menus, the options were organized extremely well, with all the image-specific options in the main menu and the rest in a full screen submenu titled “Setup.” The image view and slideshow functions were pretty standard, although it was interesting that the slideshow included both videos and photos.
The unit turns on when the LCD swings open, so we didn’t see the point of the power button. We also think that with some creative button assignment, Sony could have eliminated some minimally-used buttons like the display button and the trash button, which probably didn’t need dedicated keys.
Shooting Features – Very good
The features on the GC1 were standard, if a little crude. It only has 9 scene modes, but features manual control for saturation, flash level, burst image capture, ISO settings, exposure and color. Sensitivity can only be set as high as ISO 400 and white balance must be selected from five preset settings, but the inclusion of these controls is nice.
The VGA-resolution video recording offered on the GC1 is as good as the camcorder gets, and for a device branded the “Net-Sharing Cam,” we think it was wise for Sony to include lower resolutions rather than higher ones. After all, most YouTube uploaders aren't looking for HD recording, and VGA is suited for a standard-definition television.
As a digital camera, the GC1 falls short spec-wise. Its 5 megapixel sensor is subpar for 2007, but it's the complete lack of an optical zoom that is most disappointing. We liked that it had internal memory, but as it only allowed for one 5 megapixel picture or 10 seconds of VGA video, this is really more for dire emergencies. The quality of the video and audio was neither horrific or fantastic, but the real gem of the Net-Sharing Cam is inevitably its ability to share.
For this, the GC1 has a "Webcam" setting, which allows the camera to be used as a webcam to broadcast streaming video from your computer. For live streaming, the GC1 works with Web sites as well as video chat programs. The resolution is cut by almost 3/4, from VGA to 320x250, and live streaming also drains the battery quickly. It took us some time, with multiple failed attempts and a restart of our computer, to get the drivers properly installed, but once everything was installed we had no issues getting the camera to work with our software.
Image Quality - Mediocre
We think what hurt the GC1 the most was its lens. Small, hidden behind a plastic shield and lacking any optical zoom, it handicaps the camera from the start, preventing it from taking great pictures. With a low megapixel count, low cost and the words “Net-Sharing” branded all over its front, we didn’t expect it to win any photo contests, but we were still disappointed with the quality of the images that we got.
Samples:
Outdoor shot taken in 'Auto' mode Our obligatory ‘Auto’ shot was taken in regrettably crummy weather, but there still should have been plenty of light to get a clear shot. Virtually the entire image was grainy. The colors were dull, specifically noticeable in the contrast between the white and green on the sign. A blue tint is noticeable, as most of our outdoor shots were shot on cloudy days. Sadly, this was one of the better ones.
Indoor shot taken in 'Twilight Portrait' modeThis mode gave us our favorite of the sample shots. With the low light of dawn creeping into our Brooklyn apartment, we needed light. By using the flash, we overexposed the edges of each rectangle just a little, but we liked how the reflections on the lips as well as the saliva bubbles were represented.
Outdoor shot taken in 'Program' modeAfter tinkering around with the settings on a cloudy day, we were able to get this shot. It was one of the most clear shots we were able to capture, which isn’t saying much; edges of almost every line were fuzzy, colors were dull and blended into each other. The diagonal lines of the blades of grass had jagged edges and the bricks are extremely fuzzy.
Video Sample:
Overall, we were disappointed with the image quality of still photographs on the GC1. Video was better, with lines being smoother and pictures being clearer, although at an obviously lower resolution. The camera seemed to refocus relatively quickly despite a lot of movement during video recording , and while we loved zooming, no camera or consumer should be subjected to digital zoom. Colors were a bit dull, although the cloudy weather can be held at least partially responsible for that. The recorded audio was probably more impressive, especially the volume on the internal speaker. We thought the transfer software could have used a little work, but overall the video worked as well as the average point-and-shoot, with the added benefit of the 360-degree rotating LCD.
Image Transfer – Very good
The software on the included CD-ROM was forgettable; attractive animations, limited editing options and a poorly-executed calendar sorting option were pretty much all that the Picture Motion Browser software had to offer.
For users interested in taking their pictures straight to the internet, no installation is necessary. When you plug in the GC1 in Mass Storage mode, the pre-installed software immediately starts running. All the photos and videos on the camera immediately come up with check boxes, with media previously “sharemarked” on the camera being pre-selected. Media hosting services like YouTube and Photobucket are listed on the right. New services can be added, but they act like simple hyperlinks, opening a window with the appopriate Web site. Unlike Casio’s YouTube Uploader, which logs into the service and uploads videos with all the proper information attached, it seems almost as if Sony had a great idea but gave up halfway. Transfer speeds were extremely fast with the USB 2.0 cable.
Accessories – Good
Accessories bundled with the GC1 are few and far between. An internal, non-removable battery is charged by a clunky two-part AC adaptor, with USB 2.0 and AV cables providing connectivity to a computer or television. We didn’t like that Sony doesn’t include a memory card with their retail package (although our review unit did include one), especially since the aforementioned miniscule internal memory is almost useless. A wrist strap also would have been nice, especially since the thin metal bar underneath the port bay seems designed to hold one.
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