No comments about Panasonic Pro AG-HVX200A 3CCD P2/DVCPRO 1080i High Definition Camcorder with 13x Optical Zoom (16GB P2 Included).

5 comments about Mustek DV5200 6-in-1 Multi-Function Camcorder w/1.5" LCD & 4x Digital Zoom.

1. I'm reading some of the reviews, and I just don't get it. First it does come with batteries. It also does have a place for extended memory which I highly recommend. I purchased a 512MB for $20.00. I mean I don't know anybody that only keeps the internal memeory. Most only have about 32MB, and that's not enough for any camera. The only thing missing is a flash, which is included in the 8200, but the megapixels is only 3.0 compared to the 5200's 5.4. Fot the small price and nice specs you can't go wrong otherwise just spend 2,3 hundred and get something better. You get what you pay for. Pay $20,000 and buy a Hyundai or pay $60,000 and buy a Mercedes. Both will get you around town. This is a great little item, but it's not a $300.00 camera.



2. When I bought this camera I assumed it had flash, it doesn't. It only takes good pictures in certain lighting and the pixel quality is not as good as I thought it would be either. Also it goes through batteries really fast.



3. I am fifteen and I do a lot of traveling around the country. I thought it would be fun to take around a camera that was sturdy and not too expensive to record all the interesting and fun things that happen when I travel. I decided to try this product out and I love it!
   It doesn't have much memory on its own, so I bought a 128 MB memory card for $13.00, which holds over 200 pictures at a time and over 2 hours of video memory. That's enough for me. You can get memory cards for a good price that hold twice that, too.
   The picture is also pretty sharp. The camera doesn't have a flash, though. With a normal houselight the picture usually is a bit yellowish, but not too much. The pictures are great outdoors.
   The only downside that really bothers me is the fact that it eats up the batteries so quickly, and the batteries are not rechargeable... just normal AA batteries. So I will have to keep a pack of extra batteries in my purse, just in case.
   I read that some people don't like how small the LCD screen is, but I think it's just fine. It's enough to see what you're filming and it's really sharp so it gets details well.
   I wouldn't get this camera if it was going to be the family camera. I think it's more just for personal, everyday use. When you upload the movies to the computer, they are in WMA format, which works with Windows Movie Maker and is easy to upload onto the net.
   Overall, I think this is a great, handy, well-built camera for an awesome price!



4. This little camera is handy...but not always reliable. We took a cruise to Alaska from Vancouver and I thought this would be a great little toy to take with me. Some of the pictures and video turned out great. Some was extremely grainy. Many of the pictures were completely out of focus, and while that does not surprise me on landscapes, portrait shots of people taken less than 12 feet away should not have focus issues. The video recorder itself works ok, but I would suggest spending just a little more and getting something with better quality.



5. This camera is small and light, that was a plus. You have to learn how to get around on it, as in deleting, transferring files to the computer, learning how to change options, ect which is kind of confusing and takes time to learn. Unless you get a memory card, dont plan on saving or video taking much..as it doesnt hold much memory at all. Its annoying to have to keep downloading to the computer to have more memory. It came with an awesome cd program for movie making and picture editing. In all, I like the camera, even my daughter can use it without huriting it, but its not for long trips or exppert video taking. And it doesnt cost much, so no big waste in money.

No comments about GoPro GHHW30 Helmet HERO 3 Quick Release 3MP Camcorder.

5 comments about Hitachi DZGX5020A DVD Camcorder with 30x Optical Zoom.

1. I have the GX5020 and have found it to shoot good footage both inside and outdoors. The quality of the camera is good with intuitive controls, no manual reading required!
   
   The only shortfall is the battery provided does not last more than around 40 minutes, so a long life battery is a wise investment.



2. I am 13 and I got this camera as a gift. it is awesome and is compatable with many disks including maxwell disks and Sony Handycam disks (those are the ones I use.)
   Shoots pretty well indoors.
   No manual reading required, but I did so to find out the features.
   It also can take pictures and capture photos from a video.
   I recommend Hitachi Camcorder Accessory Kit 2 for Hitachi DVD Camcorders. The bag fits the camera, batteries, disks, cords, and the manual nicely. I bought this because of the battery (a couple of hours life). Plus you get 3 Maxwell DVD-R disks (disk cases included)
   
   Overall, this is a great buy for beginners AND pros.



3. Small, quick and easy to use! I love the ability to save a picture to an SD card from any frame. We bought digital frames for the grandma's this Christmas and I was able to save pictures from the camcorder directly to the SD cards for use with their frames - I didn't need the camera at all. And I have the best pictures because I was able to pick the perfect frame to make a picture! That perfect smile that I would have missed with my 2 second delay camera - I got it this year using the camcorder. There was no learning process and it is very user friendly. The only downside so far is that the lenscap doesn't stay secure when clipped on and I tend to zoom way too fast! This is my first camcorder and I am very pleased.



4. Camera is easy to use. Light camera; fits easily in the palm of my hand. Works well in dim light. Good value for the money.



5. Worst buy I ever made, here are some of the problems:
   -Cannot open disk to remove easily, takes a few minutes, sometimes does not open at all.
   -Constant issues with "formatting disks"
   -Off button is not locked and often moves to "on" while transporting, when you take it out for use, battery is dead.
   -After capturing images, unable to play back due to "corrupted disks" even after disks have played fine many times previously.
   
   Don't waste your time with this item.

5 comments about Panasonic HDC-SD5 AVCHD 3CCD Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilization w/DVD Burner.

1. this is my first HD camcorder , at first i was confused between the canon HF10 and the panasonic HDC-SD5, to be honest am not photo expert, i want something light, small, comfortable and reliable for my travel in august to Munich and Paris.
   after i tested the camcorder , its very easy to use , almost no weight, after all am very pleased with the results , for both the pictures and the motion videos .
   add to that u will get every single wire or cable u need with this camcorder which u dont get with most of other camcorders. all u need is HDSC flash card and u are ready to get wonderful life memory videos .



2. The last camera I had has been collecting dust for years. Too boring to use on a regular basis. The Sony is officially retired. The colors, the definition, the ease of SD capture made it so easy. I have a new puppy and all of this recording in such great clarity has turned me back into a creative artist. And it's so easy to pop out the card and plug it into a reader, into my Mac and into iMovie or Final Cut.
   
   I got a 16GB SDHC card on Amazon, so the prices are good on those as well. And I've shot over an hour at a time with still plenty of room. Great! Nice thing is that every start stop is it's own scene. Sure DV cameras did this before, but with this, I can just selecdt and delete a scene just like a picture on a digital still.
   
   Just be sure your computer has the power to process video in ADCHD. For a Mac you need an Intel based machine and iMovie '08 or later or Any HD final cut. I don't know about a PC but check your specs.
   
   Overall, it's great and I waited since february, watching for the right price.



3. I bought this camera after much research. My previous camera was a Sony. I needed a camera that was compatible with Apple. It has mostly worked well. However, some video has not and I've had to rely on PC in order to download my video. I find Panasonic's customer support to be a bit lacking. I also had a hard time finding another battery to purchase. Every site that carried them was out of stock. Thankfully one was sufficient. I love the fact that I can leave the camera on and as long as the LCD screen is closed the camera is off. When I open the screen it turns on. Great feature. I was disappointed not to have a neck strap. I love the DVD burner. That was one of the main selling points for me. Travels well. The video quality is great but I haven't had much time to play with video I have taken. Video is definitely a memory hog. Be prepared to have room.



4. THIS VIDEO CAMERA IS THE BEST IVE EVER USED,TRUE BLU RAY HIGH DEF,BRIGHT COLOR AND CRISP PICTURE.I USE A 16GB SDHC CARD,YOU DO NEED A BLU RAY PLAYER FOR HD,BUT YOU CAN ALSO RECORD IN STANDARD 640X480 WHICH CAN BE WATCHED 0N ANY DVD PLAYER!GREAT VALUE UNDER $800.



5. Up until this camcorder I was recording off of the HDV format. With the emergence of Blue-Ray as the winner of the HD war, I decided to switch. After much research, I bought this model refurbished from Amazon Warehouse Deals. The first one arrived without a battery, so I returned it. The second one arrived in great condition (except for a tattered box) with all parts accounted for. This is my second transaction with Amazon Warehouse Deals for a refurbished product, and I think they offer great value if you can live with the fact that the box has been opened and may not be in the best of shape.
   
   I only shoot family events (vacations, birthdays, etc.) but I wanted to make sure that all of our personal, memorable moments could be viewed for years to come in as best quality as affordably possible. So, along with this camcorder I also bought a Panasonic DMP-BD30K Blue-Ray DVD player, plus the Panasonic VW-BN1 DVD burner. I couldn't be happier with my choice for all three. Now I have a fairly simple process for taking family videos, saving them to disc, and playing them in the Blue-Ray format.
   
   As others have mentioned, the HDC-SD5 takes outstanding video outside in bright light, but is not so great indoors, in low light situations. I was torn for quite some time between this one and the HDC-SD1, because the SD1 has quite a few features the SD5 doesn't, namely a microphone input jack, 5.1 Dolby sound instead of only stereo, 12X zoom instead of 10X, and larger image sensors for better low light performance (1/4" instead of 1/6"). One advantage of the SD5 over the SD1, though, is its resolution, with full HD output at 1920 X 1080 compared to 1440 X 1080 with the SD1. I am admittedly not sure how much difference this makes, or if this compensates for the smaller CCD sensors in the SD5. Regardless, what finally sold me on the SD5 was simply its compatibility with the VW-BN1 burner, which I believe from internet readings the SD1 does not have and which I consider to be about the greatest thing since night baseball. It is SO EASY now to transfer my recordings to a DVD-R disc in full Blue-Ray HD. Since they are unedited, they transfer "warts and all" but I don't usually edit my home videos anyway. Maybe some day I will, but for family footage I just never bothered with it. With the BW-BN1 burner about 40 minutes of recorded video only takes about 20 to 30 minutes and voila! My memories are stored on DVD. An amazing feature, in my book.
   
   My only dislikes about the SD5 are no viewfinder, which is starting to be more and more common for small camcorders, and the quirky placement of the input jacks for the HDMI and the USB connection, which are beneath a panel under the hand strap; very awkward. You also have to put in a fake battery that is connected to the power cord for AC hook-up, which causes you to have to insert this fake battery in the battery slot on the BOTTOM of the camcorder, run the cord through the battery cover via a tiny slot in the cover in order to close the cover, in order to operate the camcorder, that lay in the house that Jack built. It won't turn on with the cover open. Really goofy, no? You also cannot utilize the USB via battery power (which also means you can't operate the VW-BN1 burner via battery power) so you have to go through this exercise every time you want to do anything with USB connectivity. Presumably this "USB via AC power only" rule is so you will not lose power during a file transfer, etc, so I can understand the rationale behind it, but the placement of the jacks and the AC hookup process really makes it a pain.
   
   The SD card slot is also on the bottom, by the battery, so you have to open the battery cover every time you want to remove/replace it (you access card slot on the SD1 model via the flip-out LCD screen). The Panasonic Blue-Ray player I bought will read video right off of the card, so I find myself accessing it often, and it's also less than convenient.
   
   As much as it may sound as though I am knocking this camcorder, I am very happy with the purchase and love shooting video with it, largely because I view it as part of my overall system (camcorder, burner, player). As mentioned before, the video quality is outstanding, but only so-so in low light. The sound is also excellent, despite the downgrade to stereo from 5.1. However, if the SD1 would work with the VW-BN1 burner, I would have gone that route. As a final comment, I will NEVER go back to mini tapes now that I have gotten used to the SD cards, which seem to be dropping in price almost every day.
   
   Anyway, I hope this long-winded review helps you in your decision making, thanks for reading!

5 comments about Samsung SC-X300 Flash Memory Divx Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom.

1. Well thought out, picture quality is good and the entire device is incredibly small and convenient. Being able to charge from USB is also very handy and the best part is you don't have to mess with tape or disc media.
   
   It's definitely a consumer rather than professional product but for home use, it's a great little device at a reasonable price.



2. I bought this camcorder as it had better reviews than SC-X300L but this has really disappointed me. Video is barely acceptable in bright daylight but low light and indoor footage is really bad. Video quality is comparable to my cellphone (samsung t629) video and its miles away from DVD quality. I would say closer to youtube quality. It does not have still camera option but when you use it as a webcam it can take still pictures and you can take still pics from the video using their software, again the product description is misleading. I have a problem when it says it is DIVX because samsung came up with their own divx format which is not compatible with other popular divx codecs. It is already a mess in the codec world and do you really have to throw in another one to mess with the consumers. I have a divx dvd player and it does not play the video files made with X-300. MP3 and voice recorder features are better so may be samsung should really market it as an mp3 player and not as a camcorder.
   
   When you zoom in and out then it is recording the sqeeking sound of the moving part which is annoying specially when you are recording in a quite surroundings.



3. Bad video quality and equally bad battery life...Battery started having problems in less than a week. Video quality is very poor..
   Not recommended for a purchase.



4. Hi, I'm a California Teacher that uses this camcorder to make educational videos for the web, teacher trainings, iPod, and dvd. I also use it for family and goofy stuff, but not as much as my educational work. PROS: It's tiny, black, and stylish. This camcorder can take video that's quickly transferred to your PC via an SD card slot. Uses a high speed 10 mps(NOT HSHC) cards. It's easily the smallest camcorder I've used with superb video quality. CONS: plugging raw video you've shot directly to a tv/ flat screen looks weak. You need to process it according to your output. If it's the web, publish to around 1.0 mps. Clarifying NOTES: Without getting into too many details, if you plan on burning DVD or publishing to an iPod, you should always edit your video in the raw mPeg4 format at then save to AT LEAST 3.0 Mps (DVD quality) in 640x480 format. That's been the biggest confusion on this camcorder. If you publish a video with 1.0-2.5 mps, that's great FOR THE WEB, not for a dvd or an iPod you'll use to display on a TV/ projector/ LCD flatscreen. There's numerous reviews on YouTube and other video sites that present and post subpar quality video to a site only to have the site code to flash. Trying to review high quality video or devices by using YouTube is hilarious. Check out Vimeo or other video publishing sites that allow you to see high resolution videos that do non-flash video. Oh, I partner this up with a little monster, adjustable tripod, and they both produce fantastic student council productions and other videos. I hope this helps. -E.



5. Hi ! First of all I wanna say that this is my first Camcorder that i ever bought in my life ..
   I like it and its great because you can bring with you everywhere and its light.
   The images are good outside and not so bad indoor.. for sure is not a camcorder with 3ccd but its ok....
   The audio is great , I was amazed about the quality of audio..
   I don't like too much the case because is too small and its a little boring to put the camcorder inside it ..
   The software ( VideoStudio SE ) that the company give for edit the video is nice but it hasn't got a converter from .VSP to .AVI or other kind of format.. so i advise to find another Edit Video Editing software.
   Anyway.. this Camcorder is great for people that want a nice and easy stuff to make video for family , concerts and sport..
   Its very easy to put the video into the pc , its like a photo camera..
   In two second you have your video into your pc in format .AVI and you start to edit it with an other Edit Video Editing software :).
   
   So my rewiew is positive :)

5 comments about Sony DCR-HC48 1MP MiniDV Handycam Camcorder with 25x Optical Zoom (Handycam Station Included).

1. This is a wonderful little camera. The night vision works great and it records just fine in very little light. I would definitely recommend this camera. You may need to buy accessories like the tapes and the duo memory stick if they don't come with the camera prior to being able to use it.



2. This video camera is smaller than my digital camera. It's easy to use and the only real problem I've had so far is learning to tape with one hand. It takes pictures in darkness beautifully. I've had fun playing with all of the bells and whistles. This is the first video camera I've purchased since buying a huge Panasonic camera in 1987. Lots of changes since then.



3. This camera is very easy to use, is lightweight and so far has had great battery life. I've had no trouble capturing my video using the i-link to USB cable as that's the only port available on my laptop. For me it's been great value for the price.



4. I took several months to research cameras and finally thought I would settle on this camera. I was wrong - I didn't settle, I totally satisfied my desire for a video camera.
   
   Pro's: Compact design / easy to use / works great in low-light / works great inside or outside / effective zoom / the fire-wire connection works seamlessly with iMac and iMovie / provides great sound / clear video - even on my 720p TV / lots of options like still photo, time lapse, and other video editing effects
   
   Con's: Too small if you have large hands or poor coordination / may take a couple of extra steps to get it to work on a PC / still pic's are less than great quality / need the base to transfer video with fire-wire
   
   Would I recommend this product to others? Not if I wanted my video to look better than theirs. ;-)



5. I have had this camera for a few months now and I have been pleased. Verily. I don't use it a ton, which is why I wanted to get a cheaper camera rather than paying like $47 million for a hard drive camera. I've had no issues with it so far. I just hooked it into my laptop (which probably helps that that is a Sony too.) via firewire and used the windows movie maker and voila! It takes the video automatically (or manually) right off the camera for editting. I put up a few youtube clips with it that worked perfectly! the only drawback is that it has to upload real-time, but that's how any tape-based media is going to work. Definitely still worth it overall. Only reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is that I'm not a HUGE fan of the touchscreen interface, although its not as bad as some people make it out to be. Oh and night-mode is freakin' sweet! If you think I'm not going to make some lame Bear Grylls parodies with this you're crazy. (Just to be clear, I'm not saying Bear Grylls is lame....he's awesome.....I'm just saying that I will be lame for making the videos.)

5 comments about Panasonic PV-GS300 3.1MP 3CCD MiniDV Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom.

1. Bought this camcorder for christmas to film my little baby boy. I send dvds to my relatives who live far away and they love the picture quality. All of my friends who own camcorders agree the picure is very sharp. The camcorder is easy to use and comes with everything you need to get going except minidv tapes. Buy these with your online purchase because they are too expensive in stores. The only complaint I have would be the low light recording quality. It is only average(all camcorders are bad in low light). The camera does have a low light feature, but it produces tracers and ghosting with fast moving objects. The camera does have full manual control that will help with the image, but you need to learn camera jargon and take time to adjust before the shot. You can buy a mountable light to put on the camera, but they are not cheap. If you want a camera with good low light features, buy a sony. I'm am very pleased with this camera and would recomend it to a friend who does not shoot at night.



2. I bought this for my trip to India. It i so simple to use and the joystick feature for the umns is a breeze to get a hang of. I did not like the idea of having to touch the screen to do everything with the Sony's. I wanted the Canon Elura 100 but the idea of a noisy camera turned me off.
   
   Like the other guy said, buy the tapes online because they are pricey in the store.



3. Just the camera is 3.1 Mpixel and I have a Nokia N70 mobilephone with the same quality picture, but the 1Mpixel camecorder are very nice. Dont buy these camecorder for the camera, and the battery durantion are very good.



4. Paid well under $600 after shipping and haven't discovered all of its features but it is a lot of camera for the money. Some of the controls are typically Japanese - meaning they are sometimes obscure and the controls themselves are made for rather small fingers/hands. Overall, the camera is light, takes marvelous video (given adequate light). Most 3CCD cameras seem to require a bit more light to look good than the std. single CCD cameras. Wish it could shoot video in 1080i but oh well...



5. Contrast is great, saturation, color accuracy, due to the 3 CCD's.
   
   Now what I don't like: resolution spec for stills is misleading. It's not true pixel resolution, as the pixels are interpolated across the 2.3 megapixel spec.
   
   Still, this is the only camcorder in the miniDV family I've seen that offered the ability to shoot virtually uncompressed via Firewire connected to a computer.
   
   The low light is not very good, though. Very small CCD's =GRAIN. The size of each of the three CCD sensors is only 1/6". But at least there are three of them. One of the most popular camcorders in the PV-GS series for Panasonic in 2006. This is the camera that put me on the map.

5 comments about Canon DC40 4.3MP DVD Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom.

1. I've had this camera for 6 mos. now. This is a great option for those not wanting to carry two different cameras. Switching between video and still is quick and easy. The quality of the pictures and video are superior to others. My brothers own comparables Sonys and a Panasonic. Pictures/Video are better on this; however... The video editing software leaves much to be desired. And the very low light video is better on the Sony. Other than that I would choose this camera vs. the others. The best part is that the wives agree; the Cannon is easier to use, more comfortable to hold and takes better pictures.



2. The Canon DC40 is a great camera in all levels of light. I just got back from Disney and filmed the fireworks show. I've never had any luck filming things like this but with this camera set on the special "Fireworks" setting it looked as good as the firework shows you see on TV. Daytime movies came out fantastic as well. The camera feels sturdy and I have no fear of it breaking. Takes really sharp vivid color photos. The option to take pictures while you film video is pretty cool but the photos don't come out as good as when you take the photos by themselves. The one problem I have with it is that it picks up a lot of wind sound. I glued a very small piece of foam, kinda like what is on earbuds, on the mic and it cut down on the noise quite a bit with no loss to voices and sounds. If your budget won't allow you to go hi-def then this is the cam for you.



3. I bought a DC40 in Feb, 2007. From the first day, I found that I couldn't transfer the vedio from the camcorder to PC. I thought that it may be the problem of software, I contacted the Roxio, which is the manufacturer of software. It was very difficult to get support from Roxio. After many trys, they didn't tell me what was wrong, and stopped responding my questions.
   
   I read the manual carefully, but couldn't find any answers for the problem. I just gave up.
   
   In the middle of July, I found that the camcorder was dead, couldn't be charged. I called Canon. It was easy to get some one on phone to talk to. I was told to mail it or drop it to the nearest repair center. I dropped it to a repair center just 20 mins away.
   
   The young lady of repair center took the camcorder, and told me that it may be the charger didn't work. The problem of transfering vedio may be caused from the same part of camcorder. I was told that it should be fixed in 5 business days.
   
   I received the call from repair center after 8 business days. I went there to pick up, the girl gave the fixed camcorder. I tried to use it right after I got out the door, but it was not working. I found that the battery was missing. The girl couldn't find the battery. She gave me a new one. I tried to charge the battery after I got home, it was not working. I had to go back with the AC adapter. It was the defective of the adapter. Now it is working, charging battery and importing the vedio to PC from the camcorder.
   
   I may be just unlucky.



4. THIS IS MY FIRST CAMCORDER BUT IVE SEEN SEVERAL DIFFERENT ONES. BUT THIS CAMCORDER OUT RATES ANY OF IT.. YOU CAN DO SO MUCH WITH IT WITHIN THE CAMCORDER OR ON TO YOUR COMPUTER.. YOU JUST HAVE TO READ THE BOOK CAREFULLY.. THIS IS THE BEST DVD CAMCORDER AND I SUGGEST YOU GET ONE..



5. The camera boasts lots of features and a decent price, however Canon has omitted one very important feature that is very crucial to some users such as myself- It has no ability (per the Canon Service Reps) to have the video pass- thru without having the on-screen data shown on the recieving end (such as on a video switcher). The only way to get that data off is to RECORD your video. We needed to use the camera for sending a live video feed, but alas, we were not able to get the on screen info to not show on the final feed destination. The Canon rep said that this is the only video camera that he has seen without the proper menu options to correct this.
   
   Other than that, the video quality appeard to be very nice.

5 comments about Samsung SC-DC173U DVD Camcorder with 34x Optical Zoom.

1. i purchased this camcorder at sears on sale for 199 minus 100 in gift cards, so i ended up paying 100 bucks for it. Even for 199, the camcorder is worth the money. so here are some positive and negatives i've witnessed so far (keep in mind this is the only dvd camcorder that i have ever used)
   
   positives
   1. it is very small and fits in my hand comfortably
   2. discs are loaded easily
   3. case use dvdrw cd's so that you can re record if you don't like what you have done.
   4. it supports dolby digital surround sound
   5. 16 x 9 for my dlp tv
   6. 34x digital zoom (not available in 16x9)
   7. sd card slot to save my pics or videos to
   8. samsung reliability
   9. picture isn't bad
   10. camera does have light (no functional with 16x9)
   
   negatives
   1. pic quality isn't very good (cannot substitute for a camera)
   2. cannot snap pics while recording (i used to love to do that with my old jvc mini dv camera), but i have not figured out how to do it on this camera. you have to switch the camera to "card" to make it work.
   3. battery life is bad, but i expected that and purchased a bigger, more power battery on ebay for $16. hint: don't leave the battery in the camera, it will drain, quickly.
   4. when turning the camera on, it take 5-10 seconds until you can record, so don't expect to record something that may occur immediately if the camera isn't already ready to record.
   5. using 16x9 ratio REDUCES MANY features of the camcorder. you cannot use the light, the digital zoom, most effects, and the DIS function is unavailable. I have been switching back and forth depending on my what, where and when i am recording.
   6. recording in low light is very bad, unless you have the camera on 4:3 ratio and the shutter speed adjusted. Unfortunately you cannot use the light unless the shutter speed is adjusted, which then makes diminishes picture quality. shooting in 16x9 in low light areas is pointless.
   7. you only get about 25 minutes of record time on sp, and about 1hr with lp (not camera'a fault). so carry extra discs with you.
   8. position of the joystick button sux. it should be behind the camera.
   9. you have to kina of force the turning knob to off, it doesn't move freely to off and it almost feels like i'm breaking it.
   
   all in all, for 200 bucks, you can't go wrong. just don't buy this camera for the 16x9 feature and you'll be happy. so far so good for me. the easy mode is good for beginnings and the quick menu can also me useful to quickly change important settings. I just hate that samsung has greatly reduced the camera's features when 16x9 is being used. oh well.



2. While I bought this as a christmas present for my wife, She has yet to be able to use it. She tried to record a small video and it would not play back. Then the camera started telling her weird things like, the disk is not formated and do you want the camera to format it. When we answered yes, the same message just continued to come up. I called Samsung and was told that there was a patch I could download onto a dvd which could be put in the camera to correct the problem. When I told them I did not have a DVD burner, they offered to send me a disk. After waiting 2 weeks, the disk arrived but was on a full sized CD rather than the mini DVD so I could not put it in the camera to download. I borrowed a computer with a DVD burner and copied the file onto a mini DVD. Then when I put it in the camera, the camera told me the disc was bad. I did this three times with three different discs and the results were the same each time.
   
   I have now sent the camera back to the on-line store which sent the camera. They indicated that they will send me a new one. I am just hoping the software patch has been installed on the new camera when I get it and my problems are resolved. I was hoping to just get my money back and try a different brand but at this point, the distributor just wants to send me the same camera.
   
   Based on my experience to date with Samsung, I don't think I would buy anything else from that company.



3. I've had nothing but problems from this camera. It sucks the battery down lightening fast, it won't shut off sometimes and this weekend, it would skip on the recordings so it didn't record all of the event I was trying to capture. Returning this immediately!



4. Camcorder is Ok but it seems like the batteries go down to easy. Tried
   several batteries, but have the same results.



5. I don't usually write reviews but, I feel the need to let everyone know what a poor camcorder this is. I unfortuantely didn't do any research prior to buying on black friday 1 week before my new baby was to be born. The whole 8 mos that I have owned this I was only able to record and finalize 1 disk with no problems (the 1st disk) since then it stops recording mid disk says "write error" & it won't finalize. I thought maybe it was the disk so I bought some more/different brand of dvd-r it worked fine then mid disk same thing when I press record it says "write error" doesn't record or finalize this time it erased the month worth of taping my new baby. I tried to take it back to the store were I purchased but, since I didn't buy a protection plan and it was over 30 days I am stuck with it. Called Samsung and I have to send it in for the repair. My son is about to crawl anyday and it will be missed. I am not the only one with this problem. Now that I have done some research a lot of people are having the same problem. For something as important as taping precious memories I wish I would have paid more for a better camera. Memories are priceless.