No comments about Samsung SB-L160 Rechargeable Video Battery for Hi8 Camcorders.

5 comments about Samsung SCD27 MiniDV Camcorder with 3.5" LCD.

1. I got this camcorder for a Christmas present. I have to say its a very good camcorder. It has sharp video, built in light, and night vision. The audio is very crisp, and is good for storing memories. You can take snapshots and record them to video, with sound. You can put in a memory stick and take stills, then transfer them to your computer via firewire, or USB. The battery charges in about 2 hours which is very fast. The only downtime is that it would be cool to have a 20 X optical zoom, but 10 X is powerful enough. I would recomend this camcorder to anyone. You can't beat this amazon price! I hope to keep this for years to come!

   Bill.




2. Believe me guys, I'm an Information Technology man with a subtle devotion to data mining. Indeed before purchasing this electronic jewel, I sifted through thousands of websites for technical details about digital cameras, and after 2 weeks, I finally chose Samsung scd27.

   It works perfect and has a number of captivating features that cocky brandnames like Sony or Jvc would sell for 600$ and up.

   The imaging gadget(ccd) incorporated in Samsung scd27 helps you capture rich color pictures that play on a regular tv monitor with a pleasant flamboyant attitude. Don't worry about the sound quality: it is the same you have when listening to your music CD.
   The LCD screen on the side is gigantic for a miniDv:3.5". Picture that!

   And since mine was shipped with a vast array of accessories: USB cable, analog AV cable, S-cable, remote control, shoulder trap, lens ring, I am doubly happy because, besides getting back my money worth, a cutting edge technology has found home right in the palm of my hand. What a sweet deal!




3. This camera is excellent on those who are on budget and film mostly outside. Why do I say mostly outside? Because the video quality under low indoor light conditions is very bad. There is lots of noise on shadowy indoor areas. And since most amateurs and home videos are shot without really having a single though on how the light will be, the results will not be good. You'll need tons of light indoor to eliminate the grainyness. Whats even worse is that even in medium indoor lighting conditions look grainy. This grainyness, or color noise, probably has to do with the camera having 1 CCD (Which most consumer cameras have) and the insensitivity of the CCD. So it usually uses electronic gain when shotting with low light, and getting a camera to use electronic gain depends on its CCD signal to noise ratio. This camera has a bit of problems with tapes. I once used Panasonic DVC tapes, and 40 minutes into recording it said tape end! This was unbelieveable. Then once I used Fuji film, and believe it or not it said tape end within 2 minutes of recording and I was surprised. I played it back and stopped where the footage stopped and it recorded normally again. This is probably not the tape's fault but the cameras. The only tape I did not have any problems with is TDK, so USE TDK for this camera. The sound quality is good, and high fidelity sound. Uses standard PCM/48khz/16 bit. The picture quality outside is great, although sometimes it exposes too much and manual exposure needs to be used but generally it does a good job at auto. The features the camcorder has are great especially A/V/S-video IN to capture from other source. Night vision is cool, although short distance. I wouldn't rely on still pix they are low resolution. The LCD is nice although the DPI is low. Another great thing is that it works with my Power MAC and there is stereo microphone input which makes audio sound even better. Nonetheless this camcorder is really good considering the features it has. Simply a little thought in indoor lighting will go a long way. You can buy a cheap 625 watt sun gun on ebay, although inversatile still a good start.



4. I received this camcorder as a gift, and although the footage I've shot has been good quality, I cannot download it on to my PC. I have a brand new PC and it appears the driver that came with the camcorder is not compatible with XP Media Center. I've attempted to contact Samsung to confirm these allegations but they will not return my calls or emails. So I've got hours of raw Mini DV footage that I can't edit on my computer. What's the point??? Needless to say, I'll be buying a new Mini DV camcorder soon, and it will not be Samsung. So far Panasonic has my vote.



5. I bought this camera by all the reviews I read and it seemded like a great buy. I am very happy with it but the extra expense of firewire and capture hardware was $65. Thought I'd be able to upload via USB. Only still pictures upload with the USB> Movies go vai Firewire. It was easy to install and very easy to upload and then you are watching it on your computer and not a TV. Other than the additional purchase of the capture card which I guess all digital camcorders require it is a wonderful unit and fits well in your hand!!

4 comments about Samsung SCL610 Hi8 Camcorder with 2.5" LCD TFT Monitor.

1. This camcorder is one of the best camcoders I have ever seen for it's price. It's one of the lowest priced camcorder that has a screen, also this camcorder is small and light weight. I would highly recomend buying this item, the stylish look shows it all. If you are looking for a good priced small, stylish, and a lightwieght camcorder. Then look no further the Samsung SCL610 Camcorder has everything you need and much much more!



2. This is my first introduction to the world of Hi8 camcorders(having previously owned a VHS-C format camcorder) and I must say the SCL610 from Samsung really surprised me. The first thing that caught my eye was the price and how many features it had. Next, was the ease of use and picture quality. I'm the type when taking home a new gadget, wants to play with it already before even reading the manual. So, I opened the box took out the camcorder (wow, and how light it felt in my hands) plugged it in and charged the battery. I also installed the lithium battery for the memory and the date and time settings which I will adjust later. After an hour or so, I placed a blank Hi8 tape in the camcorder and started recording! The 500x digital zoom is really cool, I was able to focus the camcorder on a small object about 10 feet away from me and read the tiny little label. The light is bright enough to be able to record in total darkness. The microphone picks up human voices really well and does not distort it. After a couple minutes of recording, I plugged it in the VCR, played it, and voila! - I recorded my first segment and copied it into a VHS tape.

   I have yet to explore this camcorder's vast features, I am overall very impressed with it. The only bad thing I could say about it is that the button placement could have been more ergonomical for people with tiny hands. I found the viewfinder to be of exceptional quality and it really makes recording that much more easier. The Samsung SCL610 is truly a great buy!




3. We brought it to take video of the Kids and send to family, we are not pro's and this is the first camcorder we have owned, and it is great!!!

   Very easy and clear picture I cannot recommend this more, go ahead and treat you're self you wont regret it!




4. Fantastic picture. Excellent zoom and clarity along with the night light makes for recording in any condition.

5 comments about Samsung SC-MM10 MPEG4 Camcorder w/512MB Memory & 10x Optical Zoom.

1. This camcorder has some nice features including a powerful zoom, automatic exposure, automatic focus, and a 720x480 video resolution. Though the camera dos not work well in low light conditions, the camera can be operated of the AC power supply, and a high capacity 3.7 volt 2400mAh battery can be purchased at: [...]
   This optional battery will double the record time of the camera.



2. This little camera shoots great video. Don't buy it if your looking for a still camera because it doesn't do a good job at all in this area. If your looking for a compact video camera that fits in your pocket, then this is it. It shoots mpeg4 video which is good quality in a small file size. I'd also suggest getting a 2GB memory stick so you will have plenty of space to shoot your video. Great little camera!!!



3. I had many of the initial issues with this little jewel, but found two ways to get things on track with my MacBook Pro. Google "deSEDG" and you will find an extremely helpful app that will allow you to convert the avi files so that you can open them in Quicktime and import them into iMovie.
   
   I also installed the Windows codec using Parallels, and this allowed me to view the files automatically in the Windows Media Player. Both results were excellent, and with iMovie I can edit them quite easily.
   
   The information in the guides that comes with the camcorder are insufficient for those using the Mac, but at least there is now a way to benefit from this wonderful piece of equipment.



4. This camcorder is great, for an amateur. I bought it for my [...]son after I returned the Sanyo Xacti VPC-C40 because it would not charge the battery a second time. The Sanyo was easier to transfer the video to a computer, no software to install. The Samsung is just as easy other than that. It only takes about 2 minutes to install the required files (2)on a computer running XP but might be a problem if you want to send the video to a family member since they won't have the dv driver and video codec. My son has made several short takes with only the TV for background light and they are fine. It will not accept any of my 2 gig SD cards but that may be because they've been used in other cameras. It works great with "new" 1 gig SD cards. If this camera was designed for fun then it hits the mark. If you want professional videos then you should buy a professional camera.



5. this camera has loads of cool features, is very easy to use and is quite affordable for what you are getting. I recommend this product highly.

No comments about Samsung SC-X205L MPEG4 Sports Camcorder with 512MB Memory & 10x Optical Zoom.

5 comments about Samsung SC-D963 1.1MP MiniDV Camcorder with 26x Optical Zoom.

1. I have been playing with this camera for about a month now, and it is great. The only problem I have noted is you can hear noise on the built in mic, but turning on the wind noise dampener or using an external mic eliminates it completely. The battery life leaves much to be desired at only about 45 minutes on a full charge, which is not enough to even use up a full tape. And the digital zoom becomes too shaky and pixelated (even on a tripod) to use past about 150x... Other than those minor things, it is a great camera for the price, and I would definitely recommend it to any starting out video enthusiasts.



2. I just got this camcorder for an exchange- my old camcorder was another samsung scd5000, and I waited 5 (five, unbelievable, months) for the camcorder to be exchanged.I have called customer relations for 100 times, they said they are going to fix it, exchange it, repair it, then did nothing in the end. I had to call them another 100 times, in the end executive customer relations, a superb invention of the management I suppose, which is responsible for everything, but is supervised by noone. Cut it short, they agreed for an exchange.
   Then I got this one, scd963. I opened the box, nice, clean. Turned on the recorder mode, fine, recording; then the playback mode. A blue screen, not recording anything, not showing anything. The memory records, but not the tape. Well, should I be surprised?
   In a word, Samsung is my worst experience in the United States, in terms of customer service, and quality of products. This new camcorder, is totally plastic, and now giving it another thought, I would be surprised if it worked. But simply, Samsung does not work.
   Right now, my wife is on the phone with the executive customer services, for forty minutes, all they said was send it to us, we will repair it.



3. Just a word of caution to anyone who buys Samsung products - If you do have a problem with the product at a later date - you will have a very difficult time getting any support or customer service from Samsung. Their customer relations department exists solely to confuse and frustrate and lie to the Samsung consumer. Beware!



4. I bought this online and it is my first camcorder. at first sight, i was excited. it is small, handy, looks good and easy to use. and the price $250 is good for the 1.1 MP which means you can also take photoes that are clear enough for most purposes. But after using for several times, i am not satisfied with the quality of the video. The problem is that the time of focusing takes too long, for about 1 or 2 second, which means whenever the object move, or the camcorder move, there will be seconds that the video become blurred. This is unacceptable flaw for capturing moving objects especially when the object is small and close to you. I think this may be the common flaw for Samsung camcorder. i go to circuit city and try other brands. at least Panasonic is much better than this one. so my suggestion for the first time buyer of MiniDV camcorder is: go to some local electronic stores and compare the quality of different brand before you made decision buying online. overall, consider the price, i can only say it is just ok. Maybe i have to spend more time learning the tricks how to capture a more clear video using this one.



5. I bought mine last June. But at that time there was no any review anywhere. The camcorder was proved to be a piece of junk. The zooming function faile about 2 months after I bought it. The sounds in videos I recorded are fragmented. Both the video and pictures have very bad quality. In addition, the battery is becoming bad too. I sent it to the service center last month, with $45 payment for labor. Not recommended at all!

5 comments about Samsung SCD353 MiniDV Camcorder w/20x Optical Zoom.

1. Easy to use, setup and convert videos to PC. The problem is regarding battery life... Average rate is good.



2. this camcorder is a good product, have a good zoom, for the pictures the quality is low, but is a good device.



3. My SCD353 worked OK in first 6 months or so ( less than 10 hrs recoding). Then the picture quality become more and more blurry. I purchased a cleaning tape trying to fix it but no use.



4. I bought the SC-D353 in 2006 with budget in mind, since recent graduates like my wife and I have lots of debt and not much in the way of spending money. This camcorder was essentially the least expensive video option I found at the time that did have an external mic input.
   
   For the price, the camera does the things I am looking for. I'm looking for acceptable, not great, video definition, and it does deliver reasonable video quality when there is adequate lighting. It falls short when dealing with low light, or when a single subject is lit but the rest of the frame is dark. The lens system and autofocus are not well-integrated; once one zooms more than about 2/3rds of the way to the long end of telephoto, the autofocus hunts for several seconds before regaining focus. I suspect that the lens design is not a zoom lens, but rather a hyperfocal lens. A zoom lens retains the same focus through the range, but a hyperfocal lens changes focus distance as focal length changes. At least, that would explain why the autofocus hunts if a fast zoom occurs.
   
   About the audio... the built-in microphone is reasonably sensitive, but, and it is a large but, the camcorder self-noise while using the tape drive is excessive and simply renders the built-in mic unusable. I don't have Memory Stick memory cards, so I don't know whether that problem goes away when recording to the card. It is a good thing that this camcorder has an external mic input, because it badly needs it. I've used small dynamic stereo mics up through a Sennheiser shotgun mic with this camcorder, and as long as one either puts enough distance between the camcorder and mic, or has a mic with a good rejection of local noise, it does OK for audio, though its automatic level control tends to run a bit hot.
   
   The other reviews are correct that the provided battery delivers just about an hour of operation if one only uses the viewfinder, a chunk less if one uses the LCD screen. This limits the utility of the camcorder, since, as the other reviews also point out, the camcorder itself is the only provided charging solution, and the camcorder must be switched off in order to charge the battery. One can operate the camcorder via the provided adapter, though, so some use indoors near an electrical outlet would not be impossible, but who wants a power cable dragging along with them while taping video?
   
   The menu system provides a number of features, most of which I'm too occupied to use in the field. It also does not store settings, so every time you remove power, leave time to set up your favorites again. The one feature that needs a button, the Digital Image Stabilization, only provides that button with several other automation choices. The "EasyQ" button does turn on DIS, but it also turns on autofocus and a couple of other "amateur" features. If you want DIS and, for instance, manual focus, you have to go through the menu to do it. I've never made use of the "digital effects" settings. If I need effects, I can apply them later in Vegas.
   
   Here's what I've done with my unit to make it more useful for me. First, I invested in a third-party Li-ion 2250mAh battery and external charger, which cost me about $20 plus shipping. I can use both batteries, but I've found little need for the original, since the new battery lasts for well over two hours, even mostly running with the LCD screen active. It does, unfortunately, interfere mechanically with getting one's eye up close to the viewfinder, but I can use it with the viewfinder pulled back as one does to access the diopter adjustment and the LCD screen is generally more useful for monitoring anyway. Second, I bought a 30mm to 52mm step-up adapter. This, also unfortunately, could not be installed with the camcorder in mint condition. There is a raised ridge of decorative plastic on the front that comes up to just under the lens, preventing the flange of the adapter from resting perpendicular to the lens. My solution: use a Dremel-style motor tool to take off the 2mm or so of plastic so that I can actually screw in the adapter. I took care not to go deep, and there is still a point where it looks like I've opened a small hole to the interior. I'm not so much worried about what may get in afterward, but rather whether I was generating any plastic bits that fell in. Forget about a warranty if you do this, too. What the 52mm adapter gets me is the ability to use the high-quality accessory lenses that we bought for our Canon S2 IS camera, specifically the 0.66x Raynox wide-angle lens. (I used to have a Century 0.8x, but that weighed a couple of times what the camcorder and the new heavier battery do.) With the wide-angle accessory lens, I can get a much better view at the wide end with no vignetting, and the zoom works fine without excessive AF hunting when zooming even out to the extreme telephoto end. Third, I bought a HTDZ HT-320A microphone, a "uni-directional electret condenser" mic. I'm used to cheap audio equipment sucking badly, but the HT-320A made for a pleasant surprise. Its self-noise is actually not too bad on the unit I got; though not in the Sennheiser shotgun mic class, it also costs about a tenth of what the low-end Sennheiser costs. It is certainly an adequate microphone to pair with the SC-D353 camcorder. Between these accessories, I'm much happier with the camcorder than with it as it came out of the box. I plan to deploy this, minus the wide-angle accessory lens, on a bracket over my Nikon DSLR this summer at dog agility trials, where people often want video of their dog's performance as well as still photos.
   
   Bottom-line: If you are on a budget and only need recognizable video, not great quality video, this unit can do the job. It's certainly a contender for putting together YouTube video compositions. One should also plan to use an external microphone. I'd recommend the purchase of a higher-capacity battery and external charger. If you want to expand your view with good quality accessory lenses, you may need to perform surgery on the camcorder case.



5. Bought this camcorder at Best Buy a year ago. I made the purchase based on a long standing faith in Samsung products. The image quality was terrible. There is no light, so it is very hard to keep a focus unless you are outside in bright daylight. Sound quality was okay. But after one year of very light use, the LCD display quit working. I'll never buy another Samsung camera. I called Samsung they charge $160.00 to fix it. Brand new one is $200.00. It happened with a lot of people. BAD BAD BAD.

5 comments about Samsung SCD107 MiniDV Camcorder w/20x Optical Zoom.

1. I bought this camera about six months ago (June 04) for $429.00 and have used it extensively both outdoors and indoors.
   I looked at many cameras in the $450 price range with similar features. The one thing that stood out on this camera was the 3.5" LCD display. It was so much easier to frame a scene with this than with the 2.5" display on competing models that I decided to buy the Samsung.
   I found it easy and comfortable to use; the electronic stablisation works very well; the battery life is fine for recording a single 60min tape. Playing back recordings on the LCD screen is a pleasure. The image looks great and the sound is clearly audible on the builtin speaker. I was initially very happy with my purchase.
   Imagine my disappointment then, when I got home and played back the recording on my TV - it was no better than my old analog Canon ES50. At first, I was sure I had hooked it up incorrectly. But alas no: I was correctly using the s-video connection.
   Not willing to lose faith, I then hooked it up to my PC using a 4-to-6 pin firewire cable (purchased separately). Well, the picure looked fine in a small window but soon as I went full screen it was pretty grainy and pixalated. It's not even VGA quality.
   My number one reason for buying a DV camera was to get a sharper picture than with my analog camcorder. I'm afraid I made the wrong choice and, despite some nice features, I cannot recommend this camera because of the disappointing picture quality. Incidentally, I notice that the specifications page in the manual says nothing about lines of resolution and the size of the CCD (according to camcorderinfo.com it is 1/6").



2. if you went onto [...] and looked this camcorder up it says that it is one of the worst camcorders ever, well i am never looking on that website again because it is all lies. i got this cam for christmas and i really like it, i think it is one of the best camcorders that u can buy, it has cool features, nice zoom, a 3.5 lcd screen (really good), it is a small camcorder, and it has night pix (night vision). many other reviews complain about the color not turning out, well, you can adjust the color so it matches, duh!, you may be thinking "oh this is just a kids review, dont listen to it" but trust me i have been getting information on this camcorder for a year and know what im talking about. if you are planning on getting a good camcorder for a good price, try this one.



3. I'm not sure how people are giving this camera 4 and 5 star reviews but I was sadly disappointed with it.
   
   The only reasons I'm giving it the two stars are: 1. The screen size and 2. The price.
   
   I own a Samsung TV and DVD player and have found them both to be excellent values for the money so I decided to ignore the negative reviews that I had seen and pick it up anyway.
   
   The picture looks great on the LCD screen assuming that you're at a good angle to view it but as soon as you put it on a tv or pc you will see the lack of image quality. The manual was poorly written especially in regard to transferring video via the Firewire/IEEE 1394 connection. The software it came with doesn't suppport the Firewire though it doesn't mention this at all in the camera manual. Also the camera's driver isn't verified for Windows XP. When I hooked it up via the USB the camera was dropped from the device list after about a minute due to driver.
   
   After much hassle I returned it to the retailer that I bought it from who was nice enough to waive their 15% restock fee specific to camcorders and similar items so that I may purchase a Sony DCR-HC30 which I am much happier with. The store mananger explained to me that they had complaints from at least 5 other people with the same problem.
   
   Some other things to note:
   The SC-D107 has one of the biggest screens out there but also one of the smallest viewing angles.
   It has one of the largest optical zooms for the price, which isn't much good if the recording quality is low.
   Lastly, it has one of the largest digital zooms out there(900x), again useless because anything past about 100x is so grainy that you can't tell what you're looking at (you'll note that Sony doesn't make a camera with greater than 120x digital.)
   
   Try to avoid this one if you can afford something better.



4. The Samsung SCD107 offers average-to-good video quality in a flexible, feature-laden package. If you are looking at camcorders south of $400, read on. Good engineering and rational design tradeoffs make this more than the sum of what came out of the parts bin.
   
   PICTURE QUALITY
   You can find better video quality (especially by paying a couple of hundred dollars more), but most people will find the picture satisfactory. If your research thus far has taken you deeply into the world of pixels, scan lines, VGA vs. XGA, and CCD numbers, this won't get on your short list on picture quality alone. That said, the camera works particularly well in low-light situations, and there is a "NITE PIX" feature for very low-light applications.
   
   The "Digital Image Stabilizer" feature doesn't do much - if you have shaky hands, you should try a tripod (usually not a bad idea anyway). There is no manual focus, though you probably won't miss this because the auto-focus works so well. The 20X zoom is plenty, and the 900X digital zoom is overkill - the limiting factor is resolution, so don't expect to see footprints on the moon.
   
   SCREEN
   The first thing comparison shoppers notice is that the 3.5-inch color TFT LCD screen is bigger than most in this price range. This helps you frame a shot, gauge picture quality, and review just-taken film, all advantages over tiny screens. It is bright, clear, and rotates through 270 degrees (not 210 as stated in the supplemental info above). The color LCD viewfinder reproduces on-screen info and is a useful way to conserve battery power in the field.
   
   EASE OF USE
   Using the camera for the first time is fairly straightforward, even for the non-technical. The most commonly used controls are top-mounted (zoom, camera shutter control, NITE PIX feature on/off, slow shutter), where you would expect them. Other controls are located thumb-side or flush behind the LCD screen.
   
   Getting more than the basics from the camera requires a steeper learning curve, as you must navigate through acronym-rich menus and sub-menus. Even if you pride yourself on NEVER reading instruction manuals, a word to the wise: Pick up the manual. Open it. Read it. If you don't, you will miss some non-obvious functions and features you're paying for. This may seem worse than, say, stopping to ask for directions while driving, but tough it out.
   
   BATTERY
   The lithium ion battery pack included gives you 90 minutes of continuous recording time with the fold-out LCD screen, or 120 minutes using the viewfinder. It takes two hours to charge. You might want a second one of these, or even the upgrade battery (SB-LS220), which goes 190 minutes with screen, 250 minutes with viewfinder, and takes 3 and a half hours to charge. A red LED on the camera blinks to let you know how charging is progressing (e.g. one blink/second means less than 50% charged; three blinks/second = 75%-90% charged), which is a nice touch.
   
   RECORDING MEDIA
   There are two ways to record moving pictures: Onto Mini DV tapes (60 or 90 minutes on a DVM60), or onto a memory card (SD/MMC or Memory Stick/Memory Stick PRO). Using the memory card in this way has huge limitations; you are better off just using the tapes and saving the memory card for still pictures.
   
   STILL PICTURES
   You can use the SCD107 in still camera mode for casual snapshots, but it is not a replacement for a multi-megapixel digital camera. The 512MB SD ("Secure Digital") card I bought separately holds 2,997 stills in "super fine" mode and a truly absurd 9,000 in low-rez "normal" mode. Stick with super fine.
   
   AUDIO RECORDING
   Audio recording quality is excellent through the built-in top-mounted stereo condenser microphone. Many built-in microphones pick up mechanical noise from the tape mechanism, but I didn't notice any, even in quiet settings. Use the money you might spend on an accessory microphone and get a tripod or a memory card instead.
   
   MISC
   The remote control is useful, but much more directional than a typical TV remote. It won't work unless you aim it right at the camera - maybe it just likes to be seen in your group photos.
   
   CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
   If you need the sharpest picture available, you should probably spend $200 more. There are necessarily tradeoffs at this price range. However, if you just want a well-rounded, feature-filled camera that is a pleasure to use, by all means consider the SCD107.



5. There was a great review written up above that listed everything you really need to know (the first one that had a series of titles and then review). But I belive they gave too many stars and was too positive about this cam.
   
   This is not a very user-friendly camcorder. The MANUAL MUST be read over and over. It has so many steps to just do one action that by the time you have re-read the manual and adjusted the camcorder the shot is over with. Quality of pics and such was very poor once sent to the computer. The large screen wasn't much good in lighted scenes. I was forced to use the small lense to see what I was recording.
   
   I do not recommend this camcorder unless you are not picky about quality and have a photographic memory to remember how to work the camcorder.

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 :)

2 comments about Samsung SCD5000 DuoCam MiniDV Camcorder/4MP Digital Still Camera.

1. The video quality indoors is absolutely horrible, even with the night shot features, and every possible combination of settings, etc. I tried really hard to find reasons to keep this camera. But in the end, the video quality was too horrible to justify it as a $... digital still camera.

   Outdoors, the video was OK producing ever so slightly washed out colors, but here is the real problem. Moving between light and moderately dark areas of a small room produced horrible video. During playback you either got something that looked like pure night or the sun all in one room. The video recorder does not gracefully adjust between light and moderately light areas of a room. Occasionally when using the zoom, a pure white line would be recorded vertically as part of the video!!!!!

   Now for the camera. One thing that annoyed me after a few minutes was the constant manual flipping of half of the device between still and video. I did a comparison between the Samsung still digital camera and my Sony 3.34 MP camera that I already owned. Disappointment again. Horrible color from Samsung (washed out colors). I was not impressed with the quality after comparing about 10 different pictures of varying light, indoors, outdoors, etc. Hands down the Sony 3.34 MB won.

   I returned the Samsung camera and bought instead the Sony TRV70 for about the same price (I would like to have tried the TRV80 but $... more was just not in the cards for an 1" more LCD). What a difference. When it comes to color and light (indoors especially), Sony seems to have those two figured out. Awesome video recording indoors with the Sony. All around the video was so much better with the Sony. The still are not as good as my Sony 3.34 but if you can live with reduced picture size, the quality is pretty good (plus no manual flipping of half the device). I'll still probably take both the video and the camera on the next trip (pending cooperation from the wife). Really, if you ignore such frills as Bluetooth and Internet connectivity from within your camcorder (!!!), you can probably buy something much cheaper than the TRV70.

   One day, we'll all carry one device that produces high quality video and stills. But for now, that day is not here yet.




2. This camcorder is a piece of junk. The low light is really horrible. The picture is grainy and the autofocus is slower than my grandma. Spend a little extra a get a quality camera...not this one!