Rating

I’ve played with a couple of small digital video cameras, and I’ve always been disappointed with the quality of the video that they shoot. While the video might be sufficient for posting on YouTube or other online sharing sites, it isn’t excellent enough for full screen viewing. That isn’t the case with this camera. The video capture here is a full standard definition TV image, so you can watch this in full screen mode without any loss in quality.

The rechargable Lithium-ion battery (which looks like a cell phone battery) charges quickly, either with the included AC plug or from you computer via the USB connection. The camera is SD-HC memory compatible, allowing ample storage for long video shots (with a 2GB memory installed, the camera indicates that it should store 58 minutes of video). This makes for an extremely compact and light package with an impressive video capture capability.

The camera fits nicely into the palm, with the zoom and record controls right at the fingertips. The light weight of the camera allows for long handheld shots with only minimal fatigue, though the camera can also be mounted on a tripod for more stability. The 10x optical zoom provides an impressive ability to zoom in on the action, and the controls allow the user to control the zoom speed with the pressure applied to the zoom controls.

The power and playback controls are all located on the side of the camera, covered/protected by the show screen. This prevents the camera from being accidentally turned on in a bag or pocket (and yes, it will fit nicely in a pocket!), so that the battery won’t be run down when you want to use it. About the only negative aspect of this camera is the lack of any ability to connect an external microphone, so that it is limited to the audio capture from the built in microphone. But otherwise, this is a really convenient small camera for anyone looking for a lightweight and simple to use digital video camera.

Rating

The Samsung SMX C20RN uses a SD card, or more perfectly, it uses an SDHC card up to 32 Gig( the upper limit of the SD card is 2 Gig).Out of the box, the 1.9 Megapixel Camera and “Camcorder” takes a small getting used to, but playing around is a lot of fun.You will have to remember that Samsung do not supply a card with the C20 model ( which has no on board memory), and you have to buy a card. I bought a 4 Gig SDHC to test the C20, since any smaller means that you are limited on very fine Video, and total number of pictures. Your overall power cell is around 3-4 hours maximum with constant use. And its with this point that it kind of lets you down. There are some very excellent supplemental power sources that can up 36 hours or more( or less) all for less than 100 dollars.

The onboard software is brilliant.Whilst the main issue in hand held use is how steady your hand is, the software can compensate ( with an antishake option in the software), and with no lights attached, the software and I assume the hardware makes use of available light at what seems to be less than 12-15 lux ( candle power) which is pretty excellent.The software operates very well at super fine or above. And if you also set the i-view smart “auto” option to on, most of your problems are taken care of. The only additional item you need is a tripod and Carry bag. It is an annoyance that the lense has no cover, so you need a lense cleaner with that set when taking many pictures, or video. You can switch between Pictures and video very easily. For what this item is, it takes very excellent pictures, very excellent video, and can edited on your favorite picture and / or video editing software quite easily.

So far I have had a lot of fun, and I tried the 1 frame per 15 or 30 second option, which would have been fun if it were not for the fact that the power only lasts 2-3 hours and I can’t add a power source ( or even an additional battery); its not like the camera is incapable, just that the power source is not there.

If Samsung has these kind of options at the low end, I can only imagine how excellent their high end cameras are, but, it would only take a few changes to fix the minor complaints with the c20.

Rating

The Samsung memory camcorder has some slick features all packaged in a stylish lightweight body. It has a 10X zoom lens, a 2.7 inch LCD wide screen, an option to automatically load directly to YouTube, Flickr, facebook or any website the user designates (H.264 format) or a PC, a stop action feature which is exactly as it sounds (film a flower blossoming, etc.), quick identification using video storyboards which show sixteen still shots from each video, and much more. The camcorder is ergonomically designed so even when recording for an extended period of time, it remains comfortable to hold.

First things first – charging the battery. There is a door that slides down to open at the back of the camcorder. After inserting the rechargeable battery, I closed the door and plugged it into the wall with the included AC power cable. Charging may also be accomplished with the USB cable through a PC. When the light changes from yellow to green, the battery is fully charged. This took a few hours. The battery will power the camcorder for 160 minutes.

After reading the included quick start guide, I realized a memory card was necessary if I wanted to record, which unfortunately, wasn’t included. This information should at least be printed on the outside of the box. My digital SLR camera included a memory card and although I later upgraded it, at least I could immediately try the camera out and shoot some photographs. The camcorder uses either SD 512 MB to 2 GB or SDHC 4GB to 32GB memory cards.

The 8 GB SDHC card I bought provides four hours of recording. Note that there is no high definition option with this camcorder. The USB cable is used to upload videos or photos into a PC, and an audio/video cable is also included to show on a television. The included CD holds the 125 page manual. I started with the quick start guide, familiarizing myself with the buttons and features.

The camera itself is very lightweight. After a few minutes of fiddling around with the zoom bar and smart auto button, I was off and running. Conveniently, the brightness automatically adjusts and the video looked fantastic even in a darkened room.

A small but annoying issue is that the buttons on the right side of the camcorder are all black and the icons are molded into the buttons and hard to read at a glance. I have added a photograph to the customer images section of the product page showing the area. With time the user will have the buttons memorized, but initially it isn’t very user friendly. Only the recording start/stop buttons on the left side and rear are distinguished by a color (red.)

Note that the camcorder has built-in software that automatically loads when connected to a USB port, but according to the packaging, the software is not designed to work on a Mac. Using the USB port I uploaded and saved the video which I then played instantly first on my PC and then the television with no problems.

Regarding the sound — as I operated the camera my voice was quite clear but those in the room, even within a few feet of me were hard to hear. The sound level was a small low but it’s simple enough to increase the volume during playback.

There are many options in the editing area of the software. Photos and movies are handled separately but many of the editing options are the same – changing size, fine tuning, etc. I particularly liked transitioning one video seamlessly into another. I was new to editing so I needed to search the full manual to completely know the process. Someone more familiar with video/photo editing may be able to instinctively work their way through the area. Copying the file first before editing to ensure nothing happens to the original, is always smart.

There is always a learning curve, and this camcorder is no exception. I found the 10X zoom bar hard to control with pin point precision. Pressing it forward or back seemed to result in images too close or too far no matter how quickly I attempted to stop the forward or backward progress. It is still a fantastic feature, and perhaps in time my skill will improve, but I reckon it is a quirk of the camcorder rather than user error. The placement of the lens is a small awkward and I inadvertently place my fingers on it a couple of times when opening the camcorder to start recording.

Small thing, but a brochure inside the box encouraged online registration, and as incentive, an additional three months will be added to the limited warranty (90 days carry in labor, one year parts.) Additionally, there is a chance to win another Samsung product, so, I registered online. While there on the Samsung site I saw nothing about the chance to win another product. I attempted to email Samsung but became locked in one of those maddening loops where the page demanded I select a model number from a drop down menu that had no model numbers to select and my email couldn’t be sent without all fields completed. Ugh.

That prompted me to phone their customer support. The person I spoke with knew nothing of the promotion and told me to contact Amazon. I don’t know how Amazon could help with Samsung’s online registration promotion, so I didn’t bother. Confirmation of the three month extension on the warranty arrived by email. Perhaps their “chance to win” offer is now in place for those registering their camcorder online. The manual contained on the included CD is quite comprehensive and has an extensive section for troubleshooting and helpful hints, so perhaps customer service calls can be kept to a minimum. I ran into no operating problems of any sort with the camcorder.

Overall, there are more pluses than minuses with the camcorder, and I am pleased with its performance.