Samsung SC-HMX20C 8GB High Definition Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Pros
-the .mp4 files are OSX friendly and viewable instantly in QuickTime !
- we had no problem getting these files into Final Cut Xpress 4 or iMovie '08
- I was editing these files within minutes of popping the card out of the cam
- Photos can be plucked out of the video streams at 8mp (4mp interpolated?)
- the menu interface is clean ,intuitive, and performs well
- the photos look great, even the ones you capture while viewing video playback
- the TouchPoint focus can create cool effects
- colors and automatic levels seem pretty accurate
- quickly change recording to INTERNAL or SDHC or MMC
- manual controls are simple sliders (WB, Exposure, Shutter)
- 90 minute battery life from a small form battery
- shoots in 4 resolutions : 1080p/30p , 1080i/60i, 480p/60p an 300fps SlowMotion
- you can be in and out of these resolutions in seconds via QuickMenus
- shooting this puppy is a breeze, we haven't even looked at the manual yet
- nice Slideshow with music functions
- TouchFocus allows you to focus on different objects in the foreground or background
- it's a very small package and feels quite solid for it's size
- QuickInfo button displays battery life / memory / resolution even powered off
-clips can be split, deleted and combined IN CAMERA
-the phot slideshow can be accompanied by music

Cons
- you MUST have the cradle (included) for charging / HDMI out
- manual controls are very simple ...... will be too limiting for hardcore tweakers
........ that being said, the automatic levels are about as good as you'll want
- no hot shoe
- no built in light ... only pop-up flash
- photos cannot be cropped or rotated in camera - no red-eye removal tool either
- the focus drifted on me a few times
- btw, the focus is a little SLOW
- the TouchFocus was hit or miss in practice
-the battery and SD/MMC slot are behind a trap door, probably not going to be an extended run battery

there's alot to like about this camera
the easy to use touchscreen does almost everything I need it to do under normal circumstances
playback in QUICKTIME is smooth and free of some processing artifacts I noticed when using VLC (nightly) to view .mts files from Panasonics and Canon's ... and that comes in handy if you shot alot of clips and want to get to previewing them quickly and not waiting an hour for it to load into your editorI think I've narrowed it down to this camera and the Canon hf100. I went to the store and shot some clips with my memory card. I found the .mts file buried in a STREAM subfolder several layers deep.
The Samsung has a folder called 100video, click on that and there's your files
The Canon's menu is more advanced and offers more options, but it's also more complex
but if you can live without advanced manual controls and a mini-hotshoe and want to work with a more friendly file, this Samsung SC_HMX20C is the camcorder to have

this camcorder works well with a 2.2ghz Macbook with 4gb RAM running OSX Leopard

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Product Description:
Samsung Hi Definition Memory Camcorder

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