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| Brand: Samsung
Category: Photography
List Price: $849.95
Buy New: $393.18
You Save: $456.77 (54%)
New (17)
Avg. Customer Rating:  24 reviews
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Optical Zoom: 10
Display Size: 2.7
Maximum Focal Length: 32
Minimum Focal Length: 3.2
Shipping Weight (lbs): 10
Dimensions (in): 7.3 x 5.8 x 5.8
MPN: SC-HMX10/XAA
Model: SC-HMX10
UPC: 036725301849
EAN: 0036725301849
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
 A true review of the Camera, not a complaint about one feature. December 17, 2007
13 out of 14 found this review helpful
This is definitely a camera with its own pros and cons, but the harsh reviews it is getting are completely unbiased. I have had virtually none of the other reviewed problems stated in the previous comments.
As for the camera itself it is very light, and it is much smaller that I thought it would be which makes video recording a snap, pair it with the switchable hand positions and you have a camera that can be used for extended periods of time. It also has pretty good low light performance, I tested it while Christmas light looking and the video came out quite nice. But it can be a bit sensitive to certan colors of light, if the light is a soft orangish color it can make you videos look a bit stranger than they already did in the light. As for video play back on your pc I simple copied them on to my pc, and they started automatically, they played natively in the zune software. I also copied them on to my flash drive and played them on my Xbox 360 with no problems at all.
Of course not everything about this camera is prefect. For one the internal memory is very slow co copying and reading files of the camera, I could not plug it directly into my 360 and play the files off of it. This does not seem to effect the normal recording operation of the camera though. And of course the video quality isn't perfect, but is about what you would expect for a consumer camera that can be found for as little as $650 dollars. The video has a few artifacts and an overall home movie feel, but its by no means terrible its quite nice looking, even though its no like watching an HD-DVD. For the price its the best bang for the buck.
Great HD option for the money December 26, 2007
13 out of 14 found this review helpful
So far I'm loving this very little camcorder. It's exactly the size I wanted and with 8 gigs of built in memory it will get about 90 minutes of 720p footage. The video quality looks nice considering the size and price of the unit (it's 720p, not 1080p and you can tell the difference...image stabilization works great). I have gone fully hi-def in my house and the HDMI port on this camera was a must. The touchscreen and audible feedback is fantastic. The battery outlasts the memory which is a plus. I haven't hooked it up to my PC yet to edit video, but I fear no codec problems....I've conquered many of those before. Also, you can edit directly on the camera so unless you are adding effects or credits there is no need for PC editing. The first downside is the same downside for all hi-def camcorders....you need a Blu-Ray or HD-DVD burner to put movies on disc. I will be experimenting with other options such as streaming video from PC through my network, using memory cards etc, but in the end I know a hi-def burner will be best. The second downside is the LED light for filming in the dark. It takes quite a journey through the menu to turn on the light. You would think there would be a simple button on the camera to toggle this on and off, but even with the light on it's not very bright and it's a blueish hue so not very natural looking. I was surprised to see it had no "night vision" feature, even my 4 year old mini-dv cheapy camcorder has that feature. The other downside is I do not believe there is a flash for taking photographs. Not a deal killer because who buys a camcorder for taking pictures? Overall I'm very pleased.
UPDATE
OK I've reviewed this camera once before nearly a year ago. Since then I've had time to play with things and I think I found a good work around for the jerky .mp4 playback.
Just use an SDHC card instead of recording to the built in memory. For some reason when I record to my 16 gig SDHC card the videos play perfectly on my computer. If you get an error telling you to format the card even after you already have, simply pop the card out and put it back in while the camcorder is still on. I'm not sure why, but the camera will want to format everytime you turn it on.
 The Ultimate Camera January 5, 2008
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
I have just recently purchasd the Samsung HD camcorder, and I've recieved it today. I've been playing around with it for hours on end, and its great.
I've hooked it up with our Westington HDTV with the HDMI cable, and the picture quality was astonishing. The full 720p resolution and also full 720p quality.
I will post video previews that I have recorded and uploaded straight from the camera for you eventually.
I was a little hesitant of getting this camera because they said that it does not play on computers, PC or Mac. I have not been able to get it to play on a Mac, but I'll continue to try. However, it plays fine on PC's. Even our old Gateway (6 years) XP Home edition plays the videos perfectly through Apples Quicktime Player. (They are skippy because the computer is really old.)
I have not tried Windows Media Player, because Quicktime works fine. The Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS) is very good. When you zoom in, your video gets shakier and shakier, but when zoomed all the way out, it is very steady.
You have read that the annoying green STBY image and the red recording dot stays on your video when you play it back through the TV. That is not true, at all. They will show up, but the rewind, fast foward, play, pause buttons eventually fade away, but if you want to get rid of the STBY and REC images, just click the "icheck" button. (And when playing back on the computer, its ONLY VIDEO, nothing else in the way.)
The LED light is very bright, and very nice. It has a slight blue tint with it, but thats okay because the backlight is also very nice. The touchscreen is much better then Sony's touchscreens. The camera has a VERY stirdy build, and really fits in your palm perfectly.
And the low light performance is a lot better then you'd expect. Well worth the retail price, but I'd go with a deal (which is how i got it.)
OH, and all the parts where you move them to plug in the charger, AV slot, USB port, etc., are all built very nicely. Not cheap like Sony, or Panasonic.
I would recommend this camera to everyone!
OH, and very important, the audio quality is very good. The annoying background noises that are known to consumer camcorders are now at an all time low in the Samsung!
Samsung, thank you!
unbiased review July 4, 2008
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
I am very annoyed by all the negative reviews that are not the cameras fault but USER DEFAULT. That's not to say the camera is perfect but it comes close esspecially for the price $397.00!
I want to clear up some of the problems other people were having based on them just not reading directions or their tvs, pcs etc. having issues.
First of all you have to have a HD tv with a HDMI cable. It does not come with the HDMI cable! They can be very expensive and but if you have HDTV you should already have one to be able to view your cable, sattelite or bluray in HD so rest assured.
Hooking up the video camera to the HDMI cable was so easy... you just unplug your HDMI cable from whatever it is in (cable box, dvd player) and plug it into the port, put it on the right input & turn on the camera! voila! very simple and easy.
Like someone else reviewed they are VERY specific on the specifications the computer has to have in order to run the software it comes with! And even if your computer meets those standards if it is bogged down with lots of programs, pictures, games etc. it is not going to work correctly!
This is pretty easy to get around though you can edit your videos on the camera and just hook up your camera and burn it to a dvd (which you should already have on your computer if you have a dvd burner) that way you dont have to have the software on your computer if it is slower or doesnt meet the standards.
I do not reccomend this camera for anyone who wants to record in low light situations! It is not terrrible but it is not good. As far as recording in dark situations I would rate it a 5 out of 10. But I do not plan on using it in the dark much if ever so this isnt a issue for me. I do plan on tweeking the settings more though to get it to look better in low light but it might also just be easier to turn a light!
Another complaint is the zoom and focus. It is only 10x zoom... This is fine for everyday use but if you plan on using this for concerts or anything far away this may annoy you. Also I hate how it sometimes takes a little bit to focus this might be something I can get in there and fix with the advance settings and you can always edit that scene out which I have already done directly on the camera.
Now with the complaints out of the way I want to rave about the camera!
First the Clarity! It is unreal and even my husband was shocked. I couldnt belive the detail it could focus in on on our daughters Elmo stuffed animal... You could see the details of the fuzz and stiching it was amazing! It was raining when I got the camera and I sat inside and opened up the door and focues in on the rain dropping and for a distance it was crystal clear! I am going to try and upload still pictures of this to share on this review later.
I love the touch screen it isnt the kind where you barley touch it you actually have to tap it which I like because a overly sensitive touch screen can be very annoying and cause problems.
The size is perfect... it's very small but not annoyingly small. It comes with a soft pouch and it fits perfect in my purse and I look foward to being able to keep my digital & video camera in my purse when I leave the country in 2 months.
The swivel grip is a nice touch and we have already used it when taping our infant on the floor.
I reccomend this camera to anyone who has HD in their home and want something cheap & easy to use. It isnt anything professional and isnt perfect but it is very close and for $397.00 you cant beat that. I had the choice between this camera and a few other standard cameras for the same price... why not get the HD camera that is capable of standard recording and hd? It is also very trendy looking so for all you starbucks artsy people this will definitly impress your friends with it's cool design and touch screen.
I think for the $397.00 price tag this is the best camera you could get. If you want to shell out $1000 for a HD camera then go for it but if you cant afford that and were already looking to just get a normal camera for under $500 then this is the camera for you. I also wanted to add there are 3 recording resolutions HD, Standard and below standard... Standard looks almost as good as HD & below standard looks pretty darn good too! the only diference is you get more recording time on the 8gb drive and like 5 minutes more battery time.
I do plan on getting a 8 or 16gb SD card but only because I am going to the Bahamas and I want to make sure I can take lots of HD videos of the beach :-) I think the average person can get away with the 8gb hard drive and a 2-4 gb card. It does come with a card that tells you how much time you will get out of the hard drive in all the modes & how much time you will get with a 2, 4, 8 & 16gb sd card which I think is nice they included that information.
I am sure I will update this review as I use the camera more and hopefully get a good still image of my HD recordings to share with all of you.
I was worried about buying this camera because of the mixed reviews but I went through and read all of them and when I saw most of them were user default I figured this was the best option for the price and boy was I right!!
~Oh one more thing I gave it 5 stars based on the price. If I had payed full price I would have given it a 4
My experience with this Samsung HD camcorder December 31, 2007
9 out of 11 found this review helpful
Hi everyone,
I got this camcorder as a Christmas present, and I've been fiddling with it around the house.
First, the camcorder itself
-It has a battery life of a little over an hour, give or take
-The LCD is a touch screen, which makes maneuvering through the menu very easy. The LCD is also very clear
-The videos can be recorded in HD or standard; however, it takes only 3 megapixel pictures, so I wouldn't suggest that you get this camcorder to use as a camera
-I wish the strap was a bit softer, more flexible, so I could have a better grip on the camera, which luckily is small.
-The built-in editing mode is pretty good; you can easily combine 2 videos, delete portions of your movie, and divide your video while you're on the go.
Second, viewing the camcorder on TV and PC
-I was able to view and edit my videos without issues on my PC with the CyberLink DVD Suite, which is included; installation took an unusually long time (approx. 30 minutes to 40 minutes) on my laptop(Vista, Intel Duo, 2 GB Ram).
-I think if you're computer doesn't have the recommended specifications you shouldn't expect to watch your videos on computer, at least with CyberLink. The recommended specifications for the CyberLink program are pretty high-- Vista or XP, 1 GB or greater RAM, and Intel Pentium 4 3.2GHz/AMD Ahtlon 64FX/Intel Core 2 Duo. They also say that a video card like the nVIDIA Geforce 7600GT, ATi X1600 or higher is needed, but if you have an Intel Duo processor like me, it's not necessary. That would make sense as the encoding is pretty new.
-When using other video players, my videos were choppy and sometimes lacked sound. I tested VLC Media Player, Quicktime, GOM Player, Real Player Alternative, Windows Media Player. I'm guessing this will not be as much an issue in the future as HD video is still very new.
-Playing my movies on TV was easy; I just attached the camcorder to the TV via the av cable and set the camcorder to view mode. Unfortunately, we don't have an HD TV yet so I can't fully discuss that aspect.
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