Digital 8 Camcorders Digital8Camcorders.com is your one-stop source for information about digital 8 camcorders.

1. 

   B. Rihner
   October 14th, 2010 - 02:59

   Review by B. Rihner for Samsung C20 Ultra Compact “Touch of Color” Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom (Purple)
   Rating:
   I bought this video camera to record my kids sporting events. It does a great job given its size.
   
   I am really impressed with the color of the videos – very vivid.
   
   For me the size is the best thing about this camera. In your pocket its like a medium size cell phone. And the battery seems to last a long time.
   
   Also the tilt of the lense really does make a big difference when your holding it – less strain on your wrist.
   
   If you want a very portable video camera that takes good colorful video – buy this.
2. 

   JH
   October 14th, 2010 - 03:53

   Review by JH for Samsung C20 Ultra Compact “Touch of Color” Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom (Purple)
   Rating:
   I previously owned a hard drive based Sony Handycam. The camera died (out of warranty) so I searched for another. I thought i’d go for a lower price point this time around since I would be using this primarily to shoot casual videos of my daughters. This was around half the price of a Sony or Canon. I should have stuck with Sony because boy did I get burned.

   I was expecting a lower quality product but there are many things working against this unit here.

   The biggest problem with this camera is the videos do not end up encoded in the proper 16:9 widescreen ratio. This seems to be a problem with other lower end Samsung cameras (the MX-20 has the biggest complaints about this online) and if I would have known this ahead of time I would have stayed clear. The camera records the video in 720×480. This is widescreen and looks fine on the camera. The minute you plug it in to your TV or play the file on the computer you will notice the black bars on the side. The video is actually in 3:2 ratio!!! This is a bug in Samsungs encoding. Search for Samsung widescreen camcorder problem and you will find it. I found this unacceptable and false advertising (Samsung asserts widescreen and I was told personally it will “fill the screen and won’t have any black bars on a widescreen tv” from a rep.)

   If that wasn’t enough of a reason to send it back, there is the quality of the actual camera. The buttons are very cheap. Everything has a fragile/plastic feel. The LCD doesn’t even swivel smoothly. You really have to press the record button hard(and the power button) for it to function and it feels like you are going to break it. I knew this product was a lower end product but I still expected some semblance of quality from Samsung (I love their TV’s and appliances). The lens of the camera has no cover as well.

   The quality of the video is low to decent. Very basic settings and function.

   What did I like about it? Well the color of the camera itself is nice and I like the angle/ergonomic concept of it’s design. The timelapse option is a good idea but since I am sending this back after a few days, I didn’t even get a chance to try it.

   I research a lot before buying and unfortunately this camera is very new and not a lot of people are talking about it. Even if the widescreen issue doesn’t bother you i’d still recommend looking into another brand (Sony, Canon) who have better build quality. I’m going back to Sony after I return this.

   I hope this helps others when making the purchasing decision for a camcorder.
3. 

   James L. Robinson
   October 14th, 2010 - 04:22

   Review by James L. Robinson for Samsung C20 Ultra Compact “Touch of Color” Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom (Purple)
   Rating:
   Upon receiving this little gem, my wife and I were astonished at its size and abilities. We took it to Ocean Shores, WA for the 4th of July and captured the fireworks display at night. I have an older camcorder that cost me roughly five times what I spent on this one; and it cannot even come close to this Samsung product! The zooming and playback features are superior as are the ease of use and replay quality. Anyone in the market for a high-tech and super portable camcorder should look no further than the Samsung C20. I promise you will not be disappointed.

Leave a comment