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1. 

   JH
   September 13th, 2010 - 03:19

   Review by JH for Samsung SMX-C20 Ultra Compact “Touch of Color” Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom (Red)
   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.
2. 

   M. Hill
   September 13th, 2010 - 03:21

   Review by M. Hill for Samsung SMX-C20 Ultra Compact “Touch of Color” Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom (Red)
   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 purchased 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 display on a television. The included CD holds the 125 page manual. I began 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 great 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 difficult to hear. The sound level was a little low but it’s easy 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 understand 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 difficult 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 great feature, and perhaps in time my skill will improve, but I think it is a quirk of the camcorder rather than user error. The placement of the lens is a little awkward and I inadvertently put my fingers on it a couple of times when opening the camcorder to begin 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.
   
3. 

   Thomas
   September 13th, 2010 - 03:52

   Review by Thomas for Samsung SMX-C20 Ultra Compact “Touch of Color” Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom (Red)
   Rating:
   I have this camcorder, a flip mino hd, and a Sanyo VPC-ZH1R and out of the 3 I have to say I still prefer the flip mino HD. This camcorder and the Sanyo take flawless video outdoors in full sunlight even at the 10x zoom level (the Sanyo has 30x zoom, but it’s lack of focus ability at higher than 15x zoom make that feature worthless), Both the Sanyo and this Samsung have slightly worse indoor/low light performance than the flip mino. However, this Samsung one is not HD, which at this price point is a disappointment – seems like it should be HD. This Samsung is easy to operate but again, the only reason I would really use this one is for the 10x zoom and only if outdoors – same goes for the Sanyo – both of these camcorders’ indoor performance at higher zoom settings are really terrible – I wish they would come out with a flip camcorder with a 10x zoom and I would get that. For now, if you want good video indoors at a higher zoom then I guess you have to spend about double what these camcorders all cost. Otherwise I still prefer the Flip Mino for the great lowlight quality, great focusing, ease of use, and ease of downloading videos to the PC. If you get do this camcorder, be sure to order a 8gb class 6 SDHC flash card to go with it so you can shoot several hours of video.
4. 

   Andrew W. Johns
   September 13th, 2010 - 04:11

   Review by Andrew W. Johns for Samsung SMX-C20 Ultra Compact “Touch of Color” Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom (Red)
   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 good 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 display 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 little camera for anyone looking for a lightweight and easy to use digital video camera.
5. 

   Silea
   September 13th, 2010 - 05:08

   Review by Silea for Samsung SMX-C20 Ultra Compact “Touch of Color” Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom (Red)
   Rating:
   If you want a small digital camcorder to carry in your pocket (if you have big pockets) or purse to take quick videos, this is a great option. It’s very compact, and if all you’re doing is powering on, hitting record, then stopping and powering off, it’s pretty darn easy to use. The angled lens really does make it a lot easier to use, and you can tilt the display as well for whatever posture works for you. The zoom in/out controller is well placed to be easily used while recording, and it does have quite a powerful optical zoom.

   But… it’s not all roses and sunshine. There are a lot of frustrating aspects of this camcorder.

   Ergonomics/physically handling the camera:
   
   1) It comes with a wrist strap but not a hand-strap. This means that you won’t drop it entirely if it slips out of your hand, but that you do have to grip it firmly the whole time you’re recording. (I have long fingers, and this camera is actually small enough that it’s slightly awkward to hold for more than a few minutes at a time.)
   
   2) The record button depresses much more than actually necessary to activate. I’m never sure when it’s actually started or stopped recording.
   
   3) On a related note, when you stop recording, the little red ‘recording’ light stays on for several seconds. The only way that you can immediately see that it stopped recording is that the timer stops.
   
   4) No lens cap. It’ll eventually get scratched if you don’t keep it in a dedicated camera bag or something similar.
   
   5) The five-way control is very hard to use. I can rarely get more than two or three left/right/up/down clicks in before i accidentally push ‘ok’ instead. This makes navigating the menus very difficult.

   On-camcorder software:
   
   1) You can divide videos right on the camera (if you can bumble your way through the menus without clicking ‘ok’ in the wrong place five times first), but only if there’s at least 3 seconds of movie on either side of the divide. This means, for example, that you can’t trim off that first 1.5 seconds of video of the sidewalk because you pushed the button first and aimed the camera second, nor the last 2 seconds when your kid stopped being cute and started doing something you didn’t want to document for posterity. (You can trim it once you move the file to your computer.)

   Recording time vs. battery time:
   
   1) Don’t bother getting an SD card larger than 4 gigs for normal use. That gives you more recording time, even in TV-Fine, than the battery can keep the camera alive. (Unless, of course, you’re going to store videos on the camera. Then you’ll need more. Likewise, if you use the highest video quality, you might actually use up 4 gigs before the battery runs dead.)

   User’s manual:
   
   1) It’s a PDF on a CD-ROM, which is great for the environment and all, but the PDF pages don’t align with the user manual page numbers because of all of the ‘don’t electrocute yourself’ warnings Samsung was legally obligated to include. Thus, when you’re trying to figure out what iView is, and the User’s Manual index tells you to go to page 35, it’s actually PDF page 47 or so.
   
   2) Sometimes, it’s just plain wrong. At least twice i had to figure out how to use a feature on my own because the User’s Manual’s steps didn’t work.

   On-computer software:
   
   1) I really can’t say anything about this, since it doesn’t appear to work on a Mac. I’m sure some of the PC-users out there have advice for other PC-users. For macs, quicktime and iMovie work fine, after you manually move the files to your computer because the ‘share’ button does nothing.
   
   2) For some reason, when you attach the camera to a mac, not only does an unnamed drive show up (the memory card), a CD/DVD icon shows up too. You can’t actually eject it until you’ve ejected the unnamed drive.

   So, in conclusion: great and easy to use as long as you don’t want to use any of the fancy features and don’t throw it out a window after the 53rd time you hit ‘ok’ instead of ‘left’ on the little nub of a five-way controller. Perfectly usable with a mac, as long as you have iMovie or something similar.

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