Samsung SC-HMX20C Reviews – feature rich HD camcorder
- Thursday, February 5, 2009, 6:27
- Digital Camera
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The $849.99, Samsung SC-HMX20C is easy to use camcorder which is capable of recording high definition videos. Moreover, it is the most feature rich camcorder in its category. Unlike other camcorders which records the videos in AVCHD format, which is not compatible with XP, Vista or Mac OS X, the Samsung records videos in MPEG-4 format which is compatible with all three. You may not get the stellar video quality which is provided by Sony and Canon camcorders but the Sony HDR-SR11 is more expensive than Samsung.
Measuring 2.6 inches high, 2.65 inches wide and 5.47 inches deep, the Samsung SC-HMX20C is a bit rounded body camcorder. It is a bit difficult to grip the camera firmly due to the slick and capsule shaped design. You also have to loose the grip in order to access the buttons for start/stop and zoom. The Samsung boasts of touch sensitive 2.7-inch LCD screen which compensates the lack of viewfinder with its wide viewing angle. The SC-HMX20C also provides same manual controls on the top and the left panel. Using the controls located on the left is easier than using the ones located on the top edge.
The SC-HMX20C camcorder also boasts of face-detection technology which is also offered by Sony’s HDR-SR11. While in the shooting mode, the camcorder shows a green box which tracks the faces within the frame. The camcorder is equipped with CMOS sensor with a focal range of 6.3- 63mm which means you get 10X optical zoom, which is offered by all the camcorder in its category except Sony which provides 12X optical zoom. It is also capable of capturing 4 megapixels still images.
The Samsung SC-HMX20C is capable of recording 3 hours 10 minutes of HD video at 60 frames per second. If you need more space for storage you can use the slots provided for MMC+/SD Memory cards. Unlike Sony and Panasonic HDC-SD9 camcorders, the Samsung lacks Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. So, the audio quality is not as great as the quality offered by the other two camcorders. But the Samsung has advantage over Sony and Canon as it captures MPEG-4 videos whereas the other two record videos in AVCHD format. The AVCHD is incompatible with Windows and Mac. So, you don’t need additional software to transfer the videos from your camera to your computer. You can add and drop files from camera to computer.
The camcorder comes with remote control and a docking station which allows you to connect the camcorder with HDTV as it lacks the HDMI-out. It also features the HDMI Consumer Electronic Control which means you can operate the camera with HDTV remote control.
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