There is a market for simplicity of design and this camera caters to that crowd. If you are a user that would like to just turn on the camera and start taking movies, this camcorder will make a happy consumer. This first generation of Flash memory camcorders is a nice step for allowing users to interchange media between cameras and camcorders in a very portable form of media.
The camera features a 2.7? LCD screen, 34x optical zoom, a swivel handle and a rotating LCD screen. This particular model operates utilizing a SDHC (high capacity HD card) or MMC (multimedia card) plus. A flexible option is to record in 16:9 widescreen or 4:3 standard options.
WHAT IS IN THE BOX?
AC power adaptor
Audio/video cable
USB cable
Software CD (Cyberlink Media Show)
User manual CD, quick start guide (hard copy)
Cloth pouch (for the carrying case)
Unfortunately, to read the manual in detail, you have to load the disk and access the PDF on computer. A quick start guide gets you up and running very easily so you don’t really need to read the manual given the simplicity of the camera. But the manual decodes some of the subtle features.
THE SOFTWARE
The software is a simple product with limited capabilities. Fine tuning allows brightness, contrast, color saturation, and white balance. You can trim out sections of a video clip for deletion or extract an interval of the video. Additionally there are general fixes for a shaky video, background noise and fixing lighting. The video can also be rotated. You can add annotations but no music or sound to existing video clips.
The software’s system requirements are below:
RAM: 1 GB recommended
3 GHZ Pentium 4
OS: Windows Vista or XP
RESOLUTION: 800×600
MEDIA Supported: DVD+/RW or DVD-/RW
DESIGN/CONSTRUCTION:
My biggest requirement for a camera is a battery life indicator. You can see this when the unit is in video mode or if you hold the iCheck button down. While taking videos, I love seeing how much recording time I have left (hours,minutes,seconds) and approximately how much battery life I have left in minutes.
The housing is hard plastic in a silver and blue combination. A switch operates the built-in lens cover. I find a built-in cover to be convenient since it is hard to keep track of something that can be easily taken off. A novel feature is the ability to rotate the handle with the built-in vinyl strap 180 degrees. The handle allows the user to record in almost any up-down angle. The most useful configuration is holding the camera like a pistol. You will not have to hold your camera up to your face (or on your shoulder) or have your elbow at a constant 90 degree angle (which is really hard for many people), like old camcorders had the user have to do.
The LCD screen opens out and also swivels 180 degrees so you can film yourself talking. A tripod mount is in the underside of the unit and the unit does sit flat when set onto a counter – despite the fact that this is shaped like a bullet.
A small door in the back of the unit contains ports for the A/V cable, USB cable and AC power supply. The underside of the unit contains a battery door with a slot next to the battery for a memory card.
There are not too many buttons on this unit to simplify the operation. There is a record button, playback and video button, and an on-off switch in the back. The body houses only 3 buttons: an icheck button for the LCD display, LCD contrast button and an Easy button that makes this a point and shoot camcorder.
On the LCD frame, there is a menu button, 4 way directional button with central enter button, and a record button.
The top of the unit has a zoom/wide angle button. This button does not have fine control so it should be set and video should be taken at that setting. Otherwise the audience watching the video could get sick.
Now, practically speaking the record button in the back of the unit is hard to access when your hand is in the strap. The button on the LCD frame is easier to access, but is more for 2 handed operation.
There is a tiny speaker in the body of the camera that serves the purpose of just hearing sound. Quality of the audio playback from the camera is limited. A volume control toggle, fast forward, reverse, play and pause button are utilized with the 4 button directional keys, during playback.
OPERATION:
Before you can use this camera, you need an SDMC. There is no internal memory.
It takes about 8 seconds from the time you push the power button to getting ready to take videos. The toggle switch for video and playback seamlessly allows the user to take video and quickly select the clip that he or she wants to review.
Playback mode utilizes the directional keys to select the video clip of interest to review. The menu button during playback allows the user to have play options, delete clips, format the card, lock/protect a clip. With digital media, you don’t have to worry about rewinding or fast-forwarding as you would would Mini-DV, 8 mm or VHS.
Taking videos is easy with the EasyQ button. Camera shake is activated, white balance, color, shutter speed, etc. are set. All you have to do is adjust your zoom and push record. This is the best feature for a simple person like myself who wants a foolproof method of capturing a moment in time.
For more advanced users, turn off the EasyQ button and you can access the Menu. There are 10 iScene buttons for various situations: Auto, Sports, Portrait, Spotlight, Beach, Snow, Manual, High speed, Waterfall and Food. You can toggle Digital Zoom off (which I recommend since there is too much pixelation with digital zoom) – 34x is more than enough for many practical situations. Guide lines are available to frame your video in 3 modes: Off, Cross, Grid and Safety Zone. Resolution can be set for Superfine to Youtube mode.
You can set the fader to on or off.
Intervals for the length of a clip can be customized.
Backlight for objects in front of a light source can be turned on and off.
My favorite custom feature on this camera is the Digital Effect function where you can set Black and White, Sepia, Negative, Art, Emboss, Mosaic, Cosmetic, Pastel, and Stepprinting can be set for a more artsy touch.
INTERFACE:
The A/V cable allows me to connect to my Plasma using a RCA input. What you see on the LCD (good or bad) is the same image you get on the television. You can watch video clips or record while attached. The LCD flips out and inverts so you can have the camcorder shut with the LCD menu out to watch your videos. No remote is available with the unit which is a negative.
PICTURE/SOUND QUALITY:
My house has soft light and image quality under lower light conditions is grainy. High intensity light (Fluoresent) and outdoors gives better picture clarity through better color balance, intensity of brightness and less graininess. Candlelight darkness, renders this camera nonfunctional for good color picture quality. Low light for sepia and black and white is actually better for contrast.
My perception of color saturation is that the camera does not handle lower light conditions well.
A trial of video recording a TV commercial showed a slight graininess also but was also limited by a lag in the sound. The microphone seemed to capture video but there was a latency between the lips moving and sound output (equivalent to watching a dubbed movie, if you get my drift). Live recording of sound and video is more in sync and sound quality is very good, despite the compact size of this camera. It is quite robust.
With faster motion, there is slight pixelation. Occassionally, the autofocus comes out of focus despite a more stationary video subject.
The anti-shake features decreases motion slightly but does not minimize severe motion. The difference is barely perceptible. This is exacerbated when on 34x zoom. Practically speaking, you will need a monopod or small tripod to keep the motion down to a minimum.
PRACTICAL MATTERS:
Overall, its use is better as an outdoor camera than an indoor camera. Birthday party videos at home would be a limited application.
This camera accepts SDHC cards by Panasonic, Toshiba, and SanDisk (if you’re buying this camera with memory cards, as you read this). A write speed of 2 megabytes per second is recommended for video. The card I used for this test is a Transcend SDHC 8 GB card that performs at 6 MB/Second.
Transcend 8 GB SDHC SD Class 6 Flash Memory Card TS8GSDHC6E [Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging]
I suggest the following to transfer video to your computer, instead of the USB cable:
15-In-1 Memory Card Reader
Charging can only be performed by plugging in the unit – as opposed to many digital cameras that have dedicated battery chargers. You need a spare battery. I ordered the following:
Samsung BP85 Lithium Ion Battery for SC-HMX10,SC-HMX20 and SC-MX10
PROS:
Compact and light
34x optical zoom
Simplicity of design and operation
One media between cameras and camcorders: Flash memory (SDHC) which can be interchanged with digital cameras
Intuitive menu system
Robust sound quality for a camera of this size
Excellent battery life
CONS:
Limited by low light
Negligible effect of the Anti-shake feature
No still camera features, nor can you can extract a still from a video clip
Average image quality but not quite the resolution attainable on Mini-DV
Software not MAC compatible
No internal flash memory
VERDICT:
Good entry level camera for a student or a person who wants a point and shoot camcorder.
This is above average in performance for a person wanting a camera capable of uploading to Youtube.
Great budget camcorder for analyzing your golf swing.
Not recommended for a Prosumer, intermediate or advanced videographer – given the limitations in low light.
For the price, simplicity and portability, this camera deserves 4 out of 5 stars for this category of camcorders. Two thumbs up!
RECOMMENDED ACCESSORIES:
A real camera case instead of the drawstring sack.
Backup battery when on the road.
NOTE (I have both the SC-HMX20 and the SC-MX20):
I also have the Samsung SC-HMX20 1080p HD camcorder/6.4 MP digital camera Samsung SC-HMX20C 8GB High Definition Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom with pop up flash and 8 MB of built-in RAM. It is an excellent camcorder, heavier in weight with excellent resolution – especially in lower light. If you want something for HD and low light, consider this camera (SC-HMX20). However, there is about a $400 price difference that may not be worth it to you.
However, if you are a Youtube or other online video publisher, this SC-MX20 is a better option. It is lighter and more comfortable to take around trips to the park, picnics and the beach.
UPDATE:
This camera is so light and easy to handle that my 8 year old can use this camcorder without any problems. It is a great tool to help a child stimulate their imagination and make their own videos.
This camera captures my golf swing very easily. It’s only drawback is the absence of a remote control. Otherwise, this would be a perfect item to use for analyzing the golf swing – for a training aid.
Rating: 4 / 5
There is a market for simplicity of design and this camera caters to that crowd. If you are a user that would like to just turn on the camera and start taking movies, this camcorder will make a happy consumer. This first generation of Flash memory camcorders is a nice step for allowing users to interchange media between cameras and camcorders in a very portable form of media.
The camera features a 2.7? LCD screen, 34x optical zoom, a swivel handle and a rotating LCD screen. This particular model operates utilizing a SDHC (high capacity HD card) or MMC (multimedia card) plus. A flexible option is to record in 16:9 widescreen or 4:3 standard options.
WHAT IS IN THE BOX?
AC power adaptor
Audio/video cable
USB cable
Software CD (Cyberlink Media Show)
User manual CD, quick start guide (hard copy)
Cloth pouch (for the carrying case)
Unfortunately, to read the manual in detail, you have to load the disk and access the PDF on computer. A quick start guide gets you up and running very easily so you don’t really need to read the manual given the simplicity of the camera. But the manual decodes some of the subtle features.
THE SOFTWARE
The software is a simple product with limited capabilities. Fine tuning allows brightness, contrast, color saturation, and white balance. You can trim out sections of a video clip for deletion or extract an interval of the video. Additionally there are general fixes for a shaky video, background noise and fixing lighting. The video can also be rotated. You can add annotations but no music or sound to existing video clips.
The software’s system requirements are below:
RAM: 1 GB recommended
3 GHZ Pentium 4
OS: Windows Vista or XP
RESOLUTION: 800×600
MEDIA Supported: DVD+/RW or DVD-/RW
DESIGN/CONSTRUCTION:
My biggest requirement for a camera is a battery life indicator. You can see this when the unit is in video mode or if you hold the iCheck button down. While taking videos, I love seeing how much recording time I have left (hours,minutes,seconds) and approximately how much battery life I have left in minutes.
The housing is hard plastic in a silver and blue combination. A switch operates the built-in lens cover. I find a built-in cover to be convenient since it is hard to keep track of something that can be easily taken off. A novel feature is the ability to rotate the handle with the built-in vinyl strap 180 degrees. The handle allows the user to record in almost any up-down angle. The most useful configuration is holding the camera like a pistol. You will not have to hold your camera up to your face (or on your shoulder) or have your elbow at a constant 90 degree angle (which is really hard for many people), like old camcorders had the user have to do.
The LCD screen opens out and also swivels 180 degrees so you can film yourself talking. A tripod mount is in the underside of the unit and the unit does sit flat when set onto a counter – despite the fact that this is shaped like a bullet.
A small door in the back of the unit contains ports for the A/V cable, USB cable and AC power supply. The underside of the unit contains a battery door with a slot next to the battery for a memory card.
There are not too many buttons on this unit to simplify the operation. There is a record button, playback and video button, and an on-off switch in the back. The body houses only 3 buttons: an icheck button for the LCD display, LCD contrast button and an Easy button that makes this a point and shoot camcorder.
On the LCD frame, there is a menu button, 4 way directional button with central enter button, and a record button.
The top of the unit has a zoom/wide angle button. This button does not have fine control so it should be set and video should be taken at that setting. Otherwise the audience watching the video could get sick.
Now, practically speaking the record button in the back of the unit is hard to access when your hand is in the strap. The button on the LCD frame is easier to access, but is more for 2 handed operation.
There is a tiny speaker in the body of the camera that serves the purpose of just hearing sound. Quality of the audio playback from the camera is limited. A volume control toggle, fast forward, reverse, play and pause button are utilized with the 4 button directional keys, during playback.
OPERATION:
Before you can use this camera, you need an SDMC. There is no internal memory.
It takes about 8 seconds from the time you push the power button to getting ready to take videos. The toggle switch for video and playback seamlessly allows the user to take video and quickly select the clip that he or she wants to review.
Playback mode utilizes the directional keys to select the video clip of interest to review. The menu button during playback allows the user to have play options, delete clips, format the card, lock/protect a clip. With digital media, you don’t have to worry about rewinding or fast-forwarding as you would would Mini-DV, 8 mm or VHS.
Taking videos is easy with the EasyQ button. Camera shake is activated, white balance, color, shutter speed, etc. are set. All you have to do is adjust your zoom and push record. This is the best feature for a simple person like myself who wants a foolproof method of capturing a moment in time.
For more advanced users, turn off the EasyQ button and you can access the Menu. There are 10 iScene buttons for various situations: Auto, Sports, Portrait, Spotlight, Beach, Snow, Manual, High speed, Waterfall and Food. You can toggle Digital Zoom off (which I recommend since there is too much pixelation with digital zoom) – 34x is more than enough for many practical situations. Guide lines are available to frame your video in 3 modes: Off, Cross, Grid and Safety Zone. Resolution can be set for Superfine to Youtube mode.
You can set the fader to on or off.
Intervals for the length of a clip can be customized.
Backlight for objects in front of a light source can be turned on and off.
My favorite custom feature on this camera is the Digital Effect function where you can set Black and White, Sepia, Negative, Art, Emboss, Mosaic, Cosmetic, Pastel, and Stepprinting can be set for a more artsy touch.
INTERFACE:
The A/V cable allows me to connect to my Plasma using a RCA input. What you see on the LCD (good or bad) is the same image you get on the television. You can watch video clips or record while attached. The LCD flips out and inverts so you can have the camcorder shut with the LCD menu out to watch your videos. No remote is available with the unit which is a negative.
PICTURE/SOUND QUALITY:
My house has soft light and image quality under lower light conditions is grainy. High intensity light (Fluoresent) and outdoors gives better picture clarity through better color balance, intensity of brightness and less graininess. Candlelight darkness, renders this camera nonfunctional for good color picture quality. Low light for sepia and black and white is actually better for contrast.
My perception of color saturation is that the camera does not handle lower light conditions well.
A trial of video recording a TV commercial showed a slight graininess also but was also limited by a lag in the sound. The microphone seemed to capture video but there was a latency between the lips moving and sound output (equivalent to watching a dubbed movie, if you get my drift). Live recording of sound and video is more in sync and sound quality is very good, despite the compact size of this camera. It is quite robust.
With faster motion, there is slight pixelation. Occassionally, the autofocus comes out of focus despite a more stationary video subject.
The anti-shake features decreases motion slightly but does not minimize severe motion. The difference is barely perceptible. This is exacerbated when on 34x zoom. Practically speaking, you will need a monopod or small tripod to keep the motion down to a minimum.
PRACTICAL MATTERS:
Overall, its use is better as an outdoor camera than an indoor camera. Birthday party videos at home would be a limited application.
This camera accepts SDHC cards by Panasonic, Toshiba, and SanDisk (if you’re buying this camera with memory cards, as you read this). A write speed of 2 megabytes per second is recommended for video. The card I used for this test is a Transcend SDHC 8 GB card that performs at 6 MB/Second.
Transcend 8 GB SDHC SD Class 6 Flash Memory Card TS8GSDHC6E [Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging]
I suggest the following to transfer video to your computer, instead of the USB cable:
15-In-1 Memory Card Reader
Charging can only be performed by plugging in the unit – as opposed to many digital cameras that have dedicated battery chargers. You need a spare battery. I ordered the following:
Samsung BP85 Lithium Ion Battery for SC-HMX10,SC-HMX20 and SC-MX10
PROS:
Compact and light
34x optical zoom
Simplicity of design and operation
One media between cameras and camcorders: Flash memory (SDHC) which can be interchanged with digital cameras
Intuitive menu system
Robust sound quality for a camera of this size
Excellent battery life
CONS:
Limited by low light
Negligible effect of the Anti-shake feature
No still camera features, nor can you can extract a still from a video clip
Average image quality but not quite the resolution attainable on Mini-DV
Software not MAC compatible
No internal flash memory
VERDICT:
Good entry level camera for a student or a person who wants a point and shoot camcorder.
This is above average in performance for a person wanting a camera capable of uploading to Youtube.
Great budget camcorder for analyzing your golf swing.
Not recommended for a Prosumer, intermediate or advanced videographer – given the limitations in low light.
For the price, simplicity and portability, this camera deserves 4 out of 5 stars for this category of camcorders. Two thumbs up!
RECOMMENDED ACCESSORIES:
A real camera case instead of the drawstring sack.
Backup battery when on the road.
NOTE (I have both the SC-HMX20 and the SC-MX20):
I also have the Samsung SC-HMX20 1080p HD camcorder/6.4 MP digital camera Samsung SC-HMX20C 8GB High Definition Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom with pop up flash and 8 MB of built-in RAM. It is an excellent camcorder, heavier in weight with excellent resolution – especially in lower light. If you want something for HD and low light, consider this camera (SC-HMX20). However, there is about a $400 price difference that may not be worth it to you.
However, if you are a Youtube or other online video publisher, this SC-MX20 is a better option. It is lighter and more comfortable to take around trips to the park, picnics and the beach.
UPDATE:
This camera is so light and easy to handle that my 8 year old can use this camcorder without any problems. It is a great tool to help a child stimulate their imagination and make their own videos.
This camera captures my golf swing very easily. It’s only drawback is the absence of a remote control. Otherwise, this would be a perfect item to use for analyzing the golf swing – for a training aid.
Rating: 4 / 5