Samsung camcorders: IFA round-up
At IFA, Samsung unveiled what it claims is the smallest and lightest hi-def camcorder in the world, the VP-HMX10, along with the sharing VP-DX10 and budget VP-MX10
Our team has returned from IFA with the goods on Samsung's latest camcorder line-up: three models with a swivelly handgrip for filming at all kinds of ker-azy angles. The trio boasts great big 68mm (2.7-inch) widescreen LCD touchscreens, and yet Samsung is still touting one of them as the smallest camcorder of its kind in the whole wide world.
Want to know what is the smallest and lightest HD 50 frames per second (fps) camcorder in the world right now? Well, for at least the next five minutes it's the Samsung HMX10 HD (pictured), with skinny dimensions of 68mm by 62mm by 118mm and tipping the scales at just 310g.
The HMX10 fires 50fps of progressive HD recording and includes in-camera cut and paste editing options. It records to either SDHC or MMC+ cards. We like the sound of the i-Check function, which checks battery status and available storage space without turning it on, reducing power consumption and giving longer battery life.
Also available is the Samsung VP-HMX10A, which adds 4GB of onboard flash memory. Prices are in the ballpark of £499 for VP-HMX10, or £549 for the VP-HMX10A.
Next up is the Samsung VP-DX10, which is all about sharing. You shoot your masterpiece, use the cut and paste editing suite to leave half of it on the cutting room floor, and finally burn it to DVD all right there in the camcorder. The DX10 is a hybrid, or rather a triple hybrid (tribrid?) camcorder, as it has 4GB onboard flash memory, as well as MMC+ and SDHC card capacity, on top of the DVD platter.
Shooting-wise, the DX10 features a 26x zoom and 1-megapixel CCD. There's a Hyper Image Stabilizer (probably not as exciting as the name implies, but still), 3D noise reduction and i-Check.
Prices are in the five-a-side football pitch of £399, from October 2007.
Finally we have the Samsung VP-MX10 -- an affordable camcorder for everyday folk. Despite being fairly compact, it packs a 34x zoom and 68mm (2.7-inch) LCD screen. Samsung is claiming a battery life of two hours to match the two hours of top-quality footage that can be stored on 4GB SDHC or MMC+ memory cards. You can choose PC mode or TV mode to optimise footage for viewing on the small screen, or on the Interweb. Does the MX10 include that handy i-Check? Check.
Prices are in the curling ice of £199, and it's available now. -Rich Trenholm
Update: Read our full Samsung VP-HMX10 review.