Samsung HMX-S10, S15 and S16 bring Wi-Fi to camcorders
Samsung is the first to bring the wonder of wireless to home movies with the S series of camcorders, the HMX-S10, HMX-S15 and HMX-S16
Wireless communication has busted into another product sector: the Samsung S series of high-definition camcorders brings Wi-Fi transfer to your home movies. We checked out the 720p HMX-S10, HMX-S15 and HMX-S16 at a launch event in rainy London.
The HMX-S15 and HMX-S16 are the first camcorders to boast Wi-Fi. In the camera world, where unique features are all the rage, there's now a choice of Wi-Fi snappers such as Samsung's own ST1000 and the Nikon Coolpix S52c. The camcorders support DLNA and use Samsung's AllShare system to connect to other DLNA devices, such as a television or computer. If you want to take it back to the old school with cables and wires and all that mess, there's an HDMI connection onboard too.
Sadly the Wi-Fi wasn't working on the models we had a play with. Look out for our full review nearer release date to find out how practical it is to stream HD video without wires.
All three camcorders pack 1/2.3‑inch rear-illuminated CMOS sensors, 15x optical zoom and optical image stabilisation. The thinking is handled by Samsung's new Victoria Engine video processor. You control each camcorder via a flip-out 89mm (3.5-inch) touchscreen with a nifty 3D-effect user interface.
They also shoot slow-motion video, albeit at drastically reduced resolution. They'll manage 300 frames per second at 368x208 pixels, which is, like, about half-ish the size of VGA. They'll go as far as a whopping 600fps, but only at at a resolution of 192x112 pixels, which is about half the size of Simon Cowell's musical integrity.
The S16 features 64GB of solid-state memory built-in. The S15 offers a 32GB SSD, while the S10 takes SD and SDHC memory card.
The Samsung HMX-S10 will be available in May, with the HMX-S15 and HMX-S16 following in June. Pricing has yet to be confirmed.