Samsung HMX-F80 HD Camcorder with 52x Optical Zoom and 2.7-inch LCD in Black + 8GB Secure Digital M

HD camcorder shopping on a budget can be a bit of a trial. There are several options out there in the low end price points, but many of them have questionable reviews at best. I'd only seen a couple of reviews for this Samsung HMX-F80, so in a way I was taking a chance. Did it pay off? Yes and no.

The camera is extremely light and can easily be held in one hand. However, the anti-shake is not the greatest, and so you'll likely end up stabilizing the camera with your other hand. Better yet, using a tripod. Fortunately, the makers have included zoom controls on the side of the view screen to allow easy operation in a two handed situation. While the zoom function is good, it takes some getting used to to get the right touch so as not to zoom too quickly.

The view screen itself is sharp and clear. There is a function to allow you to turn off the many icons that populate the screen if you so desire. The basic package includes a USB cable, and a composite cable to hook directly into your other electronics components. The USB cable isn't necessary if you have a SDHC port on your computer. I plugged in the card and easily dragged the video files into my editing program.

I added a 32gb SDHC Flash memory card. At the highest resolution, the on-screen guide claimed that to allow over 500 minutes of recording. In testing the included battery, I got around 90 minutes of recording time on a full charge. I picked up a higher density battery (Samsung IA-BP210E/PP) and recorded for over an hour without the battery indicator even budging. So that will likely be my primary battery of choice.

I did notice a couple of glitches. First, in the video itself there were a couple of slight stalls in the video presentation. Annoying, but it seemed to correct itself quickly. The second is something that Samsung should try to address with a firmware update... the camera stores the video on the SDHC as a file, naturally. Once it hits 20 minutes, it starts a new file. Unfortunately, it's not a clean split from file to file. There is about a two second lag between the two files. Something to keep in mind if you can only shoot your event once.

I found the sound quality to be fairly strong. I was shooting from between 10-20 feet away, and got fairly consistent audio.

On to the video, which is likely why you are considering a camcorder anyway. I was shooting indoors in inconsistent light. The results were better than I had expected from a camera on the low end, but seemed a bit inconsistent. Sometimes fairly sharp. Sometimes a bit grainy.

If you're looking for inexpensive with decent quality, I'll recommend this camera. If you want something more, you may want to stretch your budget.

I bought this camcorder for my birthday, and to record my college graduation next week. So far the camera has been amazing! If you have the image stabilization function on the camcorder is less shaky. The images are very clear with true color. When zooming in or out it is best done slowly so the camcorder can focus. This camcorder has an option to take photos also. It even has night vision for filming in the dark. I would recommend this product to anyone looking for a high quality inexpensive camcorder! Once I have used the camcorder more I will upload some video's so you can see the quality! It was well worth the value!

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Read Best Reviews of Samsung HMX-F80 HD Camcorder with 52x Optical Zoom and 2.7-inch LCD in Black + 8GB Secure Digital M Here

Small, very clear easy to handle camera, A real bargain for the price! It is easy to download the video to any other devise as well.

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I purchased this camera to use for a class I am taking. I had to make a ten minute video. It worked really well. I have also used it to take video and still pictures of my two young children. I have found it easy to use. It is a good camcorder for a beginner.

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