Samsung SC-MX10 Flash Memory Camcorder with 34x Optical Zoom (Silver)

I are very rarely moved to write reviews. This time I am prompted to do so because of a product that not only met, but exceeded my expectations.

My needs are simple: I film my kids' performances at school, I film birthday parties at home, I film some family stuff (not a lot) on vacation. I was looking for:

* No moving parts -no tapes, no HDD, no DVD's memory-only.

* Long battery life

* Light weight

* Ease of use

* Good indoor/low light filming

* Good image stabilization

* Simple connection to to the computer via standard USB cable

* Simple DVD burning

I was NOT looking for:

* Professional (or even advanced) editing capabilities

* Professional quality video

* Digital camera capabilities (I already have an excellent digital camera, thank you)

This camcorder is extraordinarily light (.6 lbs!), has an excellent big screen, and is astoundingly easy to use. The first day I got it, I opened up the manual to figure out how to install the battery and memory card, but after that I haven't needed to crack the manual at all. I *love* the one-button battery level check features -and yes, the battery time is a true 2-hours plus, as rated.

I do not have a lot of experience with different types of camcorders, but the video quality on this one far exceeds my newly retired 2 year old Hi8 model. After a lot of research, I bought this camera instead of an HD model because the current crop of HD camcorders seem to have a lot of issues with battery life, and also weigh twice as much as this one.

So at this price, I can certainly afford to let the manufacturers keep improving the HD models, and I'll happily use this for a year or so.

All told, a great camcorder that I've been very happy with.

This is my first video recorder of any type, and after reading several reviews I had some concerns. However, having used the camera a few times I am pleasantly surprised. So far all is well, but here are a few points:

1. Some retailers sell the camera with a memory card, and others do not. I originally ordered one from an online retailer who then called to sell me accessories like long-life batteries and SD cards, even though Samsung's description clearly states the camera comes with these items. I canceled that order and bought the camera somewhere else, and the "extra" items were already included.

2. The camera came with a 512mb SD card that will record about 35 minutes of video at the lowest quality setting, or 14 minutes at the highest setting. Since the camera works well I will now get a 4mb card for more storage time.

3. I had great results from the image stabilization, and recorded my son's soccer game (parts of it, anyway) with no blurring and limited shaking even though I held the camera throughout.

4. The camera has many environment settings (indoor, outdoor, sports events, etc) that will help control exposure and focus settings, etc. I had no trouble working through the menus once I learned how to navigate.

5. As another review here mentioned, the included battery lasts 2 hours or more with a full charge, contrary to the claims of the retailer I originally ordered from. BE VERY CAREFUL... THIS GUY TOLD ME THE CAMERA WOULD NOT WORK IF I DIDN'T ORDER THIS EXTRA STUFF, AND BECAME IRATE WHEN I STOOD MY GROUND!

6. The included "video editing software" is pretty useless, in my opinion, but I am sure there are plenty of options available if you want to edit your videos. My needs just aren't that great.

Honestly, this seems to be a great camera. If I run into problems with reliability or performance I will update my review. I would not hesitate to recommend this camera to anyone who does not expect professional results.

Buy Samsung SC-MX10 Flash Memory Camcorder with 34x Optical Zoom (Silver) Now

Pay twice as much, buy a sony or some other brand camera that has a harddrive or dvd, and you will get a picture that looks about the same. Everyhting else being equel this is a great camera. It's no stunner to be sure, but almost none of the single chip under 1000 dollar cameras are.

At it's highest image quality setting you get about 2 hours on a 4 gig card, shadows can have a few compression artifacts but most of the single image chip harddrive or DVD cameras do as well. The difference being those kinds of cameras cost alot more. This is about as cheap as video camera's get, but it has no moving parts to break (other than the zoom) and it has a great 34x optical zoom, decent picture in bright light, and it's easy to use. Download the AVI files into your computer, burn it to DVD and repeat. What's not to like?

Read Best Reviews of Samsung SC-MX10 Flash Memory Camcorder with 34x Optical Zoom (Silver) Here

OK, now I think I am ready to write a review on MX-10. I've got it for $200, and it is the only reason I did not return it on the next day, but decided to play with it for a while. And you know, I like it! It is small, handy, simple, great zoom, great mic, looks and feels solid, great battery life, can record almost 2 hours on my 4GB card using max resolution (SuperFine, 16X9). The camcorder itself is OK; it is the software that comes with it, ruins it! I made my first video clip using Power Director (from CD that came with camera), and was shocked about the bad quality of the video. Just thought: "It cannot be like that!", and plugged my MX-10 directly to TV. What I got was completely different picture. Still, not excellent, but waaaaaaaay better! So, I decided to change software, and made a sample video using Roxio Media Creator. The result was significantly different, much better. So, I decided to keep the camera, in spite of it's drawbacks: slow autofocus, and average color quality. Also, you can't delete the the clips you don't like. You must use your computer, or format the card completely. However, there are too many good things to say about MX-10, which can't be ignored. I rate it 4 stars, but gave 3 only because of my feelings towards the original software. P.S. Gorillacables send items incredibly fast.

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I address this review to Mr Brown above who appears to have had a bad shake with this little camera, and to anybody else who has had problems with it, or have been influenced by such reports.

I am not an expert, this is my first Camcorder, and the only other video recording I have done is with a Kodak digital camera which makes Quicktime video clips. And I add here that I had to buy something else to make clips because my Computer would not edit Kodak .mov files.

With this product you must follow the instructions in the User Manual to the letter, and that includes charging the main battery when instructed to do so, P 18. Yes the manual is long winded and goes on about things you don't really need to know as you work through the preparation pages.

But, work through them you must in order to get the essential preparation done. Nowhere is that more needed than inserting the little 'button battery", P 20, into its slot so that the SC MX 10 can REMEMBER the date, time and settings you elect in the menu screens.

The camera in the box is beautifully presented with all the things needed to get started right away. However, the Quick Start Guide seems to me, P 2 to have two panels of instruction for the same thing, battery installation, but non a word about the Button battery.

Could it be that the typesetter and/or TW team made a mistake here?

You have to leave the MX 10 on charge for about an hour, then the little orange light changes to green indicating charging is complete.

Next after inserting the Button Battery, P 20 User Manual, I installed the supplied memory card, a Sandisk SC 512 MB card. P 33 User Manual and P 3 Quick Start Guide.

I next ran through setting up the date/time by starting the Camera with the 'power on' button, see Quick Start Guide P 5.

However, I thought that a few minutes playing around with our Kodak digital camera on video was training enough for me, but of course I was mad wrong about that one!

The MX 10 Quick Start booklet suggests just jumping in feet first, OK get soaked if you want, but there is an easier way! ... lol that's where this little Camcorder really takes the prize. Samsung has provided one button for novices like me, and I should really have pushed that when I went 'a videoing'. Located beneath the 'Mode' button it is called the 'Easy.Q' button, and it works well for such as myself.

My first videos were, as I already said, badly done because I haven't a clue about such things as 'back lighting', 'anti-shake' or 'portrait' settings etc etc, all I know is turn it on, point it at something and press record. Later I tried just one little Easy.Q clip and it was perfect for the overcast weather we had here today.

I don't need or use TV or Plasma Screens at all, so the S Video is wasted on me. But, I do use a Computer, so I installed all the software on my upgraded 3 year old HP Pavillion with no problem at all. The video editor rocks! It supplements my freebie from PNY, muvee_AutoProducer and XP native MS Movie Maker, adding other effects that I did not already have.

I have a card reader on the network, so removing the memory card from the powered off camera, I loaded that into the reader and hey presto XP opened the device as a USB drive, and after poking around in the folders there I soon found the video clips! A word of warning, besides viewing the clips on the memory card in the camera on you Computer do not do anything else to them. Don't rename or move files on it, don't mess with other properties either. It repeats this warning time and again in the User Manual and there is a very good reason for it, that is your MX10 may malfunction.

Still I wanted to check out the USB thing and did that as well, it works in the same way, but the nice thing in this case is that you don't have to turn off the MX 10 while downloading clips like you would if you removed the memory card.

Six of one and half a dozen of the other! Which ever works best.

The quality is way out there for a Camcorder selling around $200, and at max resolution it performs really well. However I like to send videos by email, as well as edit them before sending and that again is where this little Camcorder takes first prize. At the lowest settings, file sizes are small but the image is still great in XP.

All in all for the price and convenience of this product and with a little care setting it up, today there isn't anything on the market even near it for excellence.

Update: I talked to the sales person where I bought the SC MX10 and was assured that Samsung would be notified about the typos in the Quick Start Guide!

Also I got a 4 Gig SD SC card by Sandisk, as recommended in the User Manual, and it works even better than the supplied card, BTW these SD and SC cards are a different format! The SC grade is much faster in every way and it is most noticeable when copying files to the computer off of it. With the standard SD it takes a little while, with SD SC it is almost instant.

2nd Update:

January 5th 2008.

After using the MX 10 to make several little movies I realized just how user friendly this little camera is, and on buying it I never gave a thought to the magnificent 32X optical zoom on the camera. Adding the memory card technology is icing on the cake for what has to be the future of camcorders!

If you need something to collect clips with information in them and/or to email, and you do not want state of the art HD footage, nor the expensive and space gobbling technology to support that, then this is the only thing out there that fits the bill.