Samsung SCL906 Hi8 Camcorder

I videotape a good amount of sporting events for our town...namely Football for the most part. When I had to sell my Sony CCD-TRV66 Hi-8 Camcorder a couple of years ago due to financial difficulty, I never thought I'd find another Hi-8 cam like that one! When things picked up for us a bit, I decided on this one...The Samsung SC-L906. It is superb! Now I suspect that the co. took an old Canon model and applied some of their own thought to it as the styling and features bespeak Canon in many ways. I have owned numerous cams over the years so I know what I am talking about!

The 2.5" LCD is great but direct sunlight may force one to use the B&W Viewfinder instead. The large "Easy Q" button on the side of the camcorder makes for great instant setup enabling the novice to experience great success! As one becomes more familiar with the unit...the "Customized Settings" button will obviously become attractive. Speaking of which there are some wonderful "Special Effects" such as Canon's famed "Mirror Image" which is wild to say the least!

Battery Power is superb given the supplied Lithium-Ion battery lasts for two hours max. Of course if you are going to constantly use the LCD while engaging the very bright built-in light, this will drain the battery even faster! Extra batteries are the cheapest on the market for the Samsungs!

Oh by the way, indoor pictures with the built-in light are just fine! People have to realize that the doggone thing is not designed to fill a large dark room. In that instance you will require professional lighting.

What I do not like about the camcorder is its somewhat awkward "Zoom Control" which is a small spring-like dial that operates from side to side as opposed to the older "rocker" type. Don't worry, just loosen the hand strap a bit and you'll experience little difficulty. Also, at times the "Auto-Focus" feature can be just a wee bit sluggish under low light conditions but is ok overall.

The fact that it's mono and not stereo bothers me also but I will say that the mono audio quality is first rate as the built-in MIC is very wide range with good deep bass compared to my old Sony 66.

The Mini-plug A/V patch can cause problems when viewing on older A/V monitors but on newer sets like the Toshibas...it is just great!

Make sure you purchase an inexpensive 37mm UV Filter for this camcorder as it will cut down on annoying rays and filter through most humidity. It will also protect the Samsung's first rate Main Lens. Even with this filter permanently attatched, you'll still be able to snap on the Samsung's Lens Cap for protection while not in use. Another nice add-on for this camera is Amazon's very low priced 37mm Sunpak Circular Polarizer that will clear up situations where you are forced to film action slightly toward the sun!

All-in-all, if you want a great camcorder at a really low price that operates quietly and smoothly as a newborn baby's pitoot...this is your cam! Use quality Samsung Hi-8 tape which I suspect is actually Maxell XR. You won't believe the low price of the stuff! The sharp colorful detailed pictures are most convincing although a bit of grain will be detected in low-light situations. The "Field Of Depth" is surprisingly good for this model! The Samsung SC-L906 is a superb Hi-8 camcorder that should last for years!

If you're just wanting a camcorder and don't want to spend alot of money, this camera is wonderful. The Samsung SCL906 is similar to its advanced counterparts only without the whistles and bells. It still has great features, like special effects (strobe, mirror, negative, etc), digital zoom, lcd screen, zoom, fade, all the goodies. The only problem I have is that it's hard to find a car adapter for it. I've looked all over the internet and all over the stores and can't find one. If you plan on taking a trip with this camera and want ALOT of video, it might just be wiser to purchase a second battery... or a third. :)

Buy Samsung SCL906 Hi8 Camcorder Now

This Samsung is a very good camera for the price, but somewhat dated. Since there is no USB connection, you can not record DVD's of your images on a computer. Go ahead and get a Samsung Mini DV model and you'll be much more prepared for the future. By the way, these are made in China now rather than Korea.

Read Best Reviews of Samsung SCL906 Hi8 Camcorder Here

I was very happy to get this camera, and it's a great camera for the price, easy to use, etc. I especially like the "easy" setting which allows you to just point and shoot without having to worry about fussing with settings. Also, the "snapshot" setting is really nice. Only problem I had was when I accidentally dropped it from a height of about 2 feet or so because I was carrying a bunch of other stuff in from the car. Since then, it is eating the tapes! Hopefully this is just a minor adjustment that the warranty will take care of. I wonder if all cameras are this fragile (I suspect they are). That's the only reason I don't give it a "5" rating. Still, I would recommend this camera to anyone who doesn't want to spend $6-900 on the new DVD cameras. Please note that the SCL907 model includes true still-picture function and a USB port and cable and software which allow easy copying of STILL pictures to your computer. The SCL906 doesn't have this, but you can transfer or view your movies from either model via the yellow "video out" cable connection (analog?). Since I already have a digital camera, copying still pictures doesn't matter to me anyway.

Want Samsung SCL906 Hi8 Camcorder Discount?

The camcorder that I received was exactly what I expected and the transaction went very smoothly. The product worked perfectly and I would recomend it to others. Thanks!