Samsung SC-DX205 Hybrid DVD & Flash Memory Camcorder w/34x Optical Zoom

I bought this since it was a *reasonably priced*, *sleek looking* Hybrid camcorder, where I can record my movies on a SD card or a DVD.

So far, I tried a couple test video clips using my SD card and they turned out pretty good, no complains on sound/video quality. Haven't tried yet burning on the mini-DVD.

A **big disappointment** for me was the battery pack loosing power in a completely power off state. I charged it completely (till it showed green light), then disconnected the charger, the light remains green, switches to orange in some time and I left it overnight and in the morning-the battery is completely drained :(, no power to even open the dvd tray :(

So, i read up the manual thinking I did something wrong. And this is what they have in the manual (p.21) " Remove the battery from the camcorder when it is not in use. Even when the power is switched off, the battery pack will still discharge if it is left attached to the camcorder "

Which electronic device looses complete power overnight, when in Off state? I mean even if I take the camcorder out for a day's shooting, at every interval i am expected to remove the battery, else it will die ? how am i suppose to use this as a portable camcorder ? come on Samsung, this is ridiculous

** UPDATE 12/14/09 **

Looks like the product I received is Defective. It was an interesting issue with this device. The Camcorder always *thinks* it is connected to the A/C power supply. The way I arrived at this conclusion was that even when the device was running just on battery, it didnt have the battery indicator showing on the screen (which should be showing as per the manual). Secondly, there is a setting "Auto Power Off" which is grayed out if the device is running on A/C power, which was disabled when i was running it only on battery. So, when i would switch off the device, the ACCESSS/CHG light would glow, as if its connected to external A/C power and charging the battery, but it was not connected, so it was using the battery instead and draining it.

I asked for a replacement, will update the review once I get the replacement

*** UPDATE 1/27/10 ***

I did receive the replacement unit and it worked great, no more issues with battery or the ACCESS/CHG light being ON. The camcorder voice and video quality are good for a entry level camera. I also tried burning directly to a DVD and it works great, no motor sound recorded on the DVD like make other camcorders. So, if you notice battery draining in your unit, make sure you immediately get a replacement. I am updating to a 4 star from a 3 star !

My review will be short. Basically the camera has good ease of use and has an OK picture on the CDs. The downer is that the CD length is only around a half hour. For the cards, the digital quality appears much better and not grainy except for low lit times. Overall it was a good buy at the price.

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This is the best the shipment was suberb everything was just perfect and it was the best thing i had gotten my dad in a long while....he absolutely loves it and it works so well. even after only a yr it is a permanent fixture in my house.

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Disc Error on two thirds or more of our discs. I am fed up and will have to get something new. $269 + all the money trying different brands of discs to see if they would work better.

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Every time I load a new disc, after a few minutes, the "write error" comes up. I've tried to clean the camcorder using Dust Off and the same thing happens. I've no idea what to do, I thought of smashing it on a rock and forget about it. Samsung SC-DX205 Hybrid DVD & Flash Memory Camcorder w/34x Optical Zoom.