Samsung SMX-F34 Flash Memory Camcorder w/16GB Memory & 42x Intelli-Zoom (Black) by Samsung
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Digital camera reviews of Samsung SMX-F34 Flash Memory Camcorder w/16GB Memory & 42x Intelli-Zoom (Black)
Digital camera Review: Best camcorder for the price
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this camcorder last week after extensive research for options in the $150-$300 range. This has all the features I wanted that cheaper options (i.e. Flip, Aiptek, Creative Vado, etc) do not have:
1) Replaceable battery with long life on one charge
2) Dual video and photo option
3) Extensive internal memory
4) Shake Stabilization feature
At the same time it still maintains the compact size and ease of use/upload that was essential for my purpose. I am not looking for a thousand different buttons and lighting options to make a theatre quality video production - if that is what you want than this camcorder is not for you. However if you are looking for a compact camcorder to take videos and photos in a snap and upload them quickly using an efficient and user-friendly software program than you can not do better for the price.
The only real downside I find to this camcorder is that the audio replay quality is not that great. I had a hard time hearing someone talk from a close distance during a test recording and replay. The video quality however was more than what I expected for the price.
One final caveat - I paid $250 for this camcorder and right after I bought it Amazon bumped the price up to $300. I'm not sure why Amazon did this but keep your eyes open for discounting.
Digital camera Review: Big features in small package Samsung SMX-F34
Summary: 5 Stars
When I was doing the initial research for a new HD video camera I was overwhelmed with the possibilities and I didn't understand the significance of many feature options. Since I love my Samsung TV I looked closely at Samsung for the video model but I also looked at the Sony Webbie. You can look at the Amazon site for all the particulars and features since I still don't understand what most of this stuff means. I purchased the Samsung SMX-F34 in April for an excellent price (UNDER $300!) from Amazon. Amazon provided its usual excellent service. This smashing little guy does everything that Steven Spielberg would want with fades and special effects built in and zooms in several different shooting modes. It couldn't be easier to use with all the features neatly organized on the screen with graphic icons which makes clicking through your choices simple. It has a dozen different lighting condition selections which is genius. Or you can just click the quick link and start shooting no matter what the conditions automaticallySamsung SMX-F34 Flash Memory Camcorder w/16GB Memory & 42x Intelli-Zoom (Black).
Because it has a huge 16 gig built in flash drive to save your recordings internally there is no media to buy, keep replacing or lose. With the slot for a second removable 16 gig flash drive to be inserted there are unlimited possibilities. You can even copy from the built in flash to an optional insertable one and then use that with a USB plug in flash reader or send it off to grandma.
It feels tiny and lightweight in your hand if you're used to bigger DVD or tape models, but it is brilliantly designed. It only has six buttons/switches externally - manual lens cover switch (no electronics to break down), telephoto zoom, photo, mode (rec/photo/play), record and on/off. My last video camera had 20 switches, buttons and dials. Ugh. Open the screen which is a big, bright 3" screen and there is another red record button and a great menu button plus a toggle iPod-like button which allows you to scroll through and select all the shooting options. There are other "Quick" buttons which totally automate everything for simple shooting. I imagine most people will use this feature most often especially when starting the whole experience.
It has a big 42x zoom lens which is smooth and a stabilization feature to keep my personal jerky style of recording in check. Besides the big 16 gig internal flash drive probably two of the biggest features for techies are that it records in the new generation H.264 compression and it has the option to make recordings in 16x9 format or other smaller sizes. And the big news is that it can record directly for your iPods and for uploading to YouTube and for general internet use. I don't use these options now but I will probably grow into it in the near future.
The ease with which I can upload it to iMovie (I hear the included PC software is pretty crappy) on my iMac is amazing. Using Macs for all things photographic or videographic is totally the only way to go. iMovie makes movie making a breeze and you can literally go from rough footage to a slick movie with graphics, menus and titles and music in just minutes - the first time out of the box. Even though Samsung doesn't mention Apple, Mac addicts do not fear. It's plug and play. (And you don't have to follow page after page of arcane instructions before crashing on a PC.)
The SMX-F34 comes with cables to play directly onto your TV. I am probably missing a lot of features but that is a real strong point for this model from Samsung. I will be happy to use and grow with this jam packed little package for years to come. I am still astonished that it costs under $300. My first video camera cost $1200 and didn't do anything that this marvel does. It comes in red, blue, silver and black. Thumbs up, Samsung. I give you six stars.
Digital camera Review: Broken out of the box
Summary: 1 Stars
I ordered this camera for a vacation to visit my family. When I received it, the LCD screen didn't work the first time I tried it. Dealing with Samsung customer service has been a nightmare. I know others have had better results, but now I've "owned" this camera for 2 weeks, had it in my possession for 36 hours, and have never been able to use it. For me, this is unacceptable for a brand new camera. Not only would I not recommend this camera, I wouldn't recommend Samsung.Digital camera Review: Camcorder That's A Very Good Luck Charm
Summary: 5 Stars
My recent experience with theCobra 3.1 Mp Digital Video Camera with 1.5' TFT Color Display led me to understand that,in most cases heavy budgeting will do you every little good when it comes to purchasing a digital camcorder. The only decent camcorder I had before this was a used VHS model from the early 90's.It was huge,very heavy and had an eyepiece that was very unfriendly to my eyeglasses.I managed to get a lot of good use out of it until someone I lived with "neglected" to return it.But I am no longer too sorry about that;it was very antiquated when I got it and I needed something better. The fairly recent advent of memory cams like this one made it a lot easier for me to want to look into a new one.HD cams have no come along now too but,with today's economy it's kind of hard to plunk down $500-$600 for a camcorder,especially if there's a need to buy extra memory cards which can run close to $100 for some of the larger capacity ones. I almost went with the Sony Webbie MHS-CM1 HD Camcorder (Orange) because it was HD and fairly portable.But after doing a bit of research it was clear it was lacking in some important features I needed.So in the end it came between this and the Webbie and...this one won out.Even though many consider this among the higher end of "budget camcorders" it was,frankly at the highest possible end of my price range so despite the financial sacrifice I decided to give this a go. Like many cameras it has it's pros and cons.I'll start by telling you about the pros and there are a whole lot of them. The camera is just perfect for hand held use,is lightweight and has an excellent,clear viewing screen. It gives you three zoom options:digital,optical and intelli-zoom function.I haven't figured out what they all mean yet but the digital zoom anyway offers excellent,seamless zoom control.Their are a lot of menu opitions but once you understand them you can do an awful lot with this camcorder such as fade in and out of video,make films in B&B and sepia tone as well as color and there's even a feature to upload directly to YouTube.For an SD camera the image quality is superb,easily DVD quality and if you have a newer HD TV you have the option of recording in a 16 by 9 HD screen format.Another major advantage here is in addition to an SD/MMC memory card slot the camera features 16GB's of built in memory.That means at it's highest setting this camcorder can easily hold three hours worth of recording video. There are some people here who've complained about that not being enough internal memory.I don't personally see how that is seeing that I have yet to record any videos that ammount up to that long a time and I usually upload them to computer very quickly before could happen.If your travelling access memory cards might be good depending on how much footage you intend to shoot but to be honest,the internal memory should be more then enough.The batter time is great too:I was told that the charging time is 12 hrs but to be honest,the true charge time is not quite 5 hrs so that's a HUGE advantage right there. There is of course another side to the coin regarding the cons,even if they're subjective I suppose.As with most digital memory camcorders this records video in the MP4 format,meaning that it requires difficult to understand codecs to play in your average WMP or other media player. The accompanying Cyberlink mediashow software allows you to view videos without these complications. It also allows you to convert the MP4 files for play in other media devices such as WMP,but depending on the lengh the conversion process can take up to...say 2 hrs for half an hour worth of video.Also with the software to record to DVD with it takes at least that long,if not more to burn to DVD so...using the mediashow softwhere might require several days of personel time for editing,converting and recording videos. This is an issue I am sure you can work around easily if you read the informative and lenghy PDF instruction manual this comes with-just plug in the CD,save it in your documents and you can consult it whenever you need it.In terms of practicality and ease of use,the pros of this camera easily outweigh any cons so I highly recommend this camcorder to anyone with serious budget issues who want a high quality digital camcorder that's DVD quality and delivers reasonable images on an HD-TV.Digital camera Review: Good Camera, iMovie Users Use Caution!
Summary: 4 Stars
Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with this camera.
I was looking for standard definition (don't have the hard disk space for HD, nor do I want to burn to BluRay yet).
The mistake most people make with the Samsung video cameras is to film non-HD video in the 16 x 9 aspect ratio. The iLife apps don't get this, and all of the video appears "squished," for lack of a better term.
If you have this non-HD camera, and want to work with iLife, DON'T USE THE 16 X 9 SETTING!!!! USE THE 4 X 3!!!!
If it's too late, and the priceless memories of your wedding and your honeymoon at the Pyramids & Sphinx in Egypt, and Petra in Jordan are now squished, your only chance is to use QuickTime Pro and output the video in a 16 x 9 format, essentially up-rezzing the footage. While this creates some problems with clipping and quality, the video will be usable in iMovie...
Alternatively, as noted above, set it to 4 x 3, and DO NOT CHANGE IT FROM THERE. I have seen these issues everywhere online.
If you want 16 x 9, invest in an HD camera; if you want to use this one, remember this limitation, and you should be fine.