Samsung DVD Camcorder with 2.7" LCD Monitor - Black/Silver

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if you play the recording from a computer or a tv it should be fine.

The video quality was okay. In fact, the camcorder's software would make the recording really crisp & clear, but the only thing that made the whole thing "ok" was the smaller resolution of the recording--> doesn't look necessarily crisp on a tv. the video was fine in all circumstances except in really dark environments. then everything would turn unpleasantly gray. there's a c. nite function - which i haven't used but i looked up & i think it's a special mode for dark situations.

the lcd has backlight function which, according to wikipedia, increases readability in low light conditions.

it also has wind cut function if you want to cancel out of noises caused by heavy winds.

its zoom is - 34x optical & up to 1200 x digital. i tried the optical zoom @ 34 x, but i realized that my hand shaked too much (i.e. heartbeat) --> made me wonder if the 34x was just a hype & it was actually completely useless. then in the menu i found the anti-shake function that did reduce the shaking significantly (but there still was some shaking) at maximum zoom. the shake is almost unnoticeable in normal zoom.

something that amused me was the digital effect function. it has different modes including black & white, negative, art, emboss, mosaic, etc. the emboss & mosaic modes were really artistic & interesting - the camera shows a modified version of my recording (as i am recording) & it looks like some sort of art painting done by picasso.

if you compare this to a similarly priced camcorder - lets say "Sony Handycam DCR-HC30" @ 279.99 (see CNET review),

the samsung camcorder has larger resolution 720 x 480 @ widescreen (vs. 640 x 480), the same low light mode & image stabilization, better video format (mpeg-2 for dvd rather than mpeg-1 for vcd)

the sony contestant has a touchscreen lcd display that samsung camcorder doesn't but CNET says the response on the sony's touchscreen is terrible & I really like the feel & the response of the small joystick on samsung's display, so I'd think that the touchscreen on the sony handycam is a waste of money & samsung made a smart decision in putting a regular display with joystick control while putting that extra money into video quality

both have easy mode (enlarge menus, etc.), the sony lacks the 34x optical zoom (it has 10x)

both weigh .9 Ibs.

so in fact, after writing this review & doing all the research, i actually feel even better with my purchase. i give 4/5 stars (sony would get 3/5 stars)

ah, forgot to mention that if you use smart card for this camcorder, you can take pictures --> you can use it as a camera too.

Samsung DVD Camcorder with 2.7" LCD Monitor - Black/Silver

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but I am furious and I do not recommend this product to anyone.