Digital Video Camera & Camcorder Review

The SC-X210L replaces last year’s X105, with a number of improvements, including a twice the internal memory (now 1GB). Last year’s VP-X105L flash-based camcorder gets a minor makeover this year. The new models, the VP-X210L and the VP-X205L, now have a basic black shell and longer-lived batteries; the VP-X210L ships with a 1GB SD card, while the X205L includes 512MB. Both models include an external lens for mounting on your head, your dashboard, or other novel locations.

Plus, there’s no other camera that looks so much like Johnny-Five from Short Circuit.

CamcorderInfo has a review:
“The Samsung SC-X210L can make a compelling argument for itself, if you don’t care about quality. It has a market, that’s for sure. They’ve targeted the sports crowd and delivered a camcorder that has a few decent features. The extremely compact, weatherproof body is easily imaged hanging off the side of a mountain climber next to a chalk bag. Also, the 15 year old who wants to shoot his friends skating, then put the video up on Myspace will probably lean more towards this than a MiniDV camcorder, even though MiniDV will deliver about 3x the quality.”

The biggest liability is image quality. This is meant a convenience tool, and the video suffers because of it. We’re looking at a mediocre imager and the high MPEG4 AVI compression as the likely culprits. Every other camcorder in its class significantly outperformed it. Every other camcorder also offered more manual controls, automatic controls, and 16:9 shooting options. Those are some dire trade-offs for a camcorder with little going for it besides portability and weather resistance. The biggest strike against it may be the abysmal performance of its marketing hook, the external lens. This won’t just give you run-of-the-mill bad video; you’ll have trouble making out basic shapes under some lighting conditions.

So buyers, be aware. There are far better options out there if you’re just looking for a little camcorder. The SC-X210L has a short list of very specific advantages over other camcorders. Know that these are the most important factors to you going in, and there’s a slim chance you might still like it. As we stated earlier, you could buy two cheap MiniDV camcorders and some glue at this price, and rig up something your skater friends have never seen before.”

LetsGoDigital has a review on the Samsung VP-X210L Camcorder and writes - “Global innovator, Samsung Electronics builds on the success of its Sports Camcorder line with a next-generation model, the Samsung SC X210L. The new model offers enhanced movie quality and memory (up to 2GB), a 25% improvement in recording time, a 30% improvement in battery life, and an enhanced 10x Optical Zoom. Both new Sports Camcorders also feature Samsung’s signature hands-free lens that allows on-the-go consumers to capture their adventures on video. The new Samsung SC-X210L Sports Camcorder will be on display during CES 2006 at Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2006 in Las Vegas, US. The new Samsung X210L will be available in February 2006 at $599.99 MAP.”

Find out more about the SC-X210L and buy it at Amazon.

Samsung, SC, VP, X210L, SC-X210L, camcorders, camcorder, review, reviews