First Impressions
Typically I am more of a photo type guy, so getting my hands on a digital camcorder is pretty new to me. When I received the package from Samsung I noted how small it was, in fact, I thought it may be the same size as a Flip Camcorder. When I opened up the box, I was quite surprised at the size of the camcorder itself; it is about one third of the size of the box and not much bigger than a Flip Camcorder either!
The other notable feature is how light this camcorder is, you can barely feel it in your hand, even when the battery is inside. The camcorder fit nicely in my hand, though there was one neat element in the design of the Samsung HMX-R10 and that is the positioning of the lens.
With most camcorders you hold in your hand, your hand is cocked at a funny angle, right? Samsung took this into account and created an economical design by positioning the lens at an angle to the camcorders body. This makes keeps your wrist straight, though I did find this a bit weird at first. This in fact puts the camcorder at a 25 degree angle; don’t worry the LCD screen pivots to match the angle so you can see it with ease.
When you are holding the HMX-R10 in your hand you will notice that placement of the zoom button, it is located at the back of the camcorder to where you thumb is. Next to that is the Record button.
The Mode button allows you to easily switch between Video and Photo mode. I did accidently press the Mode button a couple times when I used the camcorder, but I have twitchy fingers sometimes. The Photo button on the top works in both modes and allows you to capture your stills.
While looking at the rear of the camcorder, Samsung has conveniently located the inputs beneath the zoom switch. HDMI, AC and the proprietary input are stashed behind a removable panel.
With the LCD screen open you can also control the zoom as well as the recording. You can also easily access the Q-Menu. The LCD is easy to navigate as it is touch sensitive. Just use your fingers by tapping the various menus that are presented to you.
The screen display when in use is pretty good as well. You can see how much time you have recorded, how much time you have left, battery life, what resolution you are recording in as well as other options.
Next to where the screen sits when it is closed are 3 more buttons; display, EasyQ and Power. The speaker for playback is also located nearby.
Underneath the Samsung HMX-R10 is where the lithium battery and SD memory card slot are located. The tripod mount of course is located here too.
When you look at the front of the camcorder you might notice it looks a bit different from other camcorders. The lens itself is protected behind glass so there is no need for the lens to retract. The flash is also located next to the lens.
The one thing that I noticed is that there is no built-in wrist strap or hand strap. Samsung does include a small wrist strap which you need to thread through a loop on the outside of the camcorder, but unlike other Samsung camcorders this wrist strap does not provide you a good secure grip to the camcorder.
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