Shooting & Software
I used a the camcorder to shoot a few things and I really like how it feels and how easy it is to use. Just turn it on and start shooting it is that easy. The handgrip is very comfortable and enable you to hold the camera very steady. Also the fact that it swivels makes shooting from different angles very easy. Also since the camera is so small it easy to carry with you.
I shot a short video for an upcoming power supply review. It was shot on the TV Fine setting. It is 58 seconds longs and the raw file is around 25MB. This camcorder records to the H.264 codec so it is easy to import to pretty much any video recording software. I uploaded the raw file and you can see it below, as you can see the auto focus feature working as I change the colors of the fans.
Samsung bundles the Cyberlink MediaShow software with the camcorder. While it is not the most advanced video software out there it does allow you to make videos, burn your videos to DVD’s, upload videos to youtube and more.
Final Thoughts
I really have not looked at digital camcorders in a while and after looking at the Samsung SC-MX20E I am very impressed at how easy they have made it to shoot video and get it on your computer. Before getting my Flip camera I was using a digital camcorder that recorded to Mini DV tapes. The meant that I had to campute everything and import it to my computer. This was a long and annoying process, it is so much easier to just connect the camera to my computer and transfer files.
Also since the camdorder has the built in memory and does not require tapes it is much smaller and more lightweight than previous camcorders, which means it is easier to carry around with me. The 16GB of storage is all most people will need. If you need more than that you do have a SDHC slot that supports up to 32GB cards.
The camcorder is very comfortable to use and the video quality is very good. Right now the SC-MX20E sells “open box” from Geeks.com for $154.99 and about $20-30 more for completely brand new. If you are looking to shoot video that does not need to be HD quality this is the perfect camera for you. Overall ThinkComputers gives the Samsung SC-MX20E a 9 out of 10 score.
Pros:
– Small and compact
– Easy to use
– Uses H.264 recording
– Included dock
Cons:
– Does not charge via USB
