Samsung HMX-W200 Waterproof HD Recording with 2.4-inch LCD Screen (Red)

I purchased the Samsung HMX-W200 camera to take better video than my cell phone of my 2yr old son. I needed something small, rugged, and quick to turn on so as not to miss anything, and light enough to carry in a pocket with me most of the time.

So far this is a great little video camera. I took several video's with it, and they turned out great. A few things to note though. It uses a Micro SD, or Micro SDHC size card for storage, which you have to purchase separately. It will record 4 hours at 720 or 2 hours at 1080 on a 16GB card. One of the reviews I read on a marketing site said that you could adjust the frame rate, if you can, I have not found out how. The menu gives only 2 options 1080 and 720, both at 30fps. It only takes 1.5 seconds from when you press the power button, to being able to shoot video. When you plug the camera into your computer, it sets itself up as 2 drives, one with the data, and the other with the intelli-studio Light software. I found this to be very easy to use to do basic editing, cutting out little parts of the video that I did not want, etc... I also love the feature that allows me to pause the recording and then start it again without creating a separate file.

VIDEO:

The 1080p looks great. It also looked great on my 50in. HDTV. For the price this camcorder is well worth it. Everything Samsung claims about this camcorder is true. I have been using it for a month now. So far so good. However I have not even thought about putting it in water. But I have used it in the rain and it still worked great.

PHOTOS:

I only give the 4 stars because there is no timer for taking pictures. It's not a big deal when I'm shooting video. But I do like they way photos look on this thing. It requires the most steady hand in the world. I have used a tripod and it helps a little. I just wish I could set a timer to guarantee a still shot. The camera impressively utilizes all natural light. I understand the selling point for this camera is the 1080p video, but I don't always want to carry both my Canon EOS and my Samsung HMX when attending a public event.

OVERALL:

If you're in the market for a pocket camcorder go with this one and not the Flip. It is rugged, waterproof, and ready to record 2 seconds after you turn it on.

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Okay, so first off, it's almost impossible to find a perfect pocket cam, price-wise and quality-wise. I did rigorous amounts of research to find that all of them have their share of problems.

All scenes were shot in 1080p/30fps handheld, with Anti-Shake On. The other two options that the camera has, Face Detection and Back Light were off. The underwater shot could've been better but it's winter here and a bucket of water is the best I could do for the time being. I imagine with greater lighting and the camcorder being further away from the subject, the results will be better.

Overall I would rate the camera 3/5. Video is pretty good and it takes decent pictures as well with it's 5mp camera. The underwater mode is really cool, it allows me to really play around with some shots. It is also shockproof which extends my experimentation. I had a problems with some of it's hardware/software, for example, you press record and sometimes it takes a while for it to start/stop recording. Or when you think you press the record button and you don't. It records on an mp4 format but for some reason it has issues in Final Cut Pro. I am still an amateur at FCP but here are some the problems I have with it:

Can't Log and Transfer (SD adapter maybe?)

Sequence Playback (stops numerous times in between clips, hadn't had this problem until now)

Never Before Seen Error Messages (causes FCP to crash! Doesn't go away until I cut the clips)

Some stuff I didn't discuss in the video: The LCD screen is amazing, but some stuff that I capture, which is clearly visible on the screen, isn't when I watch it on my computer screen. Does that mean that my computer screen isn't as nice as the camera screen? Perhaps. Also, I've had a couple moments where the screen flickers and gets dim, and doesn't go back to its normal brightness until I hit a button. Also, the microphone on the camera is surprisingly good. However, it gives you little wiggle room to move your hands while holding the camera, as any movement (rubbing fingers, bumping) will cause high audio surges.

So in closing, overall video quality of the camera is good. Good not great, but come one, for what it is, what are you expecting? Like any video camera, better lighting equals better results. Microphone is really good. Pictures are fairly good, but not good at taking pictures while moving, easily blurs. So far, it seems like it's well-built, no problems aside from the flickering of the screen, which has only happened twice. The main problem, like I've said, is of the footage in post. I have tried using a 7200 rpm drive, and still I'm having issues.

Search thekingkhan13 on youtube to find my full uncompressed review with more shots. Hope this was helpful. -Thanks

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I purchased this Samsung HMX-W200 to use on our Caribbean cruise. I really like the waterproof feature and used it a lot. It takes pretty good pictures, but my Cannon PowerShot takes MUCH better pictures. As for the "Full HD" capabilities... this is where I was the most disappointed. In bright light with very little action, it does do a pretty good job at HD. However, if there is a lot of movement in the shot (like splashing water or when using in a moving vehicle or boat), the resolution is pretty poor. I wouldn't even call it HD, let alone 1080p as advertised. If it weren't for the waterproof feature, I would be looking to return it. But I will probably still get a good amount of use out of it since my family is involved in lots of activities in or near water. So in summary, I would have to say I'm pretty disappointed in this camera, but still find that it will serve a purpose.

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I bought this after a very bad experience with a JVC Picsio (otherwise known as garbage). It comes on quickly, records very good quality (grainy in low light conditions, but that's expected) video and stores very easily for quick access for those little moments you want to capture. It's easy to unload the video, easy to edit and easy to own. Got this for my wife who HATES overly complicated devices, which this is not. I think that if your looking for something that is really waterproof, rugged and still takes high quality video, then buy this and you wont be disappointed.

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