Rating: 
Summary: Excellence Camcorder
Review: This is an excellence camcorder for video pictures for out or indoor, with normal light. This comparision with others well known brand-name (even double price).BUT ... I can not transfer (capture) video picture from mini-DV tape to Computer through 1394 port. I have read some posts at some forums; they are having same problem like mine. If someone know how to please let me know. Thank you. PS. I have no problem to capture video picture from mini-DV tape to Computer through 1394 port on Canon Optura 20, Panasonic DV102, and Panasonic GS70. I like the SCD23 because the video picture is the best among of the above camcorders (perhaps because it has 1.4 apperature??). In-order to transfer Mini-DV tape recorded from the Samsung SCD23 I have to put the mini-DV tape to the Panasonic GS70 then using 1394 port to transfer to computer!!!!! Edit July 07, 2003
Good News .....
Finally, I found the way how to Capture (transfer) video from MiniDV to Computer. The trick is I have to buy a brand name Adaptec FireWire Card!!! I bought Adaptec FireConnect 4300 AFW-4300 1394/FireWire Card, and it work flawlessly (not bad $41.00 card it came with some good software for transfer video image). I am very happy with SCD23 and I will buy the SCD27 because the SCD27 is almost the same as the SCD23 with more feature + accessories for example it came with 16Mb Memory Stick, Remote Control, 3.5" LCD, have S-Video (in/out). Only some minor complains are:
-I have to open LCD screen in order to access The DV 4 pin Firewire port.
-No Smart Shoe for Flash however, the Camcorder came with Video Light. I am going to give 5 stars instead of 4.
Rating: 
Summary: First camcorder, and it's a great one!
Review: Very nice camcorder, good value!
Couple of complaints. The controller for changing modes is somewhat annoying. You have to press on the green button and hold on while moving up or down with no grip... Not that quick of a change...Plus the zoom is located at the top which will give you a sore finger from holding on to so long. And another complaint is that, you must leave the lcd on while uploading the movies to your computer which wastes battery really quick.
Everything else is nice....features are great. Works average in darkness, but I don't mind. Only firewire connection, the usb is for pictures. Video and sound quality are great during normal use. Wind cut is really useful... Video effects are useless, but nice.
Very nice camcorder for that price...
Rating:
Summary: Best Bang for your Buck
Review: Wow! I bought this camera just before Thanksgiving to record some Holiday gatherings. I serously looked at about 20 different units and was torn between the Sony and the Samsung. The Sony has better low light performance but it is 30% more money. This unit is perfect for what I need. I took a video of my Mother making a family receipe in a low light kitchen, at night with only normal lighting (2 60 watt bulbs) and the detail was very good. The more light you have the better the picture but this is true of all cameras not just Samsung. Next we went driving arround looking for property to purchase on a cold partially cloudy day shooting video through the windows or hanging out the door. The detail was amazing. I shot video for over 1.5 hours before the battery died and am very happy with the results. I bought a 64mg Lexar memory stick and can take up to 340 pictures at 320x240 pixels. These are not high resolution pictures but are good for web. You can also copy pictures from tape to the memory stick with a click of a button. This appears to be a much higher quailty picture. If you want to transfer pictures from the memory stick to your PC you can use the USB cable. If you want to transfer video you must use a Firewire card. Buy an Adaptec card unless you just like to figure out problems. This camera is easy to use and you can just put in a tape and start shooting but you need to read the manual and spend a good 2 hours playing with the unit before you get comfortable with all of the features. Many of the problems I read about can be overcome by changing settings on the Camera for light levels etc. A solid product with features nobody else has at this price.
Rating:
Summary: Great little unit for basic digital video
Review: Wow! What a nice little digital "starter" camcorder for casual, fun digital video! As far as I can tell from extensive comparison shoopping, its feature set is just about unbeatable at this price point ...The unit weighs little more than a pound, but has a quality aura about it, with all the buttons and switches feeling quite solid and substantial. I already had several Samsung multimedia devices (MP3 player and DVD player) before my wife bought me this camcorder for Father's Day (thanks, sweetheart!), so I had a certain comfort level with the brand's overall excellent quality. Here are a few things any prospective buyer should know: Regardless of what the folks at the Samsung spare parts store may tell you, the SC-D23 absolutely DOES accept a memory stick for use as a digital still camera (640 X 480 pixels max resolution); but no stick is included with the camera AND the maximum-capacity memory stick the camera will accept is 16 megs. Also, the USB photo-download capability works only with PCs; therefore, Macintosh computer users will need to purchase a USB memory-stick reader to download their still photos. Overall the controls are easy to use and fall readily to hand. The LCD display is bright; and the camera's "night pix" capability is lots of fun--it uses infrared light emitted by the camera itself to illuminate objects up to about 10-15 feet away; so you can shoot close-up video in total darkness. The "night pix" video function may not be very practical for the average casual user, but it's a lot of fun to play with and looks very cool green and "Desert-Stormish." The video color quality overall is good, and the sound picked up by the built-in external stereo microphone is also good; although the mic does pick up a bit of the camera's own operational sounds (whirring and such). There is also an external microphone jack. Pros with this unit: Low price, strong feature set (including built-in light, digital still camera capability, FireWire and USB interfaces, and several video-outs including S-video), good manufacturing quality, nice picture and sound. Cons: No memory stick included, memory stick capacity limited to 16 megabytes; no USB video download capability; no FireWire or S-video cables included, no USB photo download capability for Mac users. My wife and I plan to use this camera for taking casual video -- mostly of our grandchildren; overall, we are extremely pleased with the Samsung SC-D23.
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