Rating: 
Summary: Definitely entry level class
Review: After spending several thousand dollars for a top of the line 8mm camcorder a decade ago only for it to become little more than junk today, I decided to buy only the cheapest camcorder that fulfilled my minimum needs. This Samsung SCD55 was it. The camera takes great amateur-grade video and is compact and lightweight enough to carry around on my hiking and climbing trips to boot. It's not as small and light as some other mini-DV models but doesn't cost as much either. The video lens is so-so and I bought a 0.6X wide-angle adapter for it. The video image quality is typically single-chip CCD quality with OK low light performance. My big caveat is that the included lithium battery lasts a marginally useful 20 minutes and the extra-life battery...runs just around 40 minutes - in that department I'm kind of jealous of friends who use the Sony Stamina battery based camcorders. For extended trips away from AC power to recharge the battery, I would NOT recommend this camera. Overall it's good value for the money and you won't cry too much a decade from now when it's obsolete.
Rating: 
Summary: Be sure to buy an extended warranty
Review: Be sure to buy an extended warranty if you plan on buying this camera. Mine broke just a few days after the incredibly short 90 day labor warranty (1yr. on parts though). One day when I went to playback some video I had shot, nothing showed up other than a blue screen. It wouldn't playback anything after owning it less than 4 months. Other than that, the camera seems to perform okay, although the motors in the camera are quite a bit noisier than other camcorders I've used.Be sure to do your homework before deciding to buy this camera. If you want a comparable camera get a panasonic dv51 which in similar in price. I'd stay away from this one....
Rating:
Summary: Be sure to buy an extended warranty
Review: Be sure to buy an extended warranty if you plan on buying this camera. Mine broke just a few days after the incredibly short 90 day labor warranty (1yr. on parts though). One day when I went to playback some video I had shot, nothing showed up other than a blue screen. It wouldn't playback anything after owning it less than 4 months. Other than that, the camera seems to perform okay, although the motors in the camera are quite a bit noisier than other camcorders I've used. Be sure to do your homework before deciding to buy this camera. If you want a comparable camera get a panasonic dv51 which in similar in price. I'd stay away from this one....
Rating: 
Summary: Very good, can't beat the price.
Review: Despite there being basically NO reviews on this camcorder anywhere on the internet, which was a concern, I bought the SCD55 based on its specs and price ... So far it's worked well and the color is great in the daylight. Indoors, it doesn't capture color quite as well but I guess that's to be expected. It's pretty small and portable, and although it doesn't have a lot of the frills and special effects that the more expensive camcorders have, it has 22x optical zoom which is nice. Most 'special effects' can be done with software afterwards anyhow. The only other complaints I would have, besides the indoor color balance, are the hum of the motor, which is slight but noticeable on the recorded audio, and the lack of A/V inputs. ...Couldn't find a better deal anywhere...
Rating: 
Summary: Great DV Camcorder, Great price!
Review: First of all I want to plainly say that this a great DV-Cam for a low $*** Don't tell me that's not a low price for such quality. I have one and use it to make skate-videos. I do a lot of skateboarding (3-4hrs/day) and this thing has it all! It is light weight, small, high quality, durable, and full of all the effects and features you could ever need. Don't pass thing up, trust me!
Rating:
Summary: Great DV Camcorder, Great price!
Review: First of all I want to plainly say that this a great DV-Cam for a low $*** Don't tell me that's not a low price for such quality. I have one and use it to make skate-videos. I do a lot of skateboarding (3-4hrs/day) and this thing has it all! It is light weight, small, high quality, durable, and full of all the effects and features you could ever need. Don't pass thing up, trust me!
Rating:
Summary: Worth every penny..
Review: First of all I want to plainly say that this a great DV-Cam for a low $499!!! Don't tell me that's not a low price for such quality. I have one and use it to make skate-videos. I do a lot of skateboarding (3-4hrs/day) and this thing has it all! It is light weight, small, high quality, durable, and full of all the effects and features you could ever need. Don't pass thing up, trust me!
Rating:
Summary: Great DV Camcorder, Great price!
Review: First of all I want to plainly say that this a great DV-Cam for a low $499!!! Don't tell me that's not a low price for such quality. I have one and use it to make skate-videos. I do a lot of skateboarding (3-4hrs/day) and this thing has it all! It is light weight, small, high quality, durable, and full of all the effects and features you could ever need. Don't pass thing up, trust me!
Rating:
Summary: ....
Review: I have studied for more than 2 months about ...digital camcorders and I finally found the one for me. That is SCD55. It is very compact and rugged also. There are no more special features than really nescessary for beginners/intermediate users. It has 680 K pixel CCD, digital stabilization, 20x optical zoon and total 440x zoom (including digital), some special effects, photo mode to take digital pictures (though the resolution is not that good) and so on. Also connection to the PC with firewire (or i.link) is so easy that anyone can do that. If I really have to mention the cons, the battery life is relatively short (50 min). However even this would be long enough for casual users for sure. ....I strongly recommend this product.
Rating:
Summary: Great Camcorder for a Great Price
Review: I really like this camcorder. It was smaller than I expected which is a bonus. The picture quality is great, and unlike the other reviewer I found the indoor quality to be good despite my somewhat unlit apartment. It took me some time to figure our why the time and date stamp reset itself each time I turned it off. I soon realized that it had an internal lithium battery that had to be charged for 24 hours. Finally, the camcorder does not have all the special effects that I have seen on other camcorders, but I would not use them anyway. Essentially this camcorder is for those who dont want to pay for frills, but want a quality practical camcorder. Perfect for me!
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