Anybody used this yet? (video cam)

[72Twenty]

Any maggot feedback on this yet?



Thinkin' 'bout using redneck credit and puttin' one on layaway... hyuk hyuk!

[BakerBoy]

Do a search, the consensus is that it sucks... You're better off getting a standalone helmet cam.

[shirk]

Searching the net has revealed that it blows. Battery life is horrible. Cards are not big enough. Wait for future versions, or get a regular cam and helmet cam.

[Trackhead]

I like the chick in the ad in Couloir though. Perhaps she comes with the purchase.

[Mcwop]

Though the Samsung SC-X105L hints at great things to come for tapeless camcorders, it also proves that those heady days haven't quite arrived yet. It offers an extremely compact design--it's smaller than you'd think--and a novel external camera attachment that can be mounted on your head or shoulder to chronicle extreme sports. Unfortunately, the SC-X105L's video quality leaves much to be desired, making this camcorder a realistic option only for those who value the experience of taking videos more highly than that of watching them.

A fetching design is one of the Samsung SC-X105L's hallmarks--while testing it, no fewer than a half-dozen different friends and close relations gushed "cool camera," "ooh, where'd you get that," and other variations on same. Indeed, the SC-X105L deserves the attention; dispensing with MiniDV has allowed Samsung to shrink the camcorder into a petite number, with few of the weird bumps and none of the Velcro straps that characterize heavier camcorders that use larger media.

The SC-X105L weighs only 5.2 ounces with its snug-fitting battery and a Memory Stick Pro. It's actually smaller than you'd think, to the point that the camcorder's included external camera attachment is almost as large as the camcorder itself.

Those prone to dropping expensive electronics will appreciate the SC-X105L's rubberized black-and-blue body, which gives the camcorder a solid, no-slip feel. What's more, the combination of small size and a good grip makes this device well suited to long shoots; since it's physically equivalent to holding one of those battery-powered minifans in front of your face, your subject will likely tire of being filmed long before you're ready to put the camera down.

This is the minimalist camcorder's entire set of controls.

Partially owing to the SC-X105L's smallish feature set, the camcorder's controls are quite simple and easily mastered after a couple of minutes. A spring-loaded switch turns the camera on and off, and switching from video to any other mode is as simple as repeatedly sliding the switch back to the On position. The zoom controls also serve as up and down buttons when you're within a menu and are located (along with the Enter and Back buttons) within easy reach of your thumb at the top of the camcorder. The menu system is well designed and simple to navigate, though you'll have to hunt through a couple of levels before you find the setting for enabling the external camera.

The Samsung SC-X105L's feature set is largely external to the camera; the SC-X105L lacks many of the typical bells and whistles, but it has several unique capabilities and included accessories that enable you to shoot video in situations where having a larger, more conventional MiniDV camcorder would be impractical. Bad news first: you can't tweak the exposure controls when recording, so you're at the mercy of the camcorder's sometimes dicey autoexposure system. The SC-X105L also lacks a wide-screen mode, and its still images max out at a camera phone-like resolution of 800x600.

Now, on to the good stuff: The 10X optical zoom lens is digitally stabilized, and in practice, it allows you to shoot quite steadily and take some pretty long shots as long as you have adequate lighting. The rudimentary MP3 player is not strictly necessary on a camcorder, but it's a nice bonus if you have a high-capacity Memory Stick Pro card and want to take advantage of the SC-X105L's generous 512MB of internal memory. The SC-X105L's trump card, or at least the feature that none of its competitors can claim, is the weatherproof external camera included in the box. Because the SC-X105L is so small and fits so easily inside a pocket, you can use the head- or shoulder-mountable external video-capture feature to record any number of hands-free activities. I don't know that my testing of this feature really lived up to its take-no-prisoners billing, since I mostly used it to tape my brother making funny faces and myself catching footballs. But for skydivers, fly fishermen, and helmet-cam enthusiasts of all stripes, this external lens is perfect for freeing up your hands so that you can play air guitar at 30,000 feet or in a river or whatnot. One caveat: You can't zoom in when using the external eye, so you'll have to settle for a fixed-focus view.

In general, the Samsung SC-X105L performed adequately, though in some areas it showed plenty of room for improvement. For example, starting up the camcorder requires an 8-second wait before recording, so this isn't necessarily the best choice for capturing the spontaneous malapropisms of a precocious toddler. On the plus side, the SC-X105L's autofocus worked well, speedily acquiring a subject even at maximum 10X zoom, although the focus tended to waver a bit under low-light conditions. Manual focus was functional, in the sense that toggling it up and down would eventually yield a proper focal length; unfortunately, because the SC-X105L lacks a visual guide to help you while adjusting the focus manually, the sweet spot can often be found only after a frustrating process of trial and error.

The SC-X105L more than makes up for its lack of an optical viewfinder with a bright, crisp 2-inch LCD screen that swivels out from the side of the camera and articulates a full 360 degrees. Camera shake is rarely an issue, as the SC-X105L's image-stabilization (IS) system works swimmingly--we suppose that's a must, given Samsung's promises of extreme performance. In fact, we turned off image stabilization only when we wanted a deliberately shaky effect, like in all those skateboard videos. Even with IS enabled, the SC-X105L's battery lasted an impressive amount of time. The onboard microphone sounded a little weak; in our test videos, voices and ambient music had a tinny quality, so audiophiles may want to steer clear.

Here's where it all comes crashing down. The Samsung SC-X105L's video quality is, simply put, substandard. Even in direct sunlight, the camcorder takes muddy, artifact-ridden movies that are difficult to enjoy on a computer and almost painful to watch on a full-screen television. The color of the videos approaches decent if you set the white balance correctly, but there's so much smudging in these clips that truly accurate color is outside the realm of possibility. Colored noise becomes a ubiquitous presence in low light, often to the point of making everything look a uniform, staticky gray.

Low-light shots are OK when seen scaled down (top), but when viewing at actual size, you can see how bad the noise is.

We shot all of our test videos at maximum resolution (720x480, 30fps) and at maximum quality, a setting that dramatically increased the size of our video clips without appreciably improving their quality. That's unfortunate since this camcorder does a lot of things right, but when all's said and done, the Samsung SC-X105L's subpar picture quality will likely disappoint those interested in sharing their videos or editing them down into creative projects.

-Edit - Review from cnet.com

[72Twenty]

Thanks Mcwop. Maybe I'll wait...

After watching South Park last night, I narrated that whole review in my head with Cartman's Sexy Action School News voice. Now lets go to Token for a check of the weather.....

[72Twenty]

Do you think the other companies will make a similar type unit in the near future?

[BakerBoy]

Possibly, but there are far superior systems out there that are not much bigger. Any reason why you want that one so much?

[Raps]

Possibly, but there are far superior systems out there that are not much bigger. Any reason why you want that one so much?

I was actually contemplating buying it as well because of its size and stated durability.....i've got a big 3CCD one but i don't always take it with me....one this small would be easy to take all the time.....its a shame it isn't great....i was hoping it would work for me....

And Baker......what are some that you would say are better and not much bigger? (and not too much $)

[chaka]

I was actually contemplating buying it as well because of its size and stated durability.....i've got a big 3CCD one but i don't always take it with me....one this small would be easy to take all the time.....its a shame it isn't great....i was hoping it would work for me....

And Baker......what are some that you would say are better and not much bigger? (and not too much $)

Baker- I would be interested in your thoughts on similar products as well! Thanks.

[Skip Dooley]

travel onward away from this dark forgotten thread ye young one, travel far atop the page, and across the LCD valley to the land of Right, there you will find the Isle you have been SEARCHing for.

[BakerBoy]

www.viosport.com

I just bought a 3CCD Panasonic PV-GS120 that is really small (6"x3"x3") off eBay for $400, and then I'm going to order the Viosport Adventure 3 cam. You could find a cheap mini-DV camcorder on ebay for $200 or so, get the Adventure 2 cam ($200), and you'd have a far better setup than the Samsung for a couple hundred bucks less.

[Atrain505]

Ya, but doesn't the panasonic not have a lanc input? Which means you can't have a remote, which means you have to take the camera in and out every time.
I may be wrong but I though only cannon and sony had lanc inputs.
In which case get a cannon or sony with a helmet cam.

[BakerBoy]

Ya, but doesn't the panasonic not have a lanc input? Which means you can't have a remote, which means you have to take the camera in and out every time.
I may be wrong but I though only cannon and sony had lanc inputs.
In which case get a cannon or sony with a helmet cam.

Yup, I wanted a Sony with the LANC also, but decided to go with the 3CCD Panasonic instead of the 1CCD of the Sony's. I've heard it both ways about the large 1CCD in the Sony's, and small 3CCD's in the Panasonic, but in variable lighting, it seems like the Panasonic just comes out with a better image. Which is really not of too much matter when recording thru a helmet cam, which is why I suggested a cheap Mini-DV cam, especially if you want a dedicated camera for you helmet cam. Anyhow, you can still buy an extended corded remote for the Panasonic, which would do the exact same thing a LANC connection would do. Furthermore, does the Samsung have any kind of remote on/off either? Or would you have to put it in your pocket, and take it out?

[Atrain505]

You can buy a corded remote for a panasonic that turns it on and off?
That's sweet-where would you find one? I have a buddy looking at buying a 3 chip panasonic. That was one of my complaints, but if it can be solved.

[BakerBoy]

You can buy a corded remote for a panasonic that turns it on and off?
That's sweet-where would you find one? I have a buddy looking at buying a 3 chip panasonic. That was one of my complaints, but if it can be solved.

It seriously took me about 30 minutes of searching (with cable modem) all over the place to finally find the corded remote by itself.

Here's what Panasonic says about it --

"MagicWire™ Remote Control
This remote makes it incredibly easy for you to capture low-angle shots, high-angle shots - or even fixed-position tripod shots. And it’s also perfect for left-handed users. The MagicWire™ contains all key features (Record, Zoom, PhotoShot™), and it even lets you create live video commentary with a built-in Narration Mic."

Here's a picture of it, not including the 3 foot cord.



And here's a link to it...

http://www.partstore.com/ProductDeta...oductType=ACCS

$31, or it's included in the newer Panasonic 3CCD's, like the PV-GS150, and a couple of the lower end models. You could probably just string it alongside, or even velcro it to a hydration straw in your pack, and put it somewhere in your chest where it probably wouldn't get hit, and would stay reasonably dry. I'm definitely going this route.

[Atrain505]

Sounds cool. Thanks for the info. Still not sure if it allows you to turn the camera on or off though through the control to save battery life. Do you know?
And yes I searched for MagicWire on panasonics site and nothing came up.

[BakerBoy]

Sounds cool. Thanks for the info. Still not sure if it allows you to turn the camera on or off though through the control to save battery life. Do you know?
And yes I searched for MagicWire on panasonics site and nothing came up.

Nope, and I highly doubt the LANC does either. Most camcorders I've seen have a manual toggle you must switch off -- a remote couldn't do that. It wouldn't take more than 30 seconds in a lift line to whip it out and turn the camera off. You could probably turn it back on, on the chair. In the backcountry, who cares. Keep it turned off unless you know you'll use it.

Seems pretty inconsequential to me, especially with multiple batteries. If it's a big pow day in-bounds, just leave the fucker on and hit record. Swap batteries after an hour or two. It wouldn't take long. Backcountry or comp, just turn the camera on

[Atrain505]

For sure, sounds good.
I read that the lanc remote also allowed one to turn the camera on and off remotely. I may be wrong but I thought I read that on viosport's website. Either way not really an inconvenience at all.
Good find.

[Dirty Hoar]

I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure the panasonic remote control will not work while in VCR/Play mode. The camcorder must be in this mode to record video from a helmet cam.

If you want to sucessfully deploy a helmet cam setup get a camcorder with a lanc jack. Otherwise your going to have to go through the hassle of digging it out each time you want to record or stop recording. May not sound like a big deal but it is. If you decide to just leave it recording all the time, you are going to burn through tape, batteries, and your patience. MiniDV tapes only hold about an hour of video. The camcorder battery will probably only last a little longer.

The lanc control will tell you what mode your camcorder is in (recording, pause, off, on, low battery, low tape) with the LED indicator.

Bottom line... if you don't have a lanc your friends will leave you and I will ski your line. Then later, your girlfriend/wife will leave you cause she's tired of seeing all the lame shit you recorded.