Samsung VP-D381/XEU MiniDV Camcorder (34x Optical Zoom) Samsung MiniDV format camcorder with an amazing 34 optical zoom and 1200 digital zoom to bring all the action closer;Records in/on MiniDV tape format;34 x Optical zoom , 1200 x digital zoom;800k pixel CCD;2.7” widescreen LCD viewscreen for playback and use as a viewfinder;Voice plus dubbing system to add commentary to recorded footage;Digital Image stabiliser;AV composite out;10 Step power level indicator on screen;12/16 bit audio processing in PCM stereo format;IEEE1394 out;
Helpful consumer’s review
The addage “you get what you pay for” applies to everything in life but just occasionally there is an exception. This little camera is a gem if you buy it in the knowledge that it is the cheapest dv out there! Picture quality is no worse than my older Panasonic which in its day would have cost several times more than this one. There are lots of advanced features missing or not easy to use. A backlight control springs to mind. It’s there but buried under a few levels of menus. Most cameras have a separate button as when you need it, you need it instantly. However everything is there to shoot great holiday videos.Yes it’s made of plastic but so are many other cameras nowadays. This camera is tiny and that’s a great big plus in my view as it’s obviously aimed at the holiday and family buyer. It’s light and fits in the palm of your hand. On holiday it slips into the corner of your hand baggage. Fact of life – sorry Mac fans – PC’s outnumber Macs probably by 1Million to 1! A reviewer on here states it won’t work with a Mac. With my PC and both Windows Moviemaker – included in Vista or my preferred Serif Moviemaker it works exactly as intended with the computer controlling the tape via the program and my videos downloading perfectly for editing in either program. Picture quality with any non HD camcorder is at best OK. We are all now using larger screens both on our home TVs and attached to computers. I use a 22″ computer monitor and the difference in quality between a dv video and a still shot taken on my trusty 5 megapixel digi camera is plain to see. Show a standard dv video on a 32″ or larger tv and you may well be dissapointed. That does not just apply to this camera either. If you want a simple point and shoot camcorder to record a holiday and the kids growing up without carrying round heavy equipment and want to keep well in with the bank manager, then try this camera.
