Samsung HMX-R10

Color & Noise Performance Summary
• Average color accuracy for a camcorder of its class. • No color modes or color adjustment settings are available on the camcorder. • Noise levels were also average. • Noise reduction feature is available and it does a decent job lowering the noise levels.
	Product Tour	(Page 3 of 17)	Motion & Sharpness Performance

Color (7.22)

The Samsung HMX-R10 didn't show us anything special in our color test, but it didn't perform poorly either. The R10 had a normal color accuracy for a camcorder of its class—posting a color error of 4.85 and a saturation level of 107.2%. This is very similar to the numbers the Sony HDR-TG5V earned in this test, and it is a fairly common score for a mid-range camcorder. (More on how we test color.)

Color Accuracy Performance
Color Test Chart (above), Color Error Map (right)
The Samsung HMX-R10 produced a color error of 4.85 and a saturation level of 107.2% in our bright light color testing. (The map on the right is a diagram of the color error. The length and direction of each line indicates how the camcorder processed each particular color.)

Overall, the R10's colors looked quite good, although some of the orange and red tones appeared a bit faded. The color error chart above shows that the camcorder rendered green and light blue colors very accurately, but that it had problems with red, brown and dark blue tones. The HMX-R10 doesn't have any color controls other than a few digital effects like Black and White, Sepia, and Negative mode. So, if you want to increase color depth or adjust the sharpness of the image, you're out of luck. You can, however, adjust these things in post-production. In fact, Samsung's supplied editing software is pretty easy to use and offers quite a few color and image adjustment controls. Read more about the HMX-R10's supplied Intelli-studio program here.

Samsung HMX-R10 Color Sample
Auto	100% Crop

The above frame is a sample image from our color testing. Notice how the train and pipe-cleaners appear a bit overexposed in the 100% crop. The colors lack punch because of this slight overexposure. The HMX-R10 does allow for exposure to be set manually, so you can opt for a darker image if you like that look better. All of our testing is done in auto mode with a manual white balance, however, so what you see above is how the camcorder captures a bright light image using its auto controls.

Samsung HMX-R10 Color Comparisons
Samsung HMX-R10	JVC GZ-X900
Sony HDR-TG5V	Panasonic HDC-SD20

The HMX-R10 captures a very bright video image compared to the rest of the camcorders in the set above. The JVC GZ-X900 appears much darker, although its colors were the most accurate of the bunch. The Panasonic HDC-SD20 and Sony HDR-TG5V had roughly the same color error as the Samsung HMX-R10. Below are close-ups of specific color patches pulled from the test images above.

	Close-Up Color Comparisons
	Ideal	Samsung HMX-R10	JVC GZ-X900	Sony HDR-TG5V	Panasonic HDC-SD20
Red
	Ideal	Samsung HMX-R10	JVC GZ-X900	Sony HDR-TG5V	Panasonic HDC-SD20
Green
	Ideal	Samsung HMX-R10	JVC GZ-X900	Sony HDR-TG5V	Panasonic HDC-SD20
Blue
	Ideal	Samsung HMX-R10	JVC GZ-X900	Sony HDR-TG5V	Panasonic HDC-SD20
Skin Tone 1
	Ideal	Samsung HMX-R10	JVC GZ-X900	Sony HDR-TG5V	Panasonic HDC-SD20
Skin Tone 2

In the color patches for the Samsung R10 you can see quite a bit of artifacting, blocking, and splotches. While the rest of the camcorders in this set also show this problem, it is more prominent on the R10. The patches above also show the strong disparity in auto exposure on the JVC GZ-X900 and the rest of the compared camcorders.

Color Performance Scores

Noise (7.15)

The HMX-R10 measured 0.8125% noise in our bright light testing. Again, just as we saw in the R10's color test, this is a fairly average score for a mid-range HD camcorder. The three other camcorders we used as comparisons had lower noise levels in their bright light video image, with the Panasonic HDC-SD20 putting up the best numbers in this test. The Samsung R10 does have a noise reduction setting that can be turned on and off. Using it in our bright light testing, we found it lowered the camcorder's noise level just slightly, to approximately 0.75%. (More on how we test noise.)

Noise Comparisons
Samsung HMX-R10 100% Crop	JVC GZ-X900 100% Crop	Sony HDR-TG5V 100% Crop	Panasonic HDC-SD20 100% Crop

While the R10's noise levels weren't too bad, they were significantly worse than the competition shown above. You can see the difference in the crops too. The HMX-R10 appears a bit fuzzy and has a faint coating of odd, discolored splotches. The images from the other camcorders look much softer, smoother, and cleaner. The HMX-R10 does have a sharp image, however, although it isn't as sharp as the JVC GZ-X900.

Noise Score Comparisons