Samsung HMX-W300 Waterproof Camcorder Review

Color

Cheap, compact camcorders often struggle with color accuracy in our tests, but these poor results are almost always related to the lack of an effective auto white balance system. The Samsung HMX-W300 fell into this exact trap in our color test, but, luckily for Samsung, the W300 also has a few built-in white balance presets that helped improve color accuracy by a very significant margin. More on how we test color.

Color Error Map
The map on the left is a diagram of the color error. The length and direction of each line indicates how the camera processed each particular color while capturing video.

The Samsung HMX-W300 produced a color error of 6.21 and a saturation level of 119.30% in our bright light color testing.

Using auto white balance in our bright light test, the Samsung W300's video showed colors with an intensely orange hue and a color error of 14.3. The results were nearly unusable, but they weren't much different than colors we've seen from previous ultracompact camcorders (see the Kodak PlaySport Zx5). Switching the W300's white balance preset to the tungsten setting (to match the lights we use in our test) lowered the color error down to 6.21. This still isn't a fantastic score, but it is manageable, so if you want the best color performance from the W300 you will have to be prepared to use these white balance presets from time to time.

Unfortunately, even with its white balance presets, the Samsung W300 was not able to improve its color score over last year's W200 waterproof camcorder, although the results were very similar. Basically, our main point is this: if you're concerned about color accuracy in your videos, you should be prepared to spend more than a couple hundred bucks for a camcorder. Ultracompact models like the W300, while capable of producing decent color results, are not universally reliable when it comes to color accuracy.

Low Light Color

Color results in low light were also stronger on the W300 than what we saw on its predecessor. The new camcorder registered a color error in low light of 3.55, which is an exceptionally accurate score for a camcorder in the sub-$200 price range. Not only is it better than last year's model, but it is also better than the W300's color accuracy in our bright light test. This is likely tied to the camcorder's ability to handle the color temperature of our low-light LEDs better than our bright-light tungsten bulbs. Either way, the Samsung W300 showed more accurate colors than the competition, beating some camcorders by a wide margin—and the camcorder showed a strong saturation level of 96% in low light as well. More on how we test low light color.

Color Error Map
The map on the left is a diagram of the color error. The length and direction of each line indicates how the camera processed each particular color while capturing video.

The Samsung HMX-W300 produced a color error of and a saturation level of in our bright light color testing.

Noise

Noise results in bright light were very good for the Samsung W300, but we saw the same kind of results from the competition, so this isn't anything to get excited about. This day in age we rarely see high levels of noise in bright light video, so the more important score to check out is the W300's strong performance in our low light noise test on the next page of this review. More on how we test noise.