Samsung HMX-W300 Waterproof Camcorder Review
Motion
Judging by our tests, the Samsung HMX-W300 showed some improvement in capturing motion compared to its predecessor. The camcorder still showed plenty of artifacting in our test video, and even portions of the frame that had no moving subjects showed signs of flicker and interference. But the video was smooth, showed little color bleeding, and had less trailing than the HMX-W200 showed us last year in its motion videos.
In low light, the W300 showed a huge drop-off in motion performance. More artifacting was present in our test, detail loss was hugely significant, and the camera often had trouble focusing properly without the help of an adequate light source. We often see drops like this with cheap camcorders in low light, and the W300 suffers because of its automatic low light scene mode that makes use of slower shutter speed and higher gain settings. Both of these elements result in worse image quality, more motion blur, and detail loss in low light. More on how we test motion.
See below for a full discussion of the available resolution and frame rate options for the HMX-W300
Low Light Motion Test
Dark Motion Test
Resolution & Frame Rates
In addition to the Full HD recording option, the HMX-W300 has a 720p HD video mode. This setting still records high definition video, but the clips are smaller in both resolution and file size. So, if you don’t care about quality all that much, you may want to shoot using this setting. You’ll be able to fit more video on your memory cards and the files will be easier to playback on a computer.
We should note that if you attempt to record very large video clips with the W300, the camcorder may automatically split your videos up into smaller clips. We found the camcorder usually created a new clip every 16 minutes of straight recording, but this wasn’t universal (sometimes it went for 15:59 and once it went to 16:29). Either way, you don’t lose any video when a new clips is created, one picks up where the other one leaves off.
