Samsung SC-DC164 Camcorder Review

Ease of Use (6.0)
The SC-DC164 is not difficult to use, but it is not enjoyable either. If you have no interest in anything but pointing and shooting, you can put the camcorder in Easy Q mode and your troubles are over. In Easy Q mode, nearly all interface, accidental or otherwise, is denied. Ease of use is of course, largely dependent on automatic controls; if the picture looks so bad that you are forced to step in and intervene, it's no longer very easy, is it? Unfortunately, the automatic controls are not very good (see the Automatic Controls section above for more details).

If you have slightly more ambitious aspirations, but technology can still frighten you, we must report a split decision on the operation. The menu layout is clear and comprehensible, but the navigation controls are terrible. Normally we like a joystick control, but it is poorly placed and not very easy to handle.

If ease of use is the deciding factor , we look towards Sony. This is their specialty, and no one does it quite as well. Panasonic tends to have menus that can be perplexing to beginners, but after some practice, handle very well . Canon lies right in the middle, and we've heard few complaints from novices about learning their way around the DC-series of DVD camcorders.

Handling (4.0)
Handling the SC-DC164 is one of the weaker points of the camcorder. The biggest problem is the placement of the joystick and buttons, located above the LCD and inside the LCD cavity on the left side. Not only is the joystick completely out of sight when shooting, but it’s so small and squat that making effective movements is not really possible. We’ve seen worse controls, but this is pretty bad.

The mode dial, which toggles between the record and playback modes, as well as power on/off.

If the joystick is bad, the placement of the rest of the buttons is worse. There are no fewer than 10 buttons packed into the LCD cavity, all out of sight of the shooter, and none of them can be differentiated by touch. This is not such a big deal for the Display button or the VCR buttons, but if they went to the trouble of taking manual focus out of the Quick Menu and making it a dedicated button, then they should at least make it recognizable by touch.

You can read the Manual Control section above for a complete breakdown and images from the menu, but in terms of handling, Samsung has created a real quandary. The menu layout is very clear and straightforward, particularly the Quick Menu, which streamlines the manual controls into a single, abbreviated menu. But manuevering through the menu is done with the joystick, which as mentioned above is a poor control. So overall, navigating the menu leans toward the difficult. It’s a shame that the great menu design could not be coupled with a decent body design.

Portability (7.0)
The SC-DC164 does not differ appreciably from other DVD camcorders in terms of portability, measuring 51.5 mm x 87.5 mm x 121.5 mm (2.02” x 3.44” x 7.78”) and weighing in at 425 grams (.936 lb). That makes it easy to stash in a backpack or medium-sized purse, but too big to fit in a pants pocket. Miniaturization of DVD camcorders has not proceeded as quickly as with MiniDV camcorders, due to the large size of their disc compartments. The SC-DC164 includes a carrying case which is a nice addition to the package that most competing camcorders lack. The case has room for the camcorder, accessories, and a few extra DVDs.

LCD/Viewfinder (6.5)
The DC164’s LCD is a 2.7” widescreen with a decent reported resolution of 230K pixels. These numbers are surprising, as our experience with the DC164 showed it to be a very poor LCD. This was partly due to the abysmal video quality, but after watching the video on a separate monitor, the LCD was clearly not helping things. The viewfinder is color electronic, but the manual gives no specs as to resolution and size.

Battery Life (5.6)
The SC-DC164 ships with the SB-LSM80 battery pack, which is estimated to have 55 minutes of shooting time in XP mode with the LCD open. We tested this claim by shooting under similar conditions. No zoom or manual control was engaged. In total, the battery lasted for 56 minutes and 32 seconds. This poor battery performance can be topped by most other manufacturers. Fortunately, Samsung does offer another long-life battery, the LSM160 as an option.