Samsung SC-DC173 Camcorder Reviewby Michael PerlmanPublished on Aug 23, 2007 4:40 PM
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Ease of Use (6.5)
When it comes to ease of use, the SC-DC173 is all about one thing: Easy Q. Easy Q is Samsung’s version of Sony’s Easy mode. When Easy Q is enabled, the camcorder slips into full autopilot, including the activation of digital image stabilization. If you dare to press the menu, C.Night/video light, or manual focus button, a jarring blue screen will fill the LCD or viewfinder, exclaiming “Release the Easy Q!” as if you are corrupting an royal decree with your negligence. Yikes. Sorry, Samsung. While in Easy Q, you can still access the fader, display button, and LCD enhancer, in addition to zooming and recording. Point-and-shooters, this will be your saving grace—just go easy on the button pressing while in Easy Q, or else the SC-DC173 might explode into a thousand pieces out of anger. In all seriousness, shooting in Easy Q is very restrictive. Only the absolute minimum point-and-shoot crowd will find this a please. Even Sony’s Easy mode gives you some access to controls.
Life outside Easy Q is not quite as simple, yet more sophisticated—at least for this camcorder’s standards. Samsung has done well with the button placement of the SC-DC173. All the LCD cavity buttons are arranged in a vertical strip closest to the rear end of the camcorder for easy access. In addition, there is a Q.Menu button that offers quick control over features like program AE modes, white balance, shutter speed, and exposure. DIS and BLC are also available in this menu (which is essentially akin to a Function menu). To top it all off, the LCD panel contains a column of controls, including LCD enhancer (which brightens the LCD screen), Zoom In/Out, and Record Start/Stop. This is a nice layout, Samsung.
We do have a couple gripes, though. The side-mounted joystick is great to have, but it means your fingers will get in the way of the LCD every time you go to adjust with it. The rear end or LCD panel would have been more optimal locations for the joystick, but it will just take a bit of a learning curve to master its annoyance. Also, you can’t use the Night modes, video light, and digital zoom during 16:9 recording—they’re only available in 4:3. This is a royal pain, as most shooters will want to take advantage of the wide-screen option to meet the near-standard of today’s viewing experience. Lastly, the SD/MMC card slot is located on the bottom of the camcorder, meaning you have to remove the SC-DC173 from a tripod in order to swap out a card. Since the SC-DC173 can only record still images to a memory card, you’ll find it to be quite taxing during a long photo shoot with a 32MB card.
Handling (4.0)
While the SC-DC173’s video quality is passable, the camcorder is lacking in the handling department. However, the architectural revamping implemented since last year’s SC-DC164 is a bit of a mixed bag. Both camcorders are nearly identical when it comes to the front and right sides. Samsung’s most prominent mistakes with the SC-DC173 include ditching the mic jack and extendable viewfinder. The unfavorable side-mounted joystick has been carried over, though, and it has received a blocky, whittled design that only equates to less functional maneuverability. It also hurts your fingers after a few minutes of toggling through the menu. In addition, where did all the ports go? It appears as though Samsung designed the jack and terminal placement on the SC-DC173 via the Pin the Tail on the Donkey method—they’re all over the place. Last year, the SC-DC164 boasted a strip of ports within the LCD cavity, easy to find and out of harm’s way.
On the bright side, Samsung has done some necessary housekeeping with its buttons. The DC-SC164 was devoid of LCD panel controls and littered with randomly placed buttons within its LCD cavity. This year, the SC-DC173 proudly sports LCD panel controls and features a total of four buttons placed toward the rear end of the LCD cavity. Still, it’s annoying to use the side-mounted joystick because your fingers block the view of the LCD screen. The back of the camcorder or the LCD panel are two prime locations for a joystick—Samsung, see Panasonic, Canon, and JVC for good examples.
A close-up of the LCD cavity and its buttons.
Now let’s talk comfort factor. The SC-DC173 may not be a top of the line performer, but it feels good around the hand. The hand strap is high strung, wide, and padded with plush foam. The SC-DC173 will not flop to the side like most camcorders—it remains rigid and glued to the palm of the hand. As with most camcorders, those with large hands will overshoot the zoom toggle and photo button with the index finger. The pinky also has a tendency to wander into the lens’s field of view. A way to amend this is to shift your hand down a bit within the strap so your finger rest atop the necessary controls. The SC-DC173 has its eclectic design flaws, but will comply with a long day of shooting.
Menu (5.0)
Samsung offers one of the better menu designs in the industry. It’s straightforward, organized, and convenient. Its downfall is that all action is controlled by the side-mounted joystick, which will leave you craning your neck and blocking the LCD screen with your fingers. Once you figure out a decent strategy, shifting through the menu becomes a breeze.
One caveat we have regarding the SC-DC173’s menu operation is that every time you shift to a new option, a brief electrostatic pulse sound can be heard. This applies to pressing the menu buttons as well. If you plan on making adjustments while shooting, just be aware that your recorded audio will be peppered with faintly audible robot-talk.
Q.Menu in action
There are two menus—the Administrative menu and the Q.Menu. When the Easy Q mode is activated, no menu is available. The Q.Menu is the equivalent to a “Function menu” found on other manufacturers’ camcorders. These contain the controls most pertinent to shooting: exposure, white balance, etc. To access the Q.Menu, simply press the Q.Menu button, and a small list of options will appear in the bottom left corner of the LCD screen. The list is composed of DIS, Program AE, White Balance, BLC (backlight compensation), Shutter Speed, and Exposure settings. In order to select any of the aforementioned options, shift the joystick to the right, scroll up or down to set the parameters of the option, and press the center of the joystick to select that particular setting. The same process applies to the Administrative menu as well.
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To access the Administrative menu, press the menu button in the LCD cavity. A list of the following submenus will appear on the left side of the screen: Camera, Record, Disc Manager, Display, and System. Camera is composed of Program AE, white balance, digital effect, shutter speed, exposure, 16:9, DIS, BLC, and digital zoom settings. Record offers Record mode and wind cut settings. Disc manager allows you to finalize, un-finalize, format, or check disc info. Display provides options for LCD bright, LCD color, date/time, and TV display settings. Finally, system consists of clock set, beep sound, language, and demonstration settings.
Portability (5.0)
The SC-DC173 is reasonably portable—it’s no pint-sized JVC Everio, but it won’t engulf the entirety of your camcorder bag. The SC-DC173 measures 87 x 121 x 54mm (3.43 x 4.76 x 2.13-inches) and weighs 360 grams (0.79 pounds/12.70 ounces) without the battery pack. Those are pretty standard dimensions for an entry-level DVD camcorder. A small camera bag will do—just make sure there’s room for extra discs and supplies. Since the SC-DC173 is comfortable to hold, you should have no problem shooting all day. You’ll just need to invest in a bigger battery to endure the many hours it takes to trace the Freedom Trail (yes, that’s a Boston shout out).
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LCD and Viewfinder (4.0)
The SC-DC173 is equipped with a 2.7-inch wide LCD screen that flips out 90 degrees from the camcorder’s body and rotates a full 270 degrees. The LCD screen has a 112,000-pixel resolution and solarizes when tilted at the slightest angle. Anti-solarizing technology has been around for years. It’s time Samsung invested it in their camcorders. Along the left side of the LCD panel is a vertical strip of controls: LCD enhancer (LCD backlight), Zoom In/Out, and Record Start/Stop. Samsung has wisely chosen to provide the shooter with a standard set of LCD controls—a much needed upgrade from the SC-DC164’s barren LCD panel.
The SC-DC173’s viewfinder is a downgrade from last year’s extendable monitor. This year, the viewfinder most notably resembles that of a Canon—non-rubberized, stunted hard plastic that does not extend from the body. In addition, the SC-DC173’s viewfinder image is exceedingly small, yet manages to pack in 200,000 pixels. This is by no means a decent alternative to the LCD screen, and it seems as though Samsung is weaning consumers off viewfinders entirely in favor of LCD screens, as all manufacturers seem to be doing.
Battery Life (10.9)
We tested the life of the SC-DC173’s SB-LSM80 battery pack by setting the camcorder to auto, disabling DIS, and recording continuously in the highest quality with the LCD flipped out. When a disc needed to be changed, the external power was immediately plugged in and the battery pack was removed while the DVD-RW disc was reformatted. The SC-DC173’s battery lasted a total of 67 minutes (1 hour and 7 minutes), which is a truly weak performance.
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