Samsung SC-DC173 Camcorder Review

by Michael Perlman
Published on Aug 23, 2007 4:40 PM

Intro Performance
Format Auto / Manual Controls
Still Features
 Handling and Use
Audio / Playback / Connectivity Other Features
Comparisons / Conclusion Photo Gallery
Specs and Ratings  
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Still Features (4.25)
 
 

The SD card slot is located on
the bottom of the camcorder.
   
When the disc/card switch is shifted to card, the SC-DC173 is capable of capturing still images to an SD or MMC card in one resolution—800 x 600. You can choose between super fine, fine, and normal quality settings, but even at super fine, the SC-DC173 will give you a poor one-half megapixel image. The Administrative menu offers control over white balance, exposure, and backlight compensation. The only other still feature offered by the SC-DC173 is the photo capture shutter sound. There is no burst mode, no bracketing mode. That’s it—quite sad. One semi-cool trick is the ability to capture stills directly from video playback and save them the card.

Still Performance (3.54)
The still performance of the Samsung SC-DC173 was tested by shooting the GretagMacBeth Color Checker chart and running the stills through Imatest imaging software to determine color error, noise, and saturation. At best, the camcorder was able to produce a color error of 11.9, with a noise level of 1.2225 percent and a saturation of 74.87 percent. The error score fares relatively well compared to other camcorders, but the color accuracy is only one part of the story.

Actually looking at the pictures is not a pleasant experience. The photos are low quality, fuzzy, and lack fine detail. Motion blur seems to be a constant risk. The 800 x 600 resolution ranks right alongside those toy cameras that attach to your key ring.

Still Resolution (3.16)

We test still resolution by shooting an Applied Image ISO 12233 resolution chart and running those stills through Imatest imaging software. At best, the Samsung SC-DC173 produced a horizontal resolution of 486.8 line widths per picture height (lw/ph) with 1.85 percent clipping and 16.8 percent oversharpening. It produced a vertical resolution of 403.1 lw/ph with 0.56 percent clipping and 26.5 percent oversharpening.

As mentioned above, the pictures do not look very good to the eye. Though the scores are not bad, considering the limited size of the images, they appear fuzzy.

 

 

 

 



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