Samsung SC-X210L Camcorder Review

Widescreen/16:9 Mode (0.0)
The SC-X210L (Review, Specs, $449) (Review, Specs, ) does not offer a widescreen mode. All other camcorders in its class have this feature, and most of them also offer a widescreen LCD.

Scan Rates/24p (1.0)
The SC-X210 shoots in three scan rates, 720i (interlaced fields), 720p (progressive frames), and 352p. Don’t let the numbers fool you. While 720p may look like a calling card for high definition, this camcorder is a far cry from that. The progressive shooting is optimized specifically for PC playback, and they give you two resolution options (720 x 480 and 352 x 240) right in the camcorder. Interlace video is optimized for TV playback and is a fixed resolution (720 x 480). The quality of the 720i and 720p is essentially the same. You just need to know ahead of time where most of the playback will be taking place. Either mode will play on either medium, however.

Other Features (6.0)
External Lens - Clearly the biggest part of the "cool factor" with the X210, the external lens is certainly fun to play with. Full a full tour of the lens, along with photos, see the tour section way up at the top of this review. In summary, the fun does not last, and the coolness wears off faster than a fake tan in a jacuzzi.  The lens has a bad tendency towards fish-eye barrel distortion and blowing out in bright light. While it may have potability functions that no other camcorder can match, the quality is extremely sub-par, matching that of the disposable CVS camcorder that some of you may have been unfortunate enough to try.

MP3 Player – This camcorder, like so many gadgets, has aspirations at being an electronic Swiss Army knife. In addition to video and still capture, it also functions as an MP3 player and a voice memo recorder. It’s 1GB internal memory can hold up to 2000 MP3 files, playing them back through the headphone with included headphones. Options for the MP3 player include shuffle and repeat functions and four pre-set equalizer settings.

Voice Recorder – “Oh, man! I had the best idea for a reality show last night, but now I can’t remember what it was.” No owner of the SC-X210 will ever suffer this tragedy again with the voice recorder, which captures audio through its built-in microphone and saves it as a .wav file.

Electronic Image Stabilization – To prevent shaky footage caused by hand tremors, the camcorder employs an electronic image stabilization. This process takes a toll on video quality, and optical image stabilization is the generally preferred method.