Date: Monday October 5th, 2004
Article by: Nathan Glentworth (Owner, Head Editor & Hardware Reviewer)
Product was donated by: Samsung Canada
<--SHOP FOR A SAMSUNG SCD103 DIGITAL VIDEO CAMCORDER HERE

PRODUCT PICTORIAL & WALKTHROUGH (cont'd)

Reaching under the LCD will allow you to open it up so you can use the LCD screen for playback or recording instead of using the basic black and white top viewfinder. The LCD screen can be adjusted fully out like you see above and can also be flipped 180 degrees if you want the subject you are recording to see how they personally look as they are being video taped.

This photo does not covey just how clear and smooth this small, yet effective LCD screen is as a viewfinder and a playback viewing screen. Through this screen or the top view finder you can access and navigate the menu to change setting if your situation requires it. I never ever went into the menu other than to set the time and date and other than that I just used the EasyQ function for problems free recording.

The onscreen display can be turned on and off during recording and playback if you do not need its' assistance. All functions when enabled will be displayed onscreen including the recording quality, battery life indicator, recording time left etc. All very simple and concise. Some people have complained about not being able to use the LCD display during bright sunlight but anyone that has every used any sort of LCD in direct sunlight will know, no LCD display is viewable in those conditions.

With the LCD open, you will have access to the internal controls that allow you to enable macro zoom for filming and photographing close object, enable and disable the on screen display while recording and playback along with the video light button to turn on the front light.

The bottom switch allows you to select the recording media you want to use whether it is the DVC cassette or the memory stick if you have it installed. Bring up the rear is the speaker at the bottom that for its' size sounds excellent and crystal clear during playback when you are using the LCD only. You will hear nothing when you use the top eye piece viewfinder and the LCD door closed.

VIDEO RECORDING & PLAYBACK IMPRESSIONS

Recording

One feature I again want to stress if the night vision capability that allows this camera to be even more useful after sunset when even more expensive models are put away unless you have some sort of external lighting source.

As said earlier in this review, recording a home video with the SCD103 cannot be anymore easy. Press the EasyQ button, press record and there you go. Excellent movement controlled video recording with great sound thanks to the built in stereo microphones. Now if perchance you need to tinker and fine tune the settings, you can always enter the onscreen menu and change the setting you need for that specific recording occasion.

Other than the DVC cassette, you have the option to record photos or MPEG4 movies onto the memory stick if you have one installed and through that you can view them on other Samsung electronic appliances such as the SAMSUNG DVD-V2500 DVD/VCR COMBO PLAYER or the Samsung DVD-L100 Portable DVD Player which all have memory stick reading capability for quick stationary and mobile media viewing capability and versatility.

This camera is definitely set up price, feature and ease of use wise for the everyday consumer that want a digital camcorder that is essentially point and record. No video courses are needed, no multimedia training, just charge, load and record some memories.

Playback

Playback is also just as easy. View the video on the integrated LCD screen, use the A/V cable to hook it up to a VHS/DVD Recorder for quick copying or use the cable to view the media on a TV. If you want to view the video or transfer it to the computer, install the software and transfer the video to the computer via the USB (included) or the firewire port.

It just can't get any easier.