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Samsung HMX-H300BP review

Our Rating :
Price when reviewed : £230
inc VAT

Fair video quality and good low-light performance make this a reasonable camcorder, but the HMX-Q10 is better value overall

Specifications

1/4in CMOS sensor, 1,920×1,080/50i, 1,280×720/50p, 720×576/50p, 30.0x zoom, 280g

http://www.dixons.co.uk

Last month we saw the Samsung HMX-Q10 budget camcorder, which could be used in either hand thanks to a clever inverting LCD screen and had impressive low-light performance. The HMX-G300BP doesn’t have the fancy ambidextrous features, but has the same-sized sensor and a useful 30x optical zoom instead of the Q10’s 10x.

The HMX-H300BP has a 1/4in CMOS sensor, which is a reasonable size for a budget camcorder. This is the same size sensor as in the superb Panasonic HDC-SD90 and is significantly larger than the 1/6in sensor in Panasonic’s £280 HDC-SD80. It’s also a back-illuminated sensor, where the sensor’s wiring is moved to the back of the sensor so doesn’t stop any light reaching the sensor’s surface.

Samsung HMX-H300BP back

This kind of sensor should cause footage to have less noise, and the camcorder is certainly impressive in low light; there is noise, but it’s not excessive and footage is smooth and surprisingly detailed. Video taken indoors was reasonable; fairly soft with a small amount of noise, but still much better than the HDC-SD80’s over-processed oil painting look. Outdoor shots showed a reasonable amount of detail, but again we found the footage rather soft. Overall quality is still reasonable for an inexpensive camcorder; to get much better video you’ll have to find an extra £140 for Panasonic’s HDC-SD90.

Samsung HMX-H300BP left

The HMX-H300BP’s video quality was almost identical to the Samsung HMX-Q10’s, but we found the larger zoom came in handy. While the Q10’s small zoom range means you have to use quality-destroying digital zoom to get in really close, the HMX-H300BP’s 30x zoom is big enough for almost all purposes. There’s also has a digital zoom, but this is disabled by default; we’d recommend leaving it turned off.

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Basic Specifications

Rating ***

Recording

Optical zoom 30.0x
Digital zoom 300x
Sensor 1/4in CMOS
Sensor pixels 5
Widescreen mode native
LCD screen size 3.0in
Viewfinder type none
Video lamp No
Video recording format H.264
Video recording media SD/SDHC
Sound AAC stereo
Video resolutions 1,920×1,080/50i, 1,280×720/50p, 720×576/50p
Maximum image resolution 2,944×1,656
Memory slot SD
Mermory supplied none
Flash no

Physical

Digital inputs/outputs mini USB
Analogue inputs/outputs AV out, mini HDMI out
Other connections charge jack
Battery type Li-ion
Battery life 3h 4m
Battery charging position charger
Size 56.6×49.5×119.7mm
Weight 280g

Buying Information

Warranty one year RTB
Price £230
Supplier http://www.dixons.co.uk
Details www.samsung.co.uk

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