Test Bench:
Samsung SCD5000 Mini DV Camcorder with Digital Camera (page 2)

The quality of the video is quite good as well. The full-automatic mode was easy to toggle on and off and did a decent job. Even so, the best video we shot was in manual mode. The one-touch menu wheel gave us access to most of the manual functions without navigating any menus. In low light situations, the video could get grainy at times, but the Exposure control let us easily work with this common limitation. Samsung has a good IR LED night-vision mode that might save your bacon in some situations.

It is clear that this innovative camera succeeds on a functional level, with both good video and good still performance. It is not cheaper than if you bought both separately and it isn't really any smaller either. The real advantage to the SCD5000 then is not price or size, but convenience: One less battery, one less charger, one less form-fitting bag and one less expensive piece of gear to forget or lose.

Format: Mini DV
Lens (video): fl=2.7mm to 27mm, F/1.4, 10:1 optical zoom, 30mm filter diameter
Image Sensor (video): 1/6-inch CCD, gross: 680,000 pixels, effective: 340,000 pixels
Lens (still): fl=7.7mm to 23.1mm, F/2.7, 3:1 optical zoom
Image Sensor (still): 1/1.8-inch 4.13M pixel CCD
Viewfinder: color (0.24-inch)
LCD Viewscreen: 2.0-inch color (211k pixels)
Focus: auto, manual
Image Stabilization: electronic
Maximum Shutter Speed: 1/10,000
Iris Control: yes
Exposure: auto, presets, manual
White Balance: auto, presets, manual
Audio: 16-bit 48kHz (default to 12-bit)
Microphone Input: 1/8-inch stereo mini
Headphone Output: 1/8-inch stereo mini
Inputs: FireWire, S-video, composite
Outputs: FireWire, S-video, composite
Edit Interface: FireWire, LANC
Other Features: stills (2272 x 1704), MPEG-4 movies, 16MB Memory Stick, Power Nite Pix (w/ IR lamps), USB streaming
Dimensions: 3 3/4" (w) x 3 1/4" (h) x 5.5" (d)
Weight: 1.21 lb. (sans tape and battery)

Tested Horizontal Resolution: 425 lines
Field of View: 34-degrees

• Great stills
• Very usable manual mode
• Nice features

• Awkward tripod mount
• Bottom-loading tape

An innovative if somewhat boxy camcorder with outstanding still image quality.

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