Advantages: Great quality and functionality, all round good buy.
Disadvantages: Costly to buy and also costly for the discs.

...----------------------------------------------- DVD Camcorder Samsung VP-DC163 ----------------------------------------------- Where to start, there is so much that I need to put into this review. Well let’s start about how I came around to getting this product. Well because I like all of the technology nowadays I seem to find that I like to keep up with the latest things so when I realised that I would have to resort to using my JVC camcorder that I purchased some ten years ago I decided that I was in desperate need of a new one. I spent a few weeks doing some research on the internet and I am to the conclusion after much thought that this would be the one for me. The only problem was that I hadn’t actually looked where I could purchase one from, so off I went again looking for this camera in every single source that I could... Read review

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Advantages: Compact/light-weight, good range of features
Disadvantages: Many competitors

...The Samsung VP DC171W is one of many camcorders released by Samsung, which records directly onto a DVD disk. Being a Samsung device you know you are going to get a great and compact camcorder for a good price. With a width of 5.4 cm, a depth of 12.1 cm, a height of 8.7 cm and a weight of 360 g, you can see that you are getting a compact camera, which as a matter of fact is very light weight and in the process is portable. The sheer size of this camera makes it perfect for family days out or adventurous trips to places of natural beauty. The camcorder sensor resolution is 800 kpix, this is basically the number of pixels the sensor can display on the provided screen. The display format is 112,000 pixels, which is also known as VGA quality and is less than 1 megapixel. This makes the camera perfect for lighted areas whereas areas... Read review

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Advantages: quick and easy to set up
Disadvantages: no direct way of conecting to a computer for editing

...The main advantage about this camcorder is that these days you can find it for less than £200. This is great if you just want to make quick and easy home videos e.g. weddings or a birthday. It has got many pre-programmed special effects which can be quite good for livening up those home movies. I managed to take it out in winter weather with my friends and make a pretty funny half an hours muck about look quite professional. The battery life on the lithium ion battery that comes with it can last more than 5 hours of filming. The major flaw with this model of camera is that there isn't a fold out screen on it and you have to use the view finder. This can be very irritating as you have to constantly hold the camera to your eye to make sure everything is in shot and focus. The camera size is relatively big compared to the modern... Read review

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Advantages: Compact and excellent photos and videos
Disadvantages: Mute during filming of an action on the zoom + zoom too sensitive

...in framing the subject when you click the button and more… with the thumb (which I found less precise than the index)! Again, an additional option in the setup menu offering at least two speeds change zoom, would be welcome. This would be good if SAMSUNG also includes that other faculty in a new firmware for NV4HD… For your info, I made several updates firmware (with a little fright, I admit), but if you respect scrupulously the procedure described by the manufacturer: it takes 10 minutes and it works wonderfully! In video, some might blame the NV24HD of not having a manual focus (as on camcorders and other CAMERA), so as not to suffer the impact of uncertainty at the work of the auto focus. In practice, the sensitivity so great, the opening so small that… I reassured when the focal length is small (wide), there is no discomfort during... Read review

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Advantages: Cheap, good-looking, small, easy to use
Disadvantages: didn't come with film, difficult to find extended life battery

...Yawn! Sorry, this opinion isn't going to be one of my most exciting but Pakalang suggested that I wrote an opinion about it after reading my Unbeatable op (so you all know who to blame!). I also must apologise for the 'untechnical' nature of my writing, I am a technophobe and as the title states this camcorder was designed for the likes of me!! I will actually ask Ciao to move this opinion as the VP-M50 is just an 8mm and not, as the category states, digital camcorder. My mission was to find a basic camcorder to take on holidays, nothing too flash (or nickable!) and as small and as cheap as possible. I did find one cheaper camcorder (by £20) but it was huge and very, very ugly! This camcorder was purchased from Unbeatable.co.uk (they come very highly recommended, see op for further details). It cost £222.50 from Unbeatable... Read review

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Advantages: Stylish, Radio
Disadvantages: Camera

.... I just find the photos themselves to be hit and miss and becoming increasingly frustrating with use. The camera/camcorder can be used either landscape or portrait and can be tilted during use. When you take a photo the result shows up within seconds and you can choose if you want to keep it or not. Sizes can also be picked from 2560 x 1920 to 320 x 240. The flash is bright and woks very well just as the timer can go up to 10 seconds if you wish. To be honest I found the camera a serious disappointment considering this is the point that Samsung boasts about the most. Yes being able to have a photo in black and white or sketch is nice to I would rather just have a good photo in the first place. Radio Options: Seven To use your radio you need to have your earphones. The small black box in the middle of the wire is what... Read review

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Advantages: Price, Ease of use, Looks
Disadvantages: No LCD, No remote control, No accessory socket

...I recently bought this camcorder off the net from E-bay. It was brand new and I payed just over £115 for it which I consider a bargin. It is a fairly basic point and shoot model with no LCD panel so you have to use the monochrome viewfinder, which to be fair gives quite a clear view of what you are shooting. It is a low band 8mm model so you won't get the kind of picture quality that Hi8 or digital will give. But having said that the pictures that it records are not bad at all. The optical zoom is a very impressive 22X and it has a 880X digital zoom, but this is not worth bothering with as all it does is crops in on the picture which results in a dramatic loss of picture quality. For the beginner it has a "easy" button which when pressed sets all the modes to auto so all you have to do is press the start stop button... Read review

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Advantages: All the basic functions at a basic price
Disadvantages: Mini DV, which isn't everyones choice

...Although mini-DV may not be everyone's first choice when it comes to selecting a camcorder format, the VP-D130 is a notable system. I have to admit I hadn't really made an active decision to acquire this particular camcorder model. I needed a basic unit to play a mini DV tape into my PC, and bought a partly functional unit on Ebay for about £20. Having done the tape copy, I gave it my usual 'half hour test' - where I pulled it to pieces, looking for any obvious faults, and try to put it together again. On this occasion, it came up trumps, although I have an attic full of partly assembled kit to prove I'm not as skilled as I'd like to believe I was! In this case it was a relatively straightforward case of freeing the solenoids in the camera unit, controlling the focus and zoom functions - this *may* be an inherent weakness... Read review

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Advantages: Fairly simple to achieve advanced-looking effects
Disadvantages: Transfer to video tape can be a bit fiddly

...I'm writing this review as a friend of mine, who is thinking of buying one of these, said she couldn't find a review, I recommended checking Ciao and it seems she already had with no luck, hence this. Even as an older camcorder (I bought mine three years ago for £450, obviously much cheaper nowadays, around £200-250) the Samsung VP-L600 still has a lot to offer. A little bulkier than more modern camcorders, particularly the ones that use DV tapes (this takes 8mm cassettes), and obviously a little heavier, yet the differences aren't huge, only a few ounces (or grams!) really. The real differences can be seen in that the VP-L600 offers much better value for money for the features it has than more modern camcorders do for a few hundred pounds more. The recording process is simple, insert the cassette, flick the switch to record... Read review

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Advantages: NON
Disadvantages: Spent £350 for only 1 hour of footage

...Completely useless and Samsung far less than helpful when things Go wrong as were PC world not interested in either replacing or repairing mine even though I was told it had a two year guaruntee! The camera lasted for one and a half hours of recording and now does not work at all. Could not even finalise the disc that was in it when it packed up lost valuable footage of baby daughter. Bought another off e-bay if only to finalise the disc but it had the same fault only backlight came on and Nothing else at all! DO NOT BUY SAMSUNG VP-DC161 I have wasted over £350 to date and have now decided to write to the BBC Watchdog program as feel sure hundreds of people have bought this duff product from Samsung and it is high time they owned up to making a dud and provided replacement of refund.... Read review

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