Samsung has unveiled its latest series of Full HD camcorders which offer a major improvement in optical image stabilisation, according to Dvice. As camcorders are very prone to hand shake when filming by hand, image stabilisation plays a very big part in reducing erratic motion during playback. Many camcorders resort to the inferior digital image stabilisation, which does not reduce blurriness while moving the camera.
Another improvement is the use of solid state drives of up to 64GB. According to Samsung, its SSD uses 1/8th the power of a similar 2.5" HDD during read/write operations, which in turn provides longer runtime on batteries. Just like in laptops, SSDs are resistant to shock and vibrations. For example, if a HDD based camcorder gets a bad knock or is dropped while filming, the user may lose all the footage contained on the drive. With an SSD, there is a much higher chance of recovering the data from the SSD even if the camera is badly damaged. Other improvements with the SSD include faster start up, lower heat emission and faster response.
The camcorders use a Schneider 10x zoom lens with a 37mm wide-angle focal length, which gives a wider angle of view compared with other camcorders typically with 40mm to 50mm focal lengths on their widest angle. For photo taking, they feature a built-in flash strobe and can capture 4.7 Megapixel still images and photos can also be taken in time lapse intervals of between 1 and 30 seconds. Its 2.2 Megapixel CMOS sensor measures 1/4.5" across. The touch screen LCD screen swivels and measures 2.7". For playback, the series feature standard HDMI connections, which do not require a docking cradle or a proprietary cable.
The camcorders are available in 3 capacities: 64GB for the HMX-106, 32GB for the HMX105 and 16GB for the HMX-H104. They offer 12, 6 and 3 hours of Full-HD recording capacity using the H.264 codec respectively. All feature SD/SDHC memory card slots for additional recording capacity and for storing still iages. The 4th model, the HMX H100 has the same features as the other three, but does not have an SSD. So far no pricing information has been announced.
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Karma: 3340 , Wed 7 Jan 2009 01:16
Very cool. I'd like to see the enhanced optical image stabilization come to the ultra compact camcorders (like the Flip, etc).
I still can't see why the inclusion of the ssd at this stage, given their price. I would still prefer to use sdhc at $50AU per class 6 16GB card I don't see why you would spend the extra that this will cost to cover the ssd.
It does look like a nice video camera though shame I just upgraded
That camera is going to be hard to beat. SSD plus SD slot for memory expansion along with image stabilization. Now it just depends on the price.
