The Samsung SCD303 aims to be a camcorder for the everyman. Primarily intended for the point-and-shoot crowd, it can also please the manual control group with its plethora of menus and buttons. At $339.95, the Samsung SCD303 comes with a 1/6-inch 680K CCD.
The Samsung SCD303 performed fairly well under lots of light (3,000 lux), but did not achieve the expected level of color saturation. The yellows dulled to oranges and greens. The red is more of a pinkish orange. In moderately low light (60 lux), the camcorder’s picture is filled with grain and noise. In low light (15 lux), the entire scale of colors is reduced to a blended grayscale. This camcorder performs similarly to its sibling models, the Samsung SCD103 and the SCD6040. For better performance from a Samsung camcorder, the SCD903 increases the quality of the image considerably, with its ¼-inch CCD, for about a hundred dollars more. As with most mid-range camcorders, the Samsung SCD303 is best for use in bright light.
The camcorder slips into a fully automatic mode with the touch of the EasyQ button. When in this mode, the user can zoom, fade in and out, use the Nite Pix feature, and capture still images at 640 x 480 resolution. Any other attempts at control will be met with a statement on the LCD screen prompting the user to disengage the EasyQ mode.
Manual control enthusiasts will be happy to disengage that EasyQ mode and put the many menus and buttons to use. The white balance can be set to Automatic, Hold, Indoor, and Outdoor. The shutter speed has a wide range that can be set to 1/60, 1/100, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000, 1/2000, 1/4000 and 1/10000. There is also a special Slow Shutter Speed button that expands the options to 1/30, 1/15 and 1/8. Besides white balance and shutter speed, the user can control the exposure, zoom and focus. Still images can be recorded to either the DV tape or a memory card; the user must flip a switch on the camcorder body to choose one.
The Samsung SCD303 comes with a 2.5-inch color LCD monitor. When opened completely, the screen rotates 180 degrees up and 90 degrees down. When not in use, the LCD screen folds back and locks into the camcorder body. The Samsung SCD303 also comes with an electronic color viewfinder that can change settings without activating the more involved menus on the LCD screen.
The camcorder comes equipped with a 20x optical zoom and a 45x digital zoom. It also has an internal stereo microphone located on its front for easy audio recording. If the user prefers a more focused sound, there is a covered microphone port.
This camcorder does have a few disadvantages. Like many mid-range camcorders, the Samsung SCD303 loads tapes into the bottom, which makes changing tapes while shooting on a tripod difficult. Also, it is not possible to have analog-to-digital pass through on the Samsung SCD303.
Samsung SCD303 - THE BOTTOM LINE
Rating: 71.91
Likes
- 20x optical zoom
- 900x digital zoom
- Mic Input
Dislikes
- Ports
- Low light/video performance
- Mic input without headphone input
