Home > Consumer Reviews > Samsung SCD303 Compact MiniDV Digital Camcorder

I was looking for a decent review of this camera but could not find one anywhere online. As soon as it was available for sale, I ordered and crossed my fingers. It arrived today and I've been testing it out to the max so here it is for those who want a timely review.

Keep in mind that I'm the type of person who only looks at poor reviews to see why I shouldn't buy a camera...because a lot of things can be either great or acceptable but all it takes is one flaw to make a purchase a remorseful one.

Cons:

-No Memory Stick included! I assumed one was included but in the instructions booklet it says "Optional accessories". I had to run out and buy one for $40.

-No remote Control! Again the booklet says included...bbut only for the 305/307.

-Mpeg4 only allows for 20 second clips.

-The record button is very poorly placed. It is a thin standing rectangle too close to the battery so you need a tiny finger to reach it. It is very hard to press.

-No Tally light. Not even one you can turn off.

-20x Zoom is slow. It takes a while to go from one end to the other.

Pros:

-Battery life is really good. I've been recording, rewinding through several tapes, playing all night and the battery indicator is still at 95% .

-Power Nite Pix is way cool. I feel like I'm in the Army in Paris.

-Most intuitive menu I've ever used.

Here is the MPEG4 review:

There are 2 modes, 320x240 and 160x120. You have a 20 second limit per clip and the final size is 1800 Kb in either mode. I was hoping a smaller file size with the smaller resolution but no...they just give you more frames per second. The larger resolution has only about 10 frames per second and so it is choppy. It's good for emailing back home.

I used their Samsung streaming software to record old footage from mini-dv to mpeg4 on my computer. The setup was simple and here it is always 320x240 and you can record clips as long as you want (hard disk space limited)

Overall I strongly recommend this camera. It is very small...full of features...and way cheap.

Cons:
* Indoor quality quite grainy compared to Sony
* LCD not so good, though playback on TV looks good.
* Memorystick images take lot of space, and snaps just ok.
* Not so much of MiniDV quality compared to my previous Digital8.

Pros:
* Cheapest and best for its price.
* Quite worth it for home videos.
* Its so light, and battery has a good life.
* Fits within a pocket to carry with ease, no pain in the neck.

Overall:
* As I broke my Digital8(sony trv-340) which was real good but weighed a lot, we decided to get this & a digital-camera separate. That fits the budget compared to buying a sony/panasonic miniDV with same set of features/quality.

* I love it for how light it is compared to ther brands too.

* I hate it for indoor shooting, but, will live with it by adding more lighting.

* I bought it through amazon at vanns.com for $335. Their service & being on time was quite good.

Ok, i said to myself no light on the camera....so I'll just go out and buy one. This is my 1st camcorder purchase ever so of course i didnt realize that in order to attach a light to this puppy it needs an accessory shoe. Light is this little cam's best friend , because in low light situations...u might as well be filming behind a screen door.....because that is what the grainy imprint over all of my indoor footage looks like....well go out and buy 1 for yourself........enjoy!!!!!

great cam, zoom arrecho, lo mejor
compren esta vaina porq es demaciado depinga, los lideres,
nice cam, i buyed it, i'm so glad of this cam
el q no la compre lo pateo los lideres

Description and picture misrepresent SC-D303 (I think it's for model SC-D305/307 which isn't sold yet).
SC-D303 DOES NOT have accessory shoe NOR video light.
"Standard light" is not a part of package.
There's no remote either.
It's a good camera, but not what's being described here in editorial or on most sites including Samsung which shows wrong picture too!!!
My purchase is going back!