http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/253371/samsung-
hmxr10.html
Samsung HMX-R10 [PC Pro]
COMPANY: Samsung PRICE: £279 (£325 inc VAT)
RATING: ISSUE: 178 DATE: May 09
LATEST PRICES: £347.10 (3 Retailers)
Verdict: Sleek, sexy and capable of shooting decent quality video, the R10 is
a great value all -rounder.
Samsung isn't shy when it comes to product design, and its
latest camcorder, the Samsung HMX-R10, has to be among
the most unusual looking we've ever come across. Flat on
one side with a sumptuous brushed-aluminium finish,
concave on the other, rounded at each end and with the
lens cut into the nose at a rakish, 45-degree angle: by all rights it should be
ugly, but in the flesh it's highly alluring.
Not only is this a good-looking design, it's also practical. Build quality is
second to none, beautifully made and very compact, and with the lens pointing
upwards you don't have to cock your wrist back uncomfortably in order to
shoot straight ahead. After the initial weird feeling, you realise it's a concept
that works extremely well.
The HMX-R10 looks and feels like an expensive camcorder, so it's surprising to
find it available at the relatively low price of £279 exc VAT. It's even more
surprising to find that's it's so well specified: it boasts an 8x zoom and
electronic image stabilisation;
shoots in full HD at 1080/50i
for an effective 25fps (at 17Mbits/sec), or 720p at
50fps and a bitrate of 12Mbits/sec; and it also takes
nine-megapixel stills. Plus, there are a couple of

fun slow motion modes to play with as well and an integrated stereo
microphone.
What it clearly isn't, however, is an enthusiast's device. In the interest of clean
design there are few external controls - just the requisite zoom, record and a
dedicated stills shutter button - which means adjustments to shutter speed,
aperture and the like must be made via the HMX-R10's 2.7in touchscreen.
Neither is there an accessory shoe, headphone or microphone.
There's no optical image stabilisation either. But the
electronic stabilisation does work very well, locking on after
a second or so to provide steady handheld images, even at
extended zoom. Quality is pretty good too. In low light there
our tests showed noticeable grain but little RGB noise, while
colour accuracy was generally spot-on. Outside, the small lens meant detail
capture wasn't the sharpest, but, again, colours were very good.
The Samsung HMX-R10 is a very likeable camcorder: it looks and feels
fantastic, it's highly pocketable, and it takes good quality footage at high
resolutions. It's not quite up there with our A List choices, such as the Sanyo
Xacti VPC-HD2000 for example, but its comparatively low price means it's a
fine alternative.
By Jonathan Bray
SPECIFICATIONS:
1,080/50i H.264 MP4 format (1,920 x 1,080 pixels), 9MP stills, 9MP CMOS, 8x
optical zoom, electronic image stabiliser, 2.7in touch-sensitive TFT, remote
control, 1yr RTB warranty, 128 x 57 x 38mm (WHD), 231g.