Customer Reviews

Samsung DC164 DVD Camcorder with 33x Optical Zoom

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

I bought this a week ago. A few things to mention...the indoor recording with low lighting is horrible. DVD's actually look like a movie recorded from the 80's. I opened my blinds and turned all the lights on and it's perfect but that was the middle of the day when the sun was out. There is no night time recording on this. Everything looks dark. I used the DVD -R's. These work fine...you don't have to format it. You do have to finalize the disc...takes about 2 seconds and you are done. I had the Samsung MiniDV camcorder..quality is about the same...zoom is much better on this one. I like the idea of having my disc's ready to watch. I haven't had a problem with the battery but am still disappointed after spending nearly $400 for a camcorder and cannot record indoors if it's dark outside.

UPDATE 02/06/07 - I returned this for the SONY DVD108. Main reason was because for $20 more this camcorder comes with a great niteshot light. The Samsung did not record well indoors with low lighting. Majority of my home videos are of Christmas morning (when it's dark outside) and my kids playing in the living room. Unless it was the middle of the day and I could open the curtains and blinds it wouldn't record well. The Sony DVD108 is much better for the same price. Also the SONY DVD108 has a 40X optical zoom. The man at Best Buy said that optical zoom is almost unheard of. He also said Samsung uses plastic for their lens...Sony uses glass which makes the picture clearer. The zoom on the SONY is fantastic. If you are looking for a camcorder within the $400 price range look at the SONY DVD108 you'll be glad you did. Also - I was able to use the DVD -R's on the SONY DVD108 as well and they work fine. The SONY also has a touch screen menu unlike the Samsung.

Although some of the reviews are positive, please do not take a chance with this model. I purchased it in April, and have had only one disc (the first one) be able to finalize. After a few calls to tech support, I have been given no explanation,but was told the following each timeI called when it would not finalize a disc: 1) "I am not sure why, but maybe you had a bad disc " (I agreed, there was a possibility since it was the first time) 2)"I don't know, but at least you can still recover the information to your disc-burner on your PC (I agree, but why the heck would I want to continue to do this, I could do this with my old 8mm camcorder, but at least I did not loose the video) 3)AND I QUOTE " Oh, R- don't need to be finalized, you can just drop it in a DVD player, and if it doesn't work, try another dvd player." (Anyone with any sense knows this is totally wrong, and this woman had no ability to be giving out technical advice.) (I simply said okay, but let her know that the main reason I was calling was to document the failure of this device.
I attempted to try a different brand of R- disc, (originally used FUJI, now MAXELL)and after recording almost a full disc, it now reads a "NO DISC" error, and fails to even recognize it. SO LONG MEMORIES !!! There is no way to recover this, since it doesn't even read the disc to transfer to my PC. I am now in the process of gathering up all of the parts and documentation of all of my trouble, plus all of the bad reviews, and head to battle Circuit City for a refund (Somehow, I think I will be out $400 !!!)
As for the earlier review: WHERE DO YOU READ THAT R- IS NOT COMPATABLE ?(IT IS LISTED ON PAGE 10 !!!) WHERE DID YOU READ TO NOT OPEN THE DOOR ? I SURE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW.....

I bought the SC-DC164 camcorder in Nov 2006. I've spent several hours using/investigating it, after thoroughly reading the user manual. Here's my take on this camcorder: DON'T buy this model if you can't tolerate a lot of problems and "learning experiences" with it! If you don't mind going thru the problems/learning and are willing to buy extra/extended life batteries for it, then you'll probably like it.

NEGATIVES:
1. VERY POOR battery life! A fully charged battery lasts about 15-20 mins before going into RED indicator! The unit may or may not shut down properly at this point, and if it doesn't you may have problems with the current disc you're using.
2. Regardless of what the manual says, this device is NOT compatible with DVD-R discs. I've tried 2 brands and multiple discs. The DVD-R discs can be formatted, but after recording for approx 1-2 mins, I get a "disc error" every time. The disc is useless at this point. I've switched to DVD+RW which seem to work well.
3. The battery CHARGER became defective after 4 sessions of use (approx 3-4 hours of usage time). I now have a partially recorded disc that I can't get out of the camera due to no power.
4. I thought the viewfinder (not the LCD screen) was useless because it was totally out of focus, until I found a tiny note in the manual advising of a tiny focus adjustment located on the right side of the viewfinder when it's extended. Now that I've adjusted it, it's fine. What a pain!

POSITIVES:
1. This device is relatively inexpensive, and has many nice features. The optical zoom is outstanding. It's very light-weight, fits nicely in the palm of your right-hand, and the basic controls are easily accessible.
2. The LCD view-screen works well, and is very versatile.
3. IF (and only if) you use DVD+RW discs, then loading, using, changing discs is a snap. The camera will format these discs, and there is no "finalizing" or "unfinalizing" of discs needed. I've opened, removed, and played a partially recorded disc on my DVD player, and then reinserted the disc in the camera and recorded more video on it successfully. I haven't yet copied video to my PC or other DVD discs, so I don't know if I will have imcompatibility issues there. DVD+RW discs can only be formatted in "VR mode" (which may cause incompatibility with some DVD players).
4. Sound and color of recordings seems to be OK from my limited experience with this device. Low light has not been a problem for me. Auto focus seems to work pretty well.

I've found a 1600mAh extended life battery (double the std capacity) on the web for $25 + shipping. I am torn between getting power problems solved and continuing to use this nice, compact video camcorder; or just returning it and moving on to another model with fewer problems! Buyer beware!

I read these reviews after i had purchased this camera. I was very afraid of the results. After a weekend of use i could not find a reason to hate the camera. I was able to finalize and unfinalize my dvd-rw many times during testing without any issues. I will say in low light it does not record as well, you can play with the settings and find what works best, this is a issue with all or most cameras. Anyone with issues can also try the firmware upgrade with fixes compatibly issues with DVD types (perhaps the reason the 1st 2 reviews were not +)

This is the first product I have ever purchased from Samsung and have been dissatisfied with. It is a very expensive piece of [...] The videos are fuzzy at best, there is absolutely no taking videos in dimly lit areas and the digital camera photos come out looking like black and white photos.

You must change the settings from inside and outside constantly and the color is mediocre at best.

I also had disc errors. Anything recorded prior to the disc error you lose. Can be quite frustrating especially if your recording a special event.

I would actually give this product ZERO stars but that isn't an option.

It is worth returning to best buy and losing the 15% restocking fee. Spend an extra $200 and buy something a little more than the low end DVD camcorder.

I read the reviews for this item, on this site, before I purchased it and reading the reviews you'll see their either great or terrible. From my expeience, I'm in the great category.

Pros:
- The menu options are easy to navigate.
- Fits hand nicely.
- Battery charges quickly.
- PC software is easy to use.
- SD Card slot is handy.
- Descent zoom.
- All DVD format types
- Reversible screen (common yes, but I like it!)

Cons:

- Short battery life
- If battery goes dead and causes cam corder to shutdown, the DVD currently being recorded to does not properly close. Upon restart, with fresh battery, the DVD will be unworkable meaning you just lost all your pre-battery recharge video.
- Night mode isn't spectacular
- No light accessory attachment

Now yeah, there are some issues but what doesn't have some issues? As long as you're mindful of the battery, you shouldn't have any problems... for me - this camcorder is worth the money.

1 disk recorded fine, second disk could not finalize, and recorder would freeze up. Had to remove battery to restore. Third recording attempt (3rd disk) I continued to get disk errors, and had to wait minutes for recovery. No I wasn't jumping up and down, I was highly stationary.

Software/Hardware doesn't allow for easy recorded data transfer to hard drive (USB). Data capture of recorded data crashed about 70% through every attempt (USB). Gave up an copied from mini DV through DVD burner.

Tried to return for exchange or money back, but Best Buy would not accommodate the request - 3 days after the return policy. I feel like I have a expensive peice of junk - Samsung will only service it. I really don't want this product, and wouldn't recommed it - obviously based on experience.

I bought this camera for my boyfriend before I read the reviews. I was worried and ready to send the camera back but he opened it up and began to use it and loved it. Its a cute camera, and the price is the best you are going to get for the quality. Many of the other people that wrote reviews obviously did not read the instructions, many of the problems that they faced were due to errors on thier own part. The only bad thing about this camera is that it doesnt have night vision and the battery dies pretty quickly. Buy a replacement battery and you will be fine.

all i have to say:
1. My daughter junior high school graduation-------Gone.
2. memorial day bbq with my family----------Gone.
3. a day at universal---------Gone.
4. another three days of usage not gone, but i can't finalize.

I finally return to samsung repairs dept. They are going to send me a new camera once they get around to it. It has been three weeks since samsung approved a replacement.

stick with tape. then pass it unto dvd later.
a little more work but you will not lose new memories of your family.

this camera s@%&s.

ive been saving up for the scdc163 for a long time and when i got it i was very satisfied w/ it. it has very good quility and outstanding zoom. its easy to use and is compact. its so compact that my hands can easly hold it,and im 11! its cool lookin! unlike other mini dvd camcorders. ive had no problems w/ it other then to wait for it to charge to try it out when i first got it.