Samsung SC-DC173U DVD Camcorder with 34x Optical Zoom

Other products by Samsung

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 2.1 x 0.1 x 4.8 inches ; 12.6 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000NVXOQS
• Item model number: SC-DC173U
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,316 in Camera & Photo (See Bestsellers in Camera & Photo)

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  Camera & Photo > Camcorders > Digital DVD

• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 2, 2001

Product Description

Manufacturer Description

Why use a camcorder with tapes when you can use this one that records directly to DVD? With the Samsung SC-DC173 DVD camcorder you'll have a record of the major moments that matches your most vivid memories. You'll save those incredible moments directly to a blank 8-centimeter DVD; once you're done, you can simply pop the disc into a computer or DVD player and begin sharing your movies. Before sharing, you can preview your video on the 2.7-inch LCD screen. See if you've caught everything -- the 680,000 pixel CCD, 34x optical and 1200x digital zoom help you capture every detail brilliantly.

Samsung SC-DC173U Highlights

Capture visions farther than the eye can see Samsung's powerful 34x optical zoom lens bring the world closer without sacrificing image quality.

Print directly from your camcorder With the PictBridge function of the SC-DC173U, you no longer have to first download your pictures onto your PC before printing. Simply use your USB 2.0 cable to your PictBridge compatible printer and print away.

Flexible 4:3 and 16:9 recording and viewing Ensure your entire image is recorded regardless of the screen format. Once your movies are captured in widescreen format, you can enjoy viewing them without having to lose any of the images on your wide-format HDTV screen.

Add memory easily The SC-DC173U's memory card slot offers you the option of SD card, or MMC as a flash memory card to record still images or movie clips.

Product Description
Why use a camcorder with tapes when you can use this one that records directly on a DVD? With the Samsung SC-DC173 DVD Camcorder you'll have a record of the major moments that matches your most vivid and happiest memories. You'll write those incredible moments directly to a blank 8-centimeter DVD; once you're done, you can simply pop the disc into a computer or DVD player and begin sharing your movies. Before sharing, you can preview your video on the 2.7 inch LCD screen. See if you've caught everything - the 680,000 pixel CCD, 33x optical and 1200x digital zoom help you capture every detail brilliantly. 1200x digital zoom 4-in-1 multi-memory card slot compatible with SD - MMC - MemoryStick - Memory Stick Pro Digital image stabilization - Virtually eliminates shake due to normal handheld movement MPEG-4 recording - MPEG4 provides enhanced video image quality and maximizes the amount of video you can record. In addition, MPEG4 even lets you quickly and easily share video clips via email May be used as a Webcam when connected to a PC via USB 16 - 9 recording and viewing - Samsung's 16 - 9 recording option ensures that the entire image is recorded. Once your movies are captured in widescreen format, you can enjoy viewing them without having to lose any of the images on your wide-format HDTV screen Supports DVD-RW/-R/+RW/+R (dual layer) - 8-centimeter size PictBridge compatible Samsung's Audio Enhancements & Effects reduce unwanted ambient sound, improve stereo separation, voice, and music playback, and lets you add echo sound effects Features USB 2.0 connectivity (Windows98, 2000, XP) Unit Dimensions - 2.36 x 3.44 x 4.78 / Weight - 0.95 lbs. Supplied accessories - AC adapter, battery pack, A/V cable, USB cable, software CD Accepts 30mm filters Uses 8cm DVD media, playable on most DVD players

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars If you want better... pay more than 300 dollars for a DVD Camera, October 12, 2007

By	D. Crawford "danielc_1978" (Hoover, AL United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you are looking for a camera that records to DVDs and doesnt cost an arm and a leg, buy this one. It is a decent camera if you take into account the price. The quality isnt the best however its good enough for the average customer just wanting to shoot video of family events. If you are looking for top quality, pay more. It is true you get what you pay for. For me the camera is good enough for what I use it for... a once in a while camera moment.

I've read over a couple of other reviews stating they are having a hard time getting their camera to read discs. I use the Sony mini DV-R discs and have never had a problem. They are a little more expensive however they are top quality and work great with this piece of equipment.

Also I have transfered the mini-discs to larger ones using a panasonic dvd recorder using Sony (Large) DVD-R disc and havent had a problem either.

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Very Poor Product!, September 29, 2007

By	Kooz (Iowa) - See all my reviews

I've owned the Samsung SCDC173U mini-DVD camcorder for a week and I will be taking it back to the store today. As another reviewer has stated - the camcorder has frequent "read" problems, frequent errors, loss of data, and 5 of the 6 mini-DVDs I've used are now "coasters". And those mini-DVDs are not cheap! I even tried two different disc brands and disc formats. It has problems finalizing the disc for viewing, if you can get it to finalize. It was a real disappointment when I realized that the footage of my daughter's 1st birthday was never going to be viewable. I can feel and hear the DVD moving inside the camera while I'm recording and the little sounds it makes are actually audible on the finished DVD during playback. The video quality is quite sub par. The main feature I wanted was the ability to make 16:9 widescreen movies. This feature works, but most of the camera's other features cannot be used in widescreen mode. Overall, it is the reliability that I have the biggest problem with. It is not a stretch to say that 75% of everything I record will not be viewable in any way. So what is the point? The owners manual is also very poor. The software it comes with can best be described as "You get what you pay for". After reading several other reviews at various websites I think this is either a defective camera or just a bad attempt at a camcorder. Save your money, do some research, and buy something else. This one isn't worth the cost savings.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars worth the $$$$, December 13, 2007

By	T (NY) - See all my reviews

i purchased this camcorder at sears on sale for 199 minus 100 in gift cards, so i ended up paying 100 bucks for it. Even for 199, the camcorder is worth the money. so here are some positive and negatives i've witnessed so far (keep in mind this is the only dvd camcorder that i have ever used)

positives
1. it is very small and fits in my hand comfortably
2. discs are loaded easily
3. case use dvdrw cd's so that you can re record if you don't like what you have done.
4. it supports dolby digital surround sound
5. 16 x 9 for my dlp tv
6. 34x digital zoom (not available in 16x9)
7. sd card slot to save my pics or videos to
8. samsung reliability
9. picture isn't bad
10. camera does have light (no functional with 16x9)

negatives
1. pic quality isn't very good (cannot substitute for a camera)
2. cannot snap pics while recording (i used to love to do that with my old jvc mini dv camera), but i have not figured out how to do it on this camera. you have to switch the camera to "card" to make it work.
3. battery life is bad, but i expected that and purchased a bigger, more power battery on ebay for $16. hint: don't leave the battery in the camera, it will drain, quickly.
4. when turning the camera on, it take 5-10 seconds until you can record, so don't expect to record something that may occur immediately if the camera isn't already ready to record.
5. using 16x9 ratio REDUCES MANY features of the camcorder. you cannot use the light, the digital zoom, most effects, and the DIS function is unavailable. I have been switching back and forth depending on my what, where and when i am recording.
6. recording in low light is very bad, unless you have the camera on 4:3 ratio and the shutter speed adjusted. Unfortunately you cannot use the light unless the shutter speed is adjusted, which then makes diminishes picture quality. shooting in 16x9 in low light areas is pointless.
7. you only get about 25 minutes of record time on sp, and about 1hr with lp (not camera'a fault). so carry extra discs with you.
8. position of the joystick button sux. it should be behind the camera.
9. you have to kina of force the turning knob to off, it doesn't move freely to off and it almost feels like i'm breaking it.

all in all, for 200 bucks, you can't go wrong. just don't buy this camera for the 16x9 feature and you'll be happy. so far so good for me. the easy mode is good for beginnings and the quick menu can also me useful to quickly change important settings. I just hate that samsung has greatly reduced the camera's features when 16x9 is being used. oh well.