Samsung DC164 DVD Camcorder with 33x Optical Zoom

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Product Details

• Item Weight: 11 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000E0I58K
• Item model number: SC-DC164
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #7,545 in Camera & Photo (See Bestsellers in Camera & Photo)

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  Camera & Photo > Camcorders > Digital DVD

• Date first available at Amazon.com: May 24, 2006

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

From the Manufacturer Enjoy the industry’s latest digital camcorder technology. The SC-DC164 DVD camcorder offers the world’s strongest zoom --33x optical/1200x digital -- with images clearly displayed on the 2.7-inch LCD. Turn it on and start shooting in less than 10 seconds. The dual-layer DVD feature doubles the amount of recording time, while a 4-in-1 multi memory card slot lets you store MPEG4 videos and stills. There’s even a handy remote control so you can set up the shots -- and then get into the action yourself!

Get close to the action with high-quality zoom

SC-DC164 DVD Camcorder Highlights

33x optical zoom/1200x digital zoom
The camcorder’s high quality 33x zoom lens lets you get close to the action from a safe distance. And for those ultra long distance shots, the 1200x digital zoom will let you see it all in perfect detail.

2.7-inch wide LCD (230K)
The 2.7-inch wide LCD enables you to catch more of the action compared to viewing from 2.5-inch" LCD using a 4:3 screen format. The 2.7-inch wide LCD display matches the 16:9 aspect ratio of your HDTV, so you can record and playback what you see.

4-in-1 Multi Memory Card slot
The versatile 4-in-1 multi memory card slot offers you the option of Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, SD card or MMC. Use your existing cards or choose the type and size of memory card that best suits your needs.

MPEG4 (720 x 480/30 fps)
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.

Digital Image Stabilization
The Digital Image Stabilizer eliminates the effects of shakes to ensure extremely sharp pictures even when zooming in for close-ups.

PictBridge
Give your PC a rest. Thanks to the PictBridge function of your camcorder, you no longer have to first download your pictures onto your PC before printing. Save your valuable time and energy. Simply connect a USB 2.0 cable to your PictBridge compatible printer and watch your photos appear. Printing, sharing, and framing your digital pictures have never been easier.

USB 2.0 interface
Allows for easy uploading of MPEG4 movie clips and JPEG still images to a PC.

Web cam
Connect the Memory Camcorder to a PC via a USB 2.0 cable and instantly communicate via live video with business associates, friends and family wherever you are.

16:9 widescreen recording
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.

Double-recording capacity
8cm DVD+R dual layer offers nearly double the recording capacity of a regular disc, so you can capture the entire event without worrying about the remaining length of the DVD.

Compatible formats: DVD-RD-R/+R/+R (Dual Layer)
Worried about using the wrong DVD format? Don’t be. With Samsung’s advanced technology, even a person without any knowledge of DVD formats can easily handle it, because you can use any type of Recordable DVD.

Product Description

Enjoy the industry's latest digital camcorder technology. The SC-DC164 DVD Camcorder offers the world's strongest zoom - 33x optical/1200x digital - with images clearly displayed on the 2.7" LCD. Turn it on and start shooting in less than 10 seconds. The dual-layer DVD feature doubles the amount of recording time, while a 4-in-1 multi memory card slot lets you store MPEG4 videos and stills. There's even a handy remote control so you can set up the shots - and then get into the action yourself!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars DON'T BUY, May 15, 2006

By	Kristie Y. Meisinger (Virginia Beach, VA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not great...just ok, February 5, 2007

By	Jen "Jen" (Buffalo, NY) - See all my reviews

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.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Be ready for LOTS of problems..., February 4, 2007

By	Daniel Davenport (Phoenix, AZ, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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!