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25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Comparing SC HMX-20C with HMX-H104, June 23, 2009
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I now consider myself a collector of camcorders. Still, I demand excellent quality with point and shoot simplicity. My camcorder of choice up until now has been the Samsung SC HMX-20C for its brilliant video quality and amazing still photos, and the ability to take great photos while filming. I saw the HMX-H104 and thought it looks very similar. How is it different?
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Out of the box, the HMX-H104 is sleek and stylish with the trademark bullet shape of the Samsung camcorders. It's smaller and weighs less than its cousin, the SC HMX-20C. The first thing I notice is the case, which has a rubbery grip. I like the feel, I can get a good grip and it feels sturdy in my hands. The little door on the rear leading to all the ports feels like flimsy plastic, but even that is attractive to the eye.
The lens cover closes automatically. I touch it and it feels paper thin, opens easily when I push it. It will keep the dust out. I wonder if it will take a knocking, but I hesitate to challenge it. The SC HMX-20C's lens is also automatic and opens when I push it, but it feels a little sturdier. At least I won't have to remember to put the lens cap back on.
The record button is awkwardly placed. This is true of all the bullet-shaped Samsungs that I own (I have three). It is to the far right of the rear of the camcorder. That makes it difficult to grip the camcorder with the thumb while activating the record button. I'd prefer it more to the left, or better yet on the top of the camcorder. The swivel grip does help with the handling, but it is nowhere as comfortable to hold as a Sanyo Xacti, for instance.
Both camcorders have flash memory onboard or I can choose to use a memory card (both are compatible with SDHC and SC HMX-20C can use MMCPlus). HMX-H104 has double the capacity of its cousin: 16 GB versus 8 GB.
Both camcorders lack a full manual. It is included on a disc, which means I will never read it.
VIDEO
Flip the screen open on the HMX-H104 and it's on, unlike the SC HMX-20C where I need to press the power button. HMX-H104 responds lightening fast. Turning on from sleep mode is even faster.
Both camcorders sport anti-shake technology; but that technology still needs further development, since I have yet to find a camcorder where the image doesn't shake when handheld, especially when the image is zoomed. Tip: use a tripod when possible.
Video quality of both camcorders in broad daylight is comparable. They are both excellent. In lowlight conditions, I prefer the SC HMX-20C (less video noise), but the HMX-H104 is not far behind.
HMX-H104 has wide screen format, great for viewing on my wide screen TV.
PHOTO
Nothing beats SC HMX-20C, which has the best camera in a camcorder I've ever seen. HMX-H104 sometimes give me blurry photos -- very blurry, to the point that I couldn`t even recognize the object or subject in the photo. Okay, I think I didn't press the button just right. But I am using the automatic function and just pressing the photo button every time, not doing anything different and it's great, sometimes better than SC HMX-20C . . . and then it's not. I never know when it will be blurry. Most of the time, the photos look wonderful; but it's not nearly so hard with SC HMX-20C, where I've never had a blurry photo, ever.
Also, I find photos of my son under incandescent light looks better with the SC HMX-20C. It automatically adjusts color and white balance better so that his skin tone looks more natural.
The HMX-H104 has a flash, but it is not as hefty as the pop-up flash of the SC HMX-20C.
When taking photos while filming, I feel there is more of a lag time with HMX-H104. It's not as bad as some others, but SC HMX-20C is better, if only by a split second. That does make a difference when taking photos. When I press that button, that's the photo I want, not a second later.
INTELLI-STUDIO
This is a new one for me. Connect the camcorder to the computer via USB cable and video editing software automatically runs. No need to install software from a disc. Move the video to a folder, edit it right there, make your movie.
Personally, I will not use this feature much. The video editing is basic and will involve a lot of work, unless all I want to do is trim a little and add a title. I like video editing software that includes a wizard -- plug my video in and churn out a movie I can fine-tune to my liking.
SC HMX-20C does not have Intelli-Studio. In fact, I do not own any other camcorder which has this feature. Interesting, but not necessary in my book.
Where HMX-H104 is superior to SC HMX-20C:
* it is smaller: 4 ¾" versus 5"
* it weighs less: 13.7 ounces versus 17.5 ounces (with batteries included)
* it has a rubbery grip making it attractive with a no-slip comfortable to hold, although the matte finish of the SC HMX-20C is also attractive
* it turns on the minute the screen is flipped open versus needing to press the power button
* it has a sleep mode
* it has more internal memory: 16 GB versus 8 GB
* it has a faster boot up and access time
* it has built-in video editing software -- installs automatically to the computer when I plug in my camcorder
* it automatically turns off when its been on too long
* it records in wide screen format
Where they both excel:
* they have touch screen controls
* nice sleek designs
* they record in full HD
* they have 10X optical zoom
* the grips swivel to adjust for comfort
* automatic lens cap, though they push open easily and the HMX-H104's lens cover is paper thin
* both come with remotes.
Where they both need improvement:
* the record buttons are awkwardly placed
* manuals are on a disc, thought the quick start guide of the SC HMX-20C is more thorough.
Where HMX-H104 is inferior:
* photos while not filming can be completely out of focus and blurry on occasion
* photos while filming have slightly more lag time
* videos are not as good under lowlight conditions
* SC HMX-20C has a heftier pop-up flash
* SC HMX-20C comes with a nice, soft pouch. HMX-H104 does not come with anything to hold it in.
SUMMARY
If you want a camcorder that's a brilliant camera with great video quality, get the SC HMX-20C. It doesn't get better than that.
If you want a slightly smaller camcorder with good video quality, large internal storage capacity, fast start-up, wide screen capability, an automatic camera function that is very good but occasionally acts up, go for HMX-H104. You won't be disappointed.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
HMX-H104: SC-HMX20C's New Little Brother, August 20, 2009
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
The HMX-H104 is literally like a younger brother to the previous SC-HMX20C model in every way.
This is supposed to be a newer model, hence "younger", and the size is noticeably smaller and lighter than its counterpart. The younger brother has some new features of its own to exceed its older one, but there are some strengths that did not carry over to the new one.
Strengths/weaknesses of HMX-H104 (the new, younger brother):
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+ FOCUSING is definitely an improvement; easily noticeably better/faster. (Scneider lens if that means anything to you.)
+ OPTICAL Image Stabilizer -- again, another MAJOR improvement (it really works well. There is also a large button on the side to turn it on/off.)
+ Wide Angle Lens (the camera will actually always start up zoomed-in a bit)
+ Time Lapse @ 720@60p (I have no idea why they didn't have this on the other one. It's a great feature. However, they took away the 'Slow-Mo' feature.)
+ They got rid of the pre-set manual focus distances, which is nice, but now there's no indication at all (a simple bar display like you see when you zoom would have been fine!) and you have to "blindly eyeball" everything yourself. Not to mention, I would prefer a physical wheel or ring to control the focus than pressing arrows on the touch screen (ugh).
+ Touch Point Focus (it's much better than how it was on the previous one! Before, it relied on having to touch inside the frame grid only, but now you can select anywhere on the screen without the annoying frame and it will tell you the target of what you pointed at. It now also actually locks the focus to whatever you pointed at; before it would start re-auto focusing on its own when you panned the camera. The Touch Point feature on this one makes the older one seem more like a BETA-version! What I still find annoying and odd now, though, is that when you select it, it still stays on the Focus Menu! Also, they STILL won't allow you to actually touch focus WHILE recording [waste of potential on the feature!]; it's only for setting up the shot)
+ Swivel Grip uses a nice rubber material now and has a greater rotation.
+ Turns on automatically when you open the LCD (there is also an off switch inside the camera, however)
+ Quick View mode (after you stop recording, it'll give you a quick 'play' button, which will playback immediately and also allow quick deleting)
+ They added a Food(more vivid colors), Indoor, Candle Light modes (old model had: Auto, Night, Sports, Portrait, Spotlight, Beach/Snow mode)
+ More internal memory (HMX-H104 [16 GB model] / HMX-H105 [32 GB model] / HMX-H106 [64 GB model] -- older brother had 8 GB internal memory)
+ Takes 37mm filter rings/lens (older brother uses 49mm)
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- It does NOT do 1080p or 30FPS! The Samsung website is misleading yet again. (Supported video resolutions: 1080 @ 60i, 720 @ 60p, 480 @ 60p -- The older brother supports: 1080 @ 30p, 1080 @ 60i, 480 @ 60p, Slow Motion)
- Not as great in low lighting (Uses 1/4.5" [2.2 Megapixels] CMOS sensor] -- no C.Nite mode like in the older brother)
- The point of a manual exposure should be that it locks at the same exposure, but the "Exposure Value" feature on this camera isn't really a manual exposure, like found on the older brother.
- LCD screen has like a protective plastic now (kind of like what you see on the Nintendo DS) that it actually takes more pressure to respond.
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Strenghts/weaknesses of SC-HMX20C (older brother):
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+ 3.5mm External mic input (What a major shame that they took this away in the newer model)
+ Low Light performance easily beats it (1/1.8" [6.4 Megapixels] CMOS sensor; even has a "Super C.Nite" mode feature allowing even very low light to come out decent.
+ Slow Motion (High FPS, but the video resolution is only 448x336)
+ Overall package was just better (came with a dock for quick charging and hooking up to the TV) and had an overall better build quality, despite being larger -- really solid feel.
+ Charging can be done with the dock or directly to the camera (I would prefer just having a separate battery charger, though)
+ LCD screen looks much sharper and more responsive
+ Can fast forward videos up to 32x. (The younger brother only does it up to 8x -- what happened?)
+ Pop-up flash.
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- Focusing is slow
- Pre-set Manual focus distances
- Could not manual focus closer than 10cm. (a bug, which they never fixed)
- Touch Focus (again, it's much better on the newer model and a major shame that it does not let you actually touch focus once you hit record)
- ELECTRONIC Image Stabilizer (Absolutely horrible on this one, since it uses stabilization digitally. It didn't help with the shaking at all and was REALLY worthless)
- No 720p.
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OTHER THOUGHTS:
+ Despite having an auto-shut off when you close the LCD, it will continue to record even if you close the LCD while it's still recording.
+ I like that the battery and SD card is located on the bottom, and all the AV/USB/Charge inputs are all located in the same area on the back without having to keep the LCD flap open like before.
+ I've become a fan of the Swivel grip. It's really nice to have. When I'm using other cameras, it feels awkward without it.
+ Macro focus is really great on both of them, but it's even better now on the HMX-H104 because of the faster focusing.
+ Both picks up sound really well in surround sound. (hence there are two mics on each side)
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- Both cameras are missing an AUTO FOCUS LOCK or EXPOSURE LOCK! (I would love it if they added a quick button to do this)
- NOT impressed at all with their customer service, especially their email support is non-existent. It's quite bad. In my book, they are one of the worst. Their website is also misleading and needs to be updated. I've called them several times regarding an issue with the older model (SC-HMX20C) and requesting a new firmware (there's a major flaw with the macro manual focus being restricted), but instead get the runaround and they never call back. Why have a firmware upgrade feature when they're not going to release any updates? They have trouble even updating their own website...
* Battery life is not so impressive (the 60FPS recording definitely uses it up a lot), and it would have been nicer if it displays the time remaining battery than just a generic bar.
* The battery model that this camera came with is IA-BP85NF; however, this battery may be more difficult to track down and purchase. The IA-BP85ST (came with the SC-HMX20C) actually works with this camera also. The IA-BP85NF battery doesn't work with the older brother, though (it seems to be more strict and gives an error "Check the authenticity of this battery.")
* I was excited about the "SSD" marketing of this camera, but I really saw no major benefit in terms of camera performance/recording response. Considering it's a touch screen and having "SSD technology", I would have liked it if the camera took advantage of its speed and used a seekbar when playing back videos instead of the usual/standard/old fast forward/rewind buttons.
Overall, I still do like the older brother better, but if only they would actually fix the issues, such as the focusing, that could easily be corrected via firmware -- but they won't. Instead, they'll make you buy newer models and at the same time, take a few features away so the older model won't be completely obsolete. I give this camera a 3 1/2 stars. If only they actually made useful firmware and not waste the potential hardware -- and had better customer service (what are they doing?) -- I would not mind giving this a 4-star. Once I finish editing the test footage I shot with this camera, I will be updating this review with it (or add more additional thoughts).
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great sound, quiet, and easy to use, June 22, 2009
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Summary: The Samsung HMX-H104 is everything I expect in a SSD camcorder. Image quality is good considering the super-zoom lens. Video quality is decent for a consumer-grade HD camera. I had no trouble figuring out how to use the camera in video and still mode. Connecting the camera to my mac was a breeze, and it worked with iPhoto and iMovie.
** Update: Samsung's codec isn't properly supported by Leopard or Snow Leopard. You have to use VLC to transcode the video for your mac. **
The first thing that struck me when I unboxed the Samsung HMX-H104 was that Samsung failed to use the USB port for power. You get a compact power brick, despite the fact that my iPod, Kindle, GPS and BlackBerry are all able to charge from their USB port. The brick is small, so this isn't a deal breaker. I would have liked to see the camera draw power from the USB port, even if it was only for trickle charging or keeping the camcorder powered while downloading videos and photos.
In camera mode, the colors are somewhat muted. Picture quality is on par with low-end super-zoom cameras like the Nikon P80.
Sounds is amazing. Instead of hearing the the sound of a tape motor, you will heear yourself breathing. You might hear the quiet hum of the zoom motor. I expected the sound quality to be good on an SSD camcorder, and the Samsung was great.
No tearing when panning vertically or horizontally, though you can see the interlacing at 1080i.
I had no trouble connecting the camera to my MacBook Pro. I ignored the included CDROM. When I plugged the camera in via USB, the camera mounted up as a drive, as did a 19MB drive with what appears to be some video software for Windows. This is a brilliant move on the part of Samsung, as most people quickly misplace the software that came with their cameras.
Photos downloaded immediately to iPhoto, but I had to navigate to the VIDEO folder to get the video. I manually dragged the video files over to my mac, and they immediately played in QuickTime. I tried playing the videos in VLC, but image quality was horrible in VLC 0.9.9a. I might need to add a codec or do some fine tuning to make things work properly there.
iMovie support is not great. iMovie found the Samsung videos that I had dropped into iPhoto, and immediately made them available for editing. Scrubbing and playing worked seamlessly. I dropped a video of the Tokyo Fish Market taken with video mode on my Panasonic LX-3 right after a short clip from the HMX-H104, and iMovie made the transition seamless. However, the aspect ratio of the video is completely wrong. I had to transcode the video in VLC (free, find it with google) in order to get usable results in iMovie.
Ergonomics are great. I really like the cylindrical form factor, and the Samsung has a very solid heft to it. Most controls are duplicated so that they fall under the fingers of the hand holding the camera as well around the LCD display. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it has a touch screen LCD. The result is that you get a small number of important buttons on the body of the camcorder, and all of the settings live on the display itself. Very easy and convenient.
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