Samsung has announced its entry into the ultra-compact HD camcorder market with the HMX-U10. The diminutive 2.2" x 4.1" x 0.6" (56 x 103 x 15.5mm) unit shoots 1920x1080 video, 10MP still photos and features an ergonomic bend in the body which Samsung says will reduce stress on your wrist and arm... but at only 3.4oz (95g), we wonder how much stress the MHZ-U10 can cause?
The pocket-size shooter uses SDHC cards for storage and includes a one-touch upload button for sharing your movies directly to YouTube.
The full HD video recording uses the H.264 video codec and the 2" (51mm) display allows you to compose your shot and review your footage. There are some sacrifices for size however - the unit’s CMOS sensor has a fixed-focus lens with no optical zoom.
Samsung says its built-in intelli‑studio software allows you to perform basic editing in-camera. And similar to the Flip line of camcorders, when you connect the HMX-U10 to your PC, the intelli-studio software allows you to further edit your videos with no additional software required.
So how will the HMX-U10 compare with other ultra-compact cams like the Flip UltraHD, Flip Mino HD, Kodak Zi6, or Vado HD? Many users may like the SDHC storage (the Kodak supports this also, but the Flips and the Vado have fixed storage). And only the Samsung offers full HD; the other models are 720p. We’ll have to wait and see if these features will be enough to make the HMX-U10 a success.
The Samsung HMX-U10 will go on sale this September in the US, priced at $200.
