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The big guns have well and truly arrived in pocket camcorder town. What was once a playground for Flip and Creative is now a warzone for Kodak’s Zi8, Sony’s MHS-PM1 and now Samsung’s debut, the 1080p U10.
Its claim to fame is an angled, ergonomic design. The 7-degree bend in the body shape certainly gives it a unique profile, and makes it easier to frame video and take 10MP stills.
Choices, choices
A practical selection of shooting options – from the Full HD of 1920x1080 to 1280x720, and also 720x480 – lets you choose between squeezing more footage onto your SDHC/SD card or opting for less footage but at a better resolution for watching on your TV.
Those wise owls at Samsung have also provided charging options: you can power up from the mains or connect the U10 to a computer and charge it via USB. This makes sense as most pocket shooters trade heavily on the potential to quickly upload clips to sharing sites like YouTube and Flickr.
PC users are also treated to embedded software. This allows super-fast uploading, as the software opens as soon as you connect the cam to a PC.
It’s then a simple case of selecting the movies you want to post and pressing the one-touch sharing button. Mac users aren’t left out, though – the U10 records in the H.264 codec, so you can also play clips using QuickTime.
Zoom alert
The U10 does suffer a few rocky moments, chiefly due to omissions from what is otherwise an excellent range of features. There’s no HDMI output to allow you to connect to a high-def telly, which is a shame when the U10 is capable of shooting in Full HD.
The digital zoom is also baffling. Shoot in anything other than Full HD and you have a 4x zoom – but select Full HD and you have no zoom at all.
And, be warned, the U10 boasts some touch-sensitive controls. These look nice but are unresponsive, making it frustrating when you want to be snappy with your menu selections.
Review continues after the break...
Impressive colours
Time for the upswing: the results from both video and stills are superb. The colours and level of detail are impressive for a cam (and lens) this small. So, whether you’re watching them on your computer or sharing them with your family online, everyone will be impressed – unless you’re uncles are the Coen brothers.
Admittedly, the low-light performance isn’t the greatest, but that’s a cross most pocket-sized cams have to bear. If you can handle the frustration of its touchscreen menu system, the Samsung U10 is well worth an audition.
Tech Specs
- Dimensions
- 56x103x15.5mm
- LCD Size
- 2in
- Maximum frames per second
- 60fps (1280x720)
- Maximum movie resolution
- 1920x1080
- Megapixels
- 10MP
- Memory card type
- SDHC/SD
- Optical viewfinder
- No
- Weight
- 95g
- Zoom function during movies
- Yes
Comments
jb4522jb
1 year ago
This is definitely a must have camera. The quality of photos that it takes is so good. You will not be disappointed at all when you buy it. Bar Stools Toronto
HannyM
3 years ago
U10 is so good. No regret at all!
HannyM
3 years ago
U10 is more than you iamgine. You are going to be so surprised
HannyM
3 years ago
Have you ever seen U10? Have you tried? It is lighter than you think.
HannyM
3 years ago
U10 is jus perfect. Just perfect!!
HannyM
3 years ago
U10 is so so so good nowadays all my friends have it! it will be the most famous camcorder among us.
HannyM
3 years ago
Smart Samsung! I have ST550 and already surprised about it but U10? OMG it is just so fantastic!
HannyM
3 years ago
My friend asked me about U10 cuz she was hoping to get one. Then i answered with a word "perfect". Yes U10 is more than perfect! surely!
mya_s
3 years ago
I watch U-10 time lapse video just now and the view is really nice... for such a small camcorder to be able to capture such beautiful video is just amazing!
HannyM
3 years ago
All my family love U10 because it is so small and easy to carry around! it is like mp3 size! And the function is as good as any other camcorder:) im so happy to get this!
HannyM
3 years ago
All my family love U10 because it is so small and easy to carry around! it is like mp3 size! And the function is as good as any other camcorder:) im so happy to get this!
mya_s
3 years ago
U-10 is some thing you would want to carry around everyday. It lightweight and good video output are some reason to own this pocket camcorder.
HannyM
3 years ago
U10 is more than you thought, more than you imagined and more than anything else. :) I think you should try once then you will feel then agree with me! U10 is just so good:) i strongly recommand it to you!
HannyM
3 years ago
I've been seen many reviews of U10. Many ppl are actually satisfing with the product. Of course! It is just perfect. Perfcet for casual users:) Do not hesitate! It will be urs:)
HannyM
3 years ago
U10 is so great! i cant stop writing reviews about it:D becuase it makes me so so so happy. wow 2010 is coming and i guess you'd better prepare THIS and make a great Happy 2010:)
mya_s
3 years ago
people keep saying it's not as good as kodak pocket camcorder but I think U-10 stands out on its own... the video is clear, much to my surprise after reading tons of review of how bad it could be but again, I'm still gonna pick U-10 as my pocket camcorder!
HannyM
3 years ago
U10 is being so popular nowadays. U10 is great and i dont regret with it. Its very comfy to use and easy to carry. nice:)
hannybaby
3 years ago
I actually bought U10 with a kind of curiousity. But once i used it, it was really really good and funny as well!. The small body includes everything about camcorder and it made me feel so proud in front of every my friends:) Also, U10 is very small and light so easy to carry around wherever i go! it is my best friend now:)
mya_s
3 years ago
I once thought this was a handphone but later on realize what it is... really great to have a more mobile camcorder to carry around on daily basis... video quality is good too.
HannyM
3 years ago
U10 is really great espceially its size. Have you seen this size of camcorder before? It is a kind of revolution! great great great! it is so easy to carry :) and functions also cool so it is much better than any other standard size of camcorders! yay!
HannyM
3 years ago
When i frist time saw U10, I thought it was a MP3 or sth. But it was a camcorder. i couldnt really believe that fact! U10 was great. Their function was so nice and the lens was so clear as well! It is better than i thought before. And it is small so easy to carry anywhere you go~ U10 is great. it will make you happy:)