Samsung W200 waterproof / rugged 1080p camcorder review

Samsung slid its ‘multi-proof’ W200 pocket cam out just a few months back , and we’ve spent the past few weeks testing it out in an area that’s no stranger to water (read: the massive Island of Hawaii). Hailed as a water-resistant and shockproof 1080p pocket camcorder, it most resembles a ruggedized version of Cisco’s now-deceased Flip HD, and it’s definitely a heck of much more petite than Canon’s PowerShot D10 — a water-proof P&S that we reviewed back in June of ’09 . Other than putting high-def recording capabilities within the palm of your pruney hand, the W200′s other key selling point is the trifecta of digits to the left of the decimal. At just $150 in the street, it’s certainly classifiable as a bargain inside the category, but does it deliver results worthy of laud? Read on for our take!

Design
With a zero.28 pounds chassis measuring 2.36- (W) x 4.45- (H) x 0.78-inches (D), the W200 is easily diminutive for what it really is. Additionally it is a well-known form factor, one who slips easily into any pocket and one which doesn’t look rugged despite being rugged. Strangely enough, the complete outer ring is constructed of a difficult plastic in place of a rubberized bumper. Not just would the latter have played an important role in making it easier to grip with wet hands, however it would’ve added a pinch of concern protection that’s sorely missing (more on that later).

Front is graced with a shielded F2.2 lens, which — much to our chagrin — has no optical zoom to chat of. The precise side is provided with a microSDHC slot and HDMI port, and the underside touts a normal tripod socket alongside a flip-out USB socket. That’s convenient on quite a number levels; for one, that’s one less charger you will need on your carry-on bag (read: it charges over USB), and secondly, it lets you transfer your captures onto your computer without fiddling around to seek out a microSD-to-SD adapter.

Around back, you will see a 2.3-inch LCD, hasta hoy-pad control dial, a smattering of buttons and a microphone port. The LCD is shockingly vibrant even in direct sunlight, and both-stage shutter / “OK” button is incredibly the useful beast if you end up trying to lock a spotlight point before firing a shot. Regretfully, the microphone port is placed right where the thumb falls for people handling this with their left hand. We routinely needed to imagine where our hand was positioned, and most times, we were left holding it awkwardly so that it will not muffle whatever audio was being projected its way. We’re struggling to determine why the mic port couldn’t was installed a touch further north — because it sits, it’s right within the line of one’s digit, and it’s something users will undoubtedly must remain attentive to.

Then, there’s the carry strap. An altogether forgettable lanyard is tossed into the box, and in comparison to the locking carabiner setup at the aforementioned D10, this approach was just woeful. For a tool that’s destined to finish up tethered for your wrist in underwater situations, we would’ve preferred a much more secure offering than what’s here. One wrong twist of the wrist, and this thing’s headed for whatever shore it pleases. Frankly, we have seen nicer straps on non-waterproof cameras.

Features and function
Let’s start with the user interface. Sammy’s done an exemplary job here; it’s dead simple to navigate through menus, and we would guess that almost all users can have their settings in place and able to roll within five minutes. Needless to say, the simplistic nature of the device aids on this. There is no optical zoom, no manual controls at all and just two movie mode options: 1080p and 720p. So, while it is a lesson in simplicity to peruse the menu tree, we cannot help but lament the truth that there is no approach to specify an ISO ceiling, an aperture setting or a minimum shutter speed. We all know, those sorts of things are only now creeping into lower-end cameras, but still — we would’ve loved even a buried section that allowed for some tweaking.

Startup and shutdown were stunningly quick; it took but two seconds to head from off to firing in our testing. Switching from side to side from still to video mode requires but a press of a dedicated button (kudos on that, Samsung), and the volume of remaining stills / minutes of video are clearly displayed along the pinnacle of the panel. Speaking of stills, there is a five megapixel image sensor that’s able to grabbing ho hum frames for moments when video is just not ideal. You could find practically no settings outside of “shoot,” but snaps all for lots of daylight tended to show out decently in our testing. Low-light shots were predictably unusable, generally affected by noise and blur.

There’s also something to be said for the unit’s anti-fog lens coating — that “something” is that this: it really works. And it really works well. We took the device on a snorkel trip to Captain Cook’s Monument in South Kona, Hawaii, and never once did fog become a problem. ‘Course, the water’s about as clear because it gets here, but it’s still comforting to grasp which you shouldn’t have to fret over wiping the lens off on occasion to make certain a cloud-free capture.

Image and video quality
We’ll start with stills. By all accounts, the W200 is a camcorder first, and a still shooter third — perhaps fourth, even. There is no optical zoom, no manual controls for ISO / aperture / shutter speed and no flash to talk of. To no one’s surprise, the sensor performed dreadfully on indoor shots with low lighting, or even dimly lit outdoor scenes had a good amount of blur introduced. When a number of outdoor light was available, most of our test shots were clear and sharp, however the colors were at the muted side and results felt generally lifeless.

However, we couldn’t had been more proud of how the still functionality operated under the ocean. Yesteryear’s D10 was fairly poor whilst underwater, however the W200 managed to drag out a number of sharp shots during our time with the fishes. It’s worth mentioning that those were shot at high noon with a transparent Hawaiian sky, but still, the outcomes are downright impressive for a $150 device. Toss in a bit Lightroom magic so as to inject a touch vibrance into the yellows, and you’d have a gallery of results worth showing your mum.

As for video? We stuck exclusively to the 1080p mode when you consider that we had a lot of room on our 4GB microSDHC card. For those curious, around 35 minutes of Full HD footage can also be socked away on a card of that size. Starting and stopping videos couldn’t had been easier, but as we mentioned above, we recorded quite a lot of clips that ended up with muffled audio as a result of poor positioning of the microphone. Usually, video ends up in broad daylight were greater than acceptable for a unit on this budget, but there’s one major gripe that we simply can’t gloss over: 7 the jelly effect 7 .

If you are unfamiliar with the term, just peek the video above. While outside of the water, the W200 exhibited this wretched phenomenon in practically every video we shot, irrespective of how briskly (or slow) we moved our hand during shooting. This warped, wobbly effect started cropping up in among the early video-enabled DSLRs (we’re you, 8 D90 8 ), and it’s tragic to locate it here. Weirdly enough, the effect looked as if it would vanish (or at the very least, diminish significantly) when shooting underwater. From what we will gather, the jelly creeps in because the camera jostles north and south (as with the movement of a human walking); when here is removed underwater, so is the jelly.

Our underwater captures couldn’t had been more stunning given the fee point. Colors were relatively vibrant, noise was kept to a minimum, and it generally did an awesome job of reproducing the magic we witnessed with our own eyes down in Kealakekua Bay. Don’t take our word for it, though — study a number of (unedited) samples below, but ensure you enable ‘HD.’

Toughness and battery life
Here’s the rub. Samsung never specifically says just how rugged the W200 is, and we’re here to inform you the fact: not very. Our review unit suffered a single two-foot tumble onto linoleum, and it left a visual scuff and indentation within the top corner. Worse, however, is what said tumble evidently did to the LCD. After around 20 minutes underwater (at around one to 2 feet deep; far lower than the 3 meters it is going to stand), we started to see air bubbles emerging from the head right corner of the panel. Within minutes, condensation had begun to accumulate around every fringe of the display, and it got progressively worse as we continued to swim. Now, it’s only a matter of time before future treks to the ocean render the entirety useless, or a minimum of the monitor ’round back.

Sure, you may say that our unit is a one-off problem, but it’s simply not as rugged because it must be. There is a strange and uncomfortable paradox in having a delicate camera that’s suitable for underwater shooting. For what it’s worth, all the “doors” (locking water clear of ports and slots) functioned as advertised during our testing, and salt water abuse appeared to don’t have any negative consequences beyond the fading of some logos on rear buttons.

As for battery life? Shall we embrace this: we managed to replenish a 4GB microSDHC card with 1080p footage before the article croaked, and we had snapped 40 to 50 shots ahead of that. Obviously, camera battery life will vary wildly looking on how long you let the LCD remain on in standby, what number shutter presses you’ve, and the way cold your environment is. We’d recommend recharging it after loading up a 4GB card (we had around 35 percent life left), but a minimum of you may get through a mean vacation day on an entire tank.

Wrap-up
So, is Samsung’s “multi-proof” W200 worth its weight in underwater memories? It’s tough to mention, but we’re leaning “yes.” $150 is dirt cheap during this category, particularly for a tool this small. The 1080p underwater video mode is leaps and boundaries better than the VGA mode we saw at the D10 just two years ago, and underwater stills also turned out remarkably well. We’ve kvetched enough in regards to the loss of manual controls and the bleak jelly effect seen in outdoor videos, but none of these nitpicks are apt to trouble the objective market here. For a buck-fifty, you will be hard-pressed to seek out anything as versatile and compact during this segment, but you will want to maintain about a things in mind.

For one, it’s probably not as tough because it looks, and one bad tumble could loosen its frame enough to ruin it once taken to the pool. And secondly, you will need to keep in mind of where your thumb finally ends up while recording. All in all, it is a respectable underwater offering for the pricetag, but true argonauts are probably at an advantage spending more for something that’s constructed to address real abuse.

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This post is tagged: capabilities, high def, island of hawaii, shock protection, trifecta, tripod socket, wet hands