Review: Samsung H300 camcorder

The days of big and clunky video cameras are long gone, and they have just become smaller with every year. Samsung has a rather impressive range of compact camcorders, and with the growing demand for high quality products, most of these cameras now shoot in full HD.

Just like the H300 which we put through its paces on a recent trip to Ethiopia. We couldn’t think of a better occasion to test a new camcorder than an international excursion into the unknown – armed with the H300 to document our every move.

The first thing that users will notice is that it is incredibly easy to start shooting footage. Although the camcorder doesn’t come with a memory card included, it is still very easy to insert and press the record button.

The compact size of the device also allows for it to comfortably sit in almost any size hand, and with an adjustable strap, it just makes things a little better.

The unit features advanced BSI CMOS technology, providing a little bit of extra clarity. It makes use of a 1/4” 5M (1/6.3” 1.75M effective) Pixel BSI CMOS, which is a lot better than traditional CMOS sensors on most other cameras. Footage shot in low-light condition will look brighter, and that is always a plus point.

The one thing that we did notice however, is that the H300 takes a little long to focus on objects. On a number of occasions we started filming while the camera was still searching for the correct focus, which messes up a video slightly. We noticed that it is often better to just zoom out or in a little bit, and then it seems to correct itself. It is by no means a deal breaker, but it is something worth pointing out.

But with that said, it has a rather impressive zoom range. The unit’s 30x Optical Zoom lens will make sure that users get as close to their intended subject as possible. Naturally some form of clarity is lost (or reduced) with the further users zoom in, but it is still pretty impressive for such a small camcorder.

H300’s primary use is obviously capturing video, but it does a pretty good job at recording audio as well. We filmed some traditional dancers in a very rowdy restaurant, and the music came out perfect. Naturally there will be some background interference, but for the purposes of demonstrating the dancers and traditional Ethiopia music, it served its purpose. When there is minimal background noise, the audio is crystal clear.

The device also comes with an OIS Duo feature, which reduces the shaking effect when filming. There is nothing worse than recording a perfect scenario, only to have it ruined by shaky hands and a bouncing image. While the image stabilisation technology will not prevent the footage from resembling an earthquake tremor, it does a fairly decent job of stabilising the small hand movements that go together with normal filming.

The flip-put screen on the right of the camcorder provides users with the ability to physically see what they are recording and give a very good idea of what it will look like on a television screen. The LCD touchscreen measures 3”, and the H300 is also the first entry-level HD camcorder that has one of that size.

Through the screen, different option can be access, such as selecting the shooting mode, scenes and make small adjustments with the white balance. The response time on the screen is rather good, and reacts to any touch.

What also makes the H300 a great camcorder, is that recordings can be paused and resumed at any time during the recording process. This came in rather handy when we were driving down a long road, and just wanted to capture selected scenes. Instead of start and stopping a recording (making two different files), we simply paused the recording.

Shooting in the full HD mode though will fill up a memory card rather quickly, and it is advised to get a fairly large one for recording in that mode. We used an 8GB SDHC card, and managed to squeeze just under an hours’ worth of footage onto it in a single session. (It has to be said that the H303, H304 and H305 all come with built-in memory ranging from 8GB to 32GB).

There was a small issue we had when it came to charging. The battery life is fantastic, but charging the camera is a bit of an oddity. The battery pack can be charged through a normal DC plug or via USB (which is a great function), but the screen has to be opened up in order to reach the plug. The same goes for the accessing the mini HDMI-out and AV ports.

As far as entry-level camcorders go, the H300 is one of the best and most user friendly that we have seen. The unit can also take still camera photos, and while it is not the same quality as a photo camera, it is a great backup.

The H300 is a great alternative to other cameras on the market, and with Samsung’s record of good quality and durable products, users cannot go wrong with it.

Our score 8.5/10

Charlie Fripp – Consumer Tech editor