Samsung SC-D372

It's easy to assume that all budget camcorders look alike. They're all small, inexpensive miniDV devices with 25x to 35x zoom lenses, sub-megapixel sensors, and very few bells and whistles. Because of this, you might be tempted to assume that they're all the same. Unfortunately, that isn't the case. Under every cookie-cutter camcorder are countless variables that separate the good budget models from the bad ones. The Samsung D372, unfortunately, is one of the latter.

Even for a budget miniDV camcorder, the D372 feels very small and light. It weighs just under 15 ounces, even with battery and tape, and at fewer than 5 inches long and just over 2 inches wide, it can be carried around almost anywhere. A standard 0.68-megapixel CCD and 34x optical zoom fits within its small, light frame.

A mere five buttons, including an extremely awkward-to-press Menu button, let you navigate the D327's various settings. Q.Menu, OK, and telephoto/wide-angle buttons sit on the left side of the camcorder's 2.5-inch 16:9 flip-out LCD. You use the telephoto and wide-angle buttons to browse the camcorder's different menus, and hit the OK and Q.Menu buttons to backtrack or confirm your choices. This minimalist interface feels even more awkward than it sounds, reminding me of trying to change a television's settings without a remote control. There simply aren't enough buttons for it to work very well. Besides these controls, a set of rewind, fast forward, stop, and playback buttons sit on the camera's body next to an Easy Q switch that activates the camcorder's automatic, image-stabilized video mode.