Samsung SC-D590

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Reviewed by: Rob McGee

Reviewed on 9/23/02    Updated on: 12/2/02    Release date: 8/15/02    Ask most people to name a camcorder manufacturer, and odds are that Samsung won't be the first name on their lips. The company offers a limited number of models targeted at consumers, and the MiniDV SCD590 sits proudly at the top of the line. This appealing, petite camcorder features a 10X zoom lens, a Sony-licensed Memory Stick for still-photo storage, and a few gimmicky-but-cool effects and accessories. The only caveat: we had some mechanical problems with not one but two review units, leaving us to wonder about quality control on Samsung's assembly line.

Design of Samsung SC-D590

Camcorders in the ultracompact category have the twin virtues of (a) fitting into a fanny pack--which makes them friendlier travel companions, and thus arguably better investments, than bulky bargain models--and (b) impressing the heck out of bystanders. Small size has its drawbacks, however; the lack of real estate can lead to some bad decisions when it comes to the size and placement of controls.

Want to check your video discreetly through the viewfinder? You don't have to open the LCD to access the playback controls, since they're located on the back of the camera.

The SCD590, in welcome contrast, turns out to be a notable example of intelligent interface design. Most notably, the camcorder's playback controls are situated on the rear of the camera body right below the Record/Pause button. Many, if not most, camcorder manufacturers tuck these same controls either behind the flip-out LCD or on top of the lens barrel. Neither place is ideal when you're using the eyepiece viewfinder to monitor playback of recorded footage, since you have to shift and rotate the camera body well away from your eye in order to see the labels on the playback buttons. You need only glance down slightly from the eyepiece to see the controls on the SCD590. Another asset: the controls are illuminated with stylish blue backlighting, making it easier to, say, record your daughter's recital in a dark auditorium.

You can dock the included remote control in the battery well--and dock the loose battery in your pocket, presumably.

The onscreen menus are equally well thought out. Navigation involves only two physical controls: the Menu button itself and a vertical jog dial that you press straight in to make a selection. Submenus are well organized, and even the type in the small eyepiece viewfinder is legible. Unlike many camcorders, the design of the various pictographic icons never left us thinking "what is that meant to be--a fire hydrant? A badger?"

Samsung's engineers did make a few odd decisions about the bundled accessories; they're not bad, but they're arguably not the most ingenious. The compact remote, for example, can be docked in the camcorder's battery well when the battery is removed. Ostensibly, Samsung doesn't want you to worry about losing the remote--but now you have the loose battery to worry about!

The hand strap is attached to a bracket that screws into the tripod mount.	You have to partly unscrew the hand-strap bracket to change cassettes.

The neck strap has a convenient quick-release latch.

Then there's the hand strap: instead of attaching directly to the camera, it's permanently attached to a molded plastic bracket, which in turn screws into the tripod mount on the camera's underside. The only problem is that the SC590 has a bottom-loading cassette, so you have to partly unscrew the handgrip's plate in order to change tapes. And of course, if you're using a tripod instead of the hand strap, you'll have to unscrew it completely to get the cassette hatch open.

One smart move: Samsung included a lanyard so that you can carry the camera around your neck. The strap hooks to the camera with a very convenient quick-release latch, so you don't need to take off your hat and tug the neck strap over your head if you want to shoot with the camera at arm's length.

Features of Samsung SC-D590

You can save still images on Memory Stick flash media.

The SCD590 has one digital effect, however, that's not only unusual but just plain nifty. Dubbed the Make-up mode, it's basically a color filter that selectively desaturates all areas of your image except those whose hue more or less matches one of four available key colors. (Remember the little girl's red dress in Schindler's List?) Activate the Yellow filter while shooting a New York street, for example: the camera records the bananas and lemons of the corner fruit market, as well as the endless parade of taxicabs, standing out in their full golden glory against a black-and-white background. We normally don't spend too much time discussing the menu of special effects available on many camcorders; they inevitably seem kind of gimmicky, and anyway, the selection is usually pretty predictable.



Moving on to the more prosaic stuff, the SCD590's key physical specs include a 10X zoom lens, a 2.5-inch LCD monitor, and a hotshoe for mounting an optional external video light or microphone. The camera also lets you store digital still photos (at 640x480 resolution) on a Memory Stick, then transfer them to your computer via USB. One downside: this model lacks the convenience of a built-in flash for shooting stills. However, the optional VL-S1FL unit functions as both a video light and a flash.

The Custom.Q button lets you activate preprogrammed settings with one touch, while the Easy.Q button puts the camera in a fully automatic mode.

Included accessories.

Operational features are typical of camcorders aimed at amateurs, which is to say that you don't get desirable high-end items such as fully manual exposure controls or a focus ring on the lens. Among the features you do get are exposure compensation, adjustable shutter speeds, and switch-activated manual focus. There are also a good number of programmed shooting modes, a customizable setting for one-touch access to whatever shooting variables you've programmed in, and an electronic image stabilizer to compensate for minor shakes and vibration.

Performance of Samsung SC-D590

	Input/output ports.

Since we were taken by the SCD590's design and features, we were doubly disappointed to find a bug once we actually started recording test footage. Periodically, the playback image was marred by mosaiclike digital artifacting that swept back and forth across the screen in a narrow vertical line. After some testing, we confirmed that the problem was indeed with the camcorder and not with our test tapes. (Although we were unable to confirm with Samsung, we suspect that the digital distortion may have been caused by variations in tape speed stemming from a defective motor.)

At any rate, we soon obtained a replacement test unit--in this case, one that we knew to be brand-new--and were pleased to see that our test footage came out pristine and free of those annoying blocky artifacts. But then second unit began exhibiting some quirky behavior of its own: three times during an afternoon of testing, controls (including the eject button) suddenly stopped responding, and a little blinking R appeared in the viewfinder. The problem was corrected easily enough by powering the unit on and off, but this glitch, combined with the problem with the first sample unit, left us with nagging doubts about the reliability of the SCD590.

These issues aside, the SCD590 did well in our standard performance checklist. The zoom toggle was neither too stiff nor too fast, making it easy to vary zoom speed without the considerable practice some models require. In most lighting conditions, the autofocus responded quickly and accurately, without reacting so fast that it ended up going in and out of focus in the confusion of a crowd scene, for example.

We found the zoom toggle easy to operate smoothly.	Despite its small size, the lithium-ion battery has an adequately long life.

The foldout LCD measures 2.5 inches diagonally--typical for an ultracompact camcorder, though if your eyes aren't what they used to be, you may find you're doing a lot of squinting. The LCD's above-average resolution compensates somewhat for its small size; there are no distracting lines visible between pixels, and even such fine details as the lettering on signs can be made out clearly.

Finally, battery life seemed to be comparable with that of similarly sized camcorders. We managed to get in a full afternoon of sightseeing on a single charge.

Image quality of Samsung SC-D590

Indoors, we were able to get excellent-looking results in typical living-room levels of illumination, and even in lower light, footage was relatively noise free even though colors suffered.

The Make-up mode effect lets you shoot monochrome footage with one of four key colors highlighted. We used the red setting for this shot.

With the automatic white balance setting, footage shot with tungsten lighting ended up looking a little green. We recommend tinkering with the white balance settings indoors.

As with many DV camcorders we've tested, we saw the best results when shooting under diffuse or indirect sunlight--the kind you get on a slightly overcast day or on the shaded side of a building. In the full-blown glare of the afternoon sun, the camera's autoexposure system tended to leave lighter colors bleached out, and we had a hard time getting pleasing, natural results with the white balance. In close-up shots outdoors, we sometimes got better results using the Indoor white-balance setting. That's not a particularly unusual problem, though, and with most camcorders, it's well worth your time to experiment with white balance and exposure settings. On the other hand, fiddling with the SCD590's white-balance presets worked pretty well to counter the excessive blueness that often appears when you're shooting near a sunny window.

The SCD590 offers a zero-lux mode that allows you to stealthily record footage in total darkness. Not to be confused with a slow-shutter "night" mode, this feature uses an infrared emitter and captures footage in a ghostly greenish monochrome. If this feature appeals to you, be aware that it's available on quite a few camcorders, most notably Sony models.

The SCD590 turned in an average low-light performance for its class.	You can give the camera a brighter view in the dark by activating its zero-lux mode, but be prepared for the snowy-looking infrared footage that results.

Overall, picture quality was on a par with that of most midrange consumer DV camcorders. There was nothing major to complain about, nor anything that particularly blew us away.

Basic Specs

Product Specifications:
Product Description: Samsung SCD 590 - Camcorder - Mini DV
Product Type: Camcorder
Dimensions (WxDxH): 1.8 in x 3.7 in x 3.7 in
Color: Metallic silver
Localization: English
Webcam Capability: Yes
Flash Memory: 1 x 8 MB
Shooting Modes: Frame movie mode , Digital photo mode
Focal Length: 2.7 mm - 27 mm
Microphone: Microphone - Built-in - Electret condenser - Stereo
Viewfinder: LCD - 0.44 in - Color
Display: LCD display - TFT active matrix - 2.5 in - Color
Supported Battery: 1 x Li-ion rechargeable battery ( Included )
Product Basic Spec:
Video input type: Camcorder
Digital Zoom: 400 x
Optical Zoom: 10 x
Optical sensor size: 1/6"
Optical sensor type: CCD
Min illumination: 0 lux
Image Stabilizer: Electronic
Camera Flash: None
Lens Aperture: F/1.4-1.8
Focus Adjustment: Manual , Automatic
Media Type: Mini DV
Image storage: Fine JPEG 640 x 480 : 120 , Super-fine JPEG 640 x 480 : 60 , Standard JPEG 640 x 480 : 240
Flash memory: 1 x 8 MB - Memory Stick
Display type: 2.5 in LCD display
Display resolution: 211,000 pixels
Audio input type: Microphone
Microphone operation mode: Stereo
Connections: 1 x IEEE 1394 (FireWire/i.LINK) , 1 x USB , 1 x Composite video/audio (input/output) , 1 x S-Video output , 1 x Headphones , 1 x Microphone , 1 x DC power input
Expansion slots: 1 Memory Stick
Battery type: 1 x Camcorder battery - Rechargeable - Lithium ion
Mfr estimated battery life: 90 min
Weight: 0.9 lbs
Manufacturer Warranty: 1 year warranty