Why the Samsung HMX-R10 is for consumers only

The Samsung HMX-R10 is an odd but still very interesting camcorder that is designed for consumers.

The way you see it being held in the picture above is exactly the way it was designed to be held. According to Gizmodo, “by mounting the lens at a strange angle, the HMX-R10 lets users to hold the camera at an more natural angle…this means that taking video with the HMX-R10 is roughly akin to throwing your relaxed, slightly outstretched hand toward your subject.”

While I haven’t had hands-on time with this camcorder, I can tell you that the Samsung HMX-R10 is clearly aimed at consumers for many different reasons. Enthusiasts, prosumers, and professionals will not want a camcorder like this becaue of how it has to be handled. First off, if a user is going to be holding a camcorder in the way that is pictured above then you’d better hope that the Image Stabilization is top-notch or that you’ve got an extremely steady hand. Perhaps this is why the camcorder was only given a 5x optical zoom. In photography/videography, you’re taught to hold the camcorder as close into your body as possible to achieve steady shots. Outstretching your hand-held camcorder towards your subject may create even more problems when you zoom in. As opposed to professionals who like getting up close and personal with their subject, consumers like to zoom in–which makes capturing shots even harder to do. That means that they may not always be satisfied with the footage that they come back with.

Samsung camcorders don’t have viewfinders, and this one is no exception. Viewfinders are very important because they allow you to frame your shots better if you’re bringing the camcorder closer in to your body. Professionals and prosumers tend to like viewfinders.

Now, you still can bring this camcorder in close to you and record your video footage while doing that, but how about sound? It will be very hard to mount a shotgun microphone onto a camcorder like this unless you have some sort of complicated rail or arm system. Most consumers don’t attach external microphones, so in this case the camcorder is once again suited better for consumers. The same goes for external lights that may be hooked up to a camcorder. Either way though, I have heard very good things about Samsung’s low light capabilities.

On the other hand, consumers will possibly love this camcorder. It will be available for $550 possibly in April, it shoots 1080p HD video, Samsung camcorders feel great in your hands, the ergonomics will cater to those of us with arthritis in the wrists, Samsung camcorders are light, and they are generally very user friendly. I see this actually being a hit amongst consumers once the summer rolls around.

Once again though: pros, enthusiasts, advanced users and prosumers may want to stay away. Perhaps stick with the more premium quality models that Sony, Panasonic, and Canon make. Those will more than suffice for you.