If ease of use is your number one priority, then Samsung's SC-HMX20C high-def camcorder ($849.99 list) is ideal. Not only is it simple to operate, but it's also one of the most compact full-featured models we've tested. What's more, you don't even have to install any software to view video on your PC. Sounds like a winner, right? Thing is, you won't get the stellar video quality you'll get from competing Sony and Canon models. The Editors' Choice Sony HDR-SR11 Handycam is a bit more expensive ($1,099 direct) but for that price you up your video quality, screen size, and internal storage—and add an optical viewfinder, too.

With its attractive, well-rounded, capsule-shaped body, the SC-HMX20C looks pretty slick, but its design makes it a bit awkward to hold. The curve of the camera makes one-handed operation tricky; it's difficult to keep a steady grip, since you have to slightly unwrap your fingers to reach key recording controls like start/stop and zoom. Alternatively, you can swivel the right-handed grip backward to a 45-degree angle—but that just makes tapping the main controls on top of the camcorder even more awkward. There's no optical viewfinder, but the 2.7-inch LCD touch screen offers a wide viewing angle and a responsive user interface. The SC-HMX20C duplicates its zoom and recording controls to the left of the display. If you use these controls instead of the ones up top, you may be able to keep a steadier grip with your right hand. Samsung earns points for compactness; the 1.01-pound camcorder measures only 2.60 by 2.65 by 5.47 inches (HWD).

Like Sony's HDR-SR11, the SC-HMX20C features face-detection technology; while you're shooting, a green box tracks faces within the frame. In my test shots, the camera had no trouble quickly identifying and autofocusing on faces. You get a 10X zoom lens, which is standard for the majority of models in this price range, though the aforementioned Sony gives you 12X. Like most camcorders in this price range, this Samsung uses a CMOS sensor with a focal length of 6.3mm to 63mm, with f-stops at f/1.8 and f/2.8. It captures still images of up to 4 megapixels.

According to Samsung, the SC-HMX20C can store 3 hours 10 minutes of video at highest quality (1,920 by 1,080 interlaced at 60 frames per second). For additional storage, there's a slot for MMC+/SD Memory cards (card not included). Like any tapeless camcorder, playback on the Samsung is a dream: You can quickly jump between segments of video with hours between them (like skipping through chapters on a DVD). A tape-based camcorder like the Canon Vixia HV30, on the other hand, forces you to rewind and fast-forward, the same way you'd cue up a VHS tape.

Video recorded by the SC-HMX20C doesn't look bad—not, that is, until you compare it with the Canon and Sony models with the same resolution (1,920 by 1,080i). The overall color tone of video is quite dark and underexposed. When I reviewed indoor video of our X-Rite Color Checker, it was difficult to see the neutral gray and dark boxes; it was very easy to make out all of the boxes on footage taken by the other cameras. Dark images sacrificed details in both indoor and outdoor shots. Footage shot heading down a subway staircase, for example, was extremely dark and showed no detail at all. In the same shot, the Canon and Sony footage picked up shadows and small cracks in the walls. The Canon and Sony models record in AVCHD format, which creates larger files with more video information, while the SC-HMX20C records in the smaller MPEG-4 format.

The SC-HMX20C also has issues with purple fringing in high-contrast areas—a problem it shares with the Canon HV30 and the JVC Everio GZ-HD10. Purple halos outlined buildings against white clouds, and indoors, ceiling lights were outlined in purple. The Sony HDR-SR11 is the only camcorder of this bunch that showed absolutely no fringing.

Recorded audio sounded good, overall. Outdoor conversations came through with little background noise. I recorded and played back a few Red Hot Chili Peppers tracks, and they sounded rich and full. Audiophiles, though, will probably prefer the Sony HD-SR11 or the Panasonic HDC-SD9-8GB, which can record in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. The SC-HMX20C has an analog line-in jack to hook up an external microphone, but it lacks an accessories port, so you don't have many of the interesting accessory options other camcorders offer, such as shotgun, high-fidelity, or wireless clip-on mics.

The MPEG-4 file format is supported by Windows XP, Vista, and Mac OS X, so transfers from the camcorder to your computer are a snap. When you plug the camcorder into a computer, it appears as an external drive from which you can drag and drop video files onto your desktop—just as you would with images from a still digital camera. It's a welcome change from the JVC, Sony, and Canon camcorders we tested, which record in AVCHD—a format not natively supported by XP, Vista, or OS X. As a result, you have to import the video through an editing program like iMovie or Microsoft Movie Maker first. I was able to copy a one-minute test video to my hard drive via USB 2.0 in a speedy 34 seconds.

In case you want to do more editing and management of your videos, Samsung includes Cyberlink Power Director 6, Power Producer 4.2, and PowerDVD 7.3, which isn't bad. JVC's Everio GZ-HD10 bundles the same suite, which lets you edit video and burn and play Blu-ray discs, but it's a generation old and has been replaced by Power Director 7, Power Producer 5, and PowerDVD 8. Even so, they are the only two camcorders we reviewed to include such a complete burning and editing software package.

A remote control and a docking station are included. Since there's no HDMI-out on the camcorder itself, you'll need the docking station if you want to connect to an HDTV via HDMI. You'll want to, because Samsung throws in a nice extra: support for HDMI Consumer Electronic Control (CEC). If you connect the camcorder to an HDTV that supports CEC, the TV takes control of the camcorder, allowing you to control all the camera's functions with the TV's remote. I connected the SC-HMX20C to a CEC-capable Samsung LN52A750 HDTV, and was immediately able to navigate menus, play back video, and even control the power of the TV and camcorder simultaneously with the TV's remote. Sony's HD-SR11 Handycam is the only other camcorder we tested to include HDMI CEC functionality.

As high-def camcorders go, the Samsung SC-HMX20C excels in ease of use and also offers a slick design and a complete software suite. What you won't get, though, is the best image quality on the block. The Sony has a strong hold on that position in this round.

Compare the Samsung SC-HMX20C with all the other camcorders listed above side by side.

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