Review: Samsung DuoCam SCD5000
By James Kim - Posted Aug 21, 2003
The retro-styled Samsung DuoCam SCD5000 first caught our eye at CES 2003. This MiniDV camcorder has an additional lens and CCD that gives it functionality as a 4.13-megapixel digital still camera.
The SCD5000 is a legitimate choice for anyone who wants to avoid buying a separate camcorder and still camera. However, as we'll demonstrate on today's show, if you value great image quality in either your video or still images, you're better off taking the $1,300 you'd spend on the SCD5000 and buying separate cameras.
Strange yet appealing
The SCD5000 isn't as clunky as you might expect. The well-constructed camera has a rear-mounted 2-inch color LCD and a unique rotating barrel that houses two separate optical systems.
Split personality
Most camcorders capture stills using the existing lens and CCD -- not the ideal method for quality photography. The SCD5000 uses an entirely different optical system, has its own pop-up flash, and comes with the usual set of digital camera features such as macro mode, white balance, and manual focus.
A simple swivel of the lens turns the SCD5000 into a dedicated digital camera complete with its own set of buttons. It takes about seven seconds for the camera to switch between shooting video and capturing photos onto a 16MB memory stick. The SCD5000 can also capture MPEG4 (ASF) movies onto a memory stick at a maximum resolution of 320x240 pixels.
Easy to use and figure out, the DuoCam comes in handy at birthday parties, weddings, special moments with your newborn baby, or any other time you want to both take photos and record videos. I've seen better LCDs on other cameras and the onscreen menu feels dated, but the camera scores big from the usability and convenience perspectives.
Direct to video
The SCD5000 gets average marks for video quality. Crisp but with slightly washed colors and especially mediocre in low light (without the NitePix feature), the video quality reminds me of what you'd get from a low-end $600 Canon.
Shutter speed can be adjusted to 1/30, 1/15, and 1/8 of a second by pressing a button on the barrel. This gives the video a cool filmic or trailing effect.
Like many other camcorders, the Samsung has an infrared NitePix (and PowerNitePix) feature for night shooting; decent electronic image stabilization; digital effects such as sepia, art, and mosaic; and a FireWire port for video transfer.
Still life
In theory, a digital camera boasting 4.13 megapixels should impress anyone. Indeed, the SCD5000's still photos were among the best I've seen -- from a camcorder.
Compared to a dedicated still camera such as Canon's 4-megapixel G3, the SCD5000's images are a bit washed out, lacking natural color saturation and losing details in darker areas. The top JPEG resolution of 2272x1704 isn't bad, but printed images remind me of those that come from a lesser camera.
The SCD5000 is burdened by an annoying delay between the pressing of the shutter button and the capturing of a photo. On a positive note, the shots I took in macro mode were sharp and better balanced.
Parts as good as the sum?
A great combination camera is considered digital imaging's Holy Grail. While the SCD5000 represents the wave of the future, the resulting photos are less than spectacular. Buy it if you want a good hybrid that's fun to use. But if good is not good enough, you're better off buying a $700 camcorder along with a $600 digital camera.
Pros: Two-in-one design; best photos from camcorder I've seen
Cons: Average video quality; photos don't compare with $500 digital cameras; expensive (can buy a good camcorder and 4-megapixel digital camera for less than $1,300)
Company: Samsung
Price: $1,300
Category: Digital imaging
Platform: Windows and Mac
Ships with: AC power adapter, AC cord, lithium-ion battery pack, remote control, AV cable, USB cable, shoulder strap, software CD, 16MB memory stick, tripod adapter
The SCD5000 is a legitimate choice for anyone who wants to avoid buying a separate camcorder and still camera. However, as we'll demonstrate on today's show, if you value great image quality in either your video or still images, you're better off taking the $1,300 you'd spend on the SCD5000 and buying separate cameras.
Strange yet appealing
The SCD5000 isn't as clunky as you might expect. The well-constructed camera has a rear-mounted 2-inch color LCD and a unique rotating barrel that houses two separate optical systems.
- A 10X optical/800X digital zoom lens paired with a 680K pixel video CCD for video recording
- A 3X optical lens paired with a 4.13-megapixel photo CCD for capturing still images
Split personality
Most camcorders capture stills using the existing lens and CCD -- not the ideal method for quality photography. The SCD5000 uses an entirely different optical system, has its own pop-up flash, and comes with the usual set of digital camera features such as macro mode, white balance, and manual focus.
A simple swivel of the lens turns the SCD5000 into a dedicated digital camera complete with its own set of buttons. It takes about seven seconds for the camera to switch between shooting video and capturing photos onto a 16MB memory stick. The SCD5000 can also capture MPEG4 (ASF) movies onto a memory stick at a maximum resolution of 320x240 pixels.
Easy to use and figure out, the DuoCam comes in handy at birthday parties, weddings, special moments with your newborn baby, or any other time you want to both take photos and record videos. I've seen better LCDs on other cameras and the onscreen menu feels dated, but the camera scores big from the usability and convenience perspectives.
Direct to video
The SCD5000 gets average marks for video quality. Crisp but with slightly washed colors and especially mediocre in low light (without the NitePix feature), the video quality reminds me of what you'd get from a low-end $600 Canon.
Shutter speed can be adjusted to 1/30, 1/15, and 1/8 of a second by pressing a button on the barrel. This gives the video a cool filmic or trailing effect.
Like many other camcorders, the Samsung has an infrared NitePix (and PowerNitePix) feature for night shooting; decent electronic image stabilization; digital effects such as sepia, art, and mosaic; and a FireWire port for video transfer.
Still life
In theory, a digital camera boasting 4.13 megapixels should impress anyone. Indeed, the SCD5000's still photos were among the best I've seen -- from a camcorder.
Compared to a dedicated still camera such as Canon's 4-megapixel G3, the SCD5000's images are a bit washed out, lacking natural color saturation and losing details in darker areas. The top JPEG resolution of 2272x1704 isn't bad, but printed images remind me of those that come from a lesser camera.
The SCD5000 is burdened by an annoying delay between the pressing of the shutter button and the capturing of a photo. On a positive note, the shots I took in macro mode were sharp and better balanced.
Parts as good as the sum?
A great combination camera is considered digital imaging's Holy Grail. While the SCD5000 represents the wave of the future, the resulting photos are less than spectacular. Buy it if you want a good hybrid that's fun to use. But if good is not good enough, you're better off buying a $700 camcorder along with a $600 digital camera.
Pros: Two-in-one design; best photos from camcorder I've seen
Cons: Average video quality; photos don't compare with $500 digital cameras; expensive (can buy a good camcorder and 4-megapixel digital camera for less than $1,300)
Company: Samsung
Price: $1,300
Category: Digital imaging
Platform: Windows and Mac
Ships with: AC power adapter, AC cord, lithium-ion battery pack, remote control, AV cable, USB cable, shoulder strap, software CD, 16MB memory stick, tripod adapter
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