Samson Zoom Q3 Pocket Camcorder Review

Does high quality video meets high quality audio with the Samson Zoom Q3, a pocket camcorder that features two built-in condenser mics and MPEG-4 video at 30 fps? Kevin Pereira and Olivia Munn find out if this camera is worth the $250 price tag.

What You Need To Know

• Our first impression was that the Q3 is huge for a pocket camera.
• It's twice as thick as a Flip Cam and about 1" taller, obviously due to the condenser mic.
• It's easy to you: recording and playback mimics a Flip in terms of layout, which should be familiar to those with pocket cameras.
• The screen is a little bigger at 2.4" but it's deceiving, since the extra space is used for audio monitoring.
• Some of the settings like mic gain are accessible by black plastic tabs on the side.
• The downside is that you can easily move them around when in your pocket.
• Most of the Q3 features revolve around the audio, giving you options to either record with video or simply as a sound recorder.
• There's also a low cut feature that reduces background noise and low frequencies.
• It also includes a 2 gig SD card.
• Audio sounds great; you also have the option of changing your bit rate and choosing between mp3 or PCM formats.
• Video is only 640 x 480 MPEG-4, which is nowhere near the quality of the Flip Mino HD (and sells in the same price range).
• In daylight, the camera was okay but occasionally looked over exposed. In lower light, the footage was a bit dark.

Price

• $250
• If audio is your specialty, then this camera is worth it.
• If you prefer video over audio, then no.
• If you don't mind lower quality video and a larger design, then the Q3 may be perfect.

Rating

• 3 Seals of Approval out of 5. (How do we rate gadgets?)

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