Samsung's New Flash Camcorders

Samsung will have a pair of new standard definition digital camcorders shipping in July. The SMX-C14 and SMX-C10 are both flash memory-based camcorders so they’re light and compact. The C14 packs 16GB of internal memory plus an SDHC card slot. The C10 records only to SDHC cards.

Here’s the top-line specs:

• 10x optical zoom lens
• 2.7-inch swivel LCD
• Built-in “intelli-studio” software for editing and uploading videos to the web
• One-touch YouTube upload button when connected to a PC.
• Time lapse recording mode

What makes these camcorders unique is a feature Samsung dubs the "active angle lens." Rather than having to hold the camcorder up to your face to film, the lens is angled skyward, so you can hold the camcorder below your face to get the shot. If you're used to traditional camcorders, this can take a bit getting used to. But it does ease the strain (such as it is) of holding your camcorder during filming.