Samsung W200 Full HD Waterproof Pocket Camcorder (5MP, 2.3 inch LCD) - Black/Red

Only owned a short time, so here are a few interim observations.

Good Points:
- Cheap (relatively)
- Takes good video in daylight outside conditions.Pretty clear sharp video with nice colour. (Haven't bothered with stills so can't comment on them.)Low light inside is a bit grainy, but most other similiar camcorders seems comparable on hat score.
- Simple to set up and use. Imports video files without any dramas to Win 7 (64bit) which are then easy to edit together into wmv files using the Win 7 Live moviemaker app that comes with Win 7.
- Seems to work fine in the rain, but haven't submerged it yet to test water-proofness.

Not So Good Points:
- Battery life seems to run down a bit faster than stated, but time will tell on that one.
- More annoying - Some condensation appeared for a while behind the plastic lens cover which protects the lens and also behind the clear plastic which protects the LCD panel. This occured when out filming and the temperature dropped when the unit was first being used. The unit hasn't been submerged in water yet so I reckon this due to some pre-existing moisture inside the device when manufactured which condensated on the cool inside of the case. When the unit was left switched on for a few minutes and filming took place, which warmed it up the condensate disappeared OK. I see on a review of the Titanium coloured W200 a fellow reviewer had a similiar issue, so I am not going to return it at this time. Will just be careful not to let the device get too cold before it is fired up.

Conclusion:
I like this little cam-corder and so long as I don't get further condensation problems it will be happy with it.

This camcorder is a fantastic product... Like all samsung products everything used to make the camera is made entirely by Samsung, none of there products, save for software in their computers is made out of house.
For me personally the main reason for purchasing this particular camera was for it's proclivity to out-door activity and action filming; which one as to say this is perfect for. It has full 1080p HD, but it can be reduced to 720 if needs be. It is the only mini-camcorder on the market to have a pause-record button whilst filming video so you dont have to end up with seperate files of the same film, which is of course is an added bonus when it comes to editing ones film... If you are going to purchase this item you need to question why this model? This model is fully water-proof, which means you can dive and swim with it... It can be dropped from a height without causing any inner destruction. But if one is buying simply to use indoors or as a party camera then there are cheaper more practical cameras available. However, if you want an allrounder, that is best in it's feild for outdoor activity and action filming, then you could do no better than to purchase this high-end mini-camcorder... 5 star.

When I first opened the box, I was a bit disappointed in the size of the camera. I thought it'd be a bit smaller :/
Then I tested it right away indoors...after a couple of hours charging of course. To my surprise, video quality wasn't as good as I expected. I was really disappointed...but I thought this was due to recording in artificial light.

The camera records in 1080 and 720 resolution videos at 25/progressive scan. I have no idea what that means but I was expecting a 30fps and it turned out it wasn't :/

so I started tinkering with the setting in hope that it'll change my first impression...tried the stabilization feature and it worked well...tried multiple resolution settings and plugged it in my laptop and it looked OK...then I submerged it the wash bin while recording and it survived. So I was getting a bit happier with the purchase.

The next morning, I went to record outdoors in good sunlight and the results actually came out great! I'd say it was a lot better than the indoor recordings...
I think I've finally found the camera's forte, which is natural sunlight...not artificial light. I'm pretty happy with how the outdoors videos came out. I guess it goes with the product image which was for outdoor activity kind of use. and of course the waterproof bit was one of the main reason in me choosing this. Though I haven't had a change to use the underwater mode, it was the first time I've ever dipped any electronics into water purposely, and I must say it felt pretty good :D

So if you were wondering what does this camera have over the competition like the Kodak playsport or the Toshiba camileo? ......I don't know really :/
but to me, this W200 looks a lot better than the fugly lookin playsport even though on paper, the playsport takes the cake. But the playsport's buttons placement just puts me off :/ The Camileo would've been my 2nd choice. why? no hideous button placement.

so...overall quality wise, I'd give it 3 stars...solid feel, useful features (image stabilization, underwater mode), good performance, good results
and 1 bonus star for being waterproof and having better looks than the competition

one more thing, just don't expect similar results to an SLR full HD camcorder with this one and you won't be disappointed. At that price, I'd say it's a good "throw around camera" that you can literally throw around