There may have been rumors of great things from Samsung in the world of HD camcorders, but instead we've been left with a small product line upgrade of their DVD, Mini-DV and flash-based offerings.

However, their SC-X300L (but you may know it as the Sports Camcorder from when it w) is still an interesting camcorder with little/no competition. Its secret weapon is a second lens that connects with a wire. Since its release last year, the camera has been updated, though the specs won't really show it. Still images are "still" under 1MP, which means it's getting spanked by Samsung's own cellphone camera technology. But this short conversation rose my interest:

Me: So why doesn't this thing have nightvision or some sort of extreme lowlight shooting capability?
PR: They've actually talked about it, but just haven't gone with it at this time.

Assuming this wasn't PR appeasing my random questions...which it probably was, Samsung may have their heads in the right place on this one. If the SC-X300L line is to be for the sports/outdoor enthusiast, aside from increasing the resolution a bit/ton, what it needs is full Navy Seals versatility. Record your kids' baseball game during the day, avenge their mother at night. – Mark Wilson

Contact information for this author is not available.