Do you all think that this is worth the wait or will/is the Sony HDRSR11 better? I have a Sammy 1080p 81 series TV and need a camera for my high school athletes. Thanks in advance.

I don't care for the design much at all. I think a more fair comparison would be with the HF10/100.

That said, I bought an SR11 because I needed a camcorder NOW for a trip in 10 days and the HF wouldn't be available, and the SR11 is no slouch either :)

I don't care for the design much at all. I think a more fair comparison would be with the HF10/100.

That said, I bought an SR11 because I needed a camcorder NOW for a trip in 10 days and the HF wouldn't be available, and the SR11 is no slouch either :)

thanks for the quick reply. Do you think there will be a big difference between the sony 1080i and the samsung 1080p video capabilities? Especially, when I am filming sports such as track (sprinting) and football?

I have some serious doubts that they are pulling off 1080p internally. I am a newb when it comes to this stuff, but I'd almost feel a lil hesitant jumping on Samsung when it doesn't appear to offer that much outside of the infamous 1080p, less on flash.

What's your timeframe for purchase, and I'm hoping you have a fast computer (dual or quad core) to do editing on!

Dual, but i am not really worried about editing. Does the sony have easy software though. If you dont mind me asking where did you buy...did you get a good deal? Sooner rather than later becasue Track is in full swing right now.

The Samsung has a new sensor 1/1.8 and were all waiting for the reviews.

http://displayblog.wordpress.com/2007/02/19/sony-imx017cqe-118-cmos-sensor-with-60fps-output/

It's a big wild card in the camcorder sweepstakes and one of the reasons I'm waiting.

Thanks Eric. I cannot go onto your link because my business has it blocked. What does do "new sensor 1/1.8". Sorry in advance because I am new.

Thanks Eric. I cannot go onto your link because my business has it blocked. What does do "new sensor 1/1.8". Sorry in advance because I am new.

Here is the text from the webpage:

"Sony’s IMX017CQE is a high-speed image sensor that is only 1/1.8″ in size and outputs an amazing 60fps with a 6.4 megapixel format. 6.4 megapixels at 60fps equals to 384 megapixels per second! What does this mean? With this single chip, not only can you take 6.4 megapixel images, which would be good enough for all but the professional-level photographers, you can also take really high-definition video. Imagine a small digital camera that takes HD video better than most video camcorders much bigger and more costly. My curiousity is in how the sensor is able to manage heat. With 60fps the chip will be generating quite a bit of heat. And heat is a bad thing that causes all sorts of image/video quality problems. I hope this sensor is for real because I can finally look forward to a single image/video capturing device with really great quality."

And

"The SC-HMX20C records 1920x1080 high definition or 720x480 standard definition video to an internal flash memory or to an optional SDHC/MMC+ memory card. At the highest resolution — super fine, 12 Mbps, H.264 — it will record 90 minutes of video to its 8GB internal memory. At its lowest, 6 Mbps resolution, 180 minutes of video may be recorded internally. The SC-HMX20C uses a 6.4 megapixel, 1/1.8" CMOS image sensor to produce video and up to 8 megapixel (interpolated) still images. It will shoot 2 megapixel stills while simultaneously shooting video -- basically a frame grab of the 1920x1080 video stream. A high sensitivity Color Nite Mode boosts the sensor's ISO rating to 3200, thus permitting video to be taken at 1 lux, a feature widely requested by consumers. Another feature widely requested is the ability to record at a fast frame rate — called "over-cranking" in the film industry — to produce slow motion. Although other manufacturers offer 240 FPS slow motion for 3 seconds in their consumer cams, Samsung has upped the ante by incorporating 10 seconds of slow motion at 300 FPS. The slow motion video is recorded at standard definition resolution. Samsung incorporates electronic image stabilization (EIS) to help reduce image blur due to hand shake."

If the new Sony sensor(1/1.8) is that great, why isn't Sony using it? Are they putting it in the CX9???

12Mbps is pretty low and were unsure of the codec(what flavor of .264?), 90min. on a 8gig card is probably not great quality.

I would stick with the HF10/100.

Austin Meyers has some really nice comparison footage! HG10 versus the HV20 versus the HF10

I think the HF10 has less noise then the HV20 amazing!

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=115295

wow 12mpbs is even lower then the HG10! SR11 gets 16 or 17 I believe.

wow 12mpbs is even lower then the HG10! SR11 gets 16 or 17 I believe.

well maybe 12Mbps is all they need!? :D Until we know the codec(AVC,DV,Mpeg4/2,HDV,ect..)

SR11 is 16Mbps and that should be plenty!:p

SR13 will be 20Mbps and blow your SR11 away...:) but thats next year! Start saving!

so...should I wait fro the samsung or get the sony? :confused::confused:

If the HMX20 uses mpeg4 like the HMX10 did, go for the Sony. I had the 10 for 2 days before I realized that there are no consumer level editors that work in mpeg4. I exchanged it and got the Sony SR5 back in January, and have been very happy with it.

Roland, how easy is the editing software that comes with the sony

so...should I wait fro the samsung or get the sony? :confused::confused:

Sony will probably be the better option. SR11/12 are fantastic camcorders and I doubt Samsung SC-HMX20C will match them. 12Mbps is a red flag that the camcorder is lowend HD line.

I wouldn't expect the Samsung until May...so if you can wait 2 months?

Here are the specs for the samsung

http://www.samsungcamerausa.com/pma2008/download/SC-HMX20%20spec.ppt#256,1,SC-HMX20 imagine capturing the right moment

Roland, how easy is the editing software that comes with the sony

I use Mac, so the Sony software isn't an option. I use Final Cut Express.

Still no price!?

They may have an agreement with Sony....Sony may be using the same chip in the CX8/9(CX7 successor) and Samsung may have to wait for Sony.......or the engineers are still working out the bugs?......

I expect a 699-799$ pricetag.

really, i thought it would be more expensive because it is 1080p?

lokks like i will buy the Sony HDRSR11????

If the HMX20 uses mpeg4 like the HMX10 did, go for the Sony. I had the 10 for 2 days before I realized that there are no consumer level editors that work in mpeg4. I exchanged it and got the Sony SR5 back in January, and have been very happy with it.

I have no problem editing these files in iMovie or Final Cut
these files are very friendly with OSX 10.5
(except if you record in 1080i/60i), we shoot in 1080p/30p

have not attempted working with these files in Parallels environment

I picked this camera up the other day
it's very easy to use and has a nice clean picture even in SD

the MAIN reason why it got the wife's approval : the .mp4 file
if you have an Intel Core 2 Duo machine with say 2gb RAM you are watching in QuickTime and editing these files within seconds of slaping your SDHC/MMC card in a reader
we experienced no transcoding into iMovie or Final Cut Express 4

---- we still have .mts files from an earlier Panasonic experiment that we can do little with, except watch them on a Ps3 ...... KUDOS to Samsung for this .mp4 'wrapper' .....

the QuickMenu offers Resolution / Storage / WB/ Shutter / Focus/ EXPOSURE manual controls on-screen and in record ...... you can go from a 1080p/30p mode to a 480p/60p mode or the 300fps Slo-Mo mode in a matter of seconds without having to dive through a nest of menu stacks

you've probably heard already how simple and intuitive the controls are .... they are well though out and well implemted ... I'd like to re-sort them a bit, but they're all pretty easy to access via the touchscreen
just for clarification, there are 2 menus. the Quick Menu (which is activated by a button located on the LCD flip, and the Main Menu which is accessed by an icon on the touchscreen

The images both video and still are sharp and colorful. If you missed some shots while in Video , you just press a PHOTO button and capture a scene from the video stream at 8mp ... I took some shots of my daughter before her Dance Recital and the pictures look better than out 10mp point and shoot


I really could go on and on and fully review this thin from top to bottom, maybe another day . but I will say this :
THIS CAMCORDER IS WORTH IT FOR THE .mp4
that is , if you want to instantly view what you shot and begin editing within minutes instead of waiting for it to transcode

Engadget has a review of the Samsung up. There are several clips at full 1080p resolution posted at the bottom of the page. Looks very impressive...

http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/06/17/samsung-sc-hmx20c-hd-camcorder-review/

The camera is on sale at Circuit City and there is also a 10% coupon that can be applied as well.