Review: Samsung VP-DC161W digital camcorder

The only other DVD-based camcorder to make it into our sub-£300 group test is the Samsung VP-DC161W, and it’s quite a different beast to the Canon DC100.

The main distinction is that the VP-DC161W supports a much wider range of blank DVD disc types – including DVD+R, a particularly significant addition because it provides double the storage space of standard discs (2.6GB). It’s possible to record nearly 40 minutes of footage to each disc in ‘best’ quality mode rather than the paltry 20 or so minutes on 1.4GB single-layer discs, putting the format more on a par with miniDV (60minutes) in terms of capacity.

The downside of this is that dual-layer 8cm discs are more expensive (at about £3 to £4 each) and a little harder to find. The camcorder’s ability to read and write to many different disc types also generates a problem of its own.

Certain functions are only available on specific formats, while some disc types need to be treated differently to others. It’s quite hard to remember how different discs work, although a table is provided in the instruction manual.

The VP-DC161W also comes with a lot of built-in editing and disc management features. These are welcome, since the lack of Firewire or USB connection makes transfer to a PC for editing somewhat awkward (see the Canon DC100 review). In-camera editing is a bit fiddly, despite the device’s user-friendly five-way joystick control.

With a smart, sturdy design and useful extras (such as a socket for an external microphone), the VP-DC161W is bound to appeal to gadget fans, but simplicity and better picture quality can be found elsewhere.

This article is part of a group test of budget digital camcorders. Others are:
Canon DC100
Canon MV930
JVC GR-D340
Panasonic NV-GS37
Sony Handycam DCR-HC35
Table of features can be read via our pdf download.