Decent camcorder for the price.
342921
I just got this baby and am actually kind of pleased with it. The video quality isn't wonderful, but for a "webcam level" DVR I'm not surprised. (I AM surprised that my $200 12MP digital camera takes such lousy video.)

I've noticed some complaints about this camera, and I can assure most of the complainers that the issue is your MEDIA, not the CAMERA. If you are not using a high speed microSD card you will probably have blur in still photos. I noticed this when working at Circuit City in the photo department a couple of years ago. The only cards we were allowed to use in the expensive cameras were cheap Sandisks, and the result was that we sold few of them because the $1300.00 cameras would take blurry photos. Once I convinced the manager to let me replace the Sandisks with a better quality card we started selling more of the high end cameras.

Further, if your camera insists that you configure the card constantly, or your computer doesn't immediately recognize the camera AND CARD when you plug it in, then your CARD is defective. Try it in another piece of electronics.

As for this camera, it works surprisingly well and is idiot simple. There are five buttons on the back: On/Off, Play/Pause, Delete, Web Photo, and a big red Record. Around the record button are the controls for moving forward and back in the video list and FF/REW while playing, and for zooming in and out (digital only, unfortunately) while recording.

There are two video modes: web quality (448X336) and high quality (640x480). Both of them give a decent picture.

Web photo gives a surprisingly clear 1280x960 photo. There is no flash.

It is actually slightly smaller than the still camera I use most often, a Samsung s860.

There is a tripod mounting hole in the base of the camera.

There are a few things I don't care for:

Sound levels are low. There is also no external microphone jack.

Although this review is for the white version, I actually have the black (not available here on Amazon, hence this review). It has a high-gloss finish that holds fingerprints better than CSI equipment.

AVI files produced are enormous.

The packaging said it worked with HCSD cards OR microSD. It only works with microSD, which annoys me because those cards are about three times as expensive as they actually should be. (This is the main reason I give only four stars.) I happen to think EVERYTHING should have an SD card slot (Including the Kindle, Amazon, are you listening?)

Digital zoom only (What'd you expect for $60?)

That last line is actually rather important. This is a $60 camera that gets better quality than the webcam you probably bought for $45, but also allows you to take it with you and functions as a low end digital camera as well as a pocket sized camcorder. It's not for the camera snob or the photography expert. It's for the folks who want to shoot a few quick minutes of film with a limited depth of field. (I plan to use it for ghost hunting and shooting footage of football drills for YouTube.) As long as you understand its role it will perform well for you.
1518369
Four stars for value for money.
Pros:
- Excellent recording quality in daylight.
- Once mounted, stays mounted.
- Worked right out of the box with minimal setup.
- Decent nighttime video quality.
Cons:
- Difficult to operate buttons. I've been unable to activate playback mode in spite of following the manual.
- Permanent mounting, hard to remove.
- Poor video quality in dusk/dawn conditions or when ambient light intensity varies.
Summary:
A cheap dashcam that does the job.
UPDATE: I've had this camera for little over 16 months now, and it's been working flawlessly. It's been operated in temperatures ranging from -15F to +105F, and it starts up every time.
3246656
Very reasonable performance for a low cost camera.
Image is a bit fuzzy. Motion detection is not reliable as it reacts to lighting changes. Recording software is flaky with buffer overflow.
4837543
I've only had this camera for a couple of days now.  So far I am impressed with the video quality.  The built in screen is not all that great for viewing so its best to download the files to a computer or hook up the mini HDMI or AV out to a TV or other monitor.  Its pretty simple to use and I didn't really need any instructions to figure out how to get it up and running.  UI is not very good but its passable.  Only thing I don't like about it so far is the tiny battery thats built in.  Its only 250mah and will only last a few minutes.  I know its meant to be powered for use in vehicle but I would have liked it to last for more than 5~10 minutes without needing to be plugged in.
4436642
Nice cam for the money. It's 1080p widescreen and gives a great picture. Don't be put off by it not being a big name brand. The mic isn't amazing but it works fine. I'd give this a 5 if it had auto focus. Of course I bought it knowing full well that it doesn't have auto focus, because it's a non issue if you're not going to be doing much moving around or changing up the lighting while using it.
1138191
I got this two weeks ago, as a replacement for my previous camcorder (JVC GZ-MG20US). I was also considering Flip mino HD and Kodak Zi6, but I went for this one, for various reasons. The video quality is very satisfactory, but the sound quality is little doubtful (compared to my previous camcorder). As mentioned by others, the image stabilizing is not very good, but it's bearable. The lens has f number 2.3 (brightness; which actually matters when you shoot in indoor), which is pretty decent for this little device. And I got this [...] using a promo code. So, if somebody plans to buy this, try to look for a promotion code online.

pros:
-good video quality
-can buy additional battery and charger (from creative.com)
-files easy to handle (.avi)
-not too expensive (especially when you have promo code)

cons:
-poor sound quality??
-poor image stabilizing (which is bearable..)

notes:
-you might want to buy a pouch for this, or a little bag.
-(you might want to buy a little tripod, because this doesn't stand by itself)
-MAC USERS : you don't need any software, but make sure that you turn this device on before you connect to computer via USB. For some reason, mine freezes if I connect it to computer when it's turned off. To view the recorded HD quality files in MAC OS, you might need to install the free codex "perian"

Considering that I'm gonna be using this for about few years (it's not gonna be forever..), this is a pretty good choice for home use.
803503
After spending several thousand dollars for a top of the line 8mm camcorder a decade ago only for it to become little more than junk today, I decided to buy only the cheapest camcorder that fulfilled my minimum needs.  This Samsung SCD55 was it.  The camera takes great amateur-grade video and is compact and lightweight enough to carry around on my hiking and climbing trips to boot.  It's not as small and light as some other mini-DV models but doesn't cost as much either.  The video lens is so-so and I bought a 0.6X wide-angle adapter for it.  The video image quality is typically single-chip CCD quality with OK low light performance.  My big caveat is that the included lithium battery lasts a marginally useful 20 minutes and the extra-life battery...runs just around 40 minutes - in that department I'm kind of jealous of friends who use the Sony Stamina battery based camcorders.  For extended trips away from AC power to recharge the battery, I would NOT recommend this camera.  Overall it's good value for the money and you won't cry too much a decade from now when it's obsolete.
3132324
Pretty good quality video, but it is a bit lacking. I tried working with some settings but still get just an "OK" picture.

At this price at is a great camera, but I believe I have seen others that work a bit better for the price. Since this camera just babysits my 3d printer I will keep it, and am happy with it.
2488675
This Camcorder works really well for my needs. My only issue with it is, the LED Screen is not as bright as the old sony PD 150, 170 which I had before. Its not as clear in bright daylight situations. Other than this I really like the camera and have using to capture superb quality videos in almost two years now. It has made more money to pay for itself several times over. Vey Happy!!
3642894
We are using this camcorder in our studio's work, and it gives a perfect picture, we have bought several of these camcorders already. two problems - too short life of the battery (less than an hour) and it records voices in not so good quality. However, the sound is still good enough, and also it is possible to use an external microphone. Highly recommend this type of camcorder!
1007322
We bought this JVC GR-D650 as an update to a 1996 Canon ES900 Camcorder.  The JVC is less than half the weight of the Canon and has the flip out LCD viewfinder my wife likes better. Heck, she likes the whole thing a lot better because of the size and weight.  Most of the subjects we've recorded were simple subjects with ample light. Ambient indoor lighting shots have looked a lot better than the Canon. It did have trouble with lighting from a community play; there was excess color saturation around the bright colors and it had limited definition of darker items on stage.  I had 4 opportunities to record the same play and I could not find a setting that helped this condition too much.  That said, for a less than $400 camera, I did not expect perfection.

I'd recommend the camcorder for the average consumer. I'd recommend a higher capacity battery to avoid running out of juice at the wrong time.
3342511
Decent camera for the price. Video does have some lag, but has a decent picture, even on standard def. It does not pan, but you can zoom in on certain areas of the viewing area. Night vision works well, I was actually surprised at the quality. Easy to set up, without directions. App is a bit weird and does not give much instruction on using. I had trouble setting a viewing password, but in the end, figured it out. It is a bit of trial and error, but it does work. I gave it 4 stars as I wish there was a bit more instruction on using the app. Otherwise, it will work great for what I am using it for, just checking on pets.
1714355
This is a decent camera for the price.  It is easy to set up and view remotely, without having to jack with a firewall or any of that.  That being said, there are a few little things that I would like to see with it.  First, the motion seems to work about 75% of the time.  It almost always catches people walking to the door, but I rarely ever see them walk off.  It is good that they have a service you can subscribe to for storing your video data, but I wish that wasn't the only option.  If I had the resources and took the time to set it up, I would like to store my video locally.  Other than those little things, I think it is great.  And is probably great for most people that just want to be able to see the video remotely without having to do a ton of setup.
1634307
It's no GoPro, but of course you're only paying $30 for it. The video quality isn't bad, but there is a lot of distortion when the camera is shaken. I wouldn't recommend it for a mountain bike rider or anything. The battery lasts an hour shooting video on the highest setting. I haven't tried taking pictures or shooting on the low setting so I can't comment as far as battery life for those functions. The accessories are nice - I was surprised with the quality of the waterproof case. It also does not come with an SD card so you'll have to get one yourself.
4955351
The camcorder is very portable and easy to use. We shot video at a conference swim meet and the Elura did very well in those light conditions. So far, my main problem has been the joystick on playback. The other controls are very well designed.
1751636
The camera is kind of cheaply built but it gets the job done. I mean what do you get with a camera is so cheap price wises. Nice pics with a wide angle. It's not as user friendly friendly than with others that I've seen but if you play this camera awhile you will get it.

Update: The camera is still working but i noticed some things while using it. The time it uses the batt is very short. I know that these dash cams normally have don't have a long batt life but it something to think about. Just keep it plugged in. Also I was surprised that I'm having such a hard time reading license plates which is very important if an incident happens. I guess that's one thing to expect with cams in this price range.
I'm replacing this camera for a Dexors x7 pro.
202941
not the best camera out there , i guess for the price it does the job