Samsung is no stranger to world firsts with its imaging range, bringing the biggest OLED screens seen to its cameras and upping the optical zoom quota to 15x on other models.
When it comes to camcorders, the company has opted to innovate the way it delivers video content to your TV and computer screens, by using both Wi-Fi and DLNA connectivity.
The HMX-S16, S15 and S10 range have been equipped with this wireless technology and TechRadar was lucky enough to get a hands-on with the HMX-S16 to try out.
Unfortunately the Wi-Fi wasn't working on the camera we tried but Samsung assures us that you will be able to pip whatever masterpiece you have shot to a compatible TV without any compression to mess up the clarity of the picture.
If this is correct, then Samsung may have hit on something big with the HMX-S16, streamlining the sometimes laborious process of setting up a camcorder.
Looks-wise, the HMX-S16 is a little on the plain side. In the hand it didn't resemble a camcorder boasting a world firsts but one look at the specs show that this is something of a Ford Escort brandishing some Porsche-like features.
These include 15x optical zoom (upped to 18x through some hocus pocus) and 1/2.3‑inch rear-illuminated CMOS sensor. Controls come in the form of a 3.5-inch touchscreen. It's not the most responsive we've used by the animated menu more than mad up for this.
The camcorder makes use of a 64GB SSD for memory. While this is plenty of room for your HD footage – the S15 has 32GB and the S10 16GB – the problem with SSD is that it makes the camcorder that little bit too light.
This isn't just an issue with Samsung but all who use SSD for camcorders. When wielding the S16, it felt like more weight was need to pan properly and the sheer lightness of the model meant that keeping your shots still is something of a mare.
Luckily there's a SmartOptical Image Stabiliser on board to stop your image from jumping around.
We really need to try the HMX-S16's Wi-Fi capabilities before we pass too much judgement on the camcorder. For now it's a solid effort from Samsung, which doesn't blow us away on first impressions but is packed with enough technological nous to impress even the most hardened videographer.
The Samsung HMX-S16 is pencilled in for a June UK release, alongside the HMX-S15. The HMX-S!0 is set to arrive in May.
Prices are still to be confirmed but check www.samsungcamera.co.uk for more details.
