I just got this camera for Christmas. I'm very happy with it.
Great features and a perfect mini size.
Amazing nightvision, and light!
Perfect for anyone!

I haven't played around with this camcorder long enough to write a full review, but I'm happy to report that, despite the fact that it's unlisted on Apple's compatible camcorders list, I have tested it fully with iMovie, and it downloads data to and from the camcorder perfectly. Early problems with the SCD23 and downloading data from iMovie to the camcorder apparently have been fixed in one of the iMovie updates.

I bought this camera last year for Christmas. My husband and I wanted a small camcorder with digital photo option and this little camera fit the bill (including the price)! It takes great video and has a nice quality LCD screen viewfinder. It does get a bit dark and "grainy" looking in low light--the built in flashlight helps to an extent, but not really.
The instructional book that came with the camera does not tell you what memory stick to buy. I assumed (knowing very little about digital cameras) that they were all the same sizes...much to my dismay they are not. I went back to search the instructional book to find out what I needed to buy, and it doesn't specifically say. I just took my camera to the store and the clerk helped me find the memory stick that fit my camera.
All in all this is a great camera for the price I paid. I didn't want to spend too much money and mine was a little less than $300.
I haven't tried printing any digital pictures on my PC yet. I'm not very computer literate, so I know I'll need help before I attempt this.

Very nice camcorder, good value!

Couple of complaints. The controller for changing modes is somewhat annoying. You have to press on the green button and hold on while moving up or down with no grip... Not that quick of a change...Plus the zoom is located at the top which will give you a sore finger from holding on to so long. And another complaint is that, you must leave the lcd on while uploading the movies to your computer which wastes battery really quick.


Everything else is nice....features are great. Works average in darkness, but I don't mind. Only firewire connection, the usb is for pictures. Video and sound quality are great during normal use. Wind cut is really useful... Video effects are useless, but nice.

Very nice camcorder for that price...

First off, the only problem I am having with this camera is the viewfinder (just in case you dont know what a viewfinder is ((or is too me)) its the lens that you look into to see what you are recording or photographing- you know the old fashion way). At times all i see is scrambling lines. This problem is corrected by simply adjusting the viewfinder either up or down. I have found out that even though my viewfinder is screwed up, it still is recording just fine- even if i cant see what i am recording (basically, I am recording even though at times I cant see what i am recording). Please note, most people dont use the viewfinder. Most people use the flip-out LCD screen. I like to use the viewfinder because it saves on the battery life. I had a sony camera before this one and I learned that using the Viewfinder saves on battery life. Aside from this problem I have to say that this camcorder is a great deal for the money. I never did any video editing before this camera and with the help of my HP laptop, I have already made two movies. I have gotten some great laughs and people are talking about how I should submit them to a independent movie site or whatever-NO LIE!. NOw I am not trying to say that I agree or believe them, what I am basically saying is that it I have a new hobby that I never thought I would have and this YES THIS camera has allowed me to do so. I have become alot more familiar with camcorders because of this one. This is an excellent starting camera. It is great for all the common stuff like birthdays, grads, etc. I am so glad I bought this one even though of my problem. I have had it since Nov 2003. I have never used the still photo option because I am sure it has to suck because of the photo resolution- but keep in mind, 1. I have a 6.0 res camera for that and 2. THis sucks in all camcorders with this feature. No camcorder under a thousand dollars will give good photo resolution. So, to sum it all - This is the best deal for the money of all camcorders in this price range (250.00 to 350.00). I am having alot of fun with it and I wish I didnt have that one little problem.

NOTE: IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN DOING VIDEO EDITING, YOU MUST BUY A FIREWIRE CABLE (IT DOES NOT COME WITH ONE, I BOUGHT ONE WITH A FIREWIRE CARD FOR MY LAPTOP FOR 30.00), HAVE A COMPUTER WITH A FIREWIRE OUTLET (AGAIN, I GOT THE WIRE AND CARD FOR 30.00- ON A DESKTOP HOWEVER, i DONT KNOW HOW MUCH ), YOU MUST HAVE A DECENT SYSTEM- 40 GIGS 512 RAM ETC.

After owning this camcorder for only 14 mos. with less than 5 hrs. useage, the CCD element failed rendering it useless. Samsung customer support would only direct me to a local repair shop. With only a 1 yr. factory warranty ( mine was expired by 2 mos.), it cost me a whopping $197.85 to have it repaired making it a low cost camcorder with a very high price. Samsung doesn't seem to care as they don't stand behind their product.

I love this camcorder the first week I had it. Then a couple weeks later, I tried to playback tapes I had recorded. Two of them were all broken up and you couldn't even watch them. It wasn't the whole tape either, just parts here and there, including my kids during our Florida vacation. So then I was scared to use it because I didn't want the footage to be messed up. Now, the other day, I wen't to use it and all I get are black and white lines across the screen. I can still playback tapes, but I can't record. I have only had the camcorder 20 months and I didn't use it for a lot of that time. It is very dissappointing.

I bought this model and had it for a little more than a year. It worked wonderfully but then 1 day out of the blue the LCD or eye piece would not work when i wanted to record something. The playback worked fine but when I wanted to shoot something it went all black. I did some research and the problem was with the a sensor chip being bad. This is a known issue to happen (based on all the people I read having this issue on the internet). In any case it will cost me $288 to replace and repair the camera. If I had bought the extended warranty it would not costed me anything. I am contemplating on just buying a different make and model from another manufacturer.
It's like a car do you really want to spend the money on a rebuilt engine or transmission. There's always that risk it can break again.

I've had scd minidv camcorder for 2 years and maybe used it a dozen times. One day I went to use it and it would not record. Anyhow, the lense broke (and no it was not droped or abused in any way).Samsung wants me to ship it to them with $150. A local repair shop charged $68 to look at it and declare the ccd or cdc (shutter) is broken and will cost $274 to replace. This is a huge disapointment and seems to be a pretty common issue with this model. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone.

I bought one of these new and enjoyed all the features on it and I found the shutter speed going down to 1/30, 1/15/ and 1/8 to be really nice. At any rate a few months and I was not able to playback or record, took it in and was told the ccd was bad. I bought another off ebay, right out of the box, it did not work at all, so I sent it back and got another one off Ebay. Guess what? Another Lemon!!! Could have been a great camcorder is the story of this model. I think they tried to put too much punch into this camcorder and without the right budget. Save your money, these are LEMONS! Buying 3 makes me an idiot!!

When I first got this as a gift from my father-in-law I was very
pleased. Lots of cool features, easy to use, etc etc etc. But one
day after probably 20 hours of use, the thing would no longer
record video. It records sound and plays back ok, but no recording
video. I've researched the web and this sounds like it's
very common with this model. Samsung may get a class action lawsuit
if they don't replace these faulty ccd's for free. This experience
has made me decide to avoid samsung products in the future.

The very first video taken was my wedding (the camera was a gift) and the image is distorted. It takes great footage if it's on a tripod and not moved at all, but any time you move the camera at all the picture is all broken up in pieces. It looks great while recording and it isn't until playback that you realize it's awful. It doesn't happen every time, but I've had it 2 years and it happens more often than not. We think we have a great video of our daughter's first birthday or Disney vacation and then watch it and see half of it is distorted. What a disappointment!

New Samsung SCD23 Camcorder..........$250.00-about give or take
JVC MiniDV tapes.....................$20.99
Maxell Head Cleaner..................$20.99
Repairing Priceless home video.......$234.90-three 60 min. tapes
TOTAL MONEY WASTED...................$526.88
Plus New Camcorder...................$???.??-not purchased yet
Time wasted..........................many hours!
1YR & 3MOS OLD SAMSUNG CAMCORDER.....WORTHLESS!!!!!!!!

Short Story is:
This Camcorder will record pictures fine until you go to play them back and then the recorded video pictures are distorted. Don't bother following all the troubleshooting directions in the manual because it is a waste of time! The prices above are factual and I am hoping by my review people will not waste their time and money on this disappointing camcorder.


WE ARE CURRENTLY SHOPPING AROUND FOR A NEW CAMCORDER... AND NOT A SAMSUNG!!!!!!EVER!

Long Story:
My husband and I wanted a Digital Camcorder. We still had a video camera that was purchased in 1993, from Radio Shack for $600 that still worked. We figured we would let our older children have that camera to use and we would upgrade.
So for mothers day two years ago my husband bought the Samsung SCD23 Digital Video Camcorder for me. The cost was about $250 at the time, maybe a little more or a little less. I loved it for a year and 3 months and then I HATED the camcorder because it started ruining our PRICELESS HOME VIDEOS! I called Samsung and they told me to buy a tape cleaner and new tapes and call back if there was still a problem. I asked if there was anyway to repair my home videos and the technical support technician said that unfortunately the tapes were probably a loss. He suggested that weather change (taking the camcorder say from the outdoors to the indoors) could have messed the tapes up. They gave me a business and reference number if the problem still exists after I had it cleaned and tried a new tape.

I ordered a head cleaner and new tapes from circuit city. While waiting for the items to arrive I began looking in the Yellow Pages for tape repair places to see if our home videos could be repaired. Fortunately I was able to find a place in Virginia that could repair the two 60 minute Mini DV tapes for a charge of $156.60. My husband and I found another tape that needs repairing so I can kiss away another $78.30. They fixed the tapes as good as they could, but the quality is not that great. Also, When tapes have to be repaired you lose the date and time when the footage was taken. That a significant lose for us because we had a baby at the time.

So the head cleaner and new MiniDV tapes arrived and I was hopeful that this would be the solution to our problem. BIG DISAPPOINTMENT! After cleaning and using a new tape we found out that our camcorder is still a piece of USELESS JUNK!

I called Samsung back and gave them my reference number and the young man asked if I had used the tape/head cleaner and a new tape. I told him yes and he then tells me that the camcorder needed to be brought to an authorized dealer for $150 charge. I told him that I would not trust the camera with another one of my PRICELESS HOME VIDEOS. And if I was going to have to spend another $78.30 to have a tape fixed again and $150 service charge to have my camcorder LOOKED AT, I would buy a new camcorder and that I will NEVER OWN ANOTHER SAMSUNG!

That was my long drawn out story. I really hope that all of you take my husband and my advice in not purchasing this camcorder. My husband and I are now believers in:
YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!
In this case a cheaper camcorder that works great for about 1 to 1 1/2 years that ends up costing you about the same if not more for a good camcorder.

This camcorder worked great the first 10 times i used it. Then it BROKE just like my 3 samsung cell phones and my samsung DVD player. Thank god i got the extended warranty on this camera. The manufactured supposedly repaired it..... took them 3 months to get it back to me. It worked fine one more time, then it broke again. Back to geek squad repair. Got it back i tested it, seemed ok. Went to use it later, broke again! Sent it back to geek squad..... got it back.... STILL BROKEN! After breaking 4 times I am getting a new camcorder under my extended warrany... NOT A SAMSUNG!

I bought this product about 1-1/2 years ago. Let LCD stopped displaying and it stopped recording picture. Turns out there is a defective part used by this, and many camcorders. All the other companies that use this defective part have had recalls.
Turns out Samsung requires a $150 charge to fix.
Know this.... This camcorder will break within 1-4 years
A VERY LOW QUALITY PRODUCT. There is a class action suit forming. 614-886-4393

Do not buy a SCD23. Amazon should take them off their "to sell" list.

I purchased my SCD23 Nov 2003. It was used only a few times in the 1st year. Between 2004-2006, I was able to successfully record family video up until now. All of a sudden the LCD and viewfinder stopped displaying and will not record any image except for a dark screen. After 30 min to an hour of clicking camera on/off and messing w/the settings, I can sometimes get it to work. But by then, the opportunity to record my "children's moments" would have passed. It's very frustrating, because I paid $375 for a camcorder, and it figures that it would break after the 1st yr. Samsung will not compensate or recall this product for a defective part. Other companies (Sony,JVC,etc.) have recalled their products using the same defective part. Contact 614-886-4393 regarding a class action lawsuit to get SAMSUNG to PAY!!

As with many people here, this unit just flat-out stopped working and only records darkess or static. I am not a rich man and I had to save up a lot of money to buy this, but now it doesn't even work. If you happen to be Bill Gates and are tired of just shooting clay pigeons, then this heap is for you and your favorite shotgun. In fact, just buy all left in existance and have a field day. Under every other circumstance though, avoid this like it was anthrax and use your money for better things. If one person is persuaded away from buying this, then I feel some good has come out of this bad purchase of mine. Thanks for reading, buy smart.

I really enjoyed my Samsung SCD23 Mini DV recoreder but last week it broke. I bought it in July 2004. Now the LCD just shows static and it does not record an image. That make me really mad because I was hoping that it would have lasted much longer than this. I found out that it will cost me just as much to get it fixed as it would to buy a new one. Next time, I will buy a different brand with better reliability. Samsung just sells cheap products. I will never by another Samsung product again.

I bought this camera for Christmas 2004. Loved it, took sorry digital shots but great filming. This May, camera went out. It has a black screen. I took it back to where I got it and was told it would take $200 to fix. It has only been used about 10 hours. Now I discover it is a defective ccd and Samsung won't stand behind it. After having a recalled microwave that caught on fire, I will never buy Samsung again.

Samsung SCD23 seems has a common problem... I have used it infrequently for 3 yrs and It has worked fine until now. All of a sudden and for no reason at all, the LCD went blank and will not record any image. This is due to a faulty CCD??? Still plays tapes and records video... My childrens "hot Wheels" camcorder lasted better than this one!!!! My new baby is starting to walk and I...

Our SCD23 just broke with the same problem as countless others, the CCD gave out. This has happened to loads of camcorders from different manufacturers, and most are taking responsibility and fixing/replacing. According to a reviewer here, Samsung was still refusing to do so as recently as September. My wife talked to them today, and they said to ship everything back and they would do a fix/replace on our cam (14 days estimated turnaround). I will update here if and when it happens, or if it doesn't.
So if you have a Samsung with a blank LCD when you try to record, but it will still playback and work otherwise, call them and see what they say.

I bought this camcorder several years ago, from one of the large well-known electronic store chains in the US. I have used this camcorder for several projects during that time, but I do not use it very frequently. To be honest, I have probably only used it for a total of 15-20 hours of actual filming. It does an adequate job recording...if you have good light. However, problems always seem to arise when I try to use the player aspect of the camera: rewind, fastforward and playing the videos that I have recorded. Most of the time, the rewind button does not even work. Since my camera is out of warranty, I am definitely NOT going to have it fixed. I could buy a newer better camera for what it would cost to fix it. Instead, I have to resort to using a power screwdriver to rewind the tapes manually, to take them back to the beginning. This is a risky process though, as you have to make sure you hold in the plastic tab built into the tape, so that you don't snap the magnetic tape itself. When this problem first arised, I thought that it would go away, but it hasn't. It happens probably half of the time that I use the camera, and works fine the rest of the time. I recommend that you buy a more solid camera that takes better video in darker light. Often, the images that people want to capture are in darker settings...weddings, birthday parties, and other spontaneous occasions. Who wants to make sure that the lighting is always right. That is the job of the camera, to adjust to the lighting and still capture good quality video. And as for cost, some of you talk about getting this camera for a couple hundred US...well, I don't know if the BB large chain company ripped me off or what, but I spent between four and five hundred. That is not cheap to me. For that kind of money, I expect good quality.

While in record mode, standby... point camera at bright sun or bight light bulb at close distance ... It may take five minutes but my camera started working again... !!! Alleluia!! Seems I have to do this every time I use the camera, but I am happy that this works even though it is less than desirable...Samsung SCD23 seems has a common problem... I have used it infrequently for 3 yrs and It has worked fine until now. All of a sudden and for no reason at all, the LCD went blank and will not record any image. This is due to a faulty CCD??? Still plays tapes and records video... My childrens "hot Wheels" camcorder lasted better than this one!!!! My new baby is starting to walk and I...

I got this camera in December 2003. I have used it occasionally and filmed about 15 hours worth of footage. (15 1 hour tapes). So last month I'm filming and it stops recording picture, just sound. Image on view finder is garbled. A few days later it worked again for about 20 minutes, now it doesn't work again. Seems like the same problem everyone else here had.

I had problems with my Samsung HDTV as well, and it still leaves much to be desired.

I will avoid buying Samsung products from now on.

After making 15 tapes, the CCD quit working. It just shows a blank screen or snowflicks. After reviewing another review, pointing the camcorder to a bright light make it works again. However, I do not like this unit anymore. If I really need it, I do not know if this will work or not. No more samsung for me.

You don't have to take my word for it - just do a quick internet search and you will find hundreds of people who had what is now known as BSOD (Black Screen of Death), a failure that occurs after a while and leaves you with a completely dark image in camera mode. Do yourself a favor, don't buy this unless you need it as paperweight.

Among Asian countries they don't rely too much in co-Asian manufactured goods because of poor quality ( except Japanese made) Sony, Canon & Panasonic still has the best quality among electronics.I don't know why samsung,hyundai, Daewoo etc. made it in the US Market that while in fact in Asia, these products are all a piece of Junk.

Yeah, this is a "me too" review. Got the SCD23 as a gift in December of '03. Liked it while it worked, but in April of '07 it was struck by the Black Screen of Death described by other posters. It'll play previously recorded tapes, but in camera (record or standby mode), the image is either totally black or horizontal white streaks (when a bright light is in the scene). I'll be contacting Samsung on Monday, and we'll see how they stand by their product. An internet search on this problem shows that a) it is by no means isolated and b) Samsung has a very poor reputation for providing reasonable customer service in these instances. I'm hoping to be the exception! :)

Yes, I am another victim of The black screen of death. I used my camcorder only 1 1/2years and my screen went black but I am also able to view recorded tapes. Samsung will only offer a refurbished camcorder for $150.00 cost to me. NO THANKS!!

If you plan to buy this camcorder then please know before hand that you are taking a risk. You might get a broken one or not. That is the risk you are taking. When I first purchased this camcorder 3 years ago, I only used it for 1 week and already it broke. The screen was all distorted and was making weird noises. I took it back to bestbuy and they exchanged it for a new one. I have now had this one for 3 years and have had no problems. I love this camcorder. At this point I would not buy a new camcorder because I love this one too much. I have read all of the buyers comments on amazon and yes it is true that this camcorder is cheaply made and is does break but like I said, you are taking a risk if you buy it. It might be broken or it might work fine for 3 years or more like mine. But remember, mine broke too after using it for 1 week but my exchange one has worked for 3 years and counting. So, I guess I wouldnt recommend this camcorder because who wants to buy a camcorder and have to take a risk and wonder if it will be broken when they receive it.