Samsung HMX-W200RP review

The W200 was even more impressive in the dark. Even without a video recording light, there was a manageable amount of noise and reasonable colour accuracy. We compared video quality to that from a Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S, which has good video quality for a smartphone, and the W200 blew it away in both well-lit and dimly-lit footage, with a much sharper image and far less visible compression.

The W200’s underwater mode boosts reds and turns down blues to counter the effects of being underwater, and in our tests it resulted in slightly more natural colours. It can be used up to three metres underwater, although we suspect that for many people, the W200’s dust and shock resistance, coupled with its waterproofing, simply add peace of mind when taking the W200 to the beach or on a walking trip.

With far better video quality than GE’s DV1 and more intuitive controls than the Kodak PlaySport, the W200 looks like a great buy. It may not have the great, natural image quality of the late lamented Flip Ultra HD 3rd gen, but at £100 it’s great value, and wins our Budget Buy award.