Samsung HMX-Q10 review

The Q10 has a respectable sounding 1/4in CMOS sensor, but Samsung lists its effective size at just 1/5.8in, which is significantly smaller. On the plus side it’s a back-illuminated sensor, where the chip’s wiring is behind instead of in front of the photo receptors, so more light can get through. Such sensors have started appearing on mobile phones – Sony’s EXMOR R sensor, as found on some Xperia models, is back-illuminated. However, such sensors tend to have small surface areas, so haven’t become common on camcorders as yet.

Click through to YouTube for a HD version of this video

Image quality is pretty good for a £200 device, with a reasonable amount of detail to images. Despite this, when compared directly to the £300 Canon RF 206’s video, the Q10’s footage lacks contrast and definition, which can make images appear flat and less lifelike. Colours also looked a little washed out, lacking some of the richness we’ve seen on more expensive models. It turned in better than expected footage in low-light conditions, probably thanks to that back-illuminated sensor, and while there’s some obvious noise reduction at work the final effect is still highly watchable.

Samsung advertises the Q10 as having optical image stabilisation, which is surprising at this price. It turned out to be too good to be true in our image stabilisation test – the Q10’s system wasn’t much better than digital-only systems at cutting out the shakes. Still handheld footage is fairly steady, but the image can lag behind your movements.

The Q10 shoots some decent, if not outstanding, video for the money; it’s particularly good at turning out less-than-hideous footage in low lighting. That may sound like faint praise, but at only £200 it’s pretty impressive. Its ambidextrous design also makes it a handy camcorder. It’s more expensive than a Flip-style device, but it does have a 10x zoom and superior video quality.