Samsung VP-X220L

Posted by T3 Online on Mon 29 Oct 2007

Hit the slopes with this tape-free shooter. Dude!

Part of Samsung's Miniket range, this all-in-one device offers movie, still photo and voice recording, MP3 playback and file storage on 2GB internal memory.

Despite the lack of day-glo yellow bodywork, it's a bona fide "sports" camcorder/camera, designed for skiers, skate-boarders, mountain bikers and other individuals who sport ridiculous facial hair and call each other "dude".

Although it's not actually water- or shock-proof, the rubberised plastic shell feels tough and solid - just like a Motorola PEBL. It-s also incredibly small and light, petite enough to slip into a jacket pocket. As with many sports products, the specification is out-dated, with a low-res 800K pixel sensor delivering dull, blurry movie footage and dreadful 0.3MP still photos that all but the cheapest camera phones would snigger at.

Recorded sound quality is good, as is MP3 playback, which could even give iPods a run for their money, especially with the above average earphones supplied. The interface is simple - just a menu button, four-way joystick and play/record buttons. Accessing features and changing modes is very quick, although the "reversed" zoom rocker (up is wide, down is telephoto) confuses briefly.

The real selling point is its weather-proof external camera. This can be mounted on a helmet or head strap and its lens rotates through nearly 180 degrees to keep horizons steady. It attaches via a 1.5-metre cable (shame there's no Bluetooth), with an in-line power/record button. Think an endoscope for elephants and you won't be far off.

This is halfway there. It's fun to use and the external camera is a laugh. But the optical stabilisation isn't good enough and video quality's disappointing. Enjoyable, but hardly gnarly, dude.