Samsung DC173

The Samsung DC173 is a low-end DVD camcorder designed for easy operation. Samsung claims the camera lens is so clear its like "looking at the landscape through a camcorder like telescope". The DC173 features a 34x optical zoom, 1200x digital zoom lens (digital zoom only available in 4:3 film mode) has a filter diameter of 30mm, focal length of 2.29 – 75.57mm, and an aperture range of f/1.6 to f/4.3. The DC173 also includes a 2.7" widescreen LCD preview screen equipped with LCD enhancing technology to provide a superior contrast which allows the screen to remain visible outdoors in bright sunlight. The videos are recorded onto 3" DVD discs in the DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, and DVD+R DL (dual layer) formats with a maximum recording time of 20 hours. The DC173 is also capable of taking digital still pictures and includes a digital image stabilizer to balance the camera lens during unsteady, involuntary movement. For inputs, the DC173 includes a mini-usb port as well as a composite video/audio output. The average battery life is 67 minutes of straight filming time, and the camcorder can also double as a webcam as well. The device weighs 15.2 oz, and has dimensions of 3.4 in x 33.9 in x 4.8 in (HxWxD). The Samsung DC173 was released in May, 2007 and has an MSRP of $369.