Samsung HMX-Q10 Pro Reviews

Despite several limitations (early models may require a firmware upgrade to solve a few hand-flip hitches, no on-board memory, small battery), the HMX-Q10UN is a remarkable little full HD camcorder for $300. It includes right- and left-handed shooting, very good usability, high-resolution photos, and very acceptable video quality. Some active users may start to wonder how they managed without the camcorder’s hand-swap feature.

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.

If you're left-handed or you want the option to use your camcorder effectively in either hand then the HMX-Q10 is a good choice. However, this flexibility comes at a price - namely comfort. The symmetrical design means the Samsung's southpaw-friendly camcorder isn't quite as comfortable to use as some conventional models and the zoom control is very awkward. We would have preferred this to be located on top of the unit, but then of course this wouldn't work when switched round for left-handed use. It would also have been nice to include the option to attach an external mic. Despite some niggles with comfort and operability, the HMX-Q10 does have lots of plus points, including its decent HD video quality, the art filters and the fact that it's very easy to set-up and use, along with the flexibility of the SwitchGrip.