Samsung SMX-F40 Standard-definition camcorder with 52X optical zoom (Black)

General Features
Video Camcorder Features
Digital Still Camera Features
Battery Information
Connections
Built-In Editing Software

General Features

Widescreen LCD Monitor: The Samsung SMX-F40 is equipped with a 2.7" (16:9) LCD monitor which provides excellent viewing clarity with improved resolution. The 230,000 pixel, high resolution LCD screen rotates up to 270-degrees for multiple viewing angles providing sharp, detailed images for monitoring or playback. The LCD screen's brightness can be adjusted from -15 to +15. The camcorder does not have a separate viewfinder.

Image Sensor: The Samsung SMX-F40's 1/6" CCD imaging sensor features 680,000 total pixels for recording standard-definition video in 3:2 and 4:3 aspect ratios, plus still images in 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios.

H.264 (MPEG-4/AVC) Encoding: The Samsung SMX-F40 uses advanced H.264 video compression technology. It uses a high compression rate to sharply increase the recordable time with the same size storage. The camcorder also records JPEG still images.

Recording Media: You can record standard-definition video, as well as JPEG still images onto optional SD or SDHC memory cards. The camcorder supports SD cards 512 MB to 2 GB and SDHC cards from 4 GB to 32 GB. For video recording, memory cards supporting at least 2 MB/sec are recommended.

Schneider Kreuznach Varioplan Lens: The Samsung flash-memory camcorder uses a F1.8-4.9 Schneider Kreuznach Varioplan lens with a 52x optical zoom.

Digital Zoom: In addition to the camcorder's 52x optical zoom lens, the SMX-F40 offers an intelligent zoom of up to 65x, and a digital zoom, that when combined with the optical zoom provides a total zoom of 2200x.

Anti-Shake Function: You can eliminate blur with the camcorder's anti-shake function (HDIS). It minimizes unwanted picture shaking caused by hand movement during recording.

Focus Modes: The Samsung flash-memory camcorder offers both auto and manual focus. The minimum focusing distance is 0.39" (1 centimeter) in wide angle and 39.4" (1 meter) in telephoto.

Aperture: The aperture stop of the lens can be adjusted manually or automatically to control the amount of light reach the camcorder's image sensor. You can choose from the following aperture settings: F1.8, F2, F2.8, F3.3, F4, F5.6, F8, F11, F16, and F22.

Shutter: The SMX-F40 automatically sets the shutter speed depending on the subject brightness. You can also manually adjust the shutter speed, according to the scene conditions, to one of the following: 1/60, 1/100, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000, 1/2000, 1/4000, or 1/10000.

Exposure Compensation: The camcorder usually adjusts the exposure automatically. Using the EV function, you can manually adjust the metered exposure -2.0 to +2.0 in 1/3 EV increments.

Recording Modes: The F40 offers various record modes to choose from to fit your application and comfort level:

• SmartAuto: The SmartAuto mode is designed for beginners. With the SmartAuto function, most of the camcorder settings are automatically adjusted, based on the type of scene it detects (landscape, bright background, night scene, night portrait, indoors, portrait, or close-up).
• iScene: You can specify one of 9 scene modes depending on conditions, recording environment, or purpose of filming:
  • Auto: records naturally, under normal conditions
  • Sports: for recording people or objects moving quickly
  • Portrait: creates a shallow depth of field so that the person or subject appears against a softened background
  • Spotlight: prevents overexposure of a subject's face when strong light strikes the subject
  • Beach: where sunlight is intense like a beach
  • Snow: prevents under exposure of subject's face in a place where light reflection is intense
  • High Speed: reduces blurring objects in rapid motion
  • Waterfall: recording a waterfall of fountain
  • Food: records close-up objects in high saturation

White Balance: You can adjust the color balance to the brightness of the recording environment. You can choose from the following:

• Auto: The camcorder controls the white balance automatically.
• Daylight: This controls the white balance according to the outdoor ambience, especially when the subject is of one dominant color.
• Cloudy: This option is used when you make a recording in cloudy weather
• Fluorescent: This option is used when you make a recording under white fluorescent lights.
• Tungsten: This option is for when there is less than 3200K of tungsten light being used.
• Custom WB: You can manually adjust the white balance to match the light source or situation.

Digital Effect: The Digital Effect modes enable you to give a creative look to your recordings. You can choose from the following:

• Black & White: Changes the image to black and white.
• Sepia: This mode gives the images a reddish brown pigment.
• Negative: This mode reverses the colors, creating a negative image.
• Art: This mode adds an artistic effect to the image.
• Emboss: This mode creates a three-dimensional image.
• Mosaic: a mosaic overlay appears on the image
• Mirror: This mode cuts the image in half and makes a mirrored image on the other half
• Pastel: This mode applies a pale pastel drawing effect to the image.
• Cosmetic: This mode helps correct facial imperfections.
• Step Printing: Uses a technique of recording the image in segments.

Guidelines: Guideline displays a certain pattern on the camcorder's LCD screen so that you can easily set the image composition when recording images. You can choose from the following guidelines:

• Cross: Enables you to center the subject for proper recording.
• Grid: Enables you to place the subject in the center square for proper positioning.
• Safety Zone: Enables you to place the subject within a safety zone which prevents it being cut when editing in 4:3 for left and right and 2.35:1 for top and bottom.
• Off: Disables the function.

C.Nite: The camcorder adjusts the shutter speed to get bright images without losing color when recording a slowly moving subject or in a dark place. C.Nite can be set to Auto, 1/30, or 1/15.

Thumbnail View: You can view recorded movie and photo images in a thumbnail index view. You can then select which movie or image you would like to view full-screen. You can choose to display the videos and still images as thumbnails or by date.

Video Camcorder Features

Video Recording: The Samsung SMX-F40 will record standard-definition video onto an SD (512MB-2GB)/SDHC (4GB-32GB) memory card. Video will be recorded at 60 frames per second in a 3:2 aspect ratio (720 x 480) with three bit rate settings, and at 30 fps in a 4:3 aspect ratio (640 x 480) with two bit rate settings.

Recordable Time for Movie Images: The Samsung SMX-F40 provides the following movie recording times when using a 4 GB, 16 GB, or 32 GB SDHC card:

Time Lapse: During this feature, you can program the camcorder to create a time lapse video by recording a series of frames over a set period of time with a set time interval between each frame. You can adjust the interval between each frame to 1, 3, 5, 10, or 30 seconds, and the duration time can be set to 24, 48, or 72 hours, or unlimited.

Fade: You can give your video recordings a professional look by using special effects such as fade-in at the beginning of a sequence or fade-out at the end of a sequence.

Wind-Cut: This feature allows you to reduce wind noise when recording sound from the camcorder's built-in microphone.

Movie Playback: The SMX-F40 allows you to playback your recorded videos on the camcorder's LCD monitor. The camcorder offers playback functions such as Play/Pause/Stop, Fast-Forward/Reverse (2x, 4x, 8x, 16x), Previous/Next, Frame-by-Frame, and Slow-Playback (1/2x, 1/4x, 1/8x, 1/16x).

Movie Edit: You can edit recorded movie images in the following ways:

• Divide: You can divide a movie image as many times as you want in order to delete a section you no longer need. The movie image will be divided in groups of two.
• Combine: You can combine two different movie images.

Story-Board Print: This function captures 16 arbitrarily-selected still images from a selected video and saves them to the memory card, providing a quick overview of the video. These images can be printed into a single print.

Digital Still Camera Features

Photo Recording: The Samsung SMX-F40 allows you to record JPEG still images onto an inserted SD/SDHC memory card. The image sizes, and the number of images you can store on a 4 GB, 8 GB, or 32 GB SDHC card are as follows:

Slide Show: You can playback a slide show of the recorded still images with various effects. There are 4 background music files stored on the camcorder which play in random order by default (when set to "on"). The transition interval can be set to 1 or 3 seconds.

Printing: You can print photo images by inserting the camcorder's SD/SDHC memory card into a DPOF-compatible printer or connecting the camcorder to a PictBridge printer via the included USB cable.

Battery Information

Rechargeable Battery: The Samsung SMX-F40 is powered by a rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery (IA-BP210E). Taking advantage of advanced power consumption technology, the SMX-F40's rechargeable battery can provide up to 250 minutes of continuous recording time and 280 minutes of playback time. The battery can be charged in approximately 180 minutes using the AC power adapter or in approximately 380 minutes via USB. For longer recording and playback capacity, the optional IA-BP420E battery is also available (item # 305BP420E).

AC Adapter/Charger: The Samsung SMX-F40 comes supplied with an AC adapter/charger which allows you to operate the camcorder on standard household current or charge the battery.

Quick On/Off: The Samsung SMX-F40 powers On and Off by simply opening and closing the camcorder's LCD monitor.

Auto LCD Off: You can set the LCD screen to darken automatically when there is no user interaction for more than 2 minutes to decrease power consumption.

Auto Power Off: For power saving purposes, the camcorder will automatically turn off it there is no operation for 5 minutes.

Connections

USB Port: The Samsung SMX-F40 features a mini-USB type-B port so you can download or view your recordings on a computer using the supplied USB cable. You can also charge the battery when the camcorder is connected via USB.

AV Output: You can view the recorded movie and photo images on your television by connecting the camcorder to your television using the supplied composite A/V cable.

Built-In Editing Software

Intelli-Studio Built-in Software: Editing software is stored inside the camcorder. Connecting the camcorder to a Windows computer using the supplied USB cable runs the editing software application. The application enables playback, editing, and sharing of the camcorder's recordings on your Windows PC. The built-in software is not compatible with a Macintosh computer.

System Requirement: The internal Intelli-Studio software is compatible with Windows only. Your Windows PC will need to meet the following system requirements to use this software: