Samsung SL820 12MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Dual Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0 inch LCD

5 comments

1. 

   B. Kline on September 12, 2009 at 6:36 am

   I got this camera because it was on sale, a good bargain for a 12 MP camera. I have a Samsung 52″ LCD HD TV that I am so happy about and love a lot. The price was much less than the competition from Sony or Mitsubishi on the TV I felt like I got a real value and thought I would trust Samsung again because I knew what they are capable of.

   The SL620 is a nice form factor, fits in my pocket and comes out ready for action quickly. It has the 12.2 Megapixels and 5x zoom, really astonishing technical achievements in a great package.

   There are some things that I do not like about this camera that might have been deal breakers had I known about it before my purchase.

   I really do not like the proprietary USB port and cable. Every time I go to hook this up to charge it or download the mini-hdmi (what it looks like) connector does not want to connect. It is hard to see whether it is up or down because it is so small. This is really irritating, and I am sure would be expensive if I ever lost or damaged the cable. A big thumbs down for that. I have gotten used to a standard mini-USB cable, but Samsung uses this one port for download, charging, and displaying to TV as well which probably saves money and parts – for them, but it does nothing to make the camera easier or better to use.

   Second thing is that I love the on-screen help, but when you flick between modes the text is on the screen not even fast enough to read – and I’m a pretty fast reader – very frustrating. You have to keep clicking away and back to read the help screens? Maybe there is a setting to adjust this, but learning the camera becomes harder, and when they do not implement the help well, it is worse than no help at all because it is just a distraction. Otherwise the menus are laid out pretty well and logically.

   Next is the viewfinder. I have found that I have to be very conservative, ie. move back and try to give extra margin around my subject to shoot because what I see on the viewfinder is not necessarily the picture I end up with. I have not really analyzed this to find out exactly where the picture is or how it changes with modes, but one needs to see on the viewscreen exactly what the picture is, otherwise the viewscreen is useless too.

   I wish I could post some video I shot on this camera, the subject is off to the top of the frame, and even cut off. When I was shooting it it was all in the center of the viewscreen. This is a major problem … I wish I could take it back at this point.

   The pictures are so huge that taking the picture seems to take a while before the camera comes back. The “snappiness” of the response leaves a bit to be desired.

   I also do not like the way the zoom is implemented as a vertical rocker switch up near the top of the trigger. Your thumb wants to move right and left if you hold the camera like a normal human being, and making it go up and down really makes the zoom clumsy to use, and makes the camera more likely to shake.

   As I said, I like the form factor, the detail is wonderful, the size and shape are great. The picture quality is very good. The screen help idea is great, and the text that comes up when you change modes is a good idea, but as I said you can hardly read it before it goes away leaving it just as hard to tell what mode you are in as the cameras that have no such help.

   I have to say I am disappointed overall in the design details of this camera, though all the parts are there and the picture is nice and very detailed an the zoom power is very good.

   The video is sharp and clear and very nice. I cannot say for sure but I think the image is stabilized in the video.

   I would recommend this camera for those who want all the features of a 12 MP 5x optical zoom for an inexpensive price and do not mind overlooking some … what I think of anyway … as bad design judgements. With proper tweaking this camera could have been so much much better.

   I wonder if Samsung can make a firmware upgrade or something to fix some of my gripes … though I have never heard of a f/w upgrade for a camera.

2. 

   T. Porter on September 12, 2009 at 7:18 am

   Great Shipping and transaction like always from Amazon. This camera was reviewed on engadget and cheap so I bought it for a new point and shoot with great video to boot! Good camera and easy to use. Highly recommend for the price point and quality of video/pictures.

3. 

   J. Vasquez on September 12, 2009 at 7:28 am

   I bought this camera to replace a Nikon Coolpix S230 10MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom and 3 inch Touch Panel LCD (Jet Black) that I was unhappy with.

   I’ve been using this camera for about a week now and I’m very happy with it. The camera feels great in your hand, the colors are spot on, HD video is fantastic and the image quality (video and still shots) is awesome. I’m also impressed with battery life with this camera. I highly recommend this camera to anyone. Thanks Samsung!

4. 

   Pat Furrie on September 12, 2009 at 10:07 am

   Pros: nice pictures, high-def (720p) video mode, light weight, quick start-up time, wider-than-normal lens with 5X optical zoom.

   Cons: Questions on durability (see below), warranty service doesn’t cover shipping to repair center, sound stops recording when using zoom.

   Purchased as a graduation gift, and was well-received. Worked well for recording video of graduation ceremony, and video quality of ceremony looked good. However, it was annoying that the audio in the recording cuts out when using the zoom. Would be interested in learning if that is on purpose, perhaps to prevent picking up zoom motor noise, or just an artifact of limitations on the camera not being able to perform too many things at one time. Whatever the reason, it limits what can be done in that mode.

   Later that evening, found that the lens didn’t retract when the camera was shut off one time. Normally, like most cameras of this type, the lens extends when the camera is powered on, and retracts when the camera is powered down. I just figured the camera was very low on power (which it was), and had failed for that reason. Later, when we attempted to turn the camera back on, we could hear a whirring noise in the camera for a few moments, and then nothing. I assumed the noise was the lens motor attemnpting to either close or open the lens, but being unsuccessful. At the point, the camera would shut down. No amount of coaxing would convince the stubborn lens to behave.

   A call to Samsung tech support turned up no solutions to the lens problem. They emailed me an RMA and a shipping address for the repair center, but didn’t cover the shipping costs. Repairs took a bit over a week.

   UPDATE: After having the repaired camera back for only three days, the same issue surfaced again — lens won’t retract, only a whirring noise, a beep, and then it shuts off. Going to Samsung’s site allows me to re-enter a service request, but it expects me to pay another $8 to ship it in for another “repair.”

5. 

   D. Thun on September 12, 2009 at 10:17 am

   I got the camera June 8. After learning most of its functions, it’s a good camera for the money. Got it somewhere for $265 that includes shipping and tax in California. It is a little heavy than most compact. Nice brushed metal frame and quality is really good. The pictures are great. I played the videos directly from camera to TV and it’s very clear and full screen with my analog 32″ TV. However, like the other reviewer, it doesn’t come with complete manual and video is MP4.It came with a CD but I haven’t open it yet. I like the smile shot, the Beauty shot (makes your skin smooth and perfect!) and multiple shots, which is available on P mode only, and Dual OIS (Anti-shake). It doesn’t come with a leather case or a memory card so invest on those too though. I use an 8gb SD card. Overall, a shockingly wonderful camera from Samsung, a $100 less than your full featured Canon or Sony.