Samsung SL820: Review

Posted to Digital Cameras 2010-12-12

Samsung SL820 review:

The Samsung SL820 digital camera is one of the many Samsung digital offerings and it's packed with interesting features. The 12.1 megapixel camera also includes a 720p HD video recorder and a patented pause and rerecord feature so you can create one streaming clip while still being able to pause and restart the shot.

The SL820 is a great point and shoot camera for people who are looking to get a great shot on the go. It has several shooting modes including single, continuous and motion capture. There are several flash modes including; Auto, Auto & Red-eye reduction, Fill-in flash, Slow sync, Flash off and Red-eye fix. Self portrait features (for those Myspace pictures) and shooting assistance round out the camera well, but there is a lack of manual features for those who wish for a bit more control.

Rating:

3.6 out of 5

Features

The feature set on this Samsung really can't be beat. The SL820 has a ton of "perfect portrait" features including face detection, blink detection and smile detection. The face detection mode recognizes and refocuses on the face for the perfect exposure and shot. Blink detection takes a series of shots when it detects that eyes are closed so you always get the perfect shot. Auto features are also built in for scene recognition to help the photographer take the perfect shot and the different modes alter exposure so night shots come out just as good as day shots. While all the features are nice for someone looking for a point and shoot camera this is not the camera for the more advanced user. The lack of manual settings will likely drive most expert photographer insane.

Ergonomics

The SL820 maintains a nice slim design even with all the features it has packed into the casing. The Camera dimensions are 95mm x 59mm x 23mm. It is still small but not super tiny. It is compact enough to be carried everywhere but large enough that bigger hands will be satisfied with the size. The buttons have a nice placement to them as well and the shoot button is pretty isolated so users won't accidentally hit the wrong button. The 28mm wide angle lens and 5x optical zoom are added bonuses to the camera but they don't take anything away from the aesthetics of the piece. What is most notable about the design is the finish. While some point and shoot cameras go for a real sleek and stylish design which is nice enough but a rugged looking camera is a nice option as well. The Samsung SL820 has a much more rugged appearance.

Summary

The Samsung SL820 is a nice versatile camera for the novice photographer. The rechargeable lithium ion battery and the wide array of accepted memory cards is a plus for those who like to shoot on the go and don't like to bring extra batteries. It holds a solid charge but the internal memory is too small for any amount of picture taking. An HDMI output really pulls this HD camera into a full-HD device.

Pros

Self portrait feature is nice for quick group shots or personal shots
Auto-fix mode makes for easy picture taking
Rugged appearance is visually interesting
Button position is nice and intuitive
Motion capture in 720p is great for the HD turn over

Cons

There are no cons for this product