Samsung SL820 12MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Dual Image Stabilized Zoom and 3 0 inch LCD Black
Posted by HDTV in Photography Oct 24th, 2009 | no responses
Now it’s easy to capture all the details that make memories so special. The SL820 includes an astounding 12-megapixel-resolution sensor for fine, detailed, sharp still pictures. Its 5x optical zoom goes from wide angle for breathtaking landscape shots up to a close view. Plus, the 28mm wide-angle lens (35mm equiv) gives you a wider shooting range from a shorter distance. And the Dual Image Stabilization makes every shot a beauty. The most stunning photos come from a SAMSUNG digital camera. Want to shoot movies? The SL-820 can capture video at up to 720p High-Definition quality. For digital imaging, Samsung is head of the class. 3.0” LCD screen Speed - auto - 1/8 ~ 1/2000, program - 1 ~ 1/2000 s (AEB, continuous - 1/4 ~ 1/2000), night - 8 ~ 1/2000 s, fireworks - 4 s File Format - still image JPEG (DCF), EXIF 2.21, DPOF 1.1, PictBridge 1.0; movie clip MP4(H.264); audio WAV Dual Image Stabilization Record movies in HD - 720p Dimensions (WxHxD) - 3.72” x 2.32” x 0.89” HD Movie Experience - 720p HD movie capture so you can Pause and Re-record’ high definition videos and super sharp movie-quality recordings in one movie clip - a Samsung patented function. Samsung’s new Smart Auto (Scene Recognition) technology which has 11 optimized picture pre-settings such as Portrait, Night portrait, Macro, Macro Color - helping people take the perfect shot regardless of the conditions. You can also use these settings when sorting through your photos - making it quick and easy to find all the portraits, outdoor or macro shots you’ve taken. Smart Album - Samsung’s unique Smart Album Digital Contents Management system; a program built into the camera that significantly reduces the time it takes to find your favourite photos - so it’s quicker and easier to store and manage your photo collection. The clever navigation program automatically organizes photos based on the date they were taken, their contents,
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Very happy with this camera!
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 Stars Pretty Darn Close…
I was hoping this would be the camera that I needed, and it comes pretty darn close. The main reason I purchased this camera was for the hd video capabilities. I enjoy taking quick little videos of my girls, and being able to upload them quickly for my family and friends to share. This camera lives up to that challenge quite nicely, although beware that when you take advantage of the 5X zoom, the sound cuts out until you are zoomed where you want, then cuts back in. A minor little annoyance. The picture quality of this camera is very good. I really have not taken a bad picture yet, which is quite remarkable! This is my 6th purse camera to date, and I would have to say the quality is right up there with some of the best cameras I have owned. The reason I gave it 4 out of 5 stars is due to the cameras performance speed. Shot to shot is quite slow for a camera in this class. You have to wait for the flash to re-power before taking the next shot, which at times I found to be extremely annoying. Also the zoom controller is in an awkward position, and would not always zoom when pushed. Samsung has to work out a few bugs before getting this camera perfect! But I would definitely recommend this camera to anyone looking for a compact camera with all the features!
4 Stars Capable camera, but durability and service spotty
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.”
2 Stars Thought this would be a good deal like many Samsung products are … but
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.
4 Stars Samsung SL820
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.
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