Samsung Digital Camera... .

David333

I know that this is a question always asked and I have searched through a number of threads to try to work out what I want. I noticed this camera (http://www.comet.co.uk/shopcomet/product/506940/SAMSUNG-L201-BLACK/tab/specification) for half price at Comet: a Samsung L201 with 10.2 megapixels, 15x digital zoom, 2.7" LCD screen, 80-3200 ISO rating for £78 in total.

Basically I shall be using the camera for general holiday photos. Does this camera sound reasonable...? Are Samsungs good makes of digital cameras nowadays...? What should I be looking for in a digital camera (I've never had one before but I understand that megapixels isn't the be all and end all...)...?

Hope someone can help; thank you!

David333

Okay, it doesn't seem to be available anywhere which doesn't help, but excitingly I've found the L210 (the next camera up?) at ebuyer for the same price (and free delivery!): http://www.ebuyer.com/product/148093 Any thoughts? And does anyone know about battery life...? Thanks!

Marty_J

They're both OK cameras, and either one would do holiday snaps and the like, but then again, so would any camera really.

For that sort of money, I would probably be looking for something like a Canon A560.

I tend to stick to Nikon and Canon when looking at cameras myself.

David333

That Canon seems to have fewer megapixels; why is it better than the Samsung...? Is it a better make or is there something specific I should be looking for...?

Is there any way you can charge one of these cameras (in the less than £100 price !) as you would do a mobile phone or are they all just normal batteries...?

Marty_J

I would say yes, Canon is definitely a better make of camera than Samsung is. When is the last time you saw a professional photographer use a Samsung camera?

Personally I would totally disregard the number of megapixels unless you're planning on doing lots of heavy cropping. I have a dSLR (a Nikon D40) that has less megapixels than either of those cameras, and it would blow them away when it comes to image quality.

There are some cameras that have rechargeable batteries for under £100, but they can have disadvantages. If your battery runs flat while you're out on holiday, there's no running into the nearest store and buying a couple of AA batteries.

David333

Thanks! The Samsung seems to have a rechargeable battery (Rechargeable battery : SLB-10A,3.7V (1050 mAh)Charger: SAC-4) which I was hoping I could just plug into my laptop to charge it. I usually end up going on holiday to islands in the middle of nowhere where it's easier to find a power socket than it is to find a shop selling AA batteries; and cheaper!

Marty_J

That's why God made rechargeable AA batteries.

How are you going to be charging it through your laptop?

David333

Plug in USB cable to both my digital camera and my laptop et voila! That's how I charge my mobile and my ipod: saves carrying lots of things around... .

£$&*"($£&(

I've seen a basket of these in Tesco for a similar price. Not sure if it's any good - some reviews suggest the pictures are excessively oversharped.

Some of Samsungs cameras are good.

As to what to look for - ignore digital zoom, you can get 4 or 5x optical zooms for a similar price, 8, 10 or 12 megapixels gets rather meaningless - the key is the optics and the sensor. The sensor is small and trying to fit such a huge number of megapixels into it does cause problems. The best thing to look for is to do a google search for reviews - there are some sites that do extensive reviews which help a lot.

I have the Canon A560 and I like it though you can get slimmer cameras.

Marty_J

David333 wrote: »

Plug in USB cable to both my digital camera and my laptop et voila! That's how I charge my mobile and my ipod: saves carrying lots of things around... .

Does the camera support USB charging?

David333

Marty_J wrote: »

Does the camera support USB charging?

That's what I don't know... :-p