When Laura asks me if I want to try a new camera (video or still, doesn’t matter) my answer is (almost) always: “Yes!”. So when the chance to try the new Samsung MV800 came up, I jumped at the chance. The “big deal” about this camera is the “innovative” LCD screen on the back. The screen can flip up so it’s on top of the camera (for self portraits and timer shots) and you can view it from any angle. Both are cool, both are interesting, neither make up for a somewhat meh camera. Now, this is a first impressions post and I have been spoiled by the Panasonic ZS10 for the past several months (and alas my time with the camera drew to a close recently), but I’m just not impressed with this Samsung and how the touchscreen drives everything in the camera.
Yes, the MV800 has great specs. No doubt 16.1 megapixels and 5x zoom is cool. Yes, the smart settings are there. But … taking my usual test shots at my desk (so indoors with CF lights) I just wasn’t amazed. I think, especially in smart auto, touchscreen cameras should all have touch focus. Look AF/AE is great, saves a lot of time, but you know sometimes AF guesses wrong and you’d like to change it. Also the reliance on the touchscreen for all controls was a little hit and miss. Sometimes it was too sensitive (picking menu options), others not enough (scrolling through the 5 screens).
Fine, fine the photos look good. I get it, the glass is nice and the LCD doesn’t show the true awesomeness of the shot. Fine.
But then there is the memory card.
I know that most people don’t eject the card to import photos. I know most people just hook up the USB cable. However, microSD for the card? Really? Clearly Samsung wanted to be space conscious, but microSD is teeny tiny (like the size of your thumbnail ) and I find them hard to deal with.
Yes, the LCD screen is cool, but I didn’t find anything about the camera that jumped out and said “I’m worth the extra money so you can take sneaky side glance shots!” Sorry Samsung, I still think the PL51 is a great camera (it isn’t available any longer), but this MV800 just doesn’t make it for me.
trishussey
on - last edited on by
ElizabethS
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