Print
Discuss
Send to friend
The new Samsung Pro 815 is not an SLR (single lens reflex), but to dismiss it as a cheaper alternative would be to do it a vast disservice.
Similar in size and shape to an SLR, it sits at the larger and heavier end of the ever-growing category of fixed-lens prosumer digital cameras.
Its size is due in no small part to the whopping 15x zoom optical lens. With minimum F numbers ranging from F2.2 to F4.6 and a 35mm equivalent zoom of 28mm to 420mm, it certainly looks good on paper.
Although rather compact when the lens is retracted, twisting the manual zoom ring causes it to lurch forth to almost double its original length - something that will no doubt provoke gasps from onlookers.
Control of the large zoom is both smooth and accurate.
Further surprises await at the rear. Where some more recent digital SLRs have increased the size of the LCD panels up to 2.5in, the Pro 815 stomps all over them with a massive 3.5in screen.
This panel takes up pretty much the whole of the back of the camera. Unfortunately, the 235,000 pixel resolution doesn't seem quite enough for a panel of this size and pixels are clearly visible.
You can take a closer look at the Pro 815 here.
To the left of the main panel sits an electronic viewfinder. This has a similar pixel resolution to the 3.5in screen and delivers a large, clear display with plenty of on-screen information, including a live histogram.
Amazingly, the Pro 815 actually houses a total of three colour LCD screens, including the elctronic viewfiinder. The third is mounted on the top of the camera and used chiefly to display current shooting parameters.
This offers two main advantages over the multi-segment LCD status displays more usually found on SLR cameras.
First, it's brightly illuminated and flexible in what it can display. Secondly, it doubles up as a live waist-level viewfinder.
See also:
All Digital Cameras
del.icio.us
Digg this
reddit!
