The first of three new Samsung cameras today is the L74 Wide. With a 28 mm wide angle lens, seven megapixel CCD, 450 MB of internal memory, MPEG-4 SVGA video recording and a 3.0" Touch Screen LCD it's good to see at least one manufacturer pushing the features envelope (if still with disappointing image quality). The L74 is priced at US$ 350 and should be on sale this Spring.

Press Release:

Samsung Camera Launches the L74 Wide

28mm 3.6x Optical Zoom & 3.0” Touch Screen LCD Sure to Turn Heads

January 30, 2007 – Samsung today announced the launch of the compact 7 mega pixel L74 Wide digital camera, equipped with a 3.6x optical zoom and 28mm wide-angle lens support for wider images, its ideal for tech savvy consumers looking for a high quality easy to use camera to take with them on their travels.  The L74 Wide is equipped with a convenient Tour Guide function which provides travel information covering 4,500 regions in 30 countries– helping users to plan trips and find their way while on the road.  Equipped with 450 MB of internal memory, the L74 Wide can store all the information travelers need to get them where they’re going safely and on time.
 
The L74 Wide, with a 3.0” Touch Screen LCD, includes Samsung’s Face Recognition AF & AE, which detects the subject’s face, automatically adjusts auto focus and auto exposure to ensure better composition and image quality in portraits and other shots featuring people. The AF function instantaneously recognises the faces of subjects and accurately focuses on them.  The AE function then takes over, setting the appropriate exposure to ensure the highest image quality.  Also the touch screen LCD perfected with Samsung’s original Flash GUI (Graphic User Interface) enables the user to access the diverse function intuitively and easily.

The L74 Wide also features Samsung’s proprietary ASR image stabilisation system which helps to capture the best possible images even in dimly lit conditions. Combined with the ability to capture in MPEG-4 SVGA quality the L74 Wide can take compelling moving pictures and once taken the camera allows for pictures to be edited rather than the user having to wait until they sat at their computer.

The stylish Samsung L74 Wide is the ideal travel companion – providing everything travelers need to capture and share crystal clear images with both ease and style.  The L74 Wide will have and MSRP of $349.99 and will be available in North America in Spring 2007.