Ryan Ly
Leading Member
Bought this camera as a cheap, carry anywhere, happy snaps camera for the times I did not want to take my Canon 350D with me. For AU$99, it has a basic feature set but you'll get but a solid package:
*-i~i-i~i-i~i-i~i-i~i-*
Pros:
- Feels solid enough for a $99 camera
- Camera exposes well in Auto/Program mode
- Large 2.5" screen that's adequate though the S730 has a higher res screen for those who want it
- Easy menus and controls
- Good selection of shooting modes for the inexperienced
- Limited manual controls: wasn't expecting it for such a cheap camera
- Movie mode and voice recorder mode nicely implemented additions. Movies saved in AVI format.
- Good macro mode
- screen indicates if shutter speed is too slow and that there is a possibility of blurring
- Got 600 shots from the first pair of 2500mAh Energiser NiMH recharables I used (no flash)
- Comes in black, silver and pink for the colour conscious.
*-i~i-i~i-i~i-i~i-i~i-*
Cons:
- No viewfinder
- No soft flash option. Standard flash is fairly harsh
- Noise at ISO200 starts getting irritating
- No hard copy of the manual provided (Strongly encourage users to read the PDF manual to understand what the GUI icons mean)
- Movie mode and flash drains batteries ridiculously quickly.
- Advanced Shake Reduction (ASR) mode is a joke. ISO gets bumped up (ISO400 limit) and the photos are out of focus. If shooting in low light, give up on natural light and use it in program mode with the flash.
*-i~i-i~i-i~i-i~i-i~i-*
This is a $99 camera and very basic. Features like Face Detection, Optical Image Stabilisation and a 28mm wide end would be nice but that would have cost me at least AU$360. I didn't want to spend that amount of money and this basic camera does what I want it to do at a very affordable price. If image quality and control were a prime concerns, I'd bring my Canon 350D. For all other times, the Samsung S630 does the job.
Problems:
Make sure to have a spare pair of batteries with you. The lens did not retract when the power ran out the first time for me.
*-i~i-i~i-i~i-i~i-i~i-*
Pros:
- Feels solid enough for a $99 camera
- Camera exposes well in Auto/Program mode
- Large 2.5" screen that's adequate though the S730 has a higher res screen for those who want it
- Easy menus and controls
- Good selection of shooting modes for the inexperienced
- Limited manual controls: wasn't expecting it for such a cheap camera
- Movie mode and voice recorder mode nicely implemented additions. Movies saved in AVI format.
- Good macro mode
- screen indicates if shutter speed is too slow and that there is a possibility of blurring
- Got 600 shots from the first pair of 2500mAh Energiser NiMH recharables I used (no flash)
- Comes in black, silver and pink for the colour conscious.
*-i~i-i~i-i~i-i~i-i~i-*
Cons:
- No viewfinder
- No soft flash option. Standard flash is fairly harsh
- Noise at ISO200 starts getting irritating
- No hard copy of the manual provided (Strongly encourage users to read the PDF manual to understand what the GUI icons mean)
- Movie mode and flash drains batteries ridiculously quickly.
- Advanced Shake Reduction (ASR) mode is a joke. ISO gets bumped up (ISO400 limit) and the photos are out of focus. If shooting in low light, give up on natural light and use it in program mode with the flash.
*-i~i-i~i-i~i-i~i-i~i-*
This is a $99 camera and very basic. Features like Face Detection, Optical Image Stabilisation and a 28mm wide end would be nice but that would have cost me at least AU$360. I didn't want to spend that amount of money and this basic camera does what I want it to do at a very affordable price. If image quality and control were a prime concerns, I'd bring my Canon 350D. For all other times, the Samsung S630 does the job.
Problems:
Make sure to have a spare pair of batteries with you. The lens did not retract when the power ran out the first time for me.