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More…The $700 (as of August 25, 2006) Samsung Pro815 is a dream camera for serious photographers. This bulky 8-megapixel camera looks like a digital SLR and packs a multitude of features and settings for the ultimate in control over your pictures.
Samsung DigiMax Pro 815 Digital Camera (8.0MP, 3264x2448, 15x Opt, CompactFlash Slot )
- Spec Navigator
- Digital Format
- Display
- Exposure
- Image Processor
- Included Hardware
- Included Software
- Lens
- Shutter
- Storage
- LCD Screen
- Exposure Controls
- Dimensions
- Power
- Flash
- Lens Features
- Connectivity
- Other Features
Image Processor
| Number of image sensor pixels | 8 megapixels |
| Image sensor | CCD |
| Maximum horizontal image resolution | 3264 |
| Maximum vertical image resolution | 2448 |
| Image sensor quantity | 1 |
| Image format |
|
| White balance | 0 |
Included Hardware
| Included Hardware |
|
Lens
| Accessory Lens | No |
| Lens Model | 15x Schneider Lens |
| Telephoto Aperture Maximum | 4.6 mm |
| Wide-Angle Aperture Maximum | 2.2 mm |
Exposure Controls
| Maximum shutter speed | 4000 |
| Minimum shutter speed | 15 |
| Bulb setting | 0 |
| ISO equivalencies |
|
| Exposure settings | 0 |
| Exposure compensation range | 0 |
| Number of scene modes | 11 |
- Lab Tested
- How We Test Cameras »
Pros
Huge 3.5-inch LCD and 15X zoom
Tons of manual controls
Cons
Lacks image stabilization
Bottom Line
Pro815 lives up to its name, with many controls, a huge 3.5-inch LCD, and massive 15X zoom. No image stabilization, though.
Samsung Pro815
DigiMax Pro 815 Digital Camera (8.0MP, 3264x2448, 15x Opt, CompactFlash Slot ) Review, by Paul Jasper September 21, 2006
Unlike a digital SLR, which lets you swap out lenses, the Pro815 comes with a fixed lens and a massive 15X zoom that extends from 28mm wide-angle to 420mm telephoto (35mm camera equivalents). If you think that's big, wait till you see the enormous 3.5-inch LCD, which dominates the back of the camera; it was a pleasure to use when composing and reviewing shots. Despite the Pro815's heft (it weights 30 ounces), the shape of its rubberized handgrip makes the camera easy to hold and shoot one-handed.
Samsung has put the Pro815's viewfinder at the left edge of the camera, where it better fits the contours of your face. Compared to an optical viewfinder, the electronic viewfinder--which lets you see your subject through the lens--suffers from TV-like quality. Nevertheless, I found it useful when dealing with extreme lighting conditions and when tracking moving subjects. The color LCD on the top of the camera resembles those used on digital SLRs to display current settings. Alternatively, you can use the top LCD for composing photos, which makes it easy for you to shoot from waist level.
In our image quality tests, the Pro815 rated Very Good. At its default settings, the camera didn't fare well in the distortion and noise tests, but it achieved better scores for shots taken under normal everyday conditions. The Pro815 responded nicely in tests where we adjusted its manual settings to achieve optimum quality--confirming that this camera is best suited for advanced photographers. In informal testing, I found it easy to overexpose my shots in bright sunlight. I also noticed some sharpening artifacts, particularly halos around strongly contrasting edges. Results improved somewhat when I adjusted the exposure compensation and set the sharpness to "soft." The Pro815 comes with an external charger for its lithium ion battery. The camera reached the maximum 500 shots we test for in our measure of battery life on a single charge.
Samsung has spread a daunting number of the controls at several different locations around the camera. With a little practice, though, I found them quite usable. A four-way controller below your thumb lets you navigate the simple yet functional menus and permits you to access several shooting functions. Buttons surrounding the top LCD enable you to set other shooting functions. To the left of the main LCD are controls for the display and for the camera's 11 scene modes. The mode dial on the top right of the camera includes aperture-priority, shutter-priority, and full-manual modes, as well as three user-configurable modes. Two jog dials--one in front of the shutter release and the other above the user's right thumb--set aperture size and shutter speed in manual modes.
Autofocus settings occupy the left side of the lens barrel; these include a switch that knocks too easily among its three positions (single shot, continuous focus, and manual focus). The lens barrel contains familiar rings for operating the zoom and manual focus, but Samsung adds an unusual third ring for exposure compensation. You can even shoot in RAW mode for manually processing later. Experienced photographers will love all this configurability, but the camera takes some getting used to.
The Pro815 lacks image stabilization, but its maximum aperture of f/2.2 supports fast shutter speeds in low lighting conditions. Its high-speed mode raises the ISO sensitivity at the expense of increasing noise in your images. The camera has a built-in flash, but it it also includes a hot shoe for attaching an external flash unit. Samsung's SEF-42A flash costs $300. The company also sells a remote shutter release for $19.
A few quibbles: the camera felt a bit slow in cycling between shots. And unlike many advanced digital cameras, the Pro815 won't let you use the shutter release to interrupt the review to return to shooting. Also, you can't instantly delete shots that don't come out as desired.
But if you're a seasoned photographer looking for maximum control over your images or if you're a novice willing to learn how to use all the manual controls, the Samsung Pro815 is a great, highly configurable camera.
Paul Jasper
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PCWorld Lab Results
- Rating Breakdown
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90
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82
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90
- See Complete Lab Results »
Performance Comparison with Similar Cameras
90
85
71
77
Performance
| Battery Life (minutes) | 273.5 |
| Battery Life Score | Superior |
| Image Quality Score | Very Good |
| Image Quality, Color | 60.4 |
| Image Quality, Color--Adjusted | 73.9 |
| Image Quality, Color--Auto | 46.9 |
| Image Quality, Distortion | 47.7 |
| Image Quality, Distortion--Noise | 22.8 |
| Image Quality, Distortion--Noise Reduction | 86.2 |
| Image Quality, Distortion--Sharp Interpolation | 53.7 |
| Image Quality, Exposure | 57.1 |
| Image Quality, Exposure--Flash | 53.4 |
| Image Quality, Exposure--Normal | 58.7 |
| Image Quality, Overall | 66.7 |
| Image Quality, Sharpness | 47.6 |
| Number of Batteries | 1 |
| Number of Shots | 500 |
User Reviews
Average User Reviews for Samsung DigiMax Pro 815 Digital Camera (8.0MP, 3264x2448, 15x Opt, CompactFlash Slot )
2 Reviews Add your own »
- Latest User Reviews 2 reviews
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Reviewed by: amdfast
Duration of ownership: 2 Months
Strengths: Optical Zoom very impressive. 3.5 LCD mind blowing. Pictures Quality unbelievable. Indoor picture excellent, clear and bright. Outdoors bright and beautiful.
Weaknesses: None
Overall: This is a great Camera. One of the best Camera I had so far, and believe me I had a lots of them. I took pictures outdoors with full Zoom and they didn't have any blur at all. Very impressive. I would recommend it, to anybody that love to take pictures.
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Reviewed by: pawtraitd
Duration of ownership: 2 Months
Strengths: long zoom, uses compact flash storage, long battery life
Weaknesses: heavy, shutter lag, focus hunts in low light
Overall: Even though it say Pro in the name it is far from it. An entry level dSLR Canon or Nukon would have been a better but. Focusing is slow and erratic in low light, shutter lag causes problems with action photography - you can use multiple image capture, but I prefer to take on shot and get it right. Also the electronic viewfinder is HORRIBLE - a pro needs optical. $500 would be too much for this camera - $700 is robbery.
Review Now! Already own it? Tell us What You Think
User Reviews From Around the Web
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Reviewed by: ghenkiskhan
Strengths: ability to shoot over and over and over.....and over huge batery capacity even while using flash, waist shooting makes difficult low sghots to be easily shot, huge display that u can show your friends.
Weaknesses: Long distant shots MUST be taken on a tripod otherwise you get too much movement in picture otherwise this is THE PERFECT CAMERA for pretty much everyone.
Overall: I've had this camera for 2 years (which of course it cost about $700.00 from wal-mart and bestbuy at the time) and I havent had to replace the battery or had to fix anything on it and have gotten rather good at its various features though i am still always trying to get the perfect shot, as would any aspiring photographer, I've had many cameras but none had as many features and took as good of a picture as you wanted. overall I would recommend this camera to everyone who wants all the bang without all the fuss, awesome camera
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Reviewed by: Shanty
Strengths: Several strengths come to mind, like the often reviewed large LCD size and the battery cpacity, but the quality of the lens and the rugged feel of the camera are most important.
Weaknesses: No IS hurts at low light levels, as already covered a hundred times in reviews. Believe it. And use a tripod!
Overall: One of the best values on the market for a pro-sumer model. I also own the Olympus EVOLT E-500, which it rivals, but keep in mind I carry two lenses for that model. My Pro 815 has it all bundled in one nice package. That's why it is such a marvelous value. A great camera for the advanced user who wants to control all the elements of her photography. The Pro 815 allows, no demands, that you become skilled in the craft. This camera is NOT for the "point and shoot" crowd.
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Reviewed by: vanieb
Strengths: high quality pictures,fast save time to disc (8 megapic much faster than 5 megapic on previous camera-different brand),included rechargeable battery super!features easy to use,lens built in
Weaknesses: included disc (64MB) only holds 5 photos, I purchased 1 G,lens built in, making the camera larger and heavier all the time (not an issue for my use)
Overall: I'm not a professional photographer, but I take action photos at high school athletic events. Looks like the rapid sequence shots (30), the 15 optical zoom, long battery life, quick settings change, etc. will really improve my capabilities. All tests so far (1 month) have been excellent. May need external flash for night games, but I won't know that until I try under actual conditions as I can't duplicate the speed of HS football. For a reasonable price, it seems to provide everything I was looking to improve!
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Reviewed by: doolly
Strengths: wide angle and high zoom lense, diverse function, easy to use. raw and tiff format provides pictures without excessive processing. good price,
Weaknesses: none yet
Overall: I purchased this camera 2 weeks ago.I love using it.It has lots of function to play with.I didnt have trouble taking good pictures in zoom mode outdoor.Indoor, I had to use tripod if i use zoom.However, i cant really think of any occasion that i have to use zoom indoor other than my testing last week.Besides, it gives great pictures and I loved the price. I kind of considered DSLR camera but I gave it up becasue lenses were more expensive than camera itself. I considered one wide angle lense and one zoom lense. It would have cost me almost 2000 dollarsSo far, I love this camera.If this helps to anyone considering buying this camera, Id give two thumbs up.
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Reviewed by: bestcamera
Strengths: EVERYTHING
Weaknesses: NOTHNG
Overall: AWESOME CAMERA! BEST IN THE WORLD! I WILL NEVER PURCHASE ANOTHER CAMERA AS LONG AS I LIVE. IF I DO ITS BECAUSE I NEED ANOTHER SAMSUNG PRO 815. THE BEST!!!!!!!!!!
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