Samsung L210 10.1MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black)

The zoom started malfunctioning after the first month. Shortly afterwards the camera locked up and will not open at all. Samsung is no help. Wants $60 to fix their poor workmanship. ;-(

This camera was nothing but a headache.
It started freezing up as soon as we took
it out of the box. The people at Samsung
were no help either.

I bought this camera to take pictures for the holidays, but it broke within one week. The camera will no longer turn on. Samsung told me that it has mulfunctioned and that I need to send it back. I've never had a piece of electronic equipment break so fast, but I am shocked less people have had the same issue.

I have a DSLR and lenses, and a Canon S3 IS ultra-zoom. I wanted a small pocketable point-and-shoot for those occasions where I did not want to lug the other gear.

It was a toss-up between this and a Panasonic LZ8, and a Nikon S550. The Nikon did not have optical image stabilization, and the Panny was a bit bulgy due to the AA batteries. So, I decided on this camera after reading a few reviews.

I spent a couple lunch breaks just examining the features and how they interact (some features are limited or absent in certain modes), and went on one outing to have a real-world test.

I have mixed feelings about it.

*Pros:
Compact.
Substantial feel.
Can produce nice images.
Red-eye reduction seems to work well.
Looks like decent basic editing software.

*Cons:
Has difficulty focusing, particularly in low light, and when digitally zoomed. Digital zoom on any camera is crap so I'm not too worried about it here.

Somewhat slow operation. The screen blanks out for 2 or 3 seconds (or an additional second or two if using flash) as the image is being written to the card. You can't change settings or do anything while this is happening.

Obvious barrel distortion at the wide end of the zoom.

*Quirks (May be good or bad according to your preferences):
Battery charges through the USB cable only, either from your PC's USB or a wall socket. This is convenient, yet it ties up your camera while charging. I got just under 200 shots in the real world, but over 450 at home when testing it. So, your mileage will vary greatly depending on how you are shooting.

Although there is a manual mode (M), you can only choose one of two apertures at whatever focal length you are at. These are normally the maximum and minimum available apertures. Though these choices really are sufficient, control freaks may be disappointed.

Continuous shooting is available in 2 modes, "continuous" and "shutter capture". "Continuous" is what most people think of but only about 1 shot per second (pretty slow). "Shutter capture" is a snappy 6 shots per second for a maximum of 5 seconds for a total of 30 shots. This is great performance - except the images are only 640 x 480 pixels, barely 4 x 6 inches at full size. The screen blanks out during all the shooting.

Exposure bracketing. This can be a great feature as it gives you three exposure choices. However, the difference is only 1/3 of a stop each way which is not very noticeable. It should be at least 1/2 stop (or more) either way to be useful, as editing software can adjust 1/3 stop easily. Also, the camera takes 3 shots in a row and the LCD will be blank during all of it, about 9 seconds.

The self-timer has some neat options such as taking 2 consecutive shots at a time (so you don't have to run back to the camera to "do" another one), or motion-detection that waits for everyone to settle down. However, once the shot is taken, the camera reverts to the normal mode. If you want to take a series of nights shots on a tripod with the self-timer to minimize blur, for example, you will have to set the self-timer each time.

Movie mode has a high-res option, yet at a reduced frame-rate so it may appear slightly choppy. You can zoom while filming, which is a plus. But, I can't get any sound when played on my desktop PC, though it is audible when played in the camera or on my laptop.

The user manual is on a PDF file. However, there is a dedicated "mode" on the dial that is a help guide. There is a printed quick-start quide to get you going, and as most the options are pretty straight-forward, you should not have a big problem operating the camera.

For a basic camera, I think it is OK, with a few good features. For anything advanced, you might think it is missing a few features. If it had a viewfinder, I would probably give it another star because the blank screen would be less of an issue as you could still accurately frame the subject.

I have had this camera for about a month now. I have a digital SLR which I love, but it can be a hassel to carry around everywhere with 2 children. I purchased the Samsung to be a carry around, catch the unexpected moments camera. It has worked great for this.

It has some issues, but I am not sure if it is the camera or the flash card I purchased to use with it. There is a definite lag between shutter depression and picture taking. Some other reviewers have complained about lines on the pictures.

I have taken pictures both inside and out, in partial shade and partial sun. I only noticed the lines on the camera screen when the battery started to run low, but when I downloaded the pictures to my computer the lines were not there.

I have to agree with other reviewers, the written manual is useless, but the manual on the disc provided is much more helpful. It has some point and shoot options, but some of the more advanced features are not the easiest to use. The child picture feature takes the manual and practice to find.

The image stabilization is a definite plus. I am able to take pictures one handed with this and not have the normal blur. I've had some problems with focus which is probably operator error. Overall, I would recommend this camera as the pros outway the cons.