Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I got bored of Canon SD series (I've been buying models in that series for many years now) and so decided to venture to Samsung. I particularly liked this model because:

- Good price
- Has OPTICAL image stabilization
- Good low light capability
- Video capability
- Can zoom while taking videos

The camera performs like a champ. Excellent low-light shots and great video clips. Their dual mode (electronic + optical image stabilization) can take pictures without flash in most indoor settings which is awesome as flash ruins the picture and can be distracting.

The printed manual is useless but the camera has a great electronic tutorial, so it's not a big deal. Overall, very happy with the camera.

We bought this camera because we needed something small that took good photos. We already have a digital SLR but that is somewhat bulky to take to most places (my thoughts, my wife takes it anyway).

There were very few reviews on this camera when we purchased. Usually that would prohibit us from buying. However, the price is excellent for this camera and we've had several other Samsung items that we've been happy with.

The camera takes excellent pictures and with a 4GB or 8GB SD card there is room for hundreds of pictures to be taken. In addition to photos the camera also takes video. The video is not as good a quality as a dedicated video camera but gets the job done in a pinch. Both photos and video are easily downloaded to a PC by merely moving the SD card from the camera to the computer. There are several settings which can be used depending upon what picture is being taken. Some knowledge of digital photography is useful when playing with the settings. Otherwise you can stick to the "auto" setting which is what I do. The menu for various functions is easily navigable and intuitive as to what each function does.

In short, we've had the camera for about a month. At this point we're several hundred pictures into things with over an hours worth of video. We're pleased with the quality of the picture, ease of use of the camera and the size which is very small and easily put in pocket or purse.

I purchased this camera for my wife to replace a Canon that was too big to fit her purse - the Canon was great, but a bit bulky. Here's what we think of the camera so far:

Pros:
- Outdoor daytime pictures are stunning! Colors are bright and faithful to real-life and white balance is good at factory settings.
- Large LCD screen with auto brightness in any lighting is a big plus. We never have trouble seeing the screen, even in bright light.
- For such a small, purse-sized camera, we think it is plenty sturdy - just be sure to use the wrist strap, because it is easier to drop by nature of it's size - that's just basic physics!

Cons:
- Flash photography is just average - and the camera is pretty slow in very low light, even with flash.
- Battery life is just average. You should get an extra battery - if you do, I would get a name brand, as generics don't hold charge and won't last as long as your original.

Overall, for our use, we love this camera! We just wish it was a bit faster in low light and had a longer-lasting battery. Still, we highly recommend!

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.

Photo wise it was great, but it locked up on me within 1 month.

Still under warranty so when Best Buy said it couldn't be fixed by Samsung they wanted to give me a replacement but were disappointed to tell me they no longer stocked it and would have to pick something else. Yay for me ! Happily I went with a Canon.

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 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.

I buy this camera 1 month ago, and I have to say is really amazing. The quality of the photos are really good, it has a lot of options (more than enough for any kind of situations) and the only thing you should know is that you must buy a memory card, because the internal memory is really low.

Ever since I bought this camera It has given me problems. It started freezing since I first used it. It kept saying "file error". My sister used it and said what is up with your camera? Let me tell you she has a cheaper camera. It has not given her problems at all and she bought hers 2 years before mine. So annoying. Now it fell, not to hard. Now it wont even turn on. Come on!

I received this camera for Christmas last year and have had nothing but problems. It seems to have a mind of its own. It picks and chooses which pictures to save and which to create a file error. It is very frustrating and very undependable. I have never had so many problems with a camera ever.