Customer Reviews

Samsung TL205 12 Megapixel Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom, Dual LCD Screens, Smart Auto, Digital Image Stabilization, Silver

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

Usually, I'm a Canon man. I got this camera for my wife because she liked the dual view. And it is pretty cool, to be sure. We haven't got to use it a whole lot yet, but here's what I like so far: the camera is quick, light, inexpensive, good in low-light, and 12.2 megapixels, GOOD menus and quick access to the most important features. Did I mention it was inexpensive? I haven't used too many snap-shot digital cameras - two different Canon Powershots and now this one - so, I'm probably not the most seasoned critic. But I am kinda a gadget-geek, and I'm going to say this camera is well-deserving of the 5 stars I give it. And about how it compares to its big brothers - the other Samsung dual-view cameras - well, once again, this one is the most inexpensive. So for me, it was the way to go.

I received this camera on January 6th, as a gift. I was thrilled. The camera took great pictures and was fairly easy to use once I played with it a while. There are several different picture settings, and each setting has more ways to fine tune your picture, which I loved. I also LOVED the face-flaw eraser setting. I take a lot of outdoor pictures and the details on leaves, trees, clouds, and sky were incredible.
Notice that I used past tense to describe all of these things.
On January 7th, I went for a hike and took my new camera with me. I was so excited! I took some great pictures and great footage.
When I got back to my car, I noticed little black spots on the LCD. I turned it off and went home, and when I turned it on again, the spots were ebbing into little black lines.
By the next day, two large lines were across the LCD. I could even see them when the camera was off. I took it back and exchanged it for another one.
That night, we went out for dinner and I took the camera with me. Within taking about 10 pictures, the same thing happened-a long, thin black line appeared across the LCD.
I fell in love with this camera and seriously considered keeping it despite the flaw, but then came to my senses when I realized that no brand new device should be doing that. I didn't exchange it again after I read customer reviews on the camera, and found that apparently this black line problem is a recurring one with this model.
So basically, if you want to take the gamble and see if you're one of the lucky ones with no LCD problems, this is a great camera. I'm of the opinion something brand new should work completely, with no flaws within the first 24 hours.

I really like this camera and have been wanting it since it was first released. I finally purchased it and I'm returning it because it's way too slow. It takes really nice pictures and the screen on the front is really a fantastic feature if you're someone that likes to take self portraits without needing a place to place the camera and use a timer. That's something I do all the time with my husband. I'm returning it because it takes a long time for the flash to fire and then recharge. We have a 5 month old so we need a faster camera to capture all her precious little smiles that happen so fast!

The camera takes good pictures, and the front screen is fun, but there's already 2 black lines across the back screen..... I don't think it should damage that easily... It doesn't affect the outcome of the photo any though. It's just a nuisance.

I bought this camera for one reason, the dual view. It takes good pictures, but nothing like an SLR. I like the dual view, but never really use it (but, it is a good, novel feature). My pictures are good, very vibrant. But, after having it 5 months (and I take good care of cameras!), it developed spots inside of the LED screen. First, it was a black line - best way to describe it is like an ink pen explosed inside it - then it became a bunch of "ink spots". It does NOT affect the pictures; however, the spots are placed so that you cannot see some of the menu choices (that's a big problem).

I called Samsung today, and got great customer service (quickly answered the phone). He took a bunch of information and told me it's under warranty and to send it back, which I will do.

If I ever see the camera again, I will be surprised. I hated spending $129. on this camera and having it break within a few months. My cameras usually last me a life time.

Other than this problem, I like the little camera. It takes good pictures. But, again, nothing to compare to an SLR. And, it has a lot of different settings, video, and good stuff like that.

UPDATE: I mailed the camera back to be repaired. Samsung repaired it very quickly, shined it up and returned it. Since receiving it back, I NEVER had that problem again. I am happy with the camera now and appreciate Samsung's quick service on repairing it. I have to admit, I was surprised at the great customer service from Samsung! I use it a lot and, again, never had that problem again since it was repaired. I upgraded the product from 3 stars to 4 stars based on Samsung's good service in standing by their product.

ANOTHER UPDATE: 11/2011: This past month, I found myself using this camera a lot - especially for the dual view to take pictures of myself! What's good about the dual view feature, when you use it, it will focus on your face (it knows you are taking a self-portrait). Other little cameras, when you do a self-portrait (holding the camera up and taking your own pic), it will focus somewhere else, so you get a nice picture but your face is out of focus. This is an excellent feature as far as taking your own picture. Also, I like the video on it better than the new cameras.

Again, after that problem and Samsung fixing it, I never had another problem with it! I actually like it now almost as much as my Canons!

I always had Canon cameras and I should have stuck with those! When I got this camera I was excited to use it and right away was disappointed with it. It doesn't auto rotate pics like Canon and I was used to that. But that wasn't the main issue. It wouldn't focus very well, half of the pictures were blurry, the auto flash doesn't work well, the picture taking button was too sensitive and I would barely touch it before it would take a picture and no one was ready! The picture quality is very poor comparing to Canon! Then it would do random things like when I would be looking through the pictures, it would just go to the picture taking mode and open the zoom and flip through the menu options on its own! And then it got a screen problem, so I sent the camera back to Samsung thinking they would repair it...it was only a week old! But no, they just said it was physical damage and I had to pay $50 to fix the camera, which I don't even want back! I explained the camera had problems with it before, but they didn't care. All they said was "Sorry, problem with a screen is a result of physical damage, it's not covered under warranty!" So on top having a bad camera I also got the worst customer service! They just blame the problems on the customer and you have to pay for their malfunctioning products! What is really sad is that I have a TV, a blue-ray DVD player, a video camera, a printer and a monitor from Samsung and I wish they would take a better care of their loyal customers! But they just lost one because now I'm very disappointed and will never buy ANYTHING from Samsung EVER AGAIN!

I got this on sale for about $129, though its going for about $99 right now.
Pros: Cheap/Affordable!, quality scenic photos, portable, lightweight
Cons: Feels cheap, everything from the buttons to the rotating options wheel wreaks of poor construction. VERY poor at taking up close pictures (Thinking of taking a picture of a receipt or a ID with this camera? Think again!). rear LCD screen feels smaller than similar sized LCD's. Doesn't retract the zoom feature when in photo viewing mode like my canon.

Other notes:
The front LCD really isnt as useful as one might think, unless you're taking a face shot of yourself, you most likely won't be using it.
The rear LCD is a bit indented and looks smaller than other comparable LCD's.
Most of the picture taking modes are useless... but that's to be expected with this pricing.

Summary: Would I buy this camera again? well I wish I had bought it at that $99 price tag instead of $129. It's cheap, it works great for scenic photos, it would make a good present for a teenager as the frontal LCD is fancy all be it rather useless outside of self photos.

I needed a camera quickly and bought this camera today for a function this weekend. It is going back to the store tomorrow. The problem is the case of the camera is black plastic and the functions buttons on the back are black on black, making them almost impossible to read. Why they put black on black is beyond comprehension. This camera is going back as I need to be able to see what the buttons are for without a flashlight. Now that I'm reading other reviews the picture quality seems to be lacking in this camera also.

This is the biggest waste of money I have ever spent!!!! I stored the camera in a hard protective pouch, NEVER dropped it, took great care of it & the 2nd time I used it lines started appearing through the screen. We have made numerous phone calls & emails over the course of 3 months & cannot get Samsung to help us get the camera fixed. They haven't even bothered to contact us back at all. This is the worst customer service ever. PLEASE DO NOT BUY THIS CAMERA!!!

Great compact camera. Has smile and blink detection, great HD images. i've always had Kodak cameras and this beats it by a mile. had this camera about a month, LOVE IT!!!!