Samsung SL820 12MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Dual Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0 inch LCD (Black)

by Samsung

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 5.3 x 2.2 inches ; 5.4 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B001PKTRC6
• Item model number: SL820 Black
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,597 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 17, 2003

Product Description

Color: Black

SL820 black dig cam 12MP 5X OPT

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good camera, June 15, 2009

By 

Gadgeteer (Bronx, NY United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Samsung SL820 12MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Dual Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0 inch LCD (Black) (Electronics)

I purchased this camera basically based on the review in Engadget of point and shoot cameras. I was replacing a broken Canon TX1 that I had used primarily for 720P video shooting.Video recording was very important.Size was also very important and we were looking at the Canon SD780 IS. My main camera is a Canon Rebel XTi.

Overall I have found this camera to be very good.

+ Takes very good pictures overall
+ Very easy to use
+ Camera has nice smart modes. The kids mode is especially good for me
+ The video quality is great. You can zoom in while shooting video. You cannot do this on the Canon SD780
+ charges via the camera (no need to take out the battery).

- Flash recycling is relatively slow. It's not the world's fastest camera overall.
- The camera is a little heavy. Definitely bigger than the SD780
- Strange proprietary cable (does not use mini USB, etc.)
- Comes with no software
- Comes with no printed manual (just a quick start guide)

Note on Video
Video is shot in MP4 (h.264) format. This makes the videos pretty small, but its hard to work with on a Windows PC. I think Windows 7 will make this work better, but for now it is a problem. My old Canon TX1 shot in MJPEG. This produces bigger files, but it is very easy to work with. The Canon SD780 also uses MP4 as do many other newer cameras (Flip Mino, etc.).

I use Picasa to organize my photos. Picasa would stutter through most of the MP4 videos. I had problems viewing the files in Quicktime as well (on an AMD X2 5000). The videos play fine on the Zune software an also on an Xbox 360.

Overall
I recommend this camera. I was thinking about getting a Flip Mino HD or a Creative Labs Vado. Frankly, I don't see why you would buy a cheap HD camera when you can get this much better camera for not much more. If you need something a little smaller the Canon SD780. But overall, I think the Samsung offers more features in a bigger package for about the same price.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Capable camera, but durability and service spotty, June 20, 2009

By 

Pat Furrie (Deltona, FL) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Samsung SL820 12MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Dual Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0 inch LCD (Black) (Electronics)

Pros: nice pictures, high-def (720p) video mode, light weight, quick start-up time, wider-than-normal lens with 5X optical zoom.

Cons: Questions on durability (see below), warranty service doesn't cover shipping to repair center, sound stops recording when using zoom.

Purchased as a graduation gift, and was well-received. Worked well for recording video of graduation ceremony, and video quality of ceremony looked good. However, it was annoying that the audio in the recording cuts out when using the zoom. Would be interested in learning if that is on purpose, perhaps to prevent picking up zoom motor noise, or just an artifact of limitations on the camera not being able to perform too many things at one time. Whatever the reason, it limits what can be done in that mode.

Later that evening, found that the lens didn't retract when the camera was shut off one time. Normally, like most cameras of this type, the lens extends when the camera is powered on, and retracts when the camera is powered down. I just figured the camera was very low on power (which it was), and had failed for that reason. Later, when we attempted to turn the camera back on, we could hear a whirring noise in the camera for a few moments, and then nothing. I assumed the noise was the lens motor attemnpting to either close or open the lens, but being unsuccessful. At the point, the camera would shut down. No amount of coaxing would convince the stubborn lens to behave.

A call to Samsung tech support turned up no solutions to the lens problem. They emailed me an RMA and a shipping address for the repair center, but didn't cover the shipping costs. Repairs took a bit over a week.

UPDATE: After having the repaired camera back for only three days, the same issue surfaced again -- lens won't retract, only a whirring noise, a beep, and then it shuts off. Going to Samsung's site allows me to re-enter a service request, but it expects me to pay another $8 to ship it in for another "repair."

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty Darn Close..., June 26, 2009

By 

Dayna Reynoldson (Saskatchewan, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Samsung SL820 12MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Dual Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0 inch LCD (Black) (Electronics)

I was hoping this would be the camera that I needed, and it comes pretty darn close. The main reason I purchased this camera was for the hd video capabilities. I enjoy taking quick little videos of my girls, and being able to upload them quickly for my family and friends to share. This camera lives up to that challenge quite nicely, although beware that when you take advantage of the 5X zoom, the sound cuts out until you are zoomed where you want, then cuts back in. A minor little annoyance. The picture quality of this camera is very good. I really have not taken a bad picture yet, which is quite remarkable! This is my 6th purse camera to date, and I would have to say the quality is right up there with some of the best cameras I have owned. The reason I gave it 4 out of 5 stars is due to the cameras performance speed. Shot to shot is quite slow for a camera in this class. You have to wait for the flash to re-power before taking the next shot, which at times I found to be extremely annoying. Also the zoom controller is in an awkward position, and would not always zoom when pushed. Samsung has to work out a few bugs before getting this camera perfect! But I would definitely recommend this camera to anyone looking for a compact camera with all the features!

2115|R1W4O6A6D8YLNN;2115|R2S6L7VVNO7CJZ;2115|R32FKLHZWUXYAT;