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53 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Wonderful Little Camera...that LOVES Batteries, May 3, 2009
This review is from: Samsung SL30 10MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom and 2.5 inch LCD (Black) (Electronics)
If you can get past the battery usage factor, you will love this camera! I bought it after reading good reviews elsewhere (it had just been released and there were no amazon.com reviews at that time). I wanted something reasonable (but better than a kiddie camera) for my soon-to-be 6 year old niece. She took the camera everywhere during a trip to Washington, DC and was able to operate it with ease (although she never quite got the concept of the zoom...but that didn't matter to her).
What is good about this camera is you can set the program to eliminate "shake" or motion from the picture. If you accidentally moved the camera while taking a photo, it corrects the picture before saving it. This is simply amazing. Using this function resulted in superb pictures every time. When I decided that this function was consuming too much of the battery life, I turned it off, but after a couple of photos it was clear that it improves the photo even when you think you have a pretty steady hand...so I turned it back on.
The box included a set of AA batteries but no rechargeable batteries or battery charger. Those are optional items, as is a cover. I bought a 4 GB media card for $11 and that is the way to go with this camera. You'll run out of battery life long before you run out of photo capacity! After doing some research, I opted for the alkaline batteries recommended by the owner's manual. I believe that results in superior photos over the rechargeable batteries and was extremely happy with the performance. For the $93 that I paid, this easily performs on par with my other $300 small digital, although it does consume the batteries like there is no tomorrow! So make sure you take plenty with you (buy them on sale!) and you'll have a great time with this camera.
I really wanted to give this product 5 stars for value & performance, but opted for 4 stars solely because of the battery usage factor.
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Takes nice pics and movies; a certified battery punisher, September 7, 2009
This review is from: Samsung SL30 10MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom and 2.5 inch LCD (Black) (Electronics)
The manual that comes with the sl30 recommends Alkaline batteries or rechargeable Ni-MH batteries. I have found that, no matter which type you use, this camera goes through batteries much more quickly than my previous point and shoot, the Canon Powershot A95. I believe the problem is in the design. The Powershot used 4 AA cells and had a smaller display, and the Samsung sl30, with a larger display, uses only two AA cells. This design choice kept the camera compact and light. But I think Samsung was somewhat disingenuous in making the calculated decision to get the consumer in the door with the sexiness of this little camera, and then leave them holding the bag when it comes to the most routine aspect of ownership/upkeep.
Whereas I was able to take the Canon along for a nine hour day at Disneyland this summer and never give a second thought about battery life, the Samsung sl30 has depleted one of it's three bars indicating battery power left just in casual (not constant) shooting around the house and yard for less than an hour total. 30 more shots and a couple of short movies later, and time to reload. (A friend says that sudden battery depletion is a characteristic of rechargeables: two or three bars indicating battery health one minute, then kaput the next. I can't swear that this is always or even often true, but since I have had this camera, I have seen things which make me believe it. I have seen it go from three bars -- full battery indicator -- to the dread battery replacement message in the space of less than five minutes, on the next power-up.)
So the consumer has two choices with this camera, as I see it, if they buy it and decide to keep it. You can make a major investment in Alkaline batteries at Megamart, always carrying a couple of sixteen packs of them with you on vacation, and just try to forget that this thing uses batteries like a toy cassette recorder from 1970. Or you can buy a brace of rechargeables and always have a couple of rechargers plugged in back at the hotel with all slots filled.
Important note: The Duracell Ni-MH battery recharger I bought just for the batteries specified for this camera (which are rated at 1700 mAh, by the way) lists a recovery time of a whopping five hours. Yes, I said "five hours". With the Samsung sl30, spontanaeity -- that selling point so beloved by advertisers, that quality so coveted by consumers of cameras of this class -- certainly takes a back seat to old school camera nerd/hobbyist planning ahead and lugging extra supplies around.
To explain my rating, I give the camera almost 5 stars for the quality of pics it takes, and ease of use. (The flash on the sl30 is more forgiving than the super-hot flash on the Canon Powershot A95; this was my one complaint with the Canon the whole time I had it.) I allow it a somewhat generous 3 stars because of the battery problem. Net out around 4.
Not a terrible camera. But I think it's important that you know what you're getting into when you buy this camera. If getting on the battery-buying or battery-stress track is a deal breaker for you, you might want to look at a different camera.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Easy to Use, November 21, 2009
This review is from: Samsung SL30 10MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom and 2.5 inch LCD (Black) (Electronics)
I bought this camera for our trip to Bermuda so I would not have to carry my bigger SLR camera. After reading previous reviews, I was somewhat concerned about battery life even though I prefer the easy to replace AA batteries in this model. After using the camera inside and outside to become familiar with its functions, I found it to be simple to understand and easy to change settings. The pictures were bright and clear. The batteries lasted through my trial run easily. I replaced the batteries with fresh top of the line Mallory batteries before our trip and we were off on vacation. Over a period of several days, I snapped over 200 pictures inside with flash as well as outside under a variety of conditions, on the bright and sunny beaches in the "beach" mode; beautiful sunsets in the "sunset" mode; close up shots of the many flowers and even inside in the "back light" mode. Under most outside conditions, I had no problem composing a picture on the camera screen. In the bright sun, however, it is a little difficult to make out the screen. It was not usually a problem. I was careful not to keep reviewing my pictures as I do believe that this causes the biggest drain on battery life. I returned home and easily loaded the pictures into my computer Photoshop program. I am very pleased with the quality and exposure of the pictures and am still using the same batteries. I did not use the CD that came with the camera but simply plugged in the enclosed USB cord to download directly to my Photoshop. My computer has Vista and there is no problem with compatibility. The convenience of having a pocket size camera that is ready to use at any moment is something I am very pleased about. I do believe that taking a little time to get used to the camera will provide anyone with a lot of joy.
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