| | |  | Point-and-shoot Digital Cameras | Home » » » » Samsung SL30 10MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom and 2.5 inch LCD (Silver) | | | | | | | Description: | | Samsung's new SL30 combines all the technology you need, but at an affordable price. The extremely stylish optical 3x zoom lens, 10-megapixel digital camera boasts a host of features to make it easier than ever to take high-quality photos. Samsung's innovative Face Detection technology detects the subject's face and automatically adjusts auto focus and auto exposure to ensure better composition and image quality for portraits. The in-built Beauty Shot mode retouches facial skin for a brighter and smoother skin tone - immediately making these cameras everyone's best friend. The premium quality SL30 also features Samsung's fast Digital Image Stabilization system, compensating for unwanted camera movement and subject blur - so pictures are always crisp and sharp focus. | | | Features: | |
• 10.2-megapixel resolution for large, photo quality prints
• 3x optical zoom; 2.5-inch Intelligent LCD screen
• Digital image stabilization; Face detection
• Movie mode (VGA 30fps, MJPEG)
• Capture images to SD/SDHC/MMC cards (not included)
| | | Product Details: | | | Product Length:
| 6.7 inches | | Product Width:
| 5.3 inches | | Product Height:
| 2.3 inches | | Product Weight:
| 0.26 pounds | | Package Length:
| 6.6 inches | | Package Width:
| 5.4 inches | | Package Height:
| 2.3 inches | | Package Weight:
| 0.8 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 80 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 80 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
64 of 68 found the following review helpful:
A Wonderful Little Camera...that LOVES BatteriesMay 03, 2009
By Been There
"World Traveler"
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.
34 of 36 found the following review helpful:
 Great little cameraJul 03, 2009
By Anne Phillips
"Annie"
This camera is awesome value for the money. It's a bit bigger than some others on the market, but that's because it uses regular AA batteries (2) rather than having to charge via AC or USB plug like some other cameras. I like that feature b/c I can use rechargeable AA batteries and not worry about being able to charge the camera itself all the time....Also b/c it is a bit bigger, it's easier to use/handle. At least that's what my friends with really tiny cameras think!
The flash was my concern and how will indoor pictures look like, but they look great. Zoom is pretty good as well and the camera comes with USB cord, so download is easy as well....overall, an excellent camera I would recommend.
27 of 28 found the following review helpful:
 Takes good Quality Pictures, terrible parts.Jul 16, 2009
By A. Gilchrist
I brought this camera a few months ago since my other one was a bit outdated. The price was right and It was modern looking so it seemed like the right choice for me.
Pros
Has good modes (esp beauty mode)
Takes sharp crisp pictures
Has a Large bright LCD screen
Has a Guidance menu that tells you what all the functions do.
Cons
No look thru View finder.
Eats Batteries regardless of being lithium batteries ( like they recommend)
Tough to access different camera modes many menus have to be accessed.
No Mode Wheel ( easy for turning to modes)
The lens the motor is weak it frequently gets stuck and mine ultimately broke.
The reason why I did give this product some stars , is because it takes beautiful pictures. I am sad that the mechanical aspects have to bog this camera down.I ended up taking mine apart because the motor on the lens did not work anymore.
Not saying this happens for many people.. I have many samsung items and I am happy with them all except this one.
16 of 17 found the following review helpful:
Takes nice pics and movies; a certified battery punisherSep 07, 2009
By Iconophoric
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.
15 of 16 found the following review helpful:
So far, so goodAug 17, 2009
By monkeybutt
I got this camera for my kids (ages 6 and 8). We used it at Yellowstone. The color was good (better at times than my Canon Elph). There are lots of functions-more than I would ever use, but the kids enjoyed them! Battery life was good (we used camera batteries). Bottom line, this is a fun, easy to use camera that takes really good pictures.
See all 80 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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