Samsung Digimax i85 8.2MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom Gold Description:
Imagine a camera born to be the multi-player. The Samsung i85 is equipped with 8.2 mega pixel 1/2.5″ CCD, 5x optical zoom, MP3 player, SRS wow HD sound effects, and PMP. These functions allow the Samsung i85 to operate as more than just a digital camera but as a movie player, text viewer, voice recorder, portable hard drive and camcorder. Envy or be envied – it’s up to you.
- Amazon Sales Rank: #76356 in Camera & Photo
- Color: Gold
- Brand: Samsung
- Model: i85G
- Dimensions: 3.00 pounds
- Display size: 3
Features
- 8.2-megapixel CCD captures enough detail for photo-quality 16 x 22-inch prints
- 5x optical zoom; 3.0-inch LCD display
- Face Recognition autofocus and autoexposure, MP3 player, SRS WOW HD sound effects, and PMP
- Built-in World Tour Guide function covering 2,600 regions in 30 countries
- Powered by lithium-ion battery (battery and charger included); stores images on SD memory card
Customer Reviews:
Samsung i85 (Silver) –Great Product, Crisp Pics, and Easy to Use
I purchased this camera after doing some lengthy research. I looked at Casio Exilim EX-V7(suffers from mediocre image quality) or EX-v8 (probably much more comparble to this camera) and Konica Minolta Dimage X1 (also medicore picture quality) models as well, with the criteria being a small, portable camera, with a non-protruding lens. In addition, I wanted video at least similar or better than the Flip Video Camcorders, which can do an hour of low quality video in a small package.
I’ve owned this camera for two weeks now and used it for still images, video cam, and mp3 player purposes. I have not tested it’s ability to play videos (PMP mode) downloaded from the web.
It is compatible with Windows XP (tested), Mac OS X10.5.1 (tested), and Ubuntu Linux (tested). Windows requires the install disc which is included. Mac and Linux auto open their respective photo viewing software for import with no additional drivers and the camera shows up as a removable hard drive on your desktop. The included extra software only works in windows, but it is not essential except if you want to view videos downloaded from the web in your camera. It stores images in jpg format, videos in avi format, and music up to 320kb quality as mp3 format.
The image quality is excellent, with crisp, sharp pictures, and good, accurate colors. Of course it has a million override settings which also allow you more control if desired.
It’s best two features are the ASR (Anti Shake Reduction) and Face Recognition capabilities. My hands are not as steady as they used to be and the ASR produces quality shots every time.
The camera is quick to shoot and there is no noticeable shutter lag (at least compared to my previous camera, a Sony DSC-S85, which is now retired). Those other reviewers who complain of camera lag or bad photos in dark are not using the appropriate settings. The camera has different settings, such as night, “cafe”, fireworks, and other settings they may be what they need and they may not fully understand settings such as “ISO 1600″, and so forth. I encourage them to read the very clear manual and try it again…
This camera uses standard SD cards and I use both a Dane-Elec 4GB 133x SD card and a 2 GB SanDisk Ultra II SD card. I have easily recorded one hour videos with these with room to spare. It has several settings for frames per minute and it can do 30fps at 640 x 480. This format is easily converted into a DVD with your favorite computer software.
The mp3 player produces great quality sound and has an equalizer which will adjust your music according to your preference, such as Rock, Jazz, Classical, etc. The only drawback is that the earphones included are not up to hi fi standards and if you want to upgrade the earbuds, the earphone socket is 2.5mm in size (a smaller size which is usually used by cell phones). If you want to plug in your Grado headphones you will need an adaptor (which is not included).
In summary, I highly recommend this camera/multi-device. If you are looking for an easy to use camera which will produce very satisfying results, this is it.
Pros:
Super compact, fits in your jeans pocket.
Nice size LCD screen for easy viewing.
Very fast start-up.
ASR and Face Recognition modes are a huge help.
Fast focus in most all conditions.
Movie mode is incredible.
Sharpness, colors, all are very pleasing.
Nice build quality, polished metal casing.
Cons:
2.5mm earphone jack is not directly compatible with most hi fi earbuds.
No carrying case included.
this camera has one big downfall
As another person has mentioned – this camera has one big “con” – when taking indoor pictures, especially of darker rooms or items, it can take an EXCESSIVE time after the flash goes off before you are able to take another picture. Either the green standby LED keeps flashing, and /or the word “Processing!” comes across the screen – sometimes for up to 12 seconds, before the camera “comes back” and is ready to take another shot.
Another weird annoyance – when the camera finally does recover from the last picture, there is a bug that sometimes happens with the shutter button – it acts “dead” until you try pressing it 2 , sometimes 3, attempts, at which point it seems to “wake back up”. Weird. You’d be really screwed at an indoor wedding if you were trying to take pictures of couples making their entrance, dances, etc.
10 seconds is how long cameras took in the early 90’s to recover for “next shot” . Inexcusable today, with 4gig SDHD cards, huge internal memory, fast processors, etc.
Finally – after charging the the (very unique) battery – it went from 3(full) bars, right down to 2 bars really quickly (doing a mix of stills & video tests) – and subsequently dying very quickly.
I used it about a half hour, and the battery was dead?!
Yes – this camera has a combination of features and image quality, thats hard if not impossible to match (next closest thing is the rather poor-pictured Casio EXV8)…. but there is definitely something funky going on with the i85 that really is a fatal flaw for indoor shooting.
I called tech support, and in typical corporate-speak, they “never heard” that complaint, said they would email the product team to get back to me- that was only 2 business days ago. Maybe the next revision if the otherwise great i85 will fix these problems.
Great Camera with Awesome features!
I bought this for my wife for Christmas. She loves it. I researched several cameras and found this to be the best one I reviewed without paying over $300. The picture quality is top notch. I have read many reviews for many cameras about how quality is “grainy, blurred, blah, blah, blah”. One review summed it up well. Most cameras will perform very well, you just need to get to know your camera. That is just it! If you don’t know much about the manual side of cameras, then use the auto feature. Otherwise, learn about it and use your camera’s full potential. This camera has it all. The sound is great, understanding that it is a small speaker in a digital camera. Don’t expect to be on a train or a busy sidewalk and be able to hear very well. It does come with ear buds, so use them. Most people don’t walk around with a loud boombox up to their ear anymore. You can watch movies on this thing, just make sure you buy a bigger sd card. I bought a 4GB one and it holds a ton of pics, mp3’s and vid’s. The quality of video is better than most Portable media players and don’t forget the 3″ screen size. The included software works great for converting movies to watch. And the biggest reason I went with this camera was its video recording capabilities. Awesome!!!! You can zoom in and out while you record, it picks up sound very well, and does a good job indoors and outdoors. I was just at a wrestling tournament for my boys and it recorded video very well. Over an hour and a half of recording with plenty of memory and battery left. Great buy, you can’t go wrong!
From the Manufacturer
The i85 is equipped with a 3.0-inch touch screen LCD, an integrated MP3 player, and a PMP (Portable Multimedia Player) function. A built-in World Tour Guide function provides instant access to travel information covering 2,600 regions in 30 countries, so you’ll always know where the action is. Further information can also be downloaded directly from the internet, and with 450MB of internal memory you won’t need to worry about space for favorite travel tips. The camera is equipped with the Samsung Advanced Shake Reduction (ASR) system and ISO 1600 high sensitivity support so that images remain crisp and detailed even without a flash.
The i85 also features Samsung’s Intelligent Face Recognition Technology, which detects the subject’s face, then automatically adjusts autofocus and autoexposure to ensure better composition and image quality in portraits. The AF function instantaneously recognizes the faces of subjects and accurately focuses on them before the AE function takes over, setting the appropriate exposure to ensure the highest image quality.
The stunning new Samsung i85 is a must-have camera packed with intelligently integrated multimedia features.
Features
Slim 5x optical zoom
The Samsung i85 has a powerful 5x optical zoom in a 20.2-millimeter stainless body.
Multimedia function
The Samsung i85 is equipped with an 8.2-megapixel, 1/2.5-inch CCD, 5x optical zoom, an MP3 player, SRS WOW HD sound effect, and PMP. Those equipments allow Samsung i85 to function as a movie player, text viewer, voice recorder, portable hard drive, and camcorder.
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| A World Tour Guide function provides images and facts about major world destinations. |
World Tour Guide function
By adding the World Tour Guide function to a digital camera for the first time, the Samsung i85 provides more convenient and diverse usability while travelling. Images and explanations of famous attractions in 30 countries are provided. With the World Tour Guide function, you can check global travel information easily and conveniently.
3.0-inch TFT LCD (230K) The Samsung i85 has a 3.0-inch large LCD for improved contrast and color reproduction, allowing you to enjoy a wider and clearer image.
Multi-charging system
With Samsung’s unique multi-charging system, your travel has become even lighter. You don’t have to carry an AC adapter for your travel any more. With multi-charging kit SAC-46, you can conveniently charge the camera at a power point or on your laptop or desktop computer.
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| With Face Recognition AE and AF, exposure and focus are automatically keyed to faces in the frame. |
Face Recognition AF and AE
With the Face Recognition AF and AE function, the Samsung i85 enables the user to take better portrait pictures more easily. The function detects faces and automatically focuses on them; the brightness of the faces is adjusted optimally for beautiful portrait pictures.
i-Movie (MPEG-4, SVGA quality)
With new technology, it is possible to record movies in SVGA quality (800 x 592), which provides wider images than the VGA (600 x 480) size. As a result you can enjoy bigger movies on a PC as well as on TV.
ASR (Advanced Shake Reduction) function
The ASR technology prevents the degradation of image clarity and color which is sometimes found in flash photography. With ASR, the effects of image blur are reduced in lower light conditions. You can even take well exposed, sharper pictures in a low-light condition without using a flash at all, guaranteeing brighter and more natural pictures.
What’s in the box
Samsung Digimax i85, user manual/product warranty, camera strap, AC adapter, USB cable, software CD, earphones, AV cable, reschargeable battery
