Samsung L830 Review

The Samsung L830 features a Samsung NV-branded f/3.0 - f/5.6, 3x optical zoom lens with a fairly standard 38 - 114mm equivalent focal range. The L830 couples this with an eight megapixel CCD imager that yields a maximum resolution of 3264 x 2448 pixels. The L830 also includes a 2.5" LCD display that has 230,000 pixels; likely to help keep price and complexity down, this LCD is the sole method of framing images, as the Samsung L830 forgoes any form of optical viewfinder.

The L830 keeps things simple by offering automatic control of most image parameters, but enthusiasts will be pleased to know it offers a manual exposure mode as well. Autofocus is via contrast detection and includes Multi AF, Center AF, Face Recognition AF modes. ISO sensitivity ranges from 80 to 1600 equivalent, and the L830's ASR (Advanced Shake Reduction) system automatically increases ISO to avoid blur in low-light situations. Exposures are determined with multi-pattern, spot or face recognition metering, and the user can tweak the exposure with +/-2.0EV of exposure compensation, in 0.33EV steps.

L830 shutter speeds range from 1/1500 to 8 seconds in manual mode, and 1/1500 to 1 second in all other modes. White balance can be controlled automatically, manually, or via one of five presets. The Samsung L830 has a six mode internal flash, and eleven scene modes that help beginners get the most from their camera without needing to understand the subtleties of exposure variables. As well as still images, the L830 can also capture movies (with audio) at resolutions up to 800 x 592 pixels in AVI (MPEG-4) format.

The L830 stores images on Secure Digital or MultiMediaCard media, as well as the newer SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) cards, or in 16MB of built-in memory. The L830 also offers USB 2.0 High-Speed computer connectivity, while power comes from a proprietary Lithium Ion rechargeable battery.

The Samsung L830 ships this September, at a suggested price of US$229.