Samsung SL605 Review

Samsung SL605 Overview

Posted: 02/20/2010

The Samsung SL605 is an entry-level digital camera based around a twelve megapixel image sensor and a 5x optical zoom lens. The SL605 has a compact body with a metal front cover and rubberized areas on the bottom, and around the LCD and buttons. Samsung says these will help protect the camera from dust, dirt or sand. The SL605 also has an anti-scratch mask to protect the LCD display.The SL605's 5x zoom starts from a useful 27mm wide angle, and runs through to a moderate 135mm telephoto.

On its rear panel, the Samsung SL605 offers up a 2.7" LCD display with 230,000 dots of resolution, roughly equivalent to a 320 x 240 pixel array with three dots per pixel. This display is the only venue for framing and reviewing images and movies, given that the SL605 lacks any form of optical or electronic viewfinder. Samsung's Smart Auto intelligent scene recognition mode is available, which automatically selects the appropriate camera settings based on the determined subject type. The function works for both still images and movies. The Samsung SL605 records movies at standard definition VGA (640 x 480 pixel) resolution or below. Movies are saved as 30 frames-per-second Motion JPEG files.

Other features of the Samsung SL605 include a Smart Night Mode function which allows control over flash output, and Samsung's Perfect Portrait System. This last consists of a Face Detection function, smile shot and blink detection capability, in-camera red-eye fixing function, Self Portrait mode, and Beauty Shot mode which automatically softens skin tones.

The Samsung SL605 is available from Spring 2010, priced at around $130.