Is this camera as good as it looks?

May 24, 2005 5:08 PM

My digital camera died and I'm in the market for a new one. I was always leaving my old one at home because it was not slim enough to fit comfortably in my pocket. So I'm looking for a really slim one. I just found info on the Samsung Digimax #1. It looks so cool. http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/peripherals/storage/samsung-digimax-1-teaser-104790.php http://www.dpreview.com/news/0505/05052404samsung_1.asp http://www.samsungcamera.co.kr/swf/zoomin_785_258_050523.swf

Can anyone tell me more about this camera? I could not find, for example, the actual zoom in any of the specs. Or the price when it comes out on June 1^st. I’m totally okay spending a little more for a slim camera or a cool looking camera but I want to make sure it works well. Ideally, I’d pre-order it so I’d get it in time for an event on June 11^th.
posted by hokie409 to Technology (8 answers total)

You probably want to check out the Sony T series and the Nikon S1, which are basically the same thing, and already in the shops.
posted by cillit bang at 5:23 PM on May 24, 2005

I am subscribed to the RSS feeds for both gizmodo and dpreview, and I can tell you that what you see is what you get (for info and specs) on the #1. They just released the teaser this morning, and what you see is what anyone knows.

Also, what cillit says. and i would never buy a digicam that hasn't been given a full workup by a reviewer (preferably dpreview, but that's me), so the "release on June 1 for use on June 11" timeframe seems a bit hurried. But it all depends on your shopping style. According to The Paradox of Choice," I am a maximizer, so I overthink all my decisions, or will necessarily regret them later.
posted by misterbrandt at 5:46 PM on May 24, 2005

I don't know how set you are on this camera, or its particular form factor, but the phrase "fit comfortably in my pocket" described me when I went looking for my digicam. I ended up buying the Pentax Optio S4 (the link is for the Optio S, the S4 is same size, but 4 MP).
This is the "Altoid's tin" camera, and it fits beautifully into said tin. With or without the Altoid's tin, this camera is ultimately portable, and loves to slide into a pocket. It may be a touch thicker (20mm) than the one you are fancying at the moment, but overall dimension wise, it is arguably THE smallest optical zoom digicam.
Granted, I bought mine about 18 months ago, and so it is a little dated, but it truly is a "take anywhere" device.
posted by birdsquared at 6:16 PM on May 24, 2005

Steves forums is a good, general purpose place for asking/answers to these kinds of questions. They tend to have many people who are closely following the scene.
posted by ontic at 7:00 PM on May 24, 2005

I would look seriously at the Fuji FinePix F10, which apparently kicks other compact digicams' butts in terms of image quality. I have a Casio Exilim EX-Z250 (same lens as Pentax Optio, I'm pretty sure the innards are much the same as well) and have been fairly disappointed with the quality of the pictures I've taken.
posted by kindall at 7:12 PM on May 24, 2005

I chose the casio z40 for the same reasons as you: to take it everywhere. However, the small size makes the camera extremely difficult to hold still, causing blurry pictures unless a mono/tripod is used, thus defeating the purpose.
If the pocketable camera that you choose does not have image stabilization, you may run into the same problem.
posted by Daddest at 7:38 PM on May 24, 2005

Umm, on a page you linked they state the zoom is 39-117mm - 3x optical.
posted by knave at 12:07 AM on May 25, 2005

There are a ton of slim digital cameras out there these days. My suggestion is that you go to your local electronics store and check a few of them out. The specs on digital cameras can be misleading - you may be surprised at what you find. For example, I was looking at one of the new slim cameras this weekend, a Sony or Pentax I think, and was shocked at the poor quality of the LCD screen on the back.

That being said, I recently bought a Canon s500 and I fell in love with it. It's a little bit wider than some of the ultra slim cameras out now, but definitely small enough to fit in my pocket. It's actually exactly the same size as my clamshell cell phone (when it's folded shut). Oh, and it takes stellar photos, has a great quality LCD screen, and is very reasonably priced.

So I guess my bottom line advice is shop around, you may find something else better suited for you that's is available now.
posted by geeky at 7:13 AM on May 25, 2005