Looking for a convenient way to take both still images and video footage? Look no further than the Samsung Digimax 210SE. The 210E is a 2.1megapixel digital still camera, and is capable of capturing 30 seconds of video.
Macro photography is also made possible through the camera's 3X optical and 2X digital zoom. We found the camera very easy to set up--all we had to do was attach the strap, and insert the four AA alkaline batteries and 8MB CompactFlash card. However, when we turned the 210SE on, the only way we could tell that this had been done successfully was by the small camera status LCD on the top of the camera--not very convenient. There is a separate power button for the camera's 1.8in LCD, is a great way to save battery power. We should mention that it is wise not to stray too far from a powerpoint--the camera drains batteries very quickly, even rechargeables.
There are a number of shooting options available, and it took us a few minutes to set the camera up before we were able to start snapping away--flash mode, image compression, file format, resolution, and capture type all need to be selected. The mode dial on the top of the camera allowed us to choose from macro, normal, or playback mode. Advanced options include white balance, exposure compensation, and digital zoom.
Capturing video was a breeze but again, we had to navigate through the 210SE's many menus to set up this function. Selecting moving image mode in the capture menu allowed us to choose the size and length of our mini movie. We then simply shot the movie as though we were taking a snapshot--the camera saves the movie as an AVI file. While shooting, the camera has an excellent function that flashes a "not enough light" message when it is too dark, since the flash cannot be used while in this mode.
Playback of images is a simple matter of turning the mode dial to play mode, then scrolling through the images as they are displayed on the LCD, using the direction buttons. From here, it is possible to delete unwanted images. Alternatively, we were able to play back our pictures as a slide show. Image quality was excellent, both for still images and video footage.
Our next step was to download our images from the CompactFlash card to a PC. We installed the TWAIN driver, Direct Download USB program, and image-editing software (Adobe PhotoDeluxe), and connected the camera via the supplied USB cable. Once this was done, we were able to grab images quickly and easily from the camera, using the TWAIN interface. We found that images had some slight variations between the LCD and computer screen--they generally appeared darker on the PC than on the LCD. However, the image quality was still very good.
The Samsung Digimax 210SE is great for taking good quality images and short video. The experienced user will appreciate its range of functions, picture-taking modes, and great image quality. We can't, however, recommend it to first-time digital camera users. The number of menus and options simply aren't clear and simple enough, and the unintuitive design of the camera's indicators made it more difficult to use than it should have been.
Digimax 210SE
Company: Samsung Australia
Ph: 1300 362 603
Price: AU$799
Rating:
16%
7%
