Product reviewsSamsung Digimax S850 8.1MP Digital Camera - Black

It shoots raw!!

Have had this Samsung s850 for a while now, but didn't realise there is a simple hack to shoot raw pics.

It's dead easy, turn cam off, press tele up and ok/menu/play,all at the same time.
Cam will turn on and present you with service screen, press OK and scroll across to 4th box.
Then down to histogram/raw, choose raw type 3.
Power down and enjoy.
You can even turn histogram on too.Read full review...

Verified purchase: No

Camera

Perfect for the job I wanted it for

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: nativesolewareh...

Samsung S850 Digital Camera

Researched all over the net and I agree with the general sentiments which are:
1. It is a really good camera for a novice; simple to operate and the picture quality is excellent.
2. Can get frustrating with the auto-focus as one often wants to choose what to focus on and it keeps selecting its own choice
3. Value for money?....Absolutely
4. Weight is not a problem..its still very light, perhaps a bit big for pockets, but small enough to be very portable
5. The delay between pressing the button and the picture being taken is a little frustrating, ok in normal light but frustrating in low light.Read full review...

This is a great Camera with so much functionality!

For further reviews and product specs, try ciao.co.uk:
http://www.ciao.co.uk/Samsung_S850__Review_5649235

This truly is an incredible camera - as ciao said, it really is the perfect balance of price and features. For a start, this is about as cheap as it gets for an 8MP, 5X optical zoom: mine cost arond £75 from one of the sellers listed through this review (at time of writing) I also got a free 2Gb SD card, a very good quality case, tripod and lense cleaning kit. At the time I was not to be swayed by extra freebies, but with the ones I got it is a complete setup: you are ready to go straight away!

I used to have a 3X optical zoom, and boy do I notice the difference with a 5X zoom!

The quality is superb at 8.1MP, it is very quick taking so I never bother to use a lower setting, the pictures size is generally about 2.5MB - so to fill a 2 GB card is well over 700 pics!

The video is also surprisingly good quality, although if you zoom on the video the sound is cut to avoid getting a horrible mechanical sound in the background - no bother to me though), also get your full 5x optical zoom in video mode!

But this camera is really about the pictures; There are so many settings I would need hours to explain, but the sellers info is usually pretty good.

Auto mode is great - easy to setup and snap

But as you get used to it (I've had it nearlly 3 weeks now) you can explore its advanced features: there are manual settings for most things which is great if you need it. A huge variety of scenes too!

But where this camera really excells is in the close-up mode: what I bought it for, and I am not at all disappointed: The quality right upto 1 cm is incredible: words cannot describe it! Some pictures look almost proffesional without much effort: just set on super macro: snap a few times and you'll usually get at least one great image: thats what digital is about isn't it: the ability to delete if they go wrong, and then take another with no problem or cost.

As with all digital cameras the pictures do tend to look marginally grainy when it is dull, but if you get the ISO setting right and the WB correct, this is usually minimal.

Batteries: they say recommended rechargeabes are 2500Mah - these cost about £8 for four on ebay (camera takes two), but I have used older batteries which are around 2000Mah and are a lot cheaper, they have been averaging around 250-300 snaps per charge, which I think is really good and more than ample, considering it only uses two. Alkalines are rubbish in it, I tried the supplied and they reported low after about 100 snaps!

This camera is a must have for somebody looking for a cheap(ish) camera with excellent features or somebody who enjoys close up work (flowers, animals etc.)

Samsung really have got this camera right: don't be put off by the looks: your camera isn't in your picture! Its still tiny and very portable too.

P.S. adding to my review after more experience - still great, am more pleased - I've never spent this uch time in the garden taking pics in wet spring before - the quality is amazing! Have begun to get used to the WB manual settings and other manual settings - its really intuitive and simple to use, and if you get stuck the user guide provides a great help (not that I've had to use it much though)

All in all this is the BEST value I think I've had on anything in a long time!
Thank you Samsung.Read full review...

samsung s850

very clear crisp pictures,good colour, for the price with 8.1 mega pixels and 5x zoom its great. I didnt rate it 5 because i found i could take better pictures without the ASR being on.

Exceptional value for money at current eBay used prices!

I rate this highly as a used camera buy. I've owned a number of digital cameras, from Nikon SLRs to small compacts and this is possibly the best value currently around £25.
It is rugged, with no particular design weakness - other than using AA batteries rather than Li-Ion rechargeable. It is ideal for eBay sales or Facebook downloads and produces good pictures for 6 x 4 printing, which is what many people want.
The f2.8 lens is good for low light shots and the 5X optical magnification useful.
OK, so it isn't the lightest or smallest of compacts,
nor does it have GPS and shoot HD video. Instead, you get a reliable performer and super value for money.Read full review...

Very good butt...

Having just sold my S850 there are a few things I have to agree and disagree with the previous reviewers about. Firstly, the movie quality is exceptional due to the higher pixel usage, but the fact the sound cuts out when the zoom is utilised can be very frustrating. So is the auto-focus, which, in my experience, chooses to pick the most unimportant things to concentrate on, other than what you want. I started to use the manual focus but using the large tft screen, other than a viewfinder, proved to be touch and go especially in high glare conditions, which proved to be evident when I downloaded the images onto my computer. I found the super macro mode usable, but experienced similar problems the longer I used the camera which made me question the long-term usage, and reliability of this model.

Overall I liked this camera but would recommend a more serious user to check other models from more established manufacturers with reputations for reliability, build and ccd quality.Read full review...

Slick, Smooth, & Sexy

A superb little gadget: It has a huge 2.1" TFT LCD display, 8.1 MP, 5x optical zoom, ASR (Advanced Shake Reduction, High sensitivity ISO 1600, MPEG-4 SVGA quality movie function, Movie Stabiliser, Successive Recording function, Built-in Movie Editing, Powerful manual functions, Macro 1cm & Auto Macro, Wise Shot, Effect button to access various photo effects directly, and SDHC memory card support.

I advise the use of AA Ni-NH rechargeable batteries as standard Duracell won’t last long.

Official Website: http://www.samsungcamera.co.uk/product/pro_view.asp?prol_uid=2777&cat_uid=11Read full review...

Good little camera for the price

I bought the camera primarily to photograph things to put on Ebay. I need good quality close-ups and this camera though over two years old really does the trick with the ability to take pics at around 5 cms or less. The quality of the pics is really good compared to the cameras I've had before which have all been bought new and gone wrong within 18 months. The camera was virtually new and maybe I got lucky but at around £25 it takes video good photos as well as good close-up photos. Alright not the cutting edge but a good camera at a very realistic priceRead full review...

A great camera!

Am very impressed with the quality of photos that this camera takes. Distance and close up images are of wonderful clarity, and the colours are fabulous!

The price belies the fact that this does seem to be a professional quality
camera.

Initially, I was a bit dubious of having to use AA batteries (instead of a rechargable lithiums), but have found that they last for ages.

All in all, a great camera and well worth the money.Read full review...