Samsung Evoca 170SE Zoom 35mm Camera

Rating:
Summary: Excellent camera, 1000+ photos in 1 year and still going.
Review: Background

I bought this camera around July 2001 after reading a number of reviews on Amazon.com as well as on Epinions. I was hesitant because Samsung was still (at that time---things have changed a LOT in one year) known for the cheap and flimsy stuff. At least, that was my biased perception at the time. Plus, the fact that the cost was within $100 of an SLR, and that there were *digital* cameras that were cheaper, made me consider and reconsider (I went to the checkout page @ Amazon like a dozen times, and retreated at the point where we have to finalize the order :-)).

I was getting married overseas, and although we had official photographers for the occassion, I wanted a backup plan (yeah, I'm that kind of guy). Taking my Pentax SLR was out of question, since hardly anyone knows how to use them anymore, and I can't be taking the photos at my wedding :) (not if I wanted to get out of there alive, anyway ;)).

Review

But I bit the bullet. The comments about the high quality of the lenses pushed me over the edge and I decided that this was a reasonable chance to take. I'm happy to report that the camera has proven to be *wonderful*. I haven't used my SLR since I bought that camera; enough said. The photographs are crystal clear and everyone's been amazed at the quality (I've used 400-speed film only, and have been getting photos developed at Ritz, so I dunno how much these contribute). Every roll has turned out really great. I've take pictures in Las Vegas, Philadelphia, New Jersey, New York, India, you name it. I've taken over 1000 photos in a year with it. Despite Amazon prodding me to write a review in Aug 2001, I decided to hold off till I really gave the thing a solid workout. And now, in Oct 2002, I strongly recommend the camera with the weight of 14 months of usage behind me.

Let me throw in a couple of negatives to provide some balance though (these are the only ones I've got). The red-eye feature doesn't work too great. In fact, it's pretty poor. The second is that it sucks up battery (but I may just be taking too many photos). Finally, I've noticed that the small viewfinder proves to be a bit of a bother for people (when I request them to "Please take our picture" :)).

Again, weighed against the positives, I'd say this camera is extremely valuable even with these (for me, minor, especially since I have dark eyes which don't seem to be affected by the red eye) negatives. Night photos turn out great, something I've always feared automatics would mess up. Death Valley at Sunset, Las vegas Strip at night, Hoover Dam in twilight, and WTC towers at night in Aug 2001 (never expected those to be my last :( ) all came out brilliantly. The day photos are rich, and nature photos are always vibrant with colour (credits go equally to nature and the camera, I guess :-)).

Overall, a great automatic to buy!

Rating:
Summary: Very nice little camera
Review: I recently bought this camera to take with me on those occasions that my SLR is too heavy or bulky - hiking, amusement parks, etc. I find that it takes excellent photos under most circumstances - indoors and out, stationary subjects and moving ones. I haven't figured out all the buttons yet, or when is the best time to which modes, but it seems to have the full range of capabilities. It is a tad expensive, but, if you want the extended zoom range, it's definitely worth it. I took pictures of a black puppy in his white dog bed, and the dog came out very clear; you could see the individual hairs on his head!

Rating:
Summary: From a first-time "real" camera owner
Review: I required what I termed an "idiot" camera cause I am just so close to being an "idiot" with cameras. When I bought this camera, I was really quite pleasantly surprised with the results. The excellence of the lens made my pictures quite sharp. Can't use this camera for night pictures even with the 400 speed film unless there are lots of lights around. Went to New Orleans and those pictures were clear and fantastic. I'm not a camera buff nor do I have lots of experience with picture taking but I impressed myself! I intend for this camera to last me for years and I understand it to have one of the better warranty terms - 3 years. Just a word of note cause I didn't get a chance to read it before my trip -- READ THE MANUAL! :)

Rating:
Summary: From a first-time "real" camera owner
Review: I required what I termed an "idiot" camera cause I am just so close to being an "idiot" with cameras. When I bought this camera, I was really quite pleasantly surprised with the results. The excellence of the lens made my pictures quite sharp. Can't use this camera for night pictures even with the 400 speed film unless there are lots of lights around. Went to New Orleans and those pictures were clear and fantastic. I'm not a camera buff nor do I have lots of experience with picture taking but I impressed myself! I intend for this camera to last me for years and I understand it to have one of the better warranty terms - 3 years. Just a word of note cause I didn't get a chance to read it before my trip -- READ THE MANUAL! :)

Rating:
Summary: From a first-time "real" camera owner
Review: I required what I termed an "idiot" camera cause I am just so close to being an "idiot" with cameras. When I bought this camera, I was really quite pleasantly surprised with the results. The excellence of the lens made my pictures quite sharp. Can't use this camera for night pictures even with the 400 speed film unless there are lots of lights around. Went to New Orleans and those pictures were clear and fantastic. I'm not a camera buff nor do I have lots of experience with picture taking but I impressed myself! I intend for this camera to last me for years and I understand it to have one of the better warranty terms - 3 years. Just a word of note cause I didn't get a chance to read it before my trip -- READ THE MANUAL! :)

Rating:
Summary: Very nice little camera
Review: this camera is truly a jewel. i think it's maybe the smartest choice i ever made and i bought microsoft stock when it wasn't cool. hummingbirds,butterflies and other small objects such as you have never seen. i like taking pictures so much now i gotta find a better way to get this film developed.i'm [e-mail] if anyones got any film processing ideas let me know!! we just returned from bon aire/ curacao. my samsung has made this vacation look surreal. thanks samsung

Rating:
Summary: you gotta love it!
Review: this camera is truly a jewel. i think it's maybe the smartest choice i ever made and i bought microsoft stock when it wasn't cool. hummingbirds,butterflies and other small objects such as you have never seen. i like taking pictures so much now i gotta find a better way to get this film developed.i'm [e-mail] if anyones got any film processing ideas let me know!! we just returned from bon aire/ curacao. my samsung has made this vacation look surreal. thanks samsung

Rating:
Summary: Buy this camera, you will not regret it !!!!!
Review: When thinking about cameras, one start thinking of the main brands like Nikon, Minolta, Olympus etc. you dont really think of samsung. When I bought this camera I was just looking for something ... that could do the job and had a good zoom.
My expectatios were way over met, this camera takes extreemly nice pictures, I have been taking pictures at an amature level for over 5 years and this camera is definately one of the best ones I have used, the best thing is the zoom power it has it really bring things up close to take nice picture, the zoom is a bit noisy but that is someting you could live with, the continous shooting capability it has is great for when you go to events, I recently took it to my doughters graduation and was able to take pictures from the moment she stood up to the moment she was at the podium recieving her diploma.

A next extreemly nice thing on this camera is the night shooting with the Bulb function, if you buy this camera make sure to try this out.

The botom line is, buy this camera you will not regret it.

Rating:
Summary: Buy this camera, you will not regret it !!!!!
Review: When thinking about cameras, one start thinking of the main brands like Nikon, Minolta, Olympus etc. you dont really think of samsung. When I bought this camera I was just looking for something ... that could do the job and had a good zoom.
My expectatios were way over met, this camera takes extreemly nice pictures, I have been taking pictures at an amature level for over 5 years and this camera is definately one of the best ones I have used, the best thing is the zoom power it has it really bring things up close to take nice picture, the zoom is a bit noisy but that is someting you could live with, the continous shooting capability it has is great for when you go to events, I recently took it to my doughters graduation and was able to take pictures from the moment she stood up to the moment she was at the podium recieving her diploma.

A next extreemly nice thing on this camera is the night shooting with the Bulb function, if you buy this camera make sure to try this out.

The botom line is, buy this camera you will not regret it.