Samsung S850 Digital Camera: A Surprising Little Camera

Warning: I lack the ability to use large words associated with camera use and technique. I love and adore photography but I honestly struggle to remember my F Stops an Aperatures.

I recently found myself without my beloved Canon Rebel XT in the middle of my oldest daughter's birthday party. For those who are the "photographers" of their families you can understand how frustrating it was to be happily snapping photos and then...it dies. Literally.

Knowing that my youngest daughter's first 4th of July was approaching and my middle daughter's 5th birthday I had to find a replacement, quick. I contemplated just getting the new Canon Rebel XTi, but, one look at my husband's face over the price tag was enough to change my mind. I decided to just opt for a point and shoot that could later be turned over to my husband.

I poured over the camera section for quite some time handling the different cameras, checking out the different functions and trying to decide which one provided better manageability for a decent price. I finally decided on the Samsung S850. I was a bit skeptical only because I have always been a Canon or Minolta girl and I wasn't sure what results a Samsung would give me. Fortunately for me I made the right choice.

Cost

I purchased mine for $198.97 but I have found that depending on where you purchase this camera the price is going to vary a bit. Had I not needed it the very day I purchased it I probably would have opted for an online retailer. I have since found the Samsung S850 for $159.99 at Circuit City.

Styling

One of the things that drew me to the Samsung S850 is the nice compact styling. A solid black body and silver accents makes it an attractive and sleek camera. It is lightweight enough to feel comfortable in my hand but not so light that I feel as though I'm going to break it if I hold it too tightly. The compact size makes it easy to carry in my purse or pocket and to handle with one hand when necessary.

On the top of the Samsung S850 are the Mode Dial, Shutter Button, Power Button and Speaker.

The back of the Samsung S850 houses the 2.5" LCD Screen, Zoom Toggle, Effects Button, +/-/Delete Button, 5 Function Button/Menu Button, Play Mode/Printer Button and Camera Status Lamp.

5 Function Button/Menu

The Samsung S850 has a button the size of a nickel on the back that contains five different functions. The Flash, Self Timer, Macro and Voice Memo/Voice Recording. In the center of the button is the smaller Menu Button.

When in the Menu function the right and left side of the Function button acts as arrows for scrolling through the menu options.

Mode Dial

The Mode Dial allows you to change the camera modes by simply turning the dial to the appropriate mode. You can choose from

Auto Mode (auto)
Program Mode (P)
Shutter Priority Mode (S)
Manual Mode (M)
Aperature Priority Mode(A)
Advanced Shake Reduction Mode (ASR)
Recording Mode (camera icon)
Scene Mode (SCENE)

Housed on the bottom of the Samsung S850 are the battery chamber, tripod socket and memory card slot.

What's Included

Included with the Samsung S850 is a users manual, camera strap, software CD and 2 AA Alkaline batteries, USB cable and AV cable.

The LCD Screen/Monitor

The Samsung S850 has a generously sized 2.5", 230,000 Pixel LCD Screen/Monitor. This is probably one of my favorite aspects of this camera. The large screen takes up a majority of the camera back. The screen allows me to see my subject(s) easily as well as see my played back photos with ease. The screen is clear, crisp, bright and glare free even in bright sunlight.

This LCD Screen also acts as the Monitor for displaying information, functions and status of the camera and battery life.

As you have probably noticed there is no viewfinder on the Samsung S850. The LCD Monitor/Screen acts as the viewfinder. While this took some getting used to on my part I have found that the large size and clear screen makes taking photos very easy overall. Had this camera had a smaller screen the screen - as - a - viewfinder aspect probably wouldn't fly.

Optical & Digital Zoom

The Samsung S850 has a 5x digital and 5x optical zoom; 38mm - 190mm (5x). The zoom lens is controlled by the Zoom Toggle switch located on the back of the camera. The "T" on the toggle switch is for the TeleZoom which allows you to zoom into the subject for portrait type shots, etc. The "W: is to control the Wide Zoom for taking group shots, nature shots, etc. When using the Digital Zoom I noticed a loss of sharpness and clarity. The photos, depending on how far I zoomed became fairly grainy. I found that using the 5x zoom was more of a hassle since trying to get a nice crisp shot was difficult. However the Optical Zoom provided me with clear, crisp shots even when using the telezoom. I was able to fill the frame using the telezoom with great results and no grain. I have found that the Wide Zoom is perfect for cramped spaces or little wiggle room as far as getting a shot of the action. The Tele Zoom is perfect for the portrait shots and close ups of objects.

The Digital Zoom cannot be activated in night mode, Children Mode, ASR Mode, Firework Mode, Closeup, Movie Clips or Text. Furthermore when using the Digital Zoom the camera takes longer to process the image which can end up causing blurred photos.

When the camera is powered up the lens comes out of the base automatically. Likewise when the camera is turned off it retracts back into the base automatically and the protective covering goes back over the lens.

The Samsung S850 unlike many other point and shoots available does allow manual focusing. Although really it's not much. The lens only allows a small amount of manual focusing which, for me, seems fairly pointless. It literally turns to the left or right a mere fraction of an inch. In the end the manual focus option is moot point.

Scene Mode

The Samsung S850 has a Scene Mode that has a variety of settings for different shooting situations. Have kids? There's the Children Mode. Taking photos of those 4th of July fireworks? There's even a Fireworks Mode.

Nightscene: Dark Conditions
Portrait
Children: Fast moving objects
Landscape
Text: For photos of documents
Close Up
Sunset
Dawn
Backlight
Firework
Beach & Snow

In essence these different "scene" modes allows you to skip the worry over F-Stops, Aperatures and the like and just shoot the photo you want to shoot. This makes this camera easy to manage for those who don't want to worry about manual settings (i.e.; my husband).

Recording Mode

The Samsung S850 allows you to record short movie clips: 800 x 592, 720 x 480, @ 20/15 fps, 640 x 480, 320 x 240 @ 30/20/15. You are able to select the image size. Each clip is recorded in the file type MPEG-4. You can record with or without voice. You can also stop during recording during clips and record only your favorite ones removing the need for multiple clips.

ASR Mode - Advanced Shake Reduction

Quite honestly I used this once and refused to use it again. Avoid this Mode at all costs if you have a low light situation. You will be ready to pull your hair out by the end of it so it's best to not even go there. The ASR Mode is supposed to reduce camera shake helping the user to get clear and well exposed shots in dim conditions. Yes, you read it right, this mode is actually designed for dim conditions yet it fails miserably.

When using ASR Mode the camera takes much longer to process the photo resulting in blurred images and a long lag time. When I used this mode in my home, which doesn't necessarily have horrible lighting, I kept getting the camera shake warning indicator. The instructions state that if the warning is displayed not to take the photo. Every dim light situation I have been in using ASR has resulted in the warning indicator rendering this mode useless. You literally have to be in natural lighting to get it to work at all. Again, rendering it useless.

Manual, Aperature & Shutter Modes

Manual mode for the Samsung S850 means you can configure all the functions for shutter sped, aperature as well as Metering, Focus (Multi or Auto), Shooting (Single or Continuous). This holds true for the Aperature and Shutter Modes as well. These are the only modes in which you can control these functions.

These particular modes are for those who are familiar with F-stops and the like and are comfortable with these settings. I found the settings menu easy to navigate.

Aperature

One of the things I love about SLR cameras is the ability to control Aperature. I love portrait shots with blurred backgrounds and sharp clear objects. The Samsung S850 has an F2.8 - F4.4 range. This allows for a decent amount of background blur, although, a little more would have been even better for me. However, for the price, and the type of camera it is good.

ISO

The Samsung S850 has the following range for ISO:

50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600

Effects

The Samsung S850 has the ability to add special effects to your photos. Those effects include:

Composite shooting, black & white, Sepia, blue tone, red tone, green tone, negative mode, preset focus frames, and frame borders.

White Balance & More

The Samsung S850 allows custom white balance modes. You can choose from Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Flourescent H, Flourescent L, Tungsten and Custom. This camera also allows you to meter for light by choosing from two options; Multi & Spot. The Multi Metering will calculate exposure based on the average light available in the area. The Spot Metering will monitor only the rectangular area in the center of the LCD for light.

You are also able to control the sharpness by choosing from soft, vivid and normal. Keep in mind that the vivid will provide you with a slightly more pixelated photo. I have found that sticking with the Normal setting has served me best. I tried using the Vivid and honestly the tad bit more sharpness wasn't worth the slightly pixelated photo I received.

You can also choose your shooting type. Choose Single, Continuous, Motion Capture, Interval or AEB. Furthermore you can choose your megapixel. The Samsung S850 allows you to dial down from 8MP to 1MP.

The Samsung S850 has a self timer of either 10 seconds or 2 second intervals. It also has the option of Double Self Timer allowing the camera to take a photo at 10 seconds and then a second photo 2 seconds later.

Macro

The Samsung S850 has a Macro option for extreme close up shots. The focus ranges are as follows:

Program Mode:
Macro: W:10~80, T:50~80
Super Macro: W:1~10
Manual Focus: W:1-Infinity, T:50-Infinity

Auto Mode:
W:80~Infinity
T:80~Infinity

Auto Macro: W:10-Infinity
T:50-Infinity

Flash

The Samsung S850 has a built in flash and no option to add an external flash. As with most point and shoot cameras this particular flash does cause some red eye. I typically refuse to use a flash as I prefer natural light, however, the Samsung S850 automatically turns the flash on when powered up. I have accidentally taken a few photos with the flash due to not remembering that the flash automatically comes on. In those instances, if the light was low the flash blew out my subject. In high light situations it caused a yellow tint to my photos. Overall if you can, avoid the flash. Then again I'd recommend avoiding a flash when possible with nearly all cameras. The flash for this camera is definitely weak in comparison to many other built in flashes I have encountered before.

Auto Focus

The Samsung S850 has the auto focus option. You simply lightly press on the shutter button and it will bring your subject into focus. The auto focus is quick and reliable. The only time I encountered any remote problem was when in Tele Zoom. I was zoomed in for a portrait shot and the auto focus was balking. I manually focused instead the photo was fine. It would appear that in Tele Zoom the auto focus can be a bit tricky depending on the subject you are photographing.

Play Back

This camera allows you to play back your photos by hitting the play button located on the back of the camera. You can scroll through your photos using the 5 function button and delete. The S850 also allows you to rotate the images clock wise, counter clock wise, 180 degrees, horizontally and vertically. However the use of the camera software and any other photo editing software means this isn't a necessary tool.

Lag Time

My past experience with point and shoot cameras was that the lag time was awful. You would point, focus, snap and have to wait 10 seconds for the photo to take. By that time your subject (especially if you have children) have left the frame and you end up with a blur. Fortunately the Samsung S850 has 0.3 seconds of lag time which, for a point and shoot is excellent. The time between photos is 0.1. Again, really good for a point and shoot camera. I was pleased with the short lag time and have yet to run into problems with not being able to capture the image quickly and as intended. I am even able to keep up with my active children and take the photos that I want without ending up with a blurred image.

Image Format

JPEG Only

Power

The Samsung S850 requires 2 AA Alkaline Batteries. My suggestion would be to invest in rechargables. I have been impressed with the maximum battery life this camera has. I can take 100-120 shots easily and still have power left enough the next day for another 50.

Internal Memory

20 Megabytes

Overall

Overall my use of the Samsung S850 has been pleasurable. The sales woman where I purchased the camera told me that Samsung digital cameras were quickly gaining popularity due to the fact that they had the same functions as some of the more popular brands but for a better price.

I honestly wasn't sure what to expect when I first pulled the Samsung S850 out of the box and popped the batteries in. I have been so accustomed to using my Rebel that holding this lightweight and compact camera felt odd at first. This camera was easy to navigate and control from the very first use. A quick scan over the manual told me most of what I needed to know to take the first few photos and get the feel for it.

A bit of further reading led me to more of the manual controls. While the F2.8-F4.4 wasn't much it was certainly enough for the price I paid. I found manual mode to be easy to navigate and control. Aperature and Shutter were as well. Auto Mode was perfect for my husband and even using it myself I found the photos to be great.

I have been overall very pleased with the clarity, crispness and color of my photos while using the Samsung S850. Portrait shots are clear and bright, larger and wider shots are as well. Again, the only downfall is the lack of clearness and sharpness when using the digital zoom.

In low light situations this camera does fall behind a bit. I have to be very careful and very steady when in those situations in order to avoid slight blurring of my photos. This holds true for many point and shoots so it wasn't surprising to me. However in natural light this camera does perfectly and for me, shooting mostly in natural light, this is fine.

The Samsung S850 would be perfect for the amateur or the bit more experienced photographer. I fall somewhere in between and have enjoyed using it. I enjoy playing with the settings but I am also comfortable letting the camera to its job in Auto Mode. Either way I end up with beautifully crisp and colorful photos.