"Picky Details" for the Samsung Digimax i5 Digital Camera
(Timing, Power, and Storage Info)

Timing

When you press the shutter release on a camera, there's usually a lag time or delay before the shutter actually fires. This corresponds to the time required for the autofocus and autoexposure mechanisms time to do their work, and can amount to a fairly long delay in some situations. Since this number is rarely reported on (and even more rarely reported accurately), and can significantly affect the picture taking experience, I routinely measure both shutter delay and shot to shot cycle times for all cameras I test, using a test system I designed and built for the purpose. (Crystal-controlled, with a resolution of 0.001 second.) Here are the numbers I collected for the Samsung Digimax i5:

Power

The Samsung Digimax i5 uses a custom rechargeable LiIon battery for power. We weren't able to perform our usual direct power consumption measurements on it due to its proprietary power connector. Samsung claims run times of 90 minutes in record mode, and up to 180 images captured per battery charge. (The wording of the test conditions in the i5's manual was a little unclear, but they appeared to be basically similar to the CIPA standard for battery-life measurement.) A CIPA-standard battery life of 180 shots or 90 minutes of continuous run time is fairly good for a subcompact camera model, but we'd still recommend purchasing a second battery to allow for longer photo-snapping excursions.

Storage Capacity

The Samsung Digimax i5 stores its photos on SD / MMC memory cards or in approximately 54 MB of internal memory, and no card is included with the camera. (I strongly recommend buying at least a 128 MB card, to give yourself extra space for extended outings.) The chart below shows how many images can be stored in the internal memory at each size/quality setting.