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Samsung's L700 digital camera. Courtesy of Samsung, with modifications by Michael R. Tomkins. Samsung: Beginner-friendly 7mpix digicam
By
(Tuesday, January 9, 2007 - 19:50 EST)

Marking the entry level point in its ramp of CES show digicam announcements, Samsung has revealed the new L700 digital camera.

The Samsung L700 features a Samsung NV-branded f2.8 - f4.9, 3x optical zoom lens with a fairly standard 35 - 105mm equivalent focal range. The L700 couples this with - you guessed it from the name - a seven megapixel CCD imager that yields a maximum resolution of 3072 x 2304 pixels. The L700 also includes a 2.5" LCD display that has 150,000 pixels; likely to help keep price and complexity down, this LCD is the sole method of framing images, as the Samsung L700 forgoes any form of optical viewfinder. As you might expect from an entry level $200 camera aimed at beginners, the L700 keeps things simple by retaining automatic control of most image parameters. Autofocus is via contrast detection, while ISO sensitivity ranges from 50 to 1600 equivalent under automatic control. Exposures are determined with multi-pattern or spot metering, although the user can tweak the exposure with +/-2.0EV of exposure compensation, in 1/2EV steps.

Shutter speeds range from 1/2000 to 15 seconds. White balance can be controlled automatically, manually, or via one of five presets. There's a five mode internal flash, and eleven scene modes that help beginners get the most from their camera without needing to understand the subtleties of exposure variables. As well as still images, the camera can also capture movies (with audio) at VGA or lower resolution, at a rate of thirty frames per second. The Samsung L700 also has a two or ten second self-timer to let you get into your own pictures. The L700 stores images on Secure Digital or MultiMediaCard media, as well as the newer SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) cards, or in 20MB of built-in memory. The camera also offers USB computer connectivity, while power comes from a proprietary Lithium Ion rechargeable battery.

The Samsung L700 ships this Spring, priced at $199.99.

Samsung L700
Samsung's L700 digital camera. Courtesy of Samsung, with modifications by Michael R. Tomkins. Click for a bigger picture!
General
Camera TypeCompact
ManufacturerSamsung
Model NumberL700
Dimensions3.8 x 2.2 x 0.8"
96.9 x 56.8 x 20.5mm
Weight130.0 g
4.5 oz
Planned Price $199.99
Planned Availability 2007
Image Capture
Sensor Type1/2.5" CCD
7.40 megapixels (total)
7.20 megapixels (effective)
Aspect Ratio4:3
Image Dimensions3072 x 2304 (7.1 megapixels)
2592 x 1944 (5.0 megapixels)
2048 x 1536 (3.1 megapixels)
1024 x 768 (0.8 megapixels)
3.1 megapixels
0.8 megapixels
0.3 megapixels
Image Quality3 levels
Image Preview / Review
ViewfinderNo
LCD2.5", 150,000 pixels
Playback Zoom10.0x max
Lens
Lens TypeSamsung SHD Lens
3x optical zoom
Image StabilizationNo
Focal Length5.8 - 17.4mm (actual)
35 - 105mm (35mm equivalent)
Aperture Rangef/2.8 (wide) / f/4.9 (tele) - ???
Focusing SystemContrast Detect
Focusing RangeNormal: 33" - infinity (80 cm - infinity)
Macro: 2.0" - 33" (5 cm - 80 cm)
Exposure
ISO SensitivityAuto, 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600
Shutter Speed15 - 1/2000 second
Exposure ModesProgram
Metering ModesMulti, Spot
Exposure Compensation+/- 2.0EV in 1/2EV increments
White BalanceImage Sensor - Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent_H, Fluorescent_L, Tungsten, Custom, Manual
Internal FlashModes: Auto, Auto & Red-eye reduction, Fill-in flash, Slow sync, Flash off
Range: Wide: 0.2 ~ 3.0m; Tele: 0.4 ~2.0m (Tele) (ISO Auto)
Creative
Scene ModesNight, Portrait, Children, Landscape, Close-up, Sunse t, Dawn, Backlight, Fireworks, Beach & Snow, Text
Digital Zoom1.0x - 5.0x
Self TimerYes, 2/10/2+10 seconds
Time LapseNo
Movie FormatAVI (MPEG-4) with audio
640x480 and 320x240
Max. frame-rate: 30 frames per second
Storage
Recording MediumSD/MMC, Built-in, SDHC
File SystemComplies with Design Rule for Camera File System (DCF)
File FormatJPEG (Exif 2.2)
Connectivity
VideoYes, NTSC / PAL switchable
ComputerUSB 2.0 Full (LOW) Speed
Power
Battery TypeLithium Ion rechargeable
Battery Form FactorProprietary SLB-0837
Product Bundle
SoftwareDigimax Master, drivers
Battery / Charger1 x Proprietary SLB-0837 Lithium Ion rechargeable battery and charger
Flash Memory20.0MB Internal
Other
Digital Print Order Format (DPOF) compliantYes
PictBridge CompliantYes
Internal MicrophoneYes
More Photos
Samsung's L700 digital camera. Courtesy of Samsung, with modifications by Michael R. Tomkins. Click for a bigger picture!
Samsung's L700 digital camera. Courtesy of Samsung, with modifications by Michael R. Tomkins. Click for a bigger picture!
Samsung's L700 digital camera. Courtesy of Samsung, with modifications by Michael R. Tomkins. Click for a bigger picture!
 

Original Source Press Release:

Samsung Launches L700 Full-Featured, Stylish Point & Shoot

Las Vegas, NV (January 7, 2007) – Samsung Camera today announced the launch of the L700. An ideal digital camera for shooters in search of several advanced features in a compact, stylish, metal body, the L700 offers 7 mega-pixel image resolution, a 3x optical zoom, a bright 2.5” LCD display and a robust suite of advanced video and editing features.

With shutter speeds that reach up to an effective 1/2000 sec and an ISO equivalent of 1600, users will be able to take advantage of the L700’s high resolution in any situation, ranging from dusk-landscapes to fast action sports photography. For crystal-clear images under various shooting conditions, the Samsung L700 features 11 scene modes including Night, Portrait, Children, Landscape, Close-up, Sunset, Backlight, Fireworks and Beach & Snow.

The Samsung L700 can record MPEG-4 video in VGA (640x480) at 30fps, for smoother video and a bigger view of the movie on LCD and TV screens. Users can also take advantage of the camera’s unique movie shooting functions, including a movie stabilizer, continuous video recording, improved in-camera video editing and the ability to use the 3x optical zoom while recording. Movie stabilizer helps reduce camera shake by automatic detection and correction of lateral and vertical camera vibrations, while continuous video recording allows the shooter to pause and resume video recording at any time and merge multiple video files into one single file.

Color effects include B/W, sepia, blue, green and red. For shooting fast-moving subjects, the L700 includes Continuous Shooting mode and Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB), a feature that will shoot a series of images with slightly varying exposures.

All Samsung digital still cameras feature a built-in image editing function allowing users to edit a variety of images without the use of a PC. The Trimming function can be used to cut an undesired part of an image and save only the required part. When short of memory, shooters can use the Resizing function to recover some of the memory space, by resizing and saving images in a smaller size. The Rotating function allows users to rotate an image in the desired direction and save it. To ensure the clarity of images regardless of shooting range, the Auto Macro function automatically adjusts shooting distance and focus. By using the macro button, users can set the camera to automatically adjust distance and focus from between 5cm to infinity.

Equipped with 20MB of built-in memory, the L700 allows shooters to save pictures without a memory card, while the Copy to Card function allows users to seamlessly transfer images saved in the internal memory to external memory. The L700 includes helpful features such as voice recording for up to one-hour, voice memo and “One-touch Playback” for instant playback of an image, even when the power is off.

The Samsung L700 has an MSRP of $199.99 and will be available in the spring of 2007.

Samsung Opto-Electronics America, Inc., Secaucus, N.J., is the U.S. subsidiary of Samsung Techwin Co., Ltd., Sungnam Kyungki-Do, Korea. Samsung Opto-Electronics markets a full line of auto focus cameras, zoom and digital cameras for the amateur as well as the professional under the Samsung brand name.

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