Samsung Pro 815

I don't see the Samsung Pro 815 discussed here. I was interested in
buying one & am looking for feedback.

Does anyone here have experience with one of these?

 

According to http://www.dpreview.com/news/0504/05042401samsungpro815.asp
if may have an evf, soit's not a dslr.

 

The manual reports there is a Brightness setting in the setup menu
controlled by EVF but that's the only mention of EVF in the document.
The page you referred to is, so far, the only suggestion that the camera
is not a dslr.

 

The manual reports there is a Brightness setting in the setup menu

One mention isn't enough? Is it not also mentioned on the
specifications page?
It *has* an EVF.
It *doesn't have* interchangable lenses.

2 strikes - it's out. It is NOT a dslr, no matter how much you might
like it to be. If you are still interested, read this.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/samsungpro815/page16.asp

In particular note these words....
"The Pro815 only has one or two serious flaws, and there is much to
like. Unfortunately those flaws are significant, and for some users
fatal - particularly the sluggish shutter lag and telephoto focus and
lack of IS. The fact that you must shoot raw to get anything like the
full potential out of the lens also limits the usefulness of the
camera... "

 

The 2/3" CCD seems the most important distinction: It has a small P&S
sensor with iso 50-400 and it makes movies.

 

An SLR by definition has a mirror and an optical viewfinder that shows
you what the lens is seeing. They are also interchangeable lens. The
815 is a simulated SLR because of the electronic viewfinder.

The 815 is not too shabby a camera. My review, if you are interested is
here <http://www.dimagemaker.com/article.php?articleID=378>
For instance it is a much better camera than Minolta's 7 series was,
quite capable for infrared photography and the lens is pretty good.

Cheers,

Wayne

Wayne J. Cosshall
Publisher, The Digital ImageMaker, http://www.dimagemaker.com/
Blog and Podcast http://www.digitalimagemakerworld.com/
Personal art site http://www.artinyourface.com/

 

Okay, it's a psuedo SLR. Doesn't the lack of image stabilization
somewhat negate the great lens? It's a very attractive package, but is
it/is it not a giant and good step up from a Canon 2mg pixel p&s? The
little Canon has done yeoman service, but it's time I moved along...

 

Yes, it is a good stepup from a 2MP Canon. The question is whether it
is the best step up for the money and for they type of photography you
want to do?

Personally I find the real dSLRs, like the Canon 350D, Nikon D50, etc
much better than the cameras with electronic viewfinders. Couple one of
them with a lens like the Tamron 18-200 that I am testing at the moment
and you have a convenient package with a great viewfinder.

That said, the 815 is a pretty good camera and is surely capable of
excellent photography if you know how to use it. Image stabilization
would help but then again you can always use a tripod.

Cheers,

Wayne

Wayne J. Cosshall
Publisher, The Digital ImageMaker, http://www.dimagemaker.com/
Blog and Podcast http://www.digitalimagemakerworld.com/
Personal art site http://www.artinyourface.com/

 

That's a good suggestion. A $500 Nikon D50 with $400 Tamron 17-200 would
be only $100 more than this $800 camera. The 300-420 range (35mm equiv.)
is probably not really useable unless you are planning to use a tripod
anyways, what you would gain is low light performance (high ISO, less
noise), instant startup & shooting, faster longer burst (for children &
wildlife), longer battery life, etc. The problem I see is this lens is
f/6.3 at the long end and that means no autofocus all the way out. I
don't know if anyone makes an affordable 17-135, if so that'd be more
realistic.

And you'd have the option to get a 28mm f/2 for low light 'normal'
shooting for some really nice stuff:
<http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?A=buyUsed&kw=used&Q=258036&O=productList>
-that's a used manual focus but really it would be super useful for
indoor people shots & sunsets & such.

 

It's not a DSLR, but a ZLR, so off-topic for this newsgroup.

Try:

rec.photo.digital.zlr

David

 

Well I was out yesterday shooting with the Tamron on my 350D/Rebel XT
and it autofocused fine at 200mm. Remember too this is around 300+mm
35mm equivalent, so it is plenty of length for all practical
applications.

Cheers,

Wayne

Wayne J. Cosshall
Publisher, The Digital ImageMaker, http://www.dimagemaker.com/
Blog and Podcast http://www.digitalimagemakerworld.com/
Personal art site http://www.artinyourface.com/