To help us provide you with free impartial advice, we may earn a commission if you buy through links on our site. Learn more

Samsung MV800 review

Our Rating :
Price when reviewed : £190
inc VAT

Image and video quality are nothing special, but a clever design and lots of fun shooting modes make it an attractive camera for social media addicts

Specifications

1/2.3in 16.0-megapixel sensor, 5.0x zoom (26-130mm equivalent), 140g

http://www.jessops.com
[/vc_column_text]

Whether image quality is up to scratch depends on your expectations. The huge 16-megapixel resolution is overkill for a compact camera, and inspecting photos up close revealed smudged textures, soft focus towards the corners and chromatic aberrations giving discoloration around high-contrast lines. These problems weren’t particularly noticeable once photos had been resized to fit a computer screen, though. Low-light shots without the flash looked grainy and smudged on close inspection but were good enough for Facebook-sized shots.

Samsung MV800 samples
Image quality in bright light is the right side of acceptable – click to enlarge

Indoor videos were less forgiving, though, with smudged details and fizzing noise in shadows. Outdoor clips were much better, and the optical zoom worked smoothly and quietly. The 720p resolution is disappointing, though – we expect 1080p at this price.

Samsung MV800 samples
Low light shots don’t stand up to scrutiny but at small sizes they do the job – click to enlarge

Image and video quality fall far short of the standards set by our favourite compact camera, the Canon Ixus 230 HS. However, for those who only ever post pictures to Facebook – and who take lots of self-portraits – the MV800’s hinged screen and plethora of fun shooting modes may hold more of an appeal. Picture quality is only a little better than from a good smartphone, but the 5x zoom lens gives it a distinct advantage over any phone-based camera. The only thing holding it back from a higher rating is the price. If and when the price falls to around £150, we’d be happy to recommend it.

Pages: 1 2

Basic Specifications

Rating ***
CCD effective megapixels 16.0 megapixels
CCD size 1/2.3in
Viewfinder none
Viewfinder magnification, coverage N/A
LCD screen size 3.0in
LCD screen resolution 288,000 pixels
Articulated screen Yes
Live view Yes
Optical zoom 5.0x
Zoom 35mm equivalent 26-130mm
Image stabilisation optical, lens based
Maximum image resolution 4,608×3,456
Maximum movie resolution 1280×720
Movie frame rate at max quality 30fps
File formats JPEG; MP4 (AVC)

Physical

Memory slot MicroSDHC
Mermory supplied 10MB internal
Battery type Li-ion
Battery Life (tested) 200 shots
Connectivity USB, micro HDMI
HDMI output resolution 1080i
Body material aluminium
Lens mount N/A
Focal length multiplier N/A
Kit lens model name N/A
Accessories USB cable
Weight 140g
Size 56x93x22mm

Buying Information

Warranty one year RTB
Price £190
Supplier http://www.jessops.com
Details www.samsung.com/uk

Camera Controls

Exposure modes auto
Shutter speed auto
Aperture range f/3.3 (wide), f/5.9 (tele)
ISO range (at full resolution) 100 to 3200
Exposure compensation +/-2 EV
White balance auto, 5 presets, manual
Additional image controls N/A
Manual focus No
Closest macro focus 5cm
Auto-focus modes multi, centre, flexible spot, face detect, tracking
Metering modes multi, centre-weighted, centre, face detect
Flash auto, forced, suppressed, slow synchro, red-eye reduction
Drive modes single, continuous, self-timer, AE bracket, smile detect