Samsung L77 Digital Camera Review

Samsung L77

First Impressions Review

The Samsung L73 is a compact 7.2-megapixel camera that takes a number of cues from Samsung’s NV range. It doesn’t have a profusion of buttons and control dials. Instead, it uses the new Smart Touch interface, a cross between a touchpad and a directional control. This new control system, that was first seen on the NV7 late last year, replaces the touch screen with an array of touch-sensitive buttons below and to the left of the screen. The labels appear on the screen. The user presses the buttons and drags their finger over  to navigate the menus. We looked at a pre-production model at the CES show in Las Vegas. Here are our first impressions of this new camera.
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Samsung L77 Review

Model Design/Appearance
The L73 takes some obvious cues from Samsung’s high end NV cameras, with a similar matte black finish and blue highlights. That’s a good thing, because the design works well. It has a clean, stylish look that would go well with most of your outfits. The case is metal and feels well constructed; it should stand up to the knocks and whacks of everyday life without problems.

Size/Portability
At just over 5 ounces and 0.8 inches thick, the L73 is a portable camera that would slide easily into a coat pocket. The lens protrudes very slightly from the front but not enough that it would get caught on anything.

Handling
Like most compact cameras, the L73 is a mixed bag. Although the raised grip on the front of the camera provides plenty of grip for the fingers of the right hand, I found that my fingertips sometimes slipped in front of the flash, that is located right next to and above the grip. Although apart from this, the camera handles well and generally feels comfortable in the hand.

Control Button/ Dial Positioning/ Size
The L73 takes a different approach to controls than most. Rather than dedicated buttons for controlling features like focus mode and ISO, it’s all done through the on-screen menu and the Smart Touch system. This does take a bit of getting used to. Instead of using buttons and control dials, you press the buttons to select an option and slide your fingers over the buttons to move sliders and scroll through menus. It’s a different approach to most, but it works well.

In the easy mode, you only get the following options from the on-screen menu: 

Color
Changes White balance, from cool to warm
Brightness
Controls brightness
Auto Focus
Normal, Auto Macro
Flash
Red Eye Fix, Red Eye Off,
Image Size
Sets image size

The program mode provides a wider selection of options:
White Balance
Daylight, Cloudy, Florescent_H, Florescent_L Tungsten and Custom
ISO
Auto, 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600
Exposure Compensation
+/- 2 stops in 1/3 stop steps
AF region
Spot focus, 5 region focus
Focus
Normal, Macro, Manual
Flash
Off, Red Eye Fix, Red Eye, Auto
Size
Various options for image size
Drive
Auto Exposure Bracketing, Motion Capture, Continuous, Single
Metering
 
Sharpness
Soft, Normal, Vivid
Setup
Various setup options in a sub menu

Ease Of Use
Although it takes some getting used to, the Smart Touch mode works well, providing access to a lot of features quickly without overwhelming the user. This is a camera that would benefit from some practice before shooting anything important, but it works surprisingly well.
 
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