Samsung TL34HD
Digital Camera Review
Nov 14, 2008
- By Tim Barribeau
2.4
The TL34HD from Samsung is their new touch-screen, 14.7-megapixel point-and-shoot camera. Housed in a sleek metal case, it wowed us with good to excellent results in almost every test we could throw at it, especially white balance and automatic noise. While it didn't fare as well in low light or in video mode as could be desired, the TL34HD delivered an all around excellent performance, a solid feature set with some degree of manual control, in an attractive package. It retails at $299 and seems to us to be good value for a strong camera. Full details follow.
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The TL34HD from Samsung is their new touch-screen, 14.7-megapixel point-and-shoot camera. Housed in a sleek metal case, it wowed us with good to excellent results in almost every test we could throw at it, especially white balance and automatic noise. While it didn't fare as well in low light or in video mode as could be desired, the TL34HD delivered an all around excellent performance, a solid feature set with some degree of manual control, in an attractive package. Retailing at $299, it's $100 less expensive than Sony's far worse performing touch-screen model, the DSC-T700, and seemed to us to be good value for a strong camera.
Section
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The Good
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The Bad
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Tour
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Handsome design, solid construction
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Exposed port
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Testing/Performance
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Excellent white balance and auto noise score
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Mediocre low light and poor video performance
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Components
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Wide angle lens with a good zoom, responsive LCD screen
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Poorly placed flash
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Design/Layout
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Small and easy to pocket, easy-to-use menus
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Difficult to control zoom at times
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Modes
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Competent auto mode
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No control over AEB, uninspiring burst speed
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Control Options
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Good range of shutter speeds, has a manual mode
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Limited aperture control, could do with more white balance presets
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Image Parameters
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Wide range of image sizes
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Poorly explained photo styles
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Connectivity/Extras
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Good battery for a touch-screen
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Poor included software, proprietary port
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Value
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Good value for an excellent camera
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$300 is still a bit pricey for some buyers
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