Samsung TL34HD Digital Camera Review - Samsung Point and Shoot and Non-DSLR

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Model Design / Appearance (7.00)
The Samsung TL34HD is functional and sleek. Its combinations of curves and straight lines is easy on the eyes and in the hands. While not quite so obvious on our review unit, some of the other available color schemes have quite pleasant visual accents along the top and lens of the camera. We appreciated most of the body being composed of matte metal, so as not to get quite so smeared with fingerprints. Unfortunately, this doesn't extend to the top of the camera, where you'll rest your fingers most of the time, which is shiny and easily smeared. Likewise, this is an unavoidable problem with a touch-screen, as running your fingers over it constantly leaves you with an oil-streaked surface.

Size / Portability (6.00)
The camera is 3.7" x 2.3" x 0.8" (94.9 x 59.5 x 19.9 mm) and weighs 4.9 oz (138 grams). For comparison, that's about the same size as a packet of cigarettes. While it isn't quite as small as the Samsung NV40, the grip ridge on the front is less prominent, and it will easily fit into all but the tightest of pockets, and will have no trouble in any sort of bag, satchel, purse or other holding device. It's small, light and easy to lug around. One problem we did find, is that due to Samsung's decision to make the Playback button turn the camera on, it's very easy for that button to get accidentally pushed in your pocket, which can kill your battery life.

Handling Ability (6.00)
There are two easy ways to grip the TL34HD, and unfortunately both cause problems. You can hold it by its corners, like our hand model has in the images below. This gives you stability and easy access to the controls. However, holding it this way, your fingers cover the flash, blocking it from extending when needed. The other options is to hold only the right side, using the grip strip to give a bit more stability. From this position, it's a bit difficult to reliably hit the zoom controls, and navigating the touch menus can be problematic.

Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size (8.50)
Seeing as the TL34HD is a touch-screen camera, most of the controls are accessed via the LCD. Wisely, Samsung decided to keep a few physical buttons, which makes handling the camera a little easier. These buttons seem quite robust, and can take quite a beating. One problem we encountered is with the placement of the zoom controls. If you're using the camera one-handed, the zoom is hard to control accurately. As mentioned above, we also noticed that pressing the Play button will turn on the camera, which can cause problems with battery life.

The touch-screen serves to control most facets of your shooting, and does so admirably. The TL34HD uses a capacitive method of detecting your fingers, much like an iPhone, which means it's more accurate, but you can't use a stylus or your fingernails on it. This additional accuracy is great, as it eliminates the difficulty we felt with some other cameras (like the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T700). Coupled with large icons and a straightforward interface, the TL34HD does touch-screen right. Of course, no system is without problems, and we didn't particularly like the way you have to swipe your finger across the screen to adjust some settings, rather than just tap on the level you want. For instance, when altering the shutter speed, you have to drag your finger repeatedly along a continuum rather than just tap on the desired speed.

Menu (9.00)
The menu system is set up in four tabs (plus PLAYBACK while in that mode), each with a maximum of two pages of settings. Each of these pages can only hold five options, as each one is set up to be large and easy to press with even the biggest of fingers, making them easy to browse through and alter. That said, for all its understated ease of use, the menus are actually incredibly scanty. There are very few options you can control, and most of them are basic.

PLAYBACK SETTING mode lets you delete, protect and mark images for printing.

SOUND SETTING alters volume, shutter noises, button presses and the like

DISPLAY SETTING lets you tweak LCD brightness, language, date and time, and quick view.

CAMERA SETTING gives you some scanty control over file naming, imprinting and card formatting

CONNECTION SETTING only changes video output controls

While shooting the camera, the majority of controls are set using a series of on-screen buttons. While fully in manual, you can change ISO, shutter speed, aperture, photo style, white balance, auto-contrast balance (a type of dynamic range optimization), on screen information, focus mode, flash, image size, face recognition, focus area, burst, metering, image quality, timer, microphone, optical image stabilization, color, sharpness, contrast and saturation.

Ease of Use (6.00)
The TL34HD is very easy to use, especially when thrown into Auto mode. The on-screen controls are just tapped to bring up sub-menus, there are help guides if you don't understand what settings do, and the camera seems to deal with most situations intelligently. While people yearning for a bit more control may be frustrated with the lack of settings for some relatively standard features (like noise reduction), it's otherwise a straightforward point-and-shoot.

Components	Page 7 of 15		Modes
Samsung TL34HD Digital Camera Review Navigation
Intro	Physical Tour	Color and Resolution	Noise and Video
Speed and Timing	Components	Design / Layout	Modes
Control Options	Image Parameters	Connectivity / Extras	Overall Impressions
Conclusion	Sample Photos	Specs / Ratings