Model Design / Appearance
The Samsung i8 is a completely different looking camera than its predecessor, the i7. The i7, a larger camera, has a curved metal body with a large protruding clip on its right side. Its brushed metal surface gives it a high-tech industrial look. The i8, by contrast, has a slim and glossy plastic body with softly rounded edges and no protruding features. The shiny plastic scratches more easily than a metal surface, meaning you might want to carry it in a camera case to keep the i8 looking pretty. It’s a cute little camera.
Size / Portability
Only about 3.5 inches wide, the i8 is very small and slim and will easily slide into a pocket. It is also very light; almost too light, in fact. The camera feels a bit flimsy and hollow, and wouldn’t likely survive being dropped or crushed. The shiny plastic surface is quite slippery, so you’d better use a wrist-strap while you’re shooting.
Handling
The smooth rounded edges of the i8 make it easy to hold and support, though as we mentioned above, it is quite slippery. There is no grip or even any plastic bumps to hold onto. The placement of the lens in the upper corner of the front makes it easy to accidentally stick your fingers in front while you’re trying to take a picture. Imagine your frustration if you took a great shot only to have a blurry finger in the upper corner.
Control Buttons / Dial Positioning / Size
While the i8 is easy to support, the buttons are quite difficult to press down. Not only that, but they are extremely tiny, and most of them are clustered in the lower right corner of the back. Extended periods of shooting will make your fingers tired, and you may hit the wrong control while fumbling between the tiny buttons. The zoom control is easier to use. Its up and down lever is easy to flick both ways, though the zoom itself is quite slow. The button labels are small but intuitive, using well-established industry symbols.
Menu
The Function menu is great; it is very clear and contains the most important manual controls. The Main menu is also straightforward, and organized into clear pages. The “M” media menu is rather confusing, however, because you can cycle side to side as well as up and down.
“E” menu
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Photo Style
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Normal, Vivid, Soft, Natural, Warm, Cool, Calm, Classic
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Color Effect
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Normal, B&W, Sepia, Red, Blue, Green, Negative, Custom Color
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Special Color
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Color Mask
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Image Adjust
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Saturation, Constrast
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Fun
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Cartoon, Photo Frame, High Light, Composite
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Function menu
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Size
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8MP, 7MP, 6MP (wide), 5MP, 3MP, 1MP
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Quality
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Super Fine, Fine, Normal
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Metering
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Center Weighted, Spot, Multi
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Drive
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10 sec, 2 sec, Double, Motion Timer, AEB
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ISO
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Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200 (3MP)
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WB
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Auto, Auto & Red-eye reduction, Fill-in flash, Slow sync, Flash off, Red eye fix
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Exposure Compensation
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-2 EV to +2 EV, 0.3 EV increments
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Ease of Use
Grandma could take simple photos with the i8, but she might have a lot of trouble trying to use the MP3 player. The camera also has a display mode that gives on-screen tips for shooting. Unfortunately, this mode was not fully operational in the pre-production model we looked at.
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