The newly released Samsung
Digimax V700, a 7-megapixel model, can be purchased in
a 2-tone silver finish as shown here, in red or in a deep
blue.
Three controls protrude from
the top right side. The first is the power button, which is
almost flush to the top of the camera to prevent it from being
turned on accidentally when it slipped into a pouch.
The second is the 2-stage shutter release which is
surrounded by a lever called the Jog Dial, a control
used to adjust some of the camera in the recording modes,
and move from one image to another in playback.
The third is the 8-position
Mode Dial which is almost flush to the camera's top,
but placed so that it can be turned from the back of the camera:
Auto: is a fully automatic
shooting mode that leaves all photographic settings up
to the camera.
Program: allows the
camera to select the lens aperture and shutter speed,
but leaves all other parameters to the user.
Aperture Priority:
allows the user to select the aperture — between
f2.8 and f6.4 when the zoom is set to angle and between
f5.1 and f7.4 at he telephoto end — while the camera
sets the shutter speed, all other parameters remaining
under the user's control.
Shutter Priority: provides
control over the V700's shutter speed (1/2000 to 15 seconds)
while the camera matches an aperture to the selection.
All other camera settings remain available.
Manual: offers control
over both the aperture and shutter speed in addition to
all other parameters.
When the V700 is set to P/A/S/M,
the mode and any other settings that have been used to
obtain a specific result can be saved to any 1 of 3 memories
called MySET. These settings can then be recalled
as a group by turning the Mode Dial to the MySET
position.
Movie Clip: the V700
can capture MPEG-4 (AVI) video clips with sound (Mono,
7980 Hz). Three image sizes are available: 640 x 480
pixels, 320 x 240 pixels or 160 x 128 pixels, and whatever
the size, the frame rate can be either 30 fps or 15
fps lasting as long as there is space on the memory
card. Focus, white balance and the optical zoom position
are set at the first frame, the digital zoom is not
available. The exposure however is dynamically adjusted
as the recording progresses.
Provides access to the 11
scene modes of the V700, and most camera parameters
are controlled by the camera:
Night: allows
exposures as long as 6 seconds. By default the camera
sets the flash to slow synch, but it can be turned
off.
Portrait: uses a large aperture to help
blur the background, allowing the subject to stand
out. The flash is set to Auto with red-eye reduction.
Children: prioritizes the shutter speed
so as to capture clear images of fast-moving subjects.
The auto focus is set to Continuous mode and the
flash to Auto with Red-eye reduction.
Landscape: accentuates greens and blues
while turning off the flash.
Close-up: switches to macro focus, sets
the focus mode to continuous and the flash to Off.
Text: is intended to photograph text, and
to do so the mode sets the camera to macro focus
and cuts off the flash. Software supplied with the
camera can be used to perform text recognition once
the image is imported to the computer.
Sunset: increases warm tones (reds) in
the image and turns off the flash.
Dawn: increases the saturation of cool
colours (blues) in the image and turns off the flash.
Backlight: applies the flash to provide
fill-in light to a backlit subject.
Fireworks: allows exposures as long as
4 seconds while forcing the flash off.
Beach and Snow: uses exposure compensation
to correct the effect of overly bright subjects
such as water and snow. The flash is set to Auto
mode by default.
The Samsung V700 is equipped with a simple optical viewfinder
which has no parallax or focus point indications, and no diopter
correction. Its exit pupil is flanked by two LEDs: the upper
one for autofocus, the lower one to indicate flash and flash
charging.
While the optical viewfinder
is quite plain, the V700 offers a comparatively large 2-inch,
118,080 pixels, LCD monitor that is bright and has a good
definition.
The other external controls of the V700 are arranged on either
side of the LCD monitor. Three of these are aligned on the
left side, and their functions are indicated on, and below
each button.
When pressed, the uppermost ,
superimposes a short 4-option menu on the right side of the
monitor when the camera is set to some capture modes, providing
a means to adjust:
Exposure compensation over ±2EV in
0.3EV increments is available when the V700 is set
to P/A/S and MySET.
White Balance is available with P/A/S/M,
Movie Clip and MySET. It provides settings for Auto,
Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent H, Fluorescent L, Tungsten,
and Custom which makes it possible to set the white
balance under the ambient light conditions.
ISO, available when the camera is set to
P/A/S/M and MySET: Auto, 50, 100, 200 or 400 ISO;
RGB, available when the V700 is set to P/S/A/M,
MySET, Movie clip and Portrait, allows adjusting the
saturation for red, green and blue prior to recording
an image.
In the Playback mode, the button
allows deleting an image while it is on the screen.
Auto Exposure Lock, available when
the camera is set to P/A/S MySET and Movie Clip mode,
locks the exposure parameters once they have been set.
Serves to switch back and forth between
aperture and shutter speed settings when the camera is
in used in the Manual shooting mode.
With the camera set to P/A/S/M, MySET,
Night or Movie Clip mode, the button serves to switch
to the Manual Focus mode. The Manual Focus mode
displays a distance scale on the monitor, and the Jog
Dial allows selecting the focus distance.
With the V700 in Playback mode, the button
calls up the Album screen which allows sorting
image into 8 albums, each able to hold up to 100
images, and which in turn will be sorted accordingly on
the memory card. Once sorted into Albums the albums
contents can then be selected for a slide show.
The remaining controls of the V700 are grouped to the right
of the LCD monitor. At the top is the zoom control
which also functions in Playback to:
see thumbnails of the photos that have
been captured (9 per screen).
zoom into a photo and check it for sharpness,
up to 12X for a photo captured at full resolution.
Below and to the left of the zoom button, the small round
button controls the way information is presented on the monitor:
In the Capture modes, the
default display superimposes current camera settings on
the periphery of the image. The information includes the
capture mode, the battery state, the zoom's position,
the shots remaining counter, the image size and quality,
ISO setting, date and time, the metering mode, the AF
area, the flash mode. In addition, once the shutter release
is pressed halfway, the aperture and shutter speed are
indicated.
Pressing the Display button once adds
a real time histogram which provides an idea of the
brightness of the image. Pressing it a second time removes
all superimposed information until the shutter release
is pressed halfway, at which point the display provides
only basic information. A third press turns off the
monitor.
In Playback the default display shows the playback
icon (),
the battery state, and the number of images on the card.
Pressing the button once adds some basic image information:
image size, aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and flash
mode used for the shot, and the capture date. Pressing
the button a second time removes all superimposed information.
Next is the 4-direction control which is used to navigate
the V700's menus, and the playback of images, while the button
at its centre, labelled MENU/OK, calls up the menu
that corresponds to the current mode and confirms selections.
Furthermore, each of the direction supports additional functions
as indicated by icons:
The left arrow serves to select
the Flash Mode: Auto, Auto with Red-eye Reduction,
Fill-in, Slow Synch, or Forced Off.
Pressed once, the up arrow allows
adding a 10 second voice annotation to an image
immediately post capture, or when the camera is in Playback.
Pressed twice in rapid succession, the
button places the V700 into the Voice Recording mode,
making it possible to record sound for up to 1 hour.
The right serves to cycle through
a 2 second Self-timer, then a 10 second Self-timer,
then a Double Self-timer that captures one image
after a 10-second delay, then another 2 seconds after.
A final fourth option for the right arrow
activates the Remote Control mode, which is able
to receive the infrared signal of the optional Remote
control.
The down button starts the Macro
mode which with the exception of the Auto mode
(see further), allows the camera to focus on
a subject from 4 cm (1.56 inch) when the zoom is at
the wide angle end, and 25 cm (9.75 inches) out to 80
cm (31.2 inches). Used in the Auto shooting mode
however, the macro focus mode is not limited to 80 cm,
and instead allows focus out to infinity.
Set to Playback, the button is used to
start and stop movie clip or audio recording playback.
One last external control is located below the 4-direction
control:
Starts the Playback mode. In addition,
when the camera is turned off, if pressed for more than
2 seconds, the button can be used to start the V700 directly
into playback mode without having the lens deploy. The
camera can be shut down by pressing the power button.
Equipped with a 7-megapixel resolution, a 2-inch LCD monitor,
a good quality finish and a compact size, the Samsung Digimax
V700is an attractive camera.
The V700 has a good ergonomic design, and responds quickly
to its controls. Moreover, with the exception of the Jog Dial
which is easily confused with a zoom control, the buttons
are well-positioned and clearly labelled, making the camera
easy to master.
Compare Prices for Samsung DigiMax V700 Duracell Battery
Introduction
,
superimposes a short 4-option menu on the right side of the
monitor when the camera is set to some capture modes, providing
a means to adjust:
),
the battery state, and the number of images on the card.
Pressing the button once adds some basic image information:
image size, aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and flash
mode used for the shot, and the capture date. Pressing
the button a second time removes all superimposed information.
