Samsung tossed two new compacts into the mix today, and we're still scratching our heads, attempting to uncover the succulent upgrades. The Samsung SL720 joins the company's SL lineup as the budget-conscious alternative to the Samsung SL820 while the Samsung SL502 is a step above the Samsung SL202. We're not seeing a whole lot of innovation here, even from a design standpoint, on the Samsung SL720's behalf. The Samsung SL502 gets most of the goods this time around, but the camera is still difficult to discern from the Samsung SL202 based solely on outward appearance.
Samsung is one of the most conservative digital camera manufacturers in the market, and we're even seeing a bit of the conventional formulas spill into the company's newly announced camcorders. But back to the task at hand.
The Samsung SL720 (gallery) looks almost identical to the Samsung SL820, a compact we had mixed feelings about. The interfaces are exactly alike and both models have large three-inch LCDs. The only prominent difference is that the Samsung SL820 has a 24mm wide-angle lens while the newly announced Samsung SL720 will be equipped with a 28mm wide-angle lens. Both cameras have a 5x optical zoom, Smart Auto mode, 720p HD video capability and 12-megapixel CCDs. The Samsung SL720 also has Face Recognition, a feature we did not see on the Samsung SL820.
Meanwhile, the Samsung SL502 (gallery) is busy getting an optical zoom boost to 5x vs. the Samsung SL202's 3x optical range. The Samsung SL502 will also feature Face Recognition and share the same Smart Auto mode with the majority of the SL lineup. The Samsung SL502 also gets a boost to 12-megapixels, though it still lacks a wide-angle lens. Although we're seeing more innovation on the Samsung SL502's side of the table, the camera features an interface identical to the Samsung SL202's and has a matching 2.7-inch LCD.
The Samsung SL720 and Samsung SL502 will ship in August for $230 and $150, respectively.
|
_it00.jpg)
|
Archive