At a showcase event in New York City this week, Samsung gave us a chance to try out their newest ultra-compact camera, the Samsung TL9. The camera uses an internal zoom, so the lens doesn't have to extend from the body to achieve a 5X optical zoom range. The Samsung TL9 also features a portable media player to play videos and MP3 files on its 2.7-inch screen, though we didn't try these features in our brief hands-on, since we were mostly curious about the image quality.
As a cool bit of retro styling, the Samsung TL9 uses two analog gauges on top for battery life and memory capacity. Each looks like the fuel gauge on an automobile. It's a bit of fun, and though it might not be the most accurate reading of how many pictures you have left, we thought it was a very cool touch.
ISO speeds go up to 1600, and there's even an external speaker with SRS's 3D virtualizer technology. Finally, instead of simply deleting bad photos, the Samsung TL9 uses a recycle bin feature similar to a desktop PC. If you throw an image away, it doesn't disappear instantly, but rather gives you a chance to pull it out of the trash within a reasonable period.
On to the images . . .
We also had a chance to snap some indoor shots with the Samsung TL9. Please keep in mind that these were taken on a pre-production model and are not intended as a final review. They're for reference purposes only.
Indoor bamboo
Noise is well-managed, and colors are spot-on. We believe there's some manner of noise-reduction being applied, but not enough to wash out detail. Focus is a little shaky at the top and bottom, but nothing too detrimental.
Close-up flower
The song is mostly the same with this sample: noise is very low, colors are accurate and, though there again appears to be noise reduction, detail is nevertheless high. Perceived sharpness is a tad low in both shots, but that could be cleared-up in the final production models of the Samsung TL9.
Price and availability
The Samsung TL9 will be available in September 2008 for $280.
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