The leader of Samsung's SL series brings a 24mm ultra wide-angle lens to the table. But does it have anything else to offer? Read the in-depth Samsung SL820 review to find out.
Review summary of the Samsung SL820:
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 The Samsung SL820 is in a tight spot. The Canon PowerShots and Panasonic Lumix models are kicking behind in this price range, so there's really nowhere for the SL820 to go. This compact is heavier than the competition, has a plain-Jane feature set and produced images that were decent, but nothing to hold a parade for. We liked the large LCD and rugged, durable chassis, but the rest of the SL820 just seemed like a swanky plastic wrapper with no sustenance inside. The crux of our vexations stemmed from the SL820's inability to capture a focused image without having to use the wretched flash, and much to the chagrin of the Dual Image Stabilization, which fell flat on its face. In this price range, you'll be best off with the Canon PowerShot SD780 IS or a Panasonic compact. For the best image quality, we recommend the Fujifilm Finepix F200 EXR, though it's a $120 price hike. The bottom line is, the Samsung SL820 just can't match the competition. Release: April 2009. Price: $150.
Pros: Solid, durable chassis. Large LCD.
Cons: Poor LCD resolution. Inconsistent image performance. Makes taking pictures a chore. Proprietary terminal.
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Full Samsung SL820 Review:
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Design – Good
The Samsung SL820 is the type of compact that is easy to gloss over while perusing Best Buy's cast of compacts because its design is not outwardly unconventional. Most consumers will be ogling the new Canon PowerShot designs and Panasonic's touch-screen Lumix DMC-FX580, however, when they do get around to the SL820, they will most likely not be disappointed. We weren't, thanks to the SL820's rugged aluminum construction and sleek clear coat. This is a heavy compact for today's standards, but it was also one of the most durable models we've seen in infoSync history. We can safely say the Samsung SL820 is the most solid compact we've seen all year, but it also smolders with a sexy flair on the architectural front.
Connectivity was whittled down to a single proprietary connection supported only by Samsung's included cables. We were not fans of this design because if we lost a cable, we couldn't simply pick up a spare USB cable lying around and link up. We also weren't too keen on the rear-mounted Zoom tab and would have preferred a shutter button zoom toggle instead for greater control. The tab was too finicky and it was positioned too closely to the Mode dial, which we would inadvertently shift while attempting to zoom in or out. We liked the SL820's spread of external controls, but the built-in microphone fell underneath our left index finger, muffling sound pickup from time to time. As far as construction was concerned, the Samsung SL820 was ahead of the pack, but nothing else leapt out as particularly innovative.
Interface – Mediocre
The swank continues, courtesy of the Samsung SL820's glossy 3-inch LCD that runs seamlessly into the right side control panel. However, the LCD was one of the most vexing components on the SL820 because its quality was just plain bad. In Camera mode, picture clarity was on point, but noise was running rampant and moiré patterns attacked patterns. The cherry on the sundae of doom was attributed to the LCD's performance in Playback mode, in which every picture we captured appeared slightly out of focus, even if it was truly in focus. We've seen other 230,000-pixel displays perform without a hitch like the Canon PowerShot SD970 IS, but the SL820 is just couldn't cut it. The SL820's screen also gave in to solarization at certain angles and the glossy screen made it difficult to shoot in the sun.
Menus were very nicely composed and featured advanced graphics for today's standards, but the four-way directional pad lacked in responsiveness, especially compared to the new Canons like the PowerShot SD960 IS. We liked the soothing menu control sounds, but the layout was not as intuitive as we would have liked. Options were just kind of tossed together in a list, but the Function menu simplified selections to the most important controls and choices. We're glad the SL820 featured a few quick functions on the four-way directional pad, but there was no Exposure Compensation option. In Playback mode, zooming in on an image was a clunky task, rivaling the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 for the "most annoying Playback control" award. However, we did like the multiple icon view options and image information accompanying each picture. But without a histogram, the SL820 seemed a little too consumer for us.
Features - Good
For Samsung's top SL model, the SL820 offered a decent amount of features, but nothing to knock our socks off like the Canon PowerShot SD960 IS's Color Replace feature or the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1's Pinhole mode. Not that those features are dire supplements to the avid photographer's toolbelt, but they distinguish the camera from the rest of the mundane pack. The SL820's features were nothing out of the ordinary, even the wealth of color filters including Forest (green tone) and Negative.
We liked the ability to customize our color temperature via RGB sliders and the SL820 provided a nice little cluster of White Balance options. However, we noticed barely any difference in ACB mode, which was designed to assuage contrasts to provide more of an even tone. We also could not tell the difference between the SL820's Auto and Smart Auto modes, after taking identical pictures in identical shooting environments.
As a manual control machine, the Samsung SL820 will dip its shutter speed down to 8-seconds, but this range was only available in Night mode. We could also adjust the aperture in Night mode, but why Night mode? Sure, it's conducive to low light shooting environments, but how are users going to know they have prime manual controls waiting in a Scene mode? Canon and Panasonic are the same, stuffing advanced control into Long Shutter and Night Scene modes, but the Fujifilm Finepix F200 EXR is a manual control machine with its own designated Manual mode. Serious shooters on a budget will want to look into the F200 EXR, but Samsung loyalists will just have to deal with the SL820's more consumer outfit.
We were impressed with the Samsung SL820's HD video mode in bright light, but its low light performance was one of the noisiest we've ever encountered. At close range, the SL820's video quality was optimal and sound pickup was among the better compacts, but we'd still opt for the Canon PowerShots in terms of overall quality HD video any day.
Hardware - Mediocre
There's also nothing out of the ordinary regarding the Samsung SL820's 12-megapixel 1/2.33-inch CCD, but the 24mm ultra-wide lens was one of the compact's best features, allowing us to get up close and personal with our subject matter. The 5x optical zoom provide an adequate range for most shooting environments, but the Dual Image Stabilization failed to impress us on any front. Most of our pictures came out blurry, but that's partly because the SL820 opted for slower shutter speeds without using the flash.
When we did use the flash, the results were not pretty, as lighting was off-centered and subjects were blown out. So, the SL820's 24mm wide-angle lens turned out to be its top redeeming quality as far as hardware was concerned. The time from powering on to first shot was a dreadfully sluggish five seconds, and that was in Auto mode, so we're not seeing a whole lot of innovation here.
Image Quality - Good
The Samsung SL820 gave us a decent overall showing, though there were certain portions of the compact's performance where it appeared to be tap-dancing by the skin of its teeth. We noticed a few color gradation abnormalities, in addition to a striking inability to handle heavy contrasts, despite the use of SL820's Backlight Compensation feature. Fringing was minimal for a compact of this caliber and colors were lively and punchy. Our one major caveat with the SL820 is that if you plan on shooting in Program AE mode at a low ISO, four out of five images will be blurry because the SL820 will dip right down to a one-second shutter speed. We had to boost the ISO or stabilize the SL820 on a grounded object in order to maintain a crisp focus. At night, the SL820's 8-second shutter speed cap provided just enough time to soak up enough luminance for a variety of low light shooting environments. Overall, we'd compare the SL820's image performance to that of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX580's, only with less noise and softer sharpening.
Scene Test – 8th and Broadway
Color Test – Magic Bowls
Macro Test - Impatiens
The first image exhibits a decent overall composition, typical of a compact with a basic imaging system. Colors look natural and depth of field is impressive for Program AE mode. We're liking the level of sharpening the image displays, though certain moving subjects are noisy. We can also detect little pools of blocky compression artifacts within the parking garage and Soup and Burger sign. The second image shows us the Samsung SL820's color rendering capabilities, which are pretty much spot on. The magic bowls are electrifying, though colors are not oversaturated or bleeding. However, we did run into a minor snafu in the last image. First off, the SL820 handled Macro shots very well. The detail within the impatiens is excellent, though look closely at the center of the flower. We noticed some blotchy patches of pink that do not flow seamlessly with the rest of the flower. This is an example of poor gradation, and something we experienced on a few rare occasions.
Fringe Test – Flea Market
Sharpness Test – 8 Street Station
Contrast Test – Arches
The first image provides plenty of white objects for the evil fringing monsters to attack, but the Samsung SL820 does an admirable job battling them away. We were also impressed with the level of detail and sharpness in the first image along the dresses and skirts. Colors look natural and we only lose focus along the outsides of the image. We used the Retro filter in the second image, which exhibits some top-notch sharpening and solid lines within the text and graphics. We did catch minute traces of fringing along the borders of the lettering at full resolution, so there are times when the SL820 will not have enough firepower to blast the bluish-purple virus away. Contrast was a touchy subject for the SL820, as its dynamic range just could not hang with the bog boys. No matter what we tried, we could not strike an adequate balance. On the bright side, the SL820 cranked out some stellar detail in the last image.
Night Test – Mario
ISO 1600 Test – Ok Space Cadets!
ISO 3200 Test – Prepare to Hurtle Through the Cosmos!
Low Light Test – The Candlelit Gathering
Natural exposure at night was not an issue, as long as we had a tripod and subjects who didn't mind remaining still for prolonged periods of time. We had to shoot in Night mode because it was the only way we could achieve a low shutter speed. We love the exposure of the first image, which was captured at a two-second shutter speed. Mario looks extra cool leaned up against the Gino's banner and he's focused well for the most part. We do lose a bit of detail in the distance, as the Samsung SL820 had to opt for a wide aperture in order to soak up enough light. ISO was not terrible at 1600, but we do get bombarded by a plethora of noise when we look at the ISO 3200 image of Ren and Stimpy hurtling through the cosmos. At a full 8-second shutter speed, the last image was the best the SL820 could do as far as exposure, but detail is excellent.
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