Samsung Pro 815 8.0 Megapixel High-End Digital Camera

Everyone Wins With This Lens

The 8 megapixel Pro815 is equipped with a powerful 15x optical zoom with a focal length of 28 - 420mm (35mm equivalent). This means you can shoot from wide angle to telephoto with one lens. Normally it is not possible to incorporate both 28mm wide-angle and 420mm tele-zoom capabilities in an average high-end camera, since they generally only come with a 7-8x zoom. With SLR systems, you need to switch lenses to shoot wide-angle and ultra high zoom pictures, which means carrying lots of equipment, missing some shots due to lens changing, and buying multiple lenses. The Pro815 has four low-dispersion glass lenses specially manufactured to minimize chromatic aberration that can occur when wide-angle and ultra high zoom are supported at the same time. In addition, it employs two aspherical lenses for the correction of sherical aberration and lateral colors for the entire zoom range from wide to tele. This world-renowned Schneider-KREUZNACH lens offers outstanding reliability.

Extra Large LCD Screen

Conventional high-end or SLR cameras use a relatively small 1.8 - 2.0" LCD and the screen does not show the shot at the point of taking the picture. Not so with the Pro815 and its extra-large 3.5-inch LCD. With the Pro815, anybody can easily take a picture and view images through its large LCD. The large format of the screen is a real benefit for better composition. By using Transmissive with Micro Reflective (TMR) technology, you can share your images with other people because the viewing angle is wide and the colors are well reproduced. There is also an electronic viewfinder.

An Extra LCD for Waist-Level Shooting

Another great feature of the Pro815 is waist-level shooting, enabled by its top LCD. The 1.44" wide color TFT LCD of the Pro815 displays a preview screen in real time, allowing the waist-level shooting style often adopted by professional photographers. This LCD position enables high-level shooting as well as taking pictures from various angles. The top LCD can also be used as a status LCD to display shooting information. Since the required information is available on the LCD at all times, you can shoot a subject or choose a desired function more quickly.

Fast Response Time

The Pro815 achieves an incredibly fast response time. Its startup and shot-to-shot speeds have been reduced to 1.0 second each, and it delivers a fast AF speed even in tele-zoom mode by utilizing a passive AF sensor. The shutter release lag of 0.05 seconds lets you capture those shots without fail. It also allows you to shoot subjects moving at high speed by offering shutter speeds up to 1/4,000 second. The Pro815 includes high-speed continuous shooting at 2.5 frames/sec., normal continuous shooting that lets you shoot while viewing an image taken on the LCD, and ultra high speed continuous shooting that allows you to shoot up to ten 1 Megapixel-sized images per second. As it has high-speed USB 2.0 connectivity, images taken can be transferred quickly to a PC.

A Flash of Ingenuity

The Pro815 is equipped with a high-powered built in flash to let you obtain perfectly exposed pictures even in dark environments. The Pro815 not only has a powerful flash that allows shooting at up to 7.7 m (wide settings) -- it can also control an external flash depending on the surrounding exposure environment. The Pro815's built-in flash modes include Auto, Auto & Red-Eye Reduction, Fill-In, Slow Sync, Slow Sync & Red-Eye Reduction, Flash Off and Flash Compensation (+/- 2EV (1/3EV steps).

Professional Manual Photography Features

The Pro815 offers comprehensive manual photography features that should meet all the needs of aspiring photographers. Manual exposure (Aperture/Shutter/Manual) and manual focus control features are included as standard. Three rings surrounding the lens control manual zoom, manual focusing and EV compensation, providing you with the direct control of manual operations. The dual jog system, which is used to control aperture and shutter speed, also delivers precision in manual operation. The camera has various focusing modes including AF Lock, Continuous AF and Select Area AF. Its direct manual focusing feature lets you switch to manual focusing from AF instantly by turning the manual focus ring. In addition, bracketed shooting is allowed for exposure, focus and white balance. In particular, white balance is available in Preset, Custom and Color Temperature Adjust modes. This lets you express colors exactly as you want. Contrast and saturation can also be controlled for creative expression in the depth of color required. The camera supports Adobe RGB Color Space as well as an 8 MP non-compressed RAW file, making it the perfect choice for enthusiasts' image output.

All Charged Up

Since you'll love capturing images with the Pro815, it's a good thing it comes with an extremely large-capacity battery. The 1900mAh, 7.4V lithium-ion battery will keep you charged up about taking pictures. On a full charge, you can shoot up to 500 frames (based on CIPA standards) before further charging is required. And that's a full day of shooting!

Included With Purchase

USB cable, neck strap, user manual, product warranty, software CD.

Write A Review

samsung pro 850 camera (June 02, 2006)

Ease of Use		(5/5.0)
Value		(5/5.0)
Performance		(5/5.0)
Overall Rating		(5/5.0)

Reviewed By: Joshua - Philadelphia, PA

I purchased this camera 2 weeks ago.
I love using it.
It has lots of function to play with.
I didnt have trouble taking good pictures in zoom mode outdoor.
Indoor, I had to use tripod if i use zoom.
However, i cant really think of any occasion that i have to use zoom indoor other than my testing last week.
Besides, it gives great pictures and I loved the price. I kind of considered DSLR camera but I gave it up becasue lenses were more expensive than camera itself. I considered one wide angle lense and one zoom lense. It would have cost me almost 2000 dollars
So far, I love this camera.
If this helps to anyone considering buying this camera, Id give two thumbs up.

Great Camera without the High Price tag (March 01, 2006)

Ease of Use		(5/5.0)
Value		(5/5.0)
Performance		(5/5.0)
Overall Rating		(5/5.0)

Reviewed By: John V. - sheboygan, wi

The Camera overall is great. I used to have a casio exilim z-57 model. It had 5.0mp and I thought that was good quality. I shot some pictures with the 815pro and the pictures blow my old camera out of the water. The detail that I get from the 815 is that amazing. The Clairty is nice. The zoom is great with 15x optical zoom and it can also take close up pictures too that are great. The only problem I had with the 15x zoom out was when I was not steady enough to hold the camera and took blurry shots or when the auto focus was not locking in on the target, but I fixed that by switching to manual focus and got great shots. very easy to figure out great packaged contents lets me connect it to my 57inch screen tv and I can take pictures looking at my big screen instead of the camera. There is also an option to purchase a remote control too. The only downside of this camera I think is the No antishake program when is long telephoto. But if you held the camera down at your waist and used the top lcd to view your picture it was pretty steady. I would recommend this camera to the average photographer or pro. I havent used any other slr or slr like camera other than this one but I am very satisfied. The other problems I think was that the camera was kinda heavy - 1.9lbs and the strap that comes with it doesnt want to stay on that good, it slips off without notice so there is a chance of the camera falling to the ground. Other than that this is a great camera its kinda heavy but I got used to it with using the straps too help me hold it up. Up side is that you dont have to carry extra lens to switch from a close shot to a far shot. The camera feels Really nice in my hands its not cheap material like the canon eos rebel xt. Alot of people have that camera but I like this one much better I looked at the rebel at walmart and it feels cheap compared to this one and the rebel also has only a 3x zoom so you would need to buy another lens for far shots. Im very statisfied with the camera after I got used to the weight of the camera my shots got more steady and my pictures turn out alot better. there are a Load of options for this camera. I have my setting set to 640x480 and the pictures are nice on 5x7 pictures. The Flash is good on teh camera, but it does shadow once in a while so a external flash would be ideal. but for the stock flash its pretty good and it opens up by it self if and when you need it but you do have to put it back down by hand.

Samsung Pro 815 (February 23, 2006)

Ease of Use		(5/5.0)
Value		(5/5.0)
Performance		(5/5.0)
Overall Rating		(5/5.0)

Reviewed By: Don C. - Bristol , Virginia

I would throw my experience between a beginner and advanced camera person and after recieving the camera it only took a short time to learn my way around the cameras menus. it is a very straight forward operateing camera with countless options. I believe for the money its a camera that justifys its price the software is excellent that accompanys the camera. I would definately recommend this product. and I have had in the past Olympus and Kodak cameras. The Samsung Pro 815 out performs those and any other that I have had contact with. Vans Support staff has been very helpful and a pleasure to do business with.

Comparison Specifications

Approx. 8.0 Megapixels Effective (Approx. 8.3 Total)
Uses Compact Flash (CF) Cards
15x Optical Zoom Lens (28-420mm 35mm Film Equivalent)
Shooting Modes: Auto, Program, Aperture, Shutter, Manual, Myset, Movie, 11 Scene Modes
Flash Modes: Auto, Red-Eye Reduction, Fill-In, Slow Sync, Flash Off, Flash Compensation
Movie Mode with Stereo Audio, Size: 640x480, 320x240, 160x120 Frame Rate: 25 fps, 15 fps
Program AE, Shutter Priority AE, Aperture Priority AE and Manual Exposure Modes
3.5" Color TFT LCD Screen, 1.44" Wide Color TFT Top LCD Sreen
USB 2.0 Connection, NTSC, PAL Video Output (User Selectable)

Additional Specifications

9 Point TTL Auto Focusing; Single AF, Continuous AF, Manual, AF Lock, AF Area Select
Mechanical and Electronic Shutter, 2-1/4000 Sec. Shutter Speed (Manual Mode: 30 - 1/4000)
ISO (Film Speed) Equavalent: Auto, 50, 100, 200, 400, 800
Flash Recharging Time Approx. 5 Seconds
Built-In Picture Effects: Normal, B&W, Sepia, Negative, Contrast Adjust, Saturation Adjust
White Balance: Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent H, Fluorescent L, Tungsten, Custom 1&2
Voice Memo in Still Image Capability (Maximum 10 Seconds)
Date Imprinting: Date and Time, Date, Off (User Selectable)
Continuous Shooting: Cont. (1, 5fps), Cont. HS (2, 5fps), UHS (10 fps, 1 MP Quality), Interval
Self-Timer: 2 Sec. 10 Sec., Double, Remote Control 0 Sec., Remote Control 2 Sec.

Manufacturer Specifications

Bracketing: Exposure, Focusing, White Balance (3 Frames or 5 Frames Selectable)
File Formats: JPEG (DCF), RAW (DNG), TIFF, EXIF 2.2, DPOF 1.1, PictBridge 1.0
Movie Clip Formats: AVI (MJPEG), Audio: WAV
Image Sizes: 3264x2448, 3264x2176, 3264x1840, 2400x1800, 1632x1224, 1024x768, 640x480
Image Play: Single Image, Thumbnails, Slide Show, Movie Clip, Album Orgainization
Image Editing: Trimming, Resizing, Rotating
Power Source: Li-ion Rechargeable Battery (SLB-1974), Charger (SBC-L4)
Lens Aperture: f2.2 - f4.6
Exposure Compensation: +/-2EV (1/3 EV Steps)
Included Software Applications: Digimax Master, Digimax Reader