How to select a Samsung camera

By Leonard Goh
Aug 08, 2008

You may not have known, but Samsung has been producing cameras since the early 1980s. The division was founded as an extension to Samsung Aerospace, and the Korean chaebol has been refining its imaging technology since. The design department has been working hard, too, and has delivered some of the most iconic profiles we've seen for a shooter.

The Digimax 101

Being an electronics giant, the company also produces its own components necessary for putting a point-and-shoot together. From the image sensor, LCD, image processor to the Lithium-ion battery, Samsung has its foot in most parts of the manufacturing process, thus ensuring quality control. This is unlike other brands, whose cameras may be fitted with parts from different manufacturers.

In 2002, we saw the Digimax 101, which featured a 1.3-megapixel sensor and a 1.6-inch LCD display. Fast forward to today when its NV100HD is taking center stage, and we can see that the company has gone a long way in reshaping and reengineering its cameras.

The Smart Touch interface featured in the NV-series.

However, Samsung has stopped using the name Digimax for its digital cameras, and instead we now know its point-and-shoots by their individual series. The company told us this was part of its strategy to build a stronger brand. For shooters in the current lineup, there is no definite naming convention, so it doesn't mean that a three-digit point-and-shoot is better than its double-digit counterpart (e.g NV24HD and NV100HD).

The firm feels that consumers should have a holistic experience when using its cameras, which is why it incorporated non-traditional features like a portable media player (PMP) into its shooters. Also, the Smart Touch interface was an interesting innovation when unveiled as it provided an alternative method of navigating menus never seen before.

If you've set your eyes on a Samsung point-and-shoot but not quite sure which one is suitable for you, we've put together a comprehensive guide for its lineup.