Overview
The Samsung Digimax i70 is a 7 megapixel digital camera with a 3x optical zoom lens. The design of the Digimax i70 is somewhat different to a typical digital camera. This is because the whole outer shell of the body slides out to the side. This unveils the camera's controls. It can also be used as an MP3 player.
Main Features
Megapixels:
Zoom:
LCD Screen:
Dimensions:
Weight:
7
3x
3 inches
89.7 x 61 x 21.5mm
186g
Macro:
HD Movies:
Manual Controls:
Batteries:
Memory Cards:
5cm
No
No
Lithium-ion Rechargeable
SD
Image Quality - See Sample Images Below
Outdoor Scenic Shots in Good Light
Outdoor 1 (Medium Zoom):
One of the first things I look for in any photograph is the sharpness of the photo. Sadly in this instance focusing is below par, leading to a photo that is some way below average. The camera handles the glare from the sun well, but in my opinion this is of secondary importance to the lack of sharpness.
Outdoor 2 (No Zoom):
Hmmm… It's not looking good. Cameras do tend to struggle with this shot. The Digimax i70 certainly finds it difficult. Areas under the trees are very dark and again the sharpness of the photo falls below my required standard.
Outdoor 3 (Maximum Zoom):
By now I think you probably know what I'm going to say. Over the past week or so I have been reviewing digital cameras from Canon and Sony. Compared to those two brands all three outdoor photos are nowhere near sharp enough.
Portraits
Outdoor Portrait:
All three portrait shots were disappointing too. I had a number of goes at the outdoor portrait using different settings. The best one had a white balance setting of cloudy. As with other photos taken with the Digimax i70 it is darker than I would like to see.
Indoor Portrait with Flash:
Turning the flash on usually sorts out indoor focusing problems, as long as the light is not too bad. In this instance the Digimax i70 still struggles with focusing. This is a shame as the sliding lens cover takes the flash unit away from the lens and cuts down the risk of the dreaded red eye.
Indoor Portrait without Flash:
With the flash off, the camera struggles once again. There is not enough light for the camera to focus properly. All three portrait shots were taken with face detection turned on. This usually helps the camera to focus and produce sharper images than this camera has managed.
Macro, Colours and Noise
Macro:
The macro shot stands up well when compared to other digital cameras. It is not quite up with the very best, but it is an above average shot. In this case the camera has no problems with lighting and the photo is sharp and clear.
Colours:
I like the colours the Digimax i70 produces. Perhaps the blues the camera produces can be a bit on the strong side, but the test photos look well balanced in terms of colour.
ISO 400:
Oh dear! This camera is just not working for me. Recently I have detected an improvement in picture quality at higher ISO levels. Here I cannot see anything other than a picture with a lot of noise.
ISO 1000:
Once you get to this ISO level there is nearly always a lot of noise in the shot. Even so the Digimax i70 has very high noise levels. Colours also begin to look a mess.
Summary
Well what can I say? I just haven't managed to get along with the Digimax i70 at all.
Style
As noted at the top this camera is a bit different with its sliding body. It is available in four colours: pink, gold, black and silver. You do need to take care to ensure you do not put a finger across the lens when taking a photo.
Shutter Lag Times
Single Shot
Five Shots
Single Shot With Flash
Five Shots With Flash
0.43 seconds
13.98 seconds
1.6 seconds
16.97 seconds
Ease of Use
This is an area where I had no problems with the Digimax i70.
Points I Like
Good. This is an area where I had no problems with the Digimax i70.
Where it Could Improve
Picture quality - small internal memory / no memory card supplied - easy to put finger over lens when taking a photo.
Verdict
Before I wrote this review I checked out the Samsung website and noticed they had received a prestigious reward for this camera. I believe this relates to the design. Reading back my review I realise I have given the Samsung Digimax i70 a bit of a kicking. There is not much else I can add really. I was disappointed with the sharpness of the photos and also felt some of the photos were on the dark side too. Therefore I feel unable to recommend this camera.
Product Shots
Front View
Back View
Top View
Sample Menus
Top Rated Cameras in this Category
Panasonic DMC FS30 Rating 85/100
I really like this camera. It offers some extra zoom and takes excellent snaps. I found it easy to use and struggled to find anything I did not like about it. If you are looking for a smaller compact camera with some extra zoom then this one is a good choice.
Read Review: Panasonic DMC FS30 Review
Pentax Optio i-10 Rating 79/100
The Optio i-10 looks radically different to other digital cameras. It has a design based on vintage SLRs. In my tests I found more distant shots lacked sharpness. Aside from the design the features included in this camera are fairly standard.
Read Review: Pentax Optio i-10 Review
Related Pages
Samsung Digimax i70 Review Samsung Digimax i70 Specification Samsung Digimax i70 Sample Images Samsung Digimax i70 Features
Review Date
October 2007
