Overview
The Samsung L310W is a 13.6 megapixel digital camera with a 3.6x wide angle zoom lens. It has more features than I am used to seeing within this price range. These include image stabilisation, a 2.7 inch LCD screen and a manual exposure mode. There are also some less common features such as a beauty mode for portraits.
Why Buy The Samsung L310W
Samsung has certainly packed in an array of features for the price. This is one of the cheapest cameras you will find with a manual exposure mode.
Main Features
Megapixels:
Zoom:
LCD Screen:
Dimensions:
Weight:
13.6
3.6x
2.7 inches
91.6 x 61 x 22.95 mm
138g
Macro:
HD Movies:
Manual Controls:
Batteries:
Memory Cards:
5cm
No
No
Lithium ion
SD/SDHC
Image Quality - See Sample Images Below
Outdoor Scenic Shots in Good Light
Outdoor 1 (Medium Zoom):
My initial impression is that the L310W has struggled with sharpness in this photo. 13 megapixels may give the idea that you should be able to make super sized prints, but the moment you print above snapshot size picture quality is not all it could be.
Outdoor 2 (No Zoom):
This is not a bad effort, but as parts of the scene get more distant focusing falls away quickly. I'm getting the impression Samsung may have been overambitious with the wide angle lens.
Outdoor 3 (Maximum Zoom):
With the lens zoomed in overall sharpness improves, but the right hand side of the picture is still somewhat softer than I am used to seeing. Up to this point I like the colours the camera has produced.
Outdoor 4 (Building):
The centre area of the shot is sharp enough, but again sharpness slips away. I would only give the L310W six out of ten for focusing.
Portraits
Outdoor Portrait:
A portrait shot in good lighting is probably the easiest test I carry out for the camera. The L310W does much better here. The photo has a warm glow and sharpness is a step up on my more distant scenic photos.
Indoor Portrait with Flash:
Once again I have produced a disappointing shot. Out of a number of cameras I tested at the same time the L310W is the only one to have struggled with focus in this test.
Indoor Portrait without Flash:
I guess I could make the same comment about my test without flash as the one with flash. This camera is just not working for me.
Macro, Colours and Noise
Macro:
This is not a bad effort when taking my other test shots into consideration. It's not pin sharp, but you should be able to produce the occasional close up snapshot.
Colours:
When it comes to the colours of the photos I have no complaints. Compared to other cameras the power of the colours is mid range in terms of strength.
ISO 400 and ISO 1600:
Ironically the L310W does quite well at higher ISO setting compared to other similar digital cameras. There is still noise showing in my tests, but overall there is a little more definition than I am used to seeing.
Summary
Over time I have tested a number of Samsung digital cameras and felt that as a brand Samsung is a little underrated. The L310W has been disappointing though.
Style
This camera looks neat enough without really reaching out and grabbing you. It's a fairly typical rectangular shape with rounded corners. There is a choice of pink, brown, silver and black.
Shutter Lag Times
Single Shot
Five Shots
Single Shot With Flash
Five Shots With Flash
Turn on Time
0.28 seconds
14.98 seconds
0.49 seconds
17.58 seconds
2.62 seconds
Ease of Use
I found the text used for the menu system to be pretty small. It may be o.k. for anyone with 20/20 vision, but otherwise you have to look closely to see what setting you are changing.
Points I Like
Photo help guide - features for the price.
Where it Could Improve
Lack of sharpness - small menu text
Verdict
The idea of packing this range of features into a camera with a low price tag is very good in theory. I just wonder if too many compromises had to be made and from time to time picture quality suffers. My biggest question is has Samsung packed too many pixels onto the sensor? There are worse digital cameras than the Samsung L310W, but I wouldn't be in a hurry to buy this camera.
Product Shots
Front View
Back View
Top View
Sample Menus
Top Rated Cameras in this Category
Related Pages
Samsung L310W Review Samsung L310W Specification Samsung L310W Sample Images Samsung L310W Features
Review Date
January 2009
