If you're considering this camera, you've most likely heard of Samsung's dual LCD feature which is probably the single best reason to purchase this particular camera model. I brought this camera along on a recent trip to Disneyland and having the LCD on the front of the camera took all the guesswork out of framing portrait shots of me and my girlfriend.
To start off, I'll address the dual LCD feature a little more in detail. Samsung made this camera very user-friendly by putting a "Front LCD" button next to the power button push the Front LCD button and you're ready to take self-portrait shots of yourself or with one other person (I found it difficult to frame 3 people in the same shot using the Front LCD). This model (as well as the Samsung Dual View 12.2MP Digital Camera Silver (TL205) can shoot video while the Front LCD is activated, which is a nice touch.
I found the camera's rear LCD bright and clear enough to rival Canon cameras within the same price range. Thankfully Samsung removed the touchscreen feature touchscreen is really more a gimmick than anything else. There is a standard "wheel" where you can scroll through the various camera modes (video, night shots, auto mode, etc). When you scroll through each mode, the camera will display a short blurb about what each mode is designed for. There is an interesting "Beauty Shot" mode that claims to remove blemishes automatically however the pictures taken in this mode were not extraordinarily different than those taken in Auto mode. There is also a dual image stabilization mode which apparently uses both digital and optical image stabilization I found these pictures to be a bit grainy and softer than pictures taken in Auto mode.
The weakest part of this camera is the picture quality. Yes, this camera produces 12.4 megapixels however a side-by-side comparison of pictures taken by the much older Canon PowerShot SD700 IS 6MP Digital Elph Camera with 4x Image Stabilized Zoom yields much better picture quality by the Canon camera (and the Canon is only 6 megapixels!). Pictures taken by this Samsung camera are not horrible but you will find that unless you take pictures in broad daylight with plenty of lighting, your pictures will come out grainy and soft (seems like too much automatic noise reduction by the Samsung). In low lighting situations (such as taking a picture with NO flash during the queue line for Space Mountain, this camera will produce pictures no better than the iPhone 3GS 2-megapixel camera).
Video quality is high-def 720p and is excellent. My only gripe is that whenever you zoom in or out, the audio will disappear until you stop zooming in/out. If you like to take wildlife videos and plan on doing a slow zoom, you'll end up with a silent movie :)
I had no problems with battery life the Samsung lasted 4 days on a single charge for me with some power still left. I think I took about 200 photos and about 15 video clips in total. Note that you will need a Micro-SD card instead of the regular-sized SD card.
The outer housing of the camera is cheap glossy plastic and as one other reviewer mentioned, the camera IS NOT red but has a red stripe on one side. The glossy housing is a great way to see your own fingerprints. Although I appreciate how Samsung made this camera as light as a feather, it also feels like a camera that costs $50.
Pros: The Dual LCD feature is great (other manufacturers need to get on this), video quality (at highest setting) is excellent, camera is lightweight, rechargeable battery lasts a decent amount of time.
Cons: Grainy and soft images, especially at night (definitely not what you would expect from a 12.4 megapixel camera). Camera has a short but noticeable lag when taking pictures especially after using the flash. The plastic housing feels cheap and will probably break after one drop. Fingerprint magnet.
For a starter camera, this is definitely a good choice. I'd say $129 is a more appropriate price for this camera given the image quality. I uploaded 3 photos taken in Disneyland into the Amazon product photo gallery at the top of the page in case anyone is interested to see the camera in action.
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