Well, what can I say about the Samsung A402....basically, its BRILLIANT!!!!! I've used several different types of camera including rather expensive business cameras and this has got to be one of the best I've tried - especially considering its small size and low price. Anyway, let's go through all its good and bad points shall we……
**Features**
- 4.0 megapixels resolution
- 1.8" colour screen
- 640 x 480 24fps movie capture mode
- 16MB internal memory
- S.D. memory expansion slot
- Image re-size function
- Automatic red-eye reduction
- Digital zoom (4x)
- Close-up and normal focus mode
**What's in the box**
- Camera (obviously)
- Instruction manual (very comprehensive)
- Wrist strap
- Windows driver CD for image uploads
- USB Connector lead
**In-Use**
The camera is very light and easy to use. As mentioned above it comes with a very useful wrist strap to stop you from dropping it. This has certainly saved it many times over as for one reason or another I just seem to let go of it.
The camera switches itself on and off very quickly (only 3/4 second wait before taking the first photo approximately) and all the buttons are labelled well so it is very obvious as to what each of them do. Without changing any settings however images and video don't come out particularly clear so I would definitely recommend moving onto the 'Super Fine' image mode. If you change it to this high quality setting however, you won't get more than 15 shots before the on-board memory is full.
What you really need (I'd say was essential with pretty much all digital cameras) is an expansion card and this camera quite happily takes any sort of S.D. card (don't ask me what S.D. stands for!). I bought a high-speed Panasonic 256MB card from Argos for mine which will happily take well over 100 excellent images as well as some video too. This only set me back around £20 so you could easily get one or two if you are really snap-happy! One really useful feature of the camera is to continue to update you as to the amount of photos or video recording time left in the corner of the screen as well as being able to review photos and delete ones you don't like - therefore giving yourself more room on the card again.
The only problems I can see with the camera are the slightly small screen and the battery life. The screen could certainly do with being a little bigger, if only to make viewing photos you've taken easier although the camera would have to be made larger for this. Also, the batteries do seem to drain fairly quickly but I'm pretty confident you'll get a couple of hundred shots before having to think about replacing them.
One last thing I would recommend for the camera is a proper carry case as this does not come in the box and I do worry about damaging the lens with it rattling around loose wherever I put it down.
**Viewing & Printing**
Getting the photos you've taken onto your computer is very simple too - you just plug the camera into a free USB port using the included cable once the simple driver setup is completed and then copy and past straight from the camera to the PC.
I've never used this method however, as I have an expansion card reader fitted to my PC. This means I can just remove the S.D. card from the camera and plug it straight into the PC which suits me better. Certainly saves plugging and unplugging different cables all the time!
The photos can then be viewed straight away or printed out. The highest quality setting will allow for prints at A3 size which for most people is far bigger than needed. At A4 they look fantastic on photo paper and I'm sure you won't be disappointed.
**Price & Summary**
Finally, the best thing about this camera is the price. I got mine for £79.00 and for that price I think you get a brilliant deal - an excellent camera with lots of great features! I'd definitely recommend this to any home users and I'm sure you won't go wrong by it.
28.06.2006 15:32
That's not a bad price for the camera. Great Review : )
28.06.2006 14:20
Exactly what do you mean by short battery life? 4hours? 20 shots? 2 days? 1/2 hour of continuous shooting? You need to give a better picture of what you are discussing to be truly helpful for a prospective buyer! (to update, the "Edit review" / "Write a review" link is in the gray box at the top, or just below your review after the print view link) ~ ~ .................................................................................................... ~ ♥ ~ jes ~ ♥♥