Samsung Vega 170 Compact Camera > Reviews > Still better than digital

Author's product rating:   

Picture Quality	Excellent
Range & Quality of Features	Excellent
Ease of Use	Average
Overall Look & Design	Average
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	sharpest affordable P&S film camera
Disadvantages:	larger than Minolta & Pentax P&S's

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I like P&S film cameras. The Samsung I love. The Schneider lens is better in contrast & resolution than Minolta, Pentax & other affordable P&S's. M & P are great...Samsung is greater. Also the Samsung at 170mm focal length setting(less quality than lower mm's), still beats 5 megapixel digital cameras at any focal length. You will take hundreds(thousands?) of pix before an affordable digital camera will appear that'll beat the Samsung.
The Samsung has features that most of the feature laden P&S's don't have. On the SNAP mode you can power up the Samsung & quickly take pictures at 38mm focal setting that are in focus from 5 to 20 feet(great for kids, animals or any action swirling about you-use ASA 400 film). There is a Portrait mode supposedly allowing the zoom lens to automatically zoom in & out to maintain the same subject image size on film even when the subject moves around(haven't tried this feature)!? Another mode allows two delayed exposures 2 seconds apart rather than the usual single delayed exposure. The Samsung allows both Landscape & Spot metering modes that some P&S's don't allow. & of course the Samsung has almost all the flash & red-eye features of the other P&S's. Yes, at this late date(August 2004) the Samsung 170 w/Schneider lens has better image quality than any affordable digital(& more zoom than the ubiquitous 3 power zooms on digital cameras). Nuf said.