Samsung Digimax U-CA3 Digital Camera Test

[Photo-John]

A short hands-on report and studio test of the Samsung Digimax U-CA3 digital camera.

Pros Very compact, pocket-sized design Good resolution - 3 megapixels Fun avatar software Price: Approx. $250 US

Cons Contrasty, noisy images Inaccurate optical viewfinder Slow shutter response Unpredictable auto white balance

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Samsung Digimax U-CA3 Digital Camera Test

The Samsung Digimax U-CA3 is a decent, fun, little digital camera. It's conveniently small, has good resolution, and a reasonable feature-set for a camera in its class.

Samsung designed the U-CA3 for teenagers and that becomes apparent as soon as you turn it on. The most notable feature is a musical, animated avatar that dances around on the LCD at startup. The camera comes with a program called DigiStudio that allows you to customize and create new avatars. I actually spent more time than I'm willing to admit playing with the DigiStudio software. I'm not kidding. It's a great distraction. Unfortunately, the clubby, youthful, animated characters don't really represent my bruttish, mountain man persona very well. Maybe they'll have a little more diversity in the next version.

I took some good pictures with the U-CA3 - mostly because the compact design makes it easy to carry it in your pocket all the time. However, significant shutter lag, funky auto white balance, a tiny LCD, and inaccurate viewfinder made it hard for me to trust the camera. To be fair, the U-CA3 wasn't designed for a serious, experienced photographer like me. If want a small camera for snapshots and outdoor photos in good light, the U-CA3 will work fine. And the small size is a real benefit, allowing you to keep the camera handy all the time. It's just about exactly the size of a small cell-phone - perfect for keeping in your pocket.

If you have a teenage daughter who wants a camera to take to the mall and slumber parties, this camera will be perfect. Just make sure she knows the pictures she takes at the Blink 182 or Avril Lavigne concert probably won't look like the pictures in the fan magazines.

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Other Resources: Samsung Digimax U-CA3 User Reviews >> Post a Review >> Samsung Web Site >> Discuss the Samsung Digimax U-CA3 >> Samsung Digimax U-CA3 Sample Gallery >> Studio Sample Images >>

[Photo-John]

Here are a couple screen shots of the DigiStudio avatar software. The avatar is customizable. You can choose the gender, facial features, clothing, background, and movement and download them into the camera. There are lots of options. And even though the avatar has nothing to do with photography, I did find it fun. The avatar appears on the camera LCD every time the camera is turned on.