By including a large amount of internal memory (190MB) with its i85 ultra-compact digital camera, Samsung made the unit stand out from competitors. By making the i85 a combination digital camera and portable media player (PMP), Samsung moved it into the truly unique category.

Included with the Samsung i85's PMP capabilities is the ability to listen to MP3 files or watch video content on the unit's impressive 3.0-inch LCD. The LCD is extremely bright and sharp, regardless of the exterior lighting conditions. You can play movies in the high-resolution SVGA format, which is a great feature. To enhance the sound capabilities of the i85, Samsung included a headphone jack with the camera.

When it comes to the digital camera features of the i85, they're just average. The i85 isn't going to provide top-of-the-line photography-related components. This model is pretty easy to use and works well as a point-and-shoot digital camera. It also offers a manual focus option, which is not enough to appeal to experienced photographers.

Image quality is perhaps the best photo-related feature of the i85. In proper lighting, you'll receive colorful and sharp photos with the model's 8.2 megapixels of resolution. Indoor photos with the flash are well exposed, too. You'll also appreciate the extra "zoom" with the i85's 5X optical zoom lens. (Most ultra-compact cameras offer only a 3X magnification.)

We found the i85 easy to hold and use, even though it only measures 0.8 inches in thickness. The LCD occupies most of the back panel, but there's plenty of room for your thumb. Unfortunately, Samsung didn't have room to include an optical viewfinder. But the top-notch quality of the LCD screen makes it more than tolerable as the only viewfinder.

Samsung included an image-stabilization system with this model, meaning you don't have to worry about blurry photos from camera shake. You'll also be able to use the i85's Face Detection auto-focus technology, which guarantees proper focus and exposure with group photos.

Unfortunately, the i85's response times are below average, which is a serious drawback. You'll have to wait almost 3 seconds after pressing the power button to snap your first image. Shutter lag can be a problem, depending on the situation. With auto-focus, you can expect a lag of about half a second. If you add the flash to the equation, shutter lag could grow to a full second or more, meaning you may miss a spontaneous photo. Shot-to-shot delays can be a huge drawback, especially when the flash is in use. Depending on the subject's distance from the flash and the level of remaining battery power, you could wait up to 10 seconds before you can shoot again.

Finally, the i85 is a very stylish model, and Samsung offers it in a variety of colors (black, gold, red or silver). Thanks to all of the i85's PMP features and its surprising 190MB of internal memory, this ultra-compact model is one of the best values around. If you don't need the non-photography features, you certainly can find a digital camera with more powerful photo capabilities in this price range. But the i85's versatility and low overall price is impressive for photographers looking for a little more than the standard digital camera.


Pros: Nice media player and camera combination, great value, stylish colors available, LCD is outstanding and large, 190MB of internal memory, image quality is good
Cons: Camera features are only average, response times should be better, camera's performance suffers badly when using flash, no optical viewfinder

Warranty
1 year, limited