Samsung busts out ultrathin i8 digital camera

Samsung didn't exactly come to CES to brag about its camera lineup, but nevertheless, it's hard to ignore the ultrathin, definitely sexy i8. Rocking an 8-megapixel sensor and a glossy, reflective finish, this 3.5- x 2.3- x 0.8-inch shooter comes equipped with a 3x optical zoom, a 2.7-inch LCD monitor -- which, by the way, will automatically brighten / dim depending on surrounding light conditions -- and an "intuitive" slide show feature that supports MP3 playback while images flash by. Notably, users can even watch MPEG, AVI, MOV, WMV and ASF files on the LCD, and if you're in a pinch, you can shoot MPEG-4 video at 800 x 592 resolution. Sold already? Curb your enthusiasm kid -- you've got another month before you can plop down your $299.

[Via DPReview]

[jesus caro Posted Jan 7th 2008 6:53PM]

nice

[Deputy Doofus Posted Jan 7th 2008 7:17PM]

define ultra-thin


=S

[Ricardo Posted Jan 7th 2008 7:25PM]

Looks like a bar of soap with lenses...

They will definately sell lots of these... for those who have absolutely no clue about photography and no taste.

[jgpuff Posted Jan 7th 2008 7:33PM]

Ahh...sad but true.

[Wolfticket Posted Jan 7th 2008 7:28PM]

Meh, looks like what sony have been doing with digicams forever. At least olympus and pentax make similar form factor cameras that are ruggedised/waterproof.

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 7th 2008 8:16PM]

Those folded lenses always blow. Their resolving power just isn't adequate. Although if camera manufacturers keep putting smaller, denser, noisier CCDs into these things, they will eventually match perfectly (resulting in truly horrific pictures). Besides, this design is as old as the 1.3mp camera phone (that can now be found lying in the street like discarded gum). Give me a break - everyone has a camera exactly like this. Improve the features and functions and you just might actually be able to sell a few. Specifically, cram a big sensative CMOS into a compact body with a real wide-angle zoom lens, optical stabilization, and XGA video or better). *boom* They'd sell a million of them. The icing on the cake would be high FPS capability and HD video... but they aren't necessities on a "still" camera.

[Ricardo Posted Jan 8th 2008 6:06AM]

Fuji was the only brand that actually cared about image quality, with their relatively big CCD on the F30/F31fd, which has excellent quality. But unfortunately on their new model they doubled the resolution with the same sensor size. Sadly image quality doesn't sell as much as megapixels do.

[Step666 Posted Jan 8th 2008 2:44PM]

The same Fuji that kept using interpolation to allow them to advertise larger resolutions long after everyone else had realised that people weren't fooled?