BIOS: Technology Means Business

Samsung Electronics, a company not really associated with digital cameras, is set to launch a sub-£300 digital camera with a mighty 7.0-Megapixel CCD. Following on from the Digimax V50, which was also announced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) earlier this month, the point-and-shoot Digimax V700 features a 3X optical zoom lens, 2in. LCD screen, aluminium body and a 4cm macro mode, making it one of the most powerful cameras in its price range. The camera is available in three colours: silver, red and black.

Pros: High resolution CCD; reasonably priced; choice of colours
Cons: Only 3X optical zoom lens; relatively small LCD monitor

Edited Release: For manufacturers, there is no better launch pad than the Consumer Electronics Show when it comes to introducing their hottest, most advanced electronics for the new year. Samsung Camera will do exactly that as they are set to introduce the Digimax V700 - a 7.0-Megapixel digital still camera.

Following the Digimax V50, introduced at CES 2004, the V700 is the latest addition to Samsung's highly successful V-Series line of high end digital cameras. Competitively priced at $399, the V700 is sure to turn heads with its unparalleled style and host of features, making it one of the most affordable, advanced point-and-shoot digital still cameras on the market today.

'We are very excited about the launch of the Digimax V700 as it represents the third generation of our V-Series line,' said Ken Gerb, senior vice president - Sales for Samsung Camera. 'The V700 is the first, high-end, 7.0-Megapixel digital camera that we have introduced in the United States and with its price/performance ratio, it's sure to have quite an impact on the competition.'

With features like a 4cm super macro mode, a huge 2in. colour LCD and powerful manual controls, the V700 is ideal for virtually every application. Following in the footsteps of the popular V50, the V700 offers quality construction and style, world-class Schneider optics, a plethora of customization modes and other features to create one of the foremost digital cameras in its class.

The Digimax V700 packs a new 7.4-Megapixel (total pixels) 1/1.8in. CCD sensor in a stylish aluminium enclosure that's easy to use and to hold. With its high-quality f/2.8-5.1 Schneider 7.8mm-23.4mm lens (equivalent to a 38-114mm lens in 35mm film) the camera provides an enormous array of features in one sleek package. The macro mode captures images as close as 4cm, while the 10X digital zoom extends the range of the Schneider lens into the super-telephoto range.

The 2.0in. TFT LCD screen provides a large focusing area and is also home to the camera's wider range of creative controls. The intuitive graphical user interface (GUI) allows users to easily navigate the camera's menu of features and capabilities. Photographers have a full range of custom choices including a variety of exposure modes, five ISO settings, five flash settings and more. The V700 utilises a combination mechanical and electronic shutter to capture images at up to 1/2000 of a second.

The Digimax V700 can capture still images in single, continuous, AWB, AEB or AFB modes, at sizes up to 5MB and store them as TIFF, JPEG (DCF), EXIF 2.2 or DPOF format. The camera also has the ability to capture MPEG-4, 30 frames-per-second movie clips at a size of 640x480. The V700 also features Movie Clip Stabilizer and Movie Edit functions that can be performed right on the camera.

AEB shooting provides a choice of presets custom designed for some typical - and also some difficult to master - shooting environments. The Digimax V700 includes preprogrammed settings in an Auto mode, Program mode, A, S, M mode, Night mode and Scene modes including: Portrait, Children, Landscape, Close-up, Sunset, Dawn, Backlight, Fireworks, Beach & Snow and Text.

The V700 also takes advantage of the small form-factor of SD/MMC storage cards with guaranteed storage of up to 1GB. SD is quickly becoming the preferred storage media for compact digital cameras thanks to the formats ability to pack a large amount of data into a small space. With its thin design, the V700 is designed to support the 3V Duracell CP1 high-power Lithium battery, an optional rechargeable 3V Li-ion (SLB-1137) from Samsung or an AC adapter.

The V700 transfers images via its built-in USB connection and comes with software for both the Windows and the Macintosh platforms (TBD) including Digimax Viewer, ArcSoft PhotoImpression, ArcSoft VideoImpression and Digimax Reader. The Digimax V700 can also be connected to NTSC or PAL external monitors for image and movie playback via the included connectors.

The V700 also offers Pictbridge technology, allowing users to connect the camera directly to a printer via USB cable and output images right from the camera's internal memory or SD card. A related feature that comes in handy is the ability to edit, crop and resize images right on the camera before sending them to a computer or printer for distribution or output.

Ideal for either the casual snap shooter or the advanced photographer, the V700 offers fully automatic and manual controls. From point and shoot to shutter priority to aperture priority all the way to full manual, the V700 has it all.