Samsung MV800 review

A great-looking camera to help you capture the world from a new perspective

There’s no doubt about it, Samsung’s sleek new camera oozes sophistication. Its slim, high-quality build is minimalist yet striking with its flip-out LCD screen. Clearly its standout feature, this unique three-inch screen is fantastic for low or high-angle shots and self-portraits, as well as acting as its own stand for displaying photos in a slide show. Because of its touch-screen controls, on the body we are just left with a Play and a ‘Home’ button to access the menu. With an external zoom dial built around the shutter release button, it has just the right balance of touch screen versus physical control. The touch controls themselves, including touch shooting if activated, are responsive and user-friendly.

Underneath the excellent exterior is a camera packed full of fantastic features. As well as Smart Auto, Program and a variety of shooting modes such as Close-up and Night Shot, the MV800 comes with a large range of extras such as 3D Photo and Live Panorama. Intelligent Portrait is a great feature that will take a shot and automatically give you two alternative crops. During our testing the camera sometimes had trouble detecting faces in order to complete these crops, however.

Notably absent is a dedicated sports mode, but there are some clever editing options, such as in-camera cropping, saturation and contrast tweaks, as well as effects filters. All of these will suit beginners but there are more advanced features that let you take more control. While there’s no Manual mode, you can select your own ISO, white balance, focus area and metering system, tweak the exposure value and control the flash.

The images on screen are bright and sharp, and the final printed results are fantastic. For all it comes packed with, the MV800 is a great value compact that will get you taking photos from creative angles and achieving amazing effects. A triumph of compact camera design.