Editorial Review:Product Description:With a contemporary design and a sleek appearance, Samsung's Digimax 401 is equipped with 4.0 mega pixel image sensor and features 3x digital zoom. The Digimax 401 also features image rotation, resizing and trimming functions, making it among the best digital camera models for beginner users.
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
-
Cheap Camera
I got this camera for Christmas in 2004. A few days after Christmas in 2005, it just quit working--wouldn't turn on. I've had this same problem of breaking after a year or two with other Samsung electronics.
Overall, though, this is a decent starter camera. It's too large to fit in a pocket, and it takes up quite a bit of space in a small purse, but it does take video with good sound.
This was my first digital camera, but in my opinion, it was rather slow (if you're trying to take pictures of kids, this would not be the camera for you).
It was easy to work with, and it's quite cheap compared to others on the market (note, no optical zoom). If mine hadn't broken so soon, I'd be a lot more likely to recommend it. Just remember that you get what you pay for (2 years ago, it was around $100), so this one is indeed slow.
It doesn't take the best pictures very close-up (inches away), but most cameras aren't meant to. It does a good job focusing (there is a close-up and normal mode).
The best part of this camera is the fact that you can use AA batteries. I bought several packs of the 15-minute rechargeable batteries. This way, when I knew I'd use the camera heavily, I could take an extra set of batteries, and not stop in the middle to recharge.
Rating: -
Springboard for your next digital camera
I received this camera one or two years ago, so it is a bit dated. It was my first digital camera, and a good stepping stone to become aquainted with them. But it has some serious problems.
My main beef with the camera is that you have to be standing absolutely still (or use a tripod, of course) in order to get a shot that isn't blurry. There is a HUGE delay time between pressing the button and it actually flashing and taking the picture. I couldn't stand that -- because most of the time, my subject would move and it would blur while the camera was "taking" the picture. Also, forget using this camera to take pictures out your car window while moving.
One of the most irritating problems was the flash. I tried several modes and they all washed out the subject, making it extremely bright and the background very dark. The way to counteract this was to turn the flash off, but that resulted in -- again -- blurry pictures. On top of this all, you have to have a stockpile of batteries to keep the thing running.
Fortunately the menus weren't too difficult to figure out, and the buttons all over the camera are well placed. It also is a good size -- small enough to be portable, but not too small that you can barely hold it. It was really easy to hook up to my computer and browse right to the pictures (I didn't use the included software, I used Paint Shop Pro).
Overall, I would only buy this camera used if you were looking for an extremely cheap digital camera, or you want to get one for your kid, who will simply enjoy the fact that they can take pictures and see them. If you're looking for a better quality camera though, my next purchase was the Kodak EasyShare Z730 and I heartily recommend it over this one.
Rating: -
Not a good choice.
Pros: Good for creating JPGs for sharing via email, Internet, or making a slide show.
Cons: No optical zoom. When printing, pictures loose quality (not sure why). Video quality is very low. Poor battery life.
The bottom line: this camera is your very basic digital toy. I bought it only because I was a novice at this and had no clue as to what quality digital camera suppose to contain.
Rating: 
-
Blurry pictures when uploading or printing.
I bought this camera last November. When you take the pictures, they come out perferct on the lcd screen. However, when you go to upload them or have them printed out, they come out blurry. I have written to Samsung numerous times and have yet to receive a response. When I went to the website, I found out the biggest complaint about the camera was the pictures come out blurry. Stick with and Olympus or Canon. I have had the Olympus c3020 (3.2 mp)for 5 years and recently upgraded to the C8080 (8mp). My pictures have come out wonderful.
