Samsung L77 review

Samsung L77 Review

Reviewed by: Will Greenwald

Reviewed on: 30 October 2007

Image quality
Despite some flaws, the L77's pictures look good. Colours generally appear neutral and saturated, though dark subjects tend to lose some detail. Noise becomes apparent at levels as low as ISO 200, but it manifests in a gentle grain that generally will only appear on computer monitors and not in your prints.

Shooting speed (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)

Typical shot-to-shot time

Time to first shot

Shutter lag (typical)

Canon Digital IXUS 950 IS

1.7

1.2

0.5

Casio Exilim EX-V7

1.6

1.5

0.5

Samsung L77

2.4

1.9

0.5

Samsung NV7 OPS

2

3.1

0.5

Samsung L74 Wide

2.8

4.4

0.9

This unobtrusive noise remains even up to ISO 800, though a lot of fine detail, such as small text, and shadow detail is lost along the way, so images at higher ISOs end up less sharp and with a narrower dynamic range. At ISO 1,600, noise levels skyrocket, creating a fuzzy static that muddles colour and consumes detail.

Conclusion
If you want a simple, pocket-friendly point-and-shoot camera with a strong zoom, give the Samsung L77 a try. With its slim body, relatively powerful lens and solid image quality, the Samsung L77 should appeal to snapshooters. Its performance is sluggish, though, and its dearth of manual controls will turn off more advanced photographers.

Additional editing by Shannon Doubleday