The Self-Portrait Camera

by Lori Cunningham

Have you seen those new cameras that have a display on the front of the camera so you can take better self-portraits?  I recently was given the opportunity to review the Samsung TL210 camera, it’s a dual view camera with a 1.5″ LCD screen on the front of the camera as well as a 3″ LCD on the back for viewing.  I liked the camera so much, I placed it on my list of Dads, Grads, & Cool Do-Dads in June.

I haven’t bought a new digital camera in a while (other than my Sanyo Xacti mini camcorder/camera last December).  I was intrigued to learn what new features are available on cameras nowadays.   To my delight, I found a bunch of new features on the Samsung TL210 camera.

Some of the Features Include:

• 12.4 megapixals camera
• 5x optical zoom
• 27 mm wide lens
• Auto red-eye
• MPEG-4 high comparison video – can record up to 20 minutes in length
• Multi-functioning cable – connects to computer via USB and uses same USB to connect to power supply
• Smart Auto for still and movies
• Smart face recognition
• Self-timer – the countdown timer appears on the front LCD
• Couple shot – automatically shoots when heads are close together
• Children mode – engaging funny clown with funny voices to get a baby’s attention
• Automatic shutter when it detects a smiling face while using the Children mode
• You can ad a voice memo to any photo – up to 10 seconds
• The video has a pause button which allows you to record video, pause it, record some more on same video clip
• Smart Scene Auto detection mode to identify and change camera settings according to what’s being recorded – recording of landscapes, sunsets, if it’s cloudy or sunny, etc.

Using the Samsung TL210 Camera

If you’re like me, reading the directions is the last thing I want to do when I get a new gadget.  I want to figure out the gadget as I go.  For the most part, this works well for me.  However, I learned a lot by reading the TL210’s manual, which came packaged as a CD to review on the computer. 

I took a number of pictures of my kids and friends.  The camera is easy to use and fun.  One night, however, I took pictures of my kid’s programs at night and was disappointed because the SAMSUNG camera took pics similarly to my current older camera – the pictures ended up dark and it was hard to identify my kids.  For years I have been frustrated with photos I have taken during my kids performances.  Why do they turn out dark?  Why are they blurry?  Why does it take so long for the shutter to close to take the picture?  My child has moved onto picking his nose by the time my camera finally takes the shot.  Darn!  Another great photo opportunity missed.  Had I read the instructions, I would have learned about the Night mode and adjusting the exposure for a longer shutter time.  Perhaps that would have helped me.

Samsung incorporated some nice features for shots taking in daylight.  Sometimes it is not convenient to move people just  because the sun is shining behind them, which results in a dark picture.  Reading the User Guide I learned about the Backlight and the FlashFill features which help pictures turn out better in these situations.

There’s even a Beauty Shot mode you can use to  hide facial imperfections.  If only all cameras had that feature when pictures are taken of me!

Analysis of the Samsung TL210

Here are my top comments in evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of the camera:

Advantages

• a front LCD – pure brilliance!  Works well not only for self-portraits, but also for kids so they can see the picture you’re taking of them — they’re more likely to smile this way!
• what a convenience to have the self-timer appear on the front screen, so you know exactly how much time you have before the camera takes a shot.
• the pause button is very handy when recording children’s events.  You can shoot video of the beginning of your kids’ class performance, then press the pause button until your kids appears in the show, then pause again until your kid appears again.  This way you have one video of your fave parts of the show instead of a bunch of recorded bits of the show.  I love this feature!
• mini SD card – as much memory as you’d like – I used a 4GB mini SD – slides right into the drive
• the camera’s design incorporates a tilt-body feature so that when placed on the camera, instead of lying flat, it tilts up slightly, making self-portraits easier.

Disadvantages

• the instruction manual on the CD is inconvenient.  It would be easier to have a printed manual to take with the camera so as you’re using the camera you can look up certain features to learn about the camera better.
• 5x zoom is just not enough – a more powerful zoom is needed especially when zooming in on your kids during a recognition assembly or performance.
• even with  adjustments, pictures taken inside at night didn’t come out well – especially when taken from farther away.  I needed to get up from my seat and get close to the stage where my son’s class was performing to get a descent shot.

A Mom’s Perspective

Let me tell you, the Samsung TL210 is a fun camera.  I’ll tell you something else, if you have a daughter, watch out!  You may never see it again.  No matter what her age, she will be fascinated with taking self-portraits.  I was talking with a friend of mine who has a regular digital camera and her 9-year old daughter is constantly taking self-portraits.  I remember our 17-year old foreign exchange student we hosted from Germany and she too was always taking pics of herself.  My own 7-year old daughter had a field day with the Samsung TL210.  When I downloaded the pics, most of them were of her!  So my simple calculations on self-portrait cameras equate to:  DAUGHTER + CAMERA = THE PARENT ASKING “WHERE IS THE CAMERA?????”  Be advised, if you buy this camera, lock it up or hide it really well!!!

Overall, I was very impressed with the camera. It has an amazing number of features – more than I’ve seen on any other camera I’ve used.  I loved the smart face recognition feature which can recognize up to 20 faces.  So when you’re taking a picture of the kids from your son’s birthday party, the camera will recognize your son (because you’ve likely already taken endless pics of him before with this camera) and it will focus and adjust the exposure based on his face.

I really liked the children mode too where a clown made funny noises and threw balls so the baby I was taking a picture of would look up.  You can even download new children videos to your camera so your baby/child won’t get bored or used to the cartoon playing while you’re trying to snap their pic.

And how many times have you tried to take a picture of your baby or young child and you take umpteen pics and still never seem to snap a pic when your child or children are smiling?  The auto smile recognition feature is a dream – it will automatically take the picture for you once it detects a smile.  Perfect!  I needed this camera when my kids were younger – I’d have a lot more great pics now if I did!  Even better, the TL210 includes a smart album that can help you sort your pictures by face!  You can even search by face!  What a great ay to show your daughter all the pics with her face in them – it provides endless entertainment!  LOL!

My biggest disappointments were the optical zoom and light exposure at night.  It’s not just the Samsung that has a problem with these issues though.  Any digital camera I’ve owned had these issues.  Perhaps if I knew more about exposures and shutter speed, I would have had better pictures.  But the truth is, I’m a mom – as most of you are –  who has time to learn about such things?  When your kid does something special – you want to take the picture right then and not fuss with adjusting the camera.  That’s why we buy automatic cameras, right?

It’s amazing to think back to the days when we would take pictures and have to wait a while before we developed them to see how they came out (if we even remembered to develop them!).  Today, we definitely have a culture of instant gratification and our digital cameras deliver.  We can’t blame our daughters for all of their self-portraits.  Had we not had to wait so long for our pictures to be developed when we were young, I venture to bet we’d be doing the same thing!

The Samsung TL210 retails for $229.99.  But as always, go to my favorite place, Amazon, to buy it for $209, plus a great accessory kit that includes a 4 GB mini SD card, a camera pouch, a flexible mini tripod, a package of LCD protectors, a deluxe cleaning and care kit, and a coupon for 25 free photos.  Nice!