High definition television is fast approaching, and with more and more camera users viewing their images on their TVs, it makes sense for cameras to exploit the quality of HDTV. One of the first cameras to do this is the Samsung Digimax L85. Clearly aimed at the TV viewing market, the L85 is a very well specified camera, with a high-resolution 8.1-megapixel chip.

Its zoom is an impressive 5x optical unit and it also offers a great mix of shooting modes that cater for the Photographer who likes to be given the chance to play with exposure.

There are manual, shutter-priority, aperture-priority and program modes, Plus a variety of preset scene modes for easy capture of some tricky lighting conditions.

Not the smallest of designs, the L85 has a really well made and indeed quality feel to it.

A rubber coating on the body offers a bit of extra grip when holding the camera. The layout is clean and simple, with the command dial for selecting shooting modes and the large shutter button on the top Plate.
Creative modes are on offer, including composite, which allows you to put more than one image on a frame, and Photo frame, which puts graphics around your imaqe.
On the back sits the large LCD screen, which at 2.5in is a good size. It has the added advantage of a high resolution, which ensures crisp Playback of images, it is also easily reviewed in daylight.

On the command dial is the option to select wide screen mode, which changes the view on the screen to the widescreen format. This option reduces the quality to a maximum of five-megapixels, but is obviously a good feature to use if you are playing back onto a widescreen TV.
The High Definition (HD) element uses HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface), to deliver images that retain the� resolution quality of the image on an HDTV screen. You do not, however, need to have a HDTV compatible screen to Play back your images on TV.

Image quality is really quite impressive, with some very good detail captured.
Colour saturation is very well controlled, even when presented with the challenge of a flower. Overall exposure is accurate and the L85 keeps balanced tones. Focusing was pin sharp across a number of different test shots, and the macro function was particularly impressive with some fine detail standing out well.

For the asking price of £300, this is a great camera, and Samsung offers an accessory pack that includes a docking station. When the L85 hits the shelves, these optional kits might well be part of a deal, which would make for a real value for money package.

Samsung Camera UK