While it might contain the most megapixels we've ever used in such a small package, Samsung's TL34HD is an extremely impressive camera outside the simple "14.7 megapixels" written atop the flash. The point-and-shoot's next-gen features, like a large three inch touchscreen, slim size and extensive manual featureset make the camera pretty handy. Of course, there are some tradeoffs, but overall we generally liked what the TL34HD brings to the table. Read on for our impressions and review.

The first impression of the camera is its size. While not as slim as some of the cameras we've seen from Sony, the TL34HD is about as big as a deck of cards, and looks quite nice. Samsung sent us the black model of the camera, and the finish looks more our style than the other silver / orange motif. The camera's actual build quality felt very well made, and solid in our hands. The industrial design has some rounded edges contrasted by silver buttons, and the overall aesthetic just looks nice.

Atop the camera, left to right, the TL34HD has a pop up flash, with 14.7 megapixels emblazoned on the top, then a power button which lights up with a ring of blue when the camera is in use, followed by the shutter button and the mode selector.

One thing we particularly liked about the camera was the mode selector. On other touchscreen cameras, like Nikon's S60 which runs for about $50 more than this camera, the touchscreen is so heavily relied upon that switching from mode to mode can be a tad frustrating. Samsung had a good amount of foresight to include this little manual touch, which doesn't distract from the touchscreen but rather adds to it. Available modes are auto, movie mode, manual control mode, program mode, scene mode, night mode, and beauty mode.

 

Point-and-shooters will appreciate the simple auto mode, but even amateurs aspiring to take better pictures will appreciate the manual mode. While the camera still won't allow for the depth of field users can expect in a DSLR, the camera's manual mode does allow for settings of shutter speed and aperture size through the touch screen, which discerning photographers can use for more flexibility. Would-be photographers who don't understand all the manual controls can opt for scene mode, which has many of the manual presets integrated into picture types, like portraits, landscape pictures, macro (close-up) photography and even taking pictures of high-contrast text.

 

While we haven't done specific optical tests on the images, we're very happy with the resulting pictures. We're not going to go out of our way to say that the 14.7 megapixel image absolutely kills the 10.0 megapixel image of Nikon's closest competitor, the S60, but we will say we were extremely satisfied with our daily use of the camera. We used it in a variety of circumstances, and didn't feel any frustration over the image quality. Of course, the nice thing about having all those megapixels is the ability to crop out unwanted parts of an image and maintain a large, printable size. The camera also has a movie mode which records at 720p, which is very handy for on-the-go recording, though we wouldn't use it to replace our regular camcorder in capturing the special moments.

Of course, when in the field the one thing you have to mention is the actual touchscreen. The screen is three inches large, and is resistive style, much like modern smartphones a la the iPhone or T-Mobile G1. (No Awethumbs! support, sorry.) Using the actual screen is a breeze, and Samsung threw in some gesture control for flicking between photos, much like the iPhone's photos application. The user is primarily expected to use the touchscreen for advanced settings, like setting the focus type, image size, face detection type, or image stabilization style.

Samsung also provided some basic manual controls that aren't on the touchscreen, at the sacrifice of some touchscreen size. We think this is an extremely smart move. On Nikon's S60, the only buttons available on the camera are the power and shutter buttons. While the look might be sleek, we'd prefer a bit more tactility and easy access to vital camera functions like mode selection, zoom controls, settings menu and entering preview mode.

Our biggest gripes for this camera are the little nitpicks. While we're sure it has something to do with the dimunative form factor, Samsung's included proprietary connector at the bottom which doubles as a data connection and charger is a bit annoying. We like the fact that users could ideally plug it into their TV to watch some of the movies they've recorded, but we'd definitely rather opt for mini-USB if nothing but to cut down on cable clutter. Also, to keep the diminutive size, like most modern digital cameras the TL34HD has a proprietary battery. Again, not a huge deal, though while we were at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on a full charge, we did run out of juice before the event was over with heavy use of the camera. More standard AA batteries might have been preferred in that instance, but we understand Samsung's choice of slimness and design over standard batteries.

All-in-all, the $300 camera didn't disappoint. We didn't experience any major usability issues, nor did we have any gripes with the form-factor or interface. When compared to the Nikon CoolPix S60, we actually prefer this camera but not because of the sheer megapixel count nor image quality; instead the manual controls make the difference. Megapixels aren't as important to us, and we're pretty positive that the S60 puts out some decent snaps with all those Nikon optics. The addition of button-based zoom controls and the mode selector makes the shooting flexability a bit better than the S60, in our opinion. We really appreciate how the camera handles in real world situations, and how simple it is to switch between modes.

Buyers looking for a capable camera with an HD movie mode, touchscreen, and nice degree of manual control won't be disappointed by this camera. Buyers looking for a megazoom camera should look elsewhere, as the TL34HD only has a 3x optical zoom. We wouldn't make the megapixel count the sole deciding factor, even though it is extremely large at 14.7, but instead would recommend this camera to the shutterbug who respects control over their photos and likes the idea of a touchscreen point-and-shoot.

Have any questions about the camera that we didn't answer in the review? Be sure to sound off in the comments. We've got the camera in our hands for a few more days, so we can answer any questions posed in the meantime.