THE ULTRA STYLISH glossy i8 is part of the popular i-Series from Samsung that does more that shooting photos. The Portable Media Player (PMP) feature is the main USP of this ultra compact digital camera it can play MP3s and video (after conversion). It has a 8.2 MP sensor and also packs in a 3x optical zoom and a 2.7 inch LCD screen. This is one of the only two cameras in this test that has a non-protruding lens which accentuated its slim design. The other unique feature we liked was the photo gUide which gives the user pointers on how to take better pictures.

We had no complaints with the compact body design, and though the control buttons were a bit cramped we quickly got the knack of them. The buttons provided enough tactile feedback, but we found the menu interface a bit non-intuitive and there was no physical button to switch the camera from one mode to another directly. But that too did not prove to be too much of a dampener. Outdoor shots and our resolution chart showed that images were at par with the cheaper, dedicated camera, the Samsung L100. In our low light indoor shooting test with flash on, images came out well but lacked sharpness.

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There was not much noise but images also lacked detail. Its face detection feature performed relatively well and the night scene mode produced some of the best shots we achieved. Other features like slideshow, media playback are nice additions, but these are not top notch and are ultimately just bells and whistles. Video capture with optical zoom functionality is another feature that sets the i8 apart as these were found in only two other models, the Samsung L100 and Sony T70.