During CES, Samsung announced several new cameras.  The Samsung Digimax i6 is headliner, with the S series and the A503 also announced.  Also, the hotly anticipated Samsung Pro815 was at the show.  Even though it has  been announced for a while now, units are just becoming available in the US.

Samsung Digimax i6

The Digimax i6 is the successor to the ultra-compact Digimax i5.  This time, however, Samsung has made the i6 a media player as well to play music and movies.  At just 18.5 mm thick, it's a very thin and lightweight camera.  It takes images at up to a 6 megapixel resolution with a 3x optical zoom lens that will allow macro shots as close as 1 cm.  The SD slot allows high-capacity storage cards to store your music and movies.  A very nice 2.5 inch LCD actually makes movie watching feasible.

Also, the i6 includes Advanced Shake Reduction (ASR) - an algorithm that reduces blur in images taken in low-light or without the flash.  The camera has 11 scene modes and 5 "creative" controls.

Included software can convert MPEG, AVI, MOV, WMV and ASF movie files to allow them to be viewed with the i6.  The camera can also capture movies at a resolution of 640x480 at 30 frames per second.

The Digimax i6 will be available in February for $299.

 

Samsung S series (S800, S600, S500)

The Samsung "S" line is targeted to the beginner though advanced digital photographer.  This premium line of cameras provides a full feature set meant to appeal to a wide audience.  The main difference between the cameras is the resolution of the image sensor.  As you could probably guess, the S800 is an 8 megapixel camera, the S600 is a 6 megapixel, and the S500 is a 5 megapixel camera.  All three cameras have a 2.4 inch LCD and a 3x optical zoom.

Seven scene modes and a "Special Effects" button allow greater control over the camera settings and an Auto Macro function allows you to automatically shoot subjects as close as 5 cm without changing focus modes.

All three cameras will be available in January.  The S800 will be $299, the S600 will be $299, and the S500 will $179.

Samsung Digimax A503

The A503 is the value-priced camera in the new lineup.  This camera provides a fixed focus lens, 5 megapixel sensor and a 2 inch LCD.  There are also 8 scene modes and an SD slot for an additional memory card.

The A503 will be available in January for $139.