It features a 2.7 inch LCD display, ISO range of 50 to 1600 and shutter speeds of up to 1/1000 and 45 megabytes of internal memory.

The Samsung S1030 features manual control with aperture priority, shutter priority and full manual modes in addition to 10 of the normal shooting modes (Night, Portrait, Children, Landscape, Close-up, Sunset, Backlight, Fireworks, Dawn and Beach & Snow). It also has Auto Macro so that there's not need to switch into a Macro mode to focus clos up. It measures 99.6 x 61.8 x 26.95 mm.

The Samsung S1030 will hit stores in the Spring (northern hemisphere) of this year. There's no word yet on price.

Samsung S1030 News Release
Samsung Expands its Digital Range with the 10 Mega-Pixel S1030

8th February 2007 - Samsung Cameras today launches the S1030, a high performance camera that scores ten out of ten with its features which include a 10 Mega-pixel sensor and a 3x optical zoom lens for pin sharp pictures with every click of the shutter.

The powerful S1030 with its 45MB internal memory capability was designed for digital photographers who demand outstanding photographic image quality and sophisticated levels of creative functionality.

For maximum versatility a mode dial is included to allow quick setting of 10 shooting modes including special scene modes such as Night, Portrait, Children, Landscape, Close-up, Sunset, Backlight, Fireworks, Dawn and Beach & Snow which help to produce stunning results in difficult lighting conditions by optimising the camera’s white balance, exposure and other settings for specific shooting situations.

As well as offering a full auto mode the camera offers a manual option allowing the more experienced or adventurous user to take control of the settings for complete creativity. The S1030 also features six flash modes and auto-exposure bracketing to ensure that the final photograph is exactly what the photographer wants.

The camera features a 2.7” LCD screen and allows the user to record quality movie clips in MPEG-4 format and in one of three resolutions 160 x 128, 320 x 240 and 640 x 480. Complete with sound and the option to cut and edit in-camera movies and hundreds of still images can be taken and stored up to 2GB.

Photographers requiring an instant print capability will appreciate the S1030’s compatibility when a successful connection is made between the camera’s USB port and any PictBridge enabled printer.

For maximum versatility, the S1030 can be powered by an optional Samsung rechargeable Ni-MH battery system, as well as available-everywhere AA alkaline batteries, making it the perfect choice for travellers and power users alike.

Other Samsung S1030 features include:

* Shutter speeds of up to 1/1500 sec
* An ISO equivalent of 1600
* A bright 2.7” LCD display
* Aperture priority, shutter priority and full manual control is available
* 45 megabytes of internal memory, and can accept Secure Digital (SD and MMC) flash memory cards up to 2 gigabytes
* Colour effects include B/W, sepia, blue, green and red
* An Auto Macro function that automatically adjusts shooting distance and focus
* Movie mode lets users capture video in one of three resolutions, from 160x128 to 320x240 and 640x480, at up to 30 frames per second in AVI (MPEG-4) format. Movie stabilization can be engaged to compensate for unwanted camera movement and subject blur
* A built-in microphone allows a 10-second voice memo to be attached to any still image

Samsung S1030 Reviews

A reviewer from ukdigitalcamerareviews.co.uk was pleasenlty surprised with the Samsung S1030 " was initially disappointed because the camera kept shutting down and freezing. I was about to take it back when I saw that the batteries that came with the camera had expired about 6 months ago. Dropping in some freshly charged rechargeables, it became a different camera.

Using the expired batteries and internal memory, it was slow to process the pics and slow to recharge the flash. With a fast SD card and new batteries, it boots up in a very short time (about 2 seconds) and can take shots in quick succession.

The menu is intuitve and easy to use. You should be able to work out the basics without using the instruction manual. It has an impressive array of features and allows for a good deal of manual control. For example, I created a great photo almost straight out of the box by setting the shutter to 8 seconds and changing the fstop and iso to compensate. This created a still background with the wife and cat an artistic blur of motion.

It can also take full motion vodeo (30 frames per second) with sound (although the only way to control the zoom when in film mode is to move the camera backwards and forwards). "

Gadgetspeak summarised the Samsung S1030 "Cameras seem to have stuck at 3x optical zoom for several years now and while I was perfectly happy with the images this camera took I wonder when instead of increasing the mega pixels camera manufacturers will start to give more optical zoom as standard.

As an entry level camera this is excellent as a second camera for someone of intermediate level they will probably be satisfied with the results. A quick pull from the pocket or purse and you are ready to shoot"

Testfreaks has scored the Samsung S1030 6.5/10 based on reviews from 4 expert reviews and 3user reviews.