Samsung’s new Digimax Pro 815

Zoom Zoom Zoom Rumors of a Samsung digital SLR have been exaggerated. But they do have a new 8MP high-end EVF called the Digimax Pro 815 ($849 list). You can’t remove its 15X optical zoom (28-420mm equiv.), f/2.2-4.6 Schneider-Kreuznach lens, but rings on the barrel let you zoom and focus manually. The camera back is home to a 3.5-inch, 235,000-pixel LCD-the largest on any digital camera yet. Like to shoot from the hip? On top, there’s a 1.4-inch, 115,000-pixel color LCD that displays status information, and doubles as a preview monitor to frame pictures. Of course, there’s also a 235,000-pixel EVF. To power all these screens, Samsung has included a 1900-mAh Li-ion battery that’s rated for 500 pics per charge. Like most EVFs, it’s got lots of scene modes, plus a High Speed mode that boosts the ISO (up to a max of 800) to steady those supertele shots. Video? The Pro 815 can record 640×480-pixel moving images at up to 25 fps. (Samsung; www.samsungcamera.com; 800-762-7746)