Engadget Labs: The best point-and-shoot camera for under $400

The summer looms, and so too does the summer vacation season. Despite the economy there are visions of great trips brewing in the backs of peoples’ minds, visions that will soon turn into (hopefully) great memories — and (hopefully) great pictures. Some folks wouldn’t dream of going on those trips without an SLR slung ’round their neck or hanging at the hip, but then there are plenty of others who’d much prefer something a little more pocketable. Even for aspiring photographers there are times when lugging around five pounds of glass just isn’t going to work.
There are dozens and dozens of cameras intended for casual shooters all the time or serious shooters some of the time, with models suitable for pockets of every shape and size — and for wallets of equally varying dimensions. So, let’s take a look at some of this summer’s greatest, and see which comes out ahead, shall we?

Photo res: 12.2 megapixels
Video res: 1,280 x 720
Zoom: Stabilized 5x, 28 – 140mm equivalent
ISO: 80 – 3200
Aperture: 3.4 – 5.8
LCD size: 3-inch
Battery size: 1050 mAh
Street Price: $250
The Samsung SL820 has the most solid feel here, and the most heft too. Slip this cam into a tube sock and you’d have a particularly effective weapon that could then be used to document the resultant crime scene. It features two standout specs, first and most important being a true 720p video mode, making it the cheapest cam in our test to break into the high-definition range. It also sports another sky-high ISO setting of 3200, and like the S630 you get a cropped resolution if you want to use it, but even then it sports far more grain than the Nikon.
Like the solidity of the chassis, the controls are also quite reassuring, with the mode wheel conveniently placed on the back and some very clean looking menus that, while slow, make it easy to find whatever you’re looking for. Its up/down zoom control is a bit odd, and while the battery door here is similarly adorned with a manual latch like the FS25, this one is much easier to operate and is partially made up for with a USB-based charger like the M380.