July 16, 2008 6:14 AM PDT
Samsung introduces SL series of budget ultracompacts
Samsung just introduced two new budget models under a new "SL" series moniker. As seems to be rapidly becoming a trend, the SL310W incorporates a relatively wide-angle, optically-stabilized 28-100mm 3.6x zoom lens, and a probably unlucky 13-megapixel resolution (high resolution sensors rarely make sense in snapshot cameras).
Its bargain-priced sibling, the SL201, has a more typical feature set: 10-megapixel sensor and 3X zoom lens. It can charge the battery via the USB connector, which is a nice, and has a metal chassis. Both cameras have 2.7-inch LCDs.
Slated to ship in September, the SL310W will cost $229.95, while the SL201 is aggressively priced at $169.95; the latter will come in black, silver, and pink.
Senior Editor Lori Grunin has been covering digital imaging for two decades, but her memory's kind of sketchy on the details. You can hear about it every week on Indecent Exposure, the podcast she co-hosts with Matt Fitzgerald. 
