Samsung's 2005 7MP compact — 1/1.8in CCD, 38-114mm equiv SHD zoom, full manual modes, AA power.
The Samsung Digimax A7 was a 7-megapixel compact produced by Samsung Techwin as the 2005 successor to the Digimax A6, carrying the internal codename Kenox D7. It sat near the top of Samsung's consumer Digimax A-line before the brand's later NV and S series.
It uses a 7.0-megapixel 1/1.8in CCD — larger than most compacts of its class — with a Samsung SHD 3x zoom equivalent to 38-114mm at f/2.7-4.9 and a 4cm macro mode. Unusually at this price it offers full manual, aperture-priority and shutter-priority exposure alongside auto, shutter speeds from 15s to 1/2000s, 30fps MJPEG video with voice recording, a 2.0in LCD plus optical viewfinder, SD/MMC storage with 32MB internal memory, and AA or CR-V3 power.
It suits students and CCD-compact enthusiasts wanting genuine manual control and a comparatively big sensor without collector pricing. ISO tops out at 400 and the zoom range is modest, so it favours daylight and deliberate shooting over action work.
AA power makes used testing easy — carry fresh NiMH cells. Check the SD/MMC slot reads cards reliably (older models may not accept large SDHC cards), the optical viewfinder is clear, the flash charges, and the LCD is free of bleed. The 1/1.8in CCD is part of the appeal; test for hot pixels with a long exposure.