The TL34HD is a new pocket-size touch-screen camera from Samsung, boasting a high 14.7-megapixel resolution and a 3.6x zoom, wide-angle lens, with a list price of $299.99.

We were very impressed with the body of this camera. It's mostly constructed of matte metal, so it's tough, and won't get smudged by fingerprints too badly. Well, except for the top (which is shiny) and the screen (which is inevitable with touch-screen controls). The only problems we had with the physical design was that it's far too easy to block the flash with your finger keeping it from popping up properly. And when you're shooting with one hand, it's a bit hard to zoom.

With any touch-screen camera, the LCD is critically important. It measures 3 inches diagonally, and has a handsome 460,000 pixel resolution. Because of the touch-screen technology used (capacitive), it's much more accurate than touch-screens we've tested on other cameras, and it never needs to be calibrated. On the down side, you can't use your fingernails or a stylus to control the camera; you actually have to use the tips of your fingers.

One problem that can arise with touch-screen cameras is that the options or menu displays are too small to press accurately. Samsung has designed the menu system with this in mind, and it's the best we've seen so far.

The TL34HD has a good selection of preset scene modes, as well as auto, program and manual exposure controls. The auto mode actually lets you adjust quite a few settings if you choose, but handles settings well if you just leave it to its own devices. In manual mode, you have more settings at your disposal, but still not quite as many as we would have liked, and the aperture controls are lacking.

One of our only substantial complaints about the TL34HD is the way you connect the camera to the outside world. If you want to charge it, connect to a TV to see your photos on-screen or upload your photos to a computer, you have to use a proprietary cable that's provided with the camera, but hard to replace if lost. There's no external battery charger, so the only way to charge up the battery is inside the camera, particularly inconvenient if you want to keep a spare battery on hand. The camera can shoots high definition video, with 1280x720 resolution, but you need to buy an optional cradle to connect the camera to an HDTV. More of a concern is the fact that the port for all these functions, on the bottom of the camera, is unprotected by a cover or door of any kind, just asking for dust, grime or worse to knock the connector out of commission.

Performance (read in-depth lab performance at DigitalCameraInfo.com)
The Samsung did very well in our performance tests. It captures color accurately and maintains good detail and sharpness. When set to auto, it adapts to different light sources easily and well, and keeps image noise very low. The only areas where it under-performed were in low light and shooting video. Sadly, for a camera that can shoot high-definition video, test results for movie mode were poor, and the camera had trouble focusing.

Comparisons (read in-depth lab comparisons at DigitalCameraInfo.com)
We compared the Samsung TL34HD to four other cameras we've reviewed.
The Samsung NV40 scored better than the TL34HD in some of our tests, but overall performance was roughly comparable and, while the NV40 is a little smaller, it has an annoying and inaccurate interface, which makes us recommend the touch-screen TL34HD instead.

The Cyber-shot DSC-T700 is Sony's newest touch-screen camera, and beats the TL34HD when it comes to slimness and style. However, the touch-screen on the Sony is much more difficult to use, the price is $100 higher and in every test bar color accuracy it fared worse than the Samsung.

The Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS is inexpensive, reliable and takes good photos; all desirable qualities in the current economy. You can track one down for about $160, but it only shoots at 8-megapixel resolution, and doesn't offer the Samsung's cool and pracical touch-screen control.

The Fujifilm FinePix F60fd has the same list price as the Samsung TL34HD ($299), but it's bulkier, lacks the touch-screen and offers a lower, 12-megapixel resolution. It generally performed worse than the TL34HD in our labs, but it has some superior photographic controls, including better aperture adjustment, and the Natural plus Flash tool, which is good for trying shots both with and without your flash.