Anybody own a Samsung Pro815?

Actually this is not a DSLR, it's a "Bridge" camera

This camera does not have interchangeable lenses and therefore is not considered a DSLR. It is a "pro-sumer digicam," rather like the Nikon CP 8800 or the Panasonic FZ-30. Reviews that I've seen have commented favorably on some aspects but have knocked the camera for other aspects, and one reviewer commented that for the same money one could purchase an entry-level DSLR and a "kit" lens and do better in terms of camera responsiveness, weight and system flexibility.

There is more to buying a digital camera than the zoom range on a fixed-lens bridge digicam, the number of megapixels or the size of the LCD on the back...

No, I don't own the Samsung Pro 815 and in fact have never handled one, just have seen reviews....

If you're interested in getting into digital photography and want to go beyond the simple P&S, I'd recommend that you take a good look at one of the true DSLRs such as Nikon's offerings (D50, D70s) or Canon's Digital Rebel, 20D or 30D.... Olympus and others also make good DSLRs.

The advantage of a DSLR over a fixed-lens bridge camera is the flexibility of being able to change lenses and add lenses as your budget allows and your needs change. Also, while all DSLRs are very responsive so that there is no shutter lag or time wasted while the image is being buffered and uploaded to the memory card, most if not all the bridge cameras seem to have this problem. I think the Panny is notable for being fairly fast, but certainly the Coolpix 8800 is quite sluggish in this regard.

Just some things to think about...

I owned a Panasonic FZ30 and for the most part it was a very good camera...as long as you are taking picture in bright light. The sensor on that thing is tiny. To give you an idea, the multiplication factor on it is about 4x. The lens, which acts as a 35mm-420mm is actually a 8.?? to 88.?? mm lens. The lens on that camera was OUTSTANDING! I loved that lens and I truely miss it now that I have owned my incredble 20d for a few days now. The lens on the Panasonic FZ30 is fast and it has IS. I lost two stops of light moving to the kit lens on the 20d, but I will get a new one eventually.

Digicams like that have potential if only the sensor was bigger and had better noise levels, but right now you can't compare anything to a dSLR. Take the advice of someone who owned a camera like that, save for a dSLR. The resonsivness and handling and expandability is unmatched.