diff --git a/apps/sam/java/src/net/i2p/sam/SAMv1Handler.java b/apps/sam/java/src/net/i2p/sam/SAMv1Handler.java
index 92c0384e5af8d0c70645e5bc343aac843f50a622..f91db2dd84a95b7666228049527b12647124b662 100644
--- a/apps/sam/java/src/net/i2p/sam/SAMv1Handler.java
+++ b/apps/sam/java/src/net/i2p/sam/SAMv1Handler.java
@@ -308,18 +308,16 @@ class SAMv1Handler extends SAMHandler implements SAMRawReceiver, SAMDatagramRece
                 return writeString(SESSION_ERROR, "Unrecognized opcode");
             }
         } catch (DataFormatException e) {
-            if (_log.shouldLog(Log.DEBUG))
-                _log.debug("Invalid destination specified");
+            _log.error("Invalid SAM destination specified", e);
             return writeString("SESSION STATUS RESULT=INVALID_KEY", e.getMessage());
         } catch (I2PSessionException e) {
-            if (_log.shouldLog(Log.DEBUG))
-                _log.debug("I2P error when instantiating session", e);
+            _log.error("Failed to start SAM session", e);
             return writeString(SESSION_ERROR, e.getMessage());
         } catch (SAMException e) {
-            _log.error("Unexpected SAM error", e);
+            _log.error("Failed to start SAM session", e);
             return writeString(SESSION_ERROR, e.getMessage());
         } catch (IOException e) {
-            _log.error("Unexpected IOException", e);
+            _log.error("Failed to start SAM session", e);
             return writeString(SESSION_ERROR, e.getMessage());
         }
     }
diff --git a/apps/sam/java/src/net/i2p/sam/SAMv3Handler.java b/apps/sam/java/src/net/i2p/sam/SAMv3Handler.java
index 70a7475f153ac03f4e3053cafebedbd2d780db11..0b918186225fa1aa20c5aeb9c23bc41152a9f9fa 100644
--- a/apps/sam/java/src/net/i2p/sam/SAMv3Handler.java
+++ b/apps/sam/java/src/net/i2p/sam/SAMv3Handler.java
@@ -542,19 +542,16 @@ class SAMv3Handler extends SAMv1Handler
 				return writeString(SESSION_ERROR, "Unrecognized opcode");
 			}
 		} catch (DataFormatException e) {
-			if (_log.shouldLog(Log.DEBUG))
-				_log.debug("Invalid destination specified");
+			_log.error("Invalid SAM destination specified", e);
 			return writeString("SESSION STATUS RESULT=INVALID_KEY", e.getMessage());
 		} catch (I2PSessionException e) {
-			if (_log.shouldLog(Log.DEBUG))
-				_log.debug("I2P error when instantiating session", e);
+			_log.error("Failed to start SAM session", e);
 			return writeString(SESSION_ERROR, e.getMessage());
 		} catch (SAMException e) {
-			if (_log.shouldLog(Log.INFO))
-				_log.info("Funny SAM error", e);
+			_log.error("Failed to start SAM session", e);
 			return writeString(SESSION_ERROR, e.getMessage());
 		} catch (IOException e) {
-			_log.error("Unexpected IOException", e);
+			_log.error("Failed to start SAM session", e);
 			return writeString(SESSION_ERROR, e.getMessage());
 		} finally {
 			// unregister the session if it has not been created