Samsung PL120 DualView Camera

Samsung released the PL120 in January 2011 adding to their range of compact cameras with screens on both the front and the rear of the camera. The PL120 camera is one of the cheapest Samsung cameras available with dual screens, and is available in pink, purple, and silver

Despite the ultra compact size, on the rear of the camera is a 2.7inch LCD screen, and another 1.5inch LCD screen on the front making it easy to take self-portraits. There is a button on the top which easily switches the front screen on. When taking pictures of children the front screen can show a video designed to capture their attention, ensuring their best smiles (it also works for adults!).

Jump Shot is another feature than utilises the front screen - select this and the display shows a count down so your subject knows the right time to perform an action, such as jumping! The camera will take three shots so you can choose the best action shot.

The lens is a wide angle 5x optical zoom which is the equivalent to 26 - 130mm in 35mm terms, ideal for wide landscape pictures and zooming in to distant subjects.

Picture taking is made easy by Smart Auto and Auto modes as well as Night Shot, Beauty Shot and a large range of scene modes: Magic Frame, Object Highlight (Object highlight is designed to blur the background, increasing the appearance of depth-of-field and produce DSLR style images), Landscape, Text, Sunset, Dawn, Backlight and Beach & Snow.

Features designed to make shooting easy are Object Tracking, Smart Face Recognition and Perfect Portrait System. There are several "magic" filters to choose from: Miniature, Vignetting, Soft Focus, Old Film 1, Old Film 2, Half Tone Dot, Sketch, Fish-eye, Defog, Classic, Retro and Negative. Some of these filters can be used when shooting videos. Videos can be shot at 720p HD at 30fps and the camera also allows the use of the 5x optical zoom during recording.

Key Features:

• Dual LCDs with 2.7inch rear and 1.5inch front LCD
• 14 Megapixel sensor
• 5x optical zoom 26mm - 130mm equivalent wide-angle lens
• Smart Filter with Creative Special Effects
• 720p HD Movie recording
• Magic Frames
• Smart Face Recognition
• Object Highlight
• 5cm Macro mode
• Perfect Portrait System
• Digital Image Stabilisation
• ISO80 - 3200

Samsung WB650

Samsung has come out swinging in the battle for the zoomiest compact camera. The WB650 is not quite a behemoth superzoom, but it's almost there, packing a 15x optical zoom lens into its small chassis.

The WB650 is definitely positioning itself to take some of the glory from Panasonic's travel zoom series, like the TZ10. Like the other camera, the WB650 features in-built GPS, manual shooting controls and HD video recording.

It also comes equipped with a 24mm wide-angle lens and a 3-inch AMOLED screen. The resolution, at 920,000 dots, is one of the highest resolution screens on a camera of its class.

Samsung WB2000

The WB2000 was announced overseas a while back, and has only just now made it to Australian shores. This is an advanced compact camera that features a 10-megapixel backside-illuminated CMOS sensor and a number of other features that may entice photographers to the Samsung fold, including full 1080p HD video recording and a burst mode that can capture 10 frames per second.


The WB2000 was announced overseas a while back, and has only just now made it to Australian shores. This is an advanced compact camera that features a 10-megapixel backside-illuminated CMOS sensor and a number of other features that may entice photographers to the Samsung fold, including full 1080p HD video recording and a burst mode that can capture 10 frames per second.

Samsung PL150

Samsung tried to position the ST550 as a bit of a game-changer when it first came out, thanks to the dual screens. Now, it seems relatively common, even if no other manufacturer has jumped on the same wagon.

The PL150 doesn't really improve on the formula laid down by the older camera (indeed, it can't really as it's a cheaper model), but it does provide a compelling talking point for those who haven't seen this technology in action. The 1.5-inch front screen on the PL150 can be used to take self-portraits, display a timer that counts down when the camera will take the shot, or to entertain small children and those young at heart, with animations designed to temper bad moods and put a smile on anyone's face.

The 3-inch LCD at the back only reaches 230,000 dots in resolution (which pales in comparison to the 1,152,000 dots in the screen of the ST550) and it shows — it looks grainy.

Controls at the top of the camera are kept sparse and slim to fit onto the thin chassis, which is just 1.9cm thick. There's a shutter button with a zoom rocker around it, a power and front LCD activation button. At the back, to the right of the rear screen, is a mode wheel, menu button, four-way circular pad with a central button, and playback/delete buttons at the base. HDMI output and digital-out connectivity is provided at the side, underneath a small flap. Overall, the camera is very light, tipping the scales at just 136.6g without battery or memory card.

Samsung ST600

The ST600 continues the dual-screen idea initiated by the ST550, with a few extra features for good measure. This time, the front screen is 1.8 inches (remember the time when a 1.8-inch LCD screen on the back of a camera was standard?) and the rear is a 3.5-inch touchscreen.

The lens extends to a reasonable 5x optical zoom and has a maximum aperture of f/3.5-5.9. It opens to a wide angle of 27mm and sitting behind it is a 14.2-megapixel sensor. There's a spare few buttons at the top, including the zoom and shutter button, power switch, button to activate the front LCD and a playback button neatly hidden on the corner curve.

As for shooting options, there are plenty to choose from; smart automatic, auto, movie, program, dual-image stabilisation and scene modes. There's also a bunch of effects that can be applied to images, such as fish-eye, vignetting, forest and retro.

Under the flap at the base of the camera is a dual-slot that houses the rechargeable Lithium-ion battery and a microSD slot. Samsung is the only manufacturer thus far to adopt the microSD format for digital cameras, and we have to wonder why as the cards are so small and easy to lose.

The ST600 can take HD video at 720p and encodes it in H.264. Connectivity is provided via mini HDMI and USB, though it's a proprietary cable, provided in the box.

Samsung NX100

Think of a leaf. Now, think of a dewdrop forming on said leaf. Got that image in your mind? Great. Now, take that image and compare it with the NX100.

Similar at all? Samsung hopes the answer is yes. Inspired by the aforementioned act of nature, the NX100 sets itself apart from other box-likeinterchangeable lens cameras due to its curved body design. Made of a plastic casing, this camera's petite stature makes it ideal for those photographers looking for a compact alternative to a digital SLR.

The NX100, like Samsung's NX10 before it, uses a proprietary interchangeable lens mount. With an adapter (sold separately) you can also put old Pentax lenses on the camera as well.

But with the features provided in Samsung's own lenses, most users won't need to; like the new i-Function button, which will feature on all new lenses from this point onwards. Pressing the i-Function button, located just behind the manual focus ring, allows photographers to access common shooting parameters from the screen itself. ISO, white balance and exposure compensation can be cycled through and changed using the manual focus ring.

Samsung NX11

The NX11 seems like a bit of a pointless upgrade. Without adding any new or class-changing features to an already decent camera, the NX11 can't really hold its own compared to newer offerings in the ILC market.

The NX system does away with the traditional mirror and pentaprism arrangement found in conventional SLR cameras, while still allowing for lenses to be interchanged in the conventional style. From the outside the NX11 looks like a shrunken-down SLR. At the top, alongside the hotshoe and pop-up flash unit is a mode dial (full PASM control, plus automatic, scene, movie, portrait and landscape auto modes). The shutter button is enclosed by the power switch, in a similar arrangement to Nikon dSLRs.

The conventional layout continues down the back until the 3-inch AMOLED screen is unveiled. Unlike the traditional LCD panels on dSLRs and Micro Four Thirds cameras, this screen uses less power and has a vivid and crisp appearance with 920,000 dots packed inside. In other words, it's a high resolution screen that's easy to see and focus with.

Other specifications include the 14.6-megapixel APS-C-sized CMOS sensor, which is the same size found in consumer digital SLRs, plus an electronic viewfinder built-in to the faux prism hump at the top of the camera. Compatible with SD/SDHC cards and using a rechargeable Lithium-ion battery, the camera also comes with HD video recording (720p).

The NX10 features image stabilisation in the lens rather than in the body, unlike one of its interchangeable lens competitors (ILC) such as the Olympus E-PL2. HDMI output is provided on the side, as well as a remote jack, AV out and external power input. The NX11 can shoot in 1:1, 3:2 or 16:9 aspect ratios.

Samsung WB700

The most remarkable thing about the Samsung WB700 is its 18x 24-432mm lens crammed into a body that's just over 2cm thick.

Of course, an 18x zoom will only get you so much attention, so Samsung's decided to lead with the camera's Smart Zoom feature that digitally extends the zoom range to 24x. Judging by the sparse details provided, it sounds similar to Panasonic's Intelligent Zoom feature found in cameras like the TZ10, which basically crops in on a photo and then sharpens for better detail.

In other zoom-related digital hocus-pocus, the WB700 has active noise cancellation for the lens movement when shooting movies. Generally, a motorised zoom lens makes some noise when it's moved while recording, which is picked up by a camera's mic. This feature apparently quietens that movement. Other key features include a 16-megapixel CCD sensor 1/2.3-inch type (14 megapixels effective), a 3-inch LCD, 720p movie capture (H.264 file format), full manual control, RAW capture and HDMI output.