Cameras: Samsung ST550 Digital Compact Camera – Review – 79
Samsung brings a major innovation to the market with its latest digital compact offering, the ST550. In addition to a huge high-resolution touchscreen, the ST550 features a secondary display on the front of the camera next to the lens. This is brilliant for framing self-portraits, a feature more useful than ever before in the world of Facebook and MySpace.
The ST550 boasts strong face detection, combined with a smile shutter-release feature that actually works. Together with the front screen, you can snap the perfect profile picture or group shot without having to press the shutter button.
Forgoing most of the traditional digital camera controls, the ST550′s rear 3.5-inch touchscreen provides access to most of the camera’s functionality. At more than a megapixel (800 x 400) the screen is beautifully sharp and uses the 16:9 aspect ratio found on high-definition televisions and monitors. You can choose to shoot in 16:9 to match, and while this only uses nine of the camera’s 12 megapixels, the resolution is still ample and you get to take full advantage of the screen.
The touch interface is intuitive and very responsive, though I did find it a little awkward at times. Because the screen covers the entire backplane of the camera, it’s hard not to put your thumb right over the display while holding the camera up to shoot. If some menu option happens to be in the way, the results can be unpredictable. The zoom control – a traditional mechanical rocker-switch – can also be a little tricky. On many occasions I found the camera unwilling to zoom until I had released the button, waited a second or two and tried again.
Fancy interface aside, Samsung has done a great job with the ST550′s optics and image processing engine. Optical and digital image stabilisation combine to produce sharp images, even while taking those shaky self-portraits. Colours are extremely rich and true to life, while noise is surprisingly low for a digital compact with such a tiny lens. Low-light performance is also impressive, especially with the powerful built-in flash – an absolute must for the Facebook-devoted party animal.
Video recording helps capture those antics your friends would rather forget, ready for upload to YouTube in high definition at 720p. The quality is reasonable and the 16:9 widescreen display lets you preview the evidence at the same ratio it was shot in.
Overall, Samsung’s ST550 is an excellent concept camera with a unique approach to usability. It’s a good option for self-shooters tired of cropping off their own head, or for the travelling couple that never find their way into their own photographs.
HARLEY OGIER
Tech Specs
Effective Pixels: 12.2 million
Lens: 4.9-22.5mm (35mm equivalent 27-124mm)
Viewfinder: None
Main Monitor: 3.5-inch full touch LCD, 1,152,000 dots
Front Monitor: 1.5-inch TFT LCD, 185,000 dots
Shutter: 1/2000 to 8 seconds, depending on mode
Aperture: f3.5-f5.9
ISO: 80-3200
Shooting Modes: Smart auto, auto, program, dual IS, scene, movie clip
Exposure Metering: Multi, spot, centre-weighted, face detection AE
Focus Modes: Multi, centre, face detection, smart touch, smart face recognition, one-touch shooting
Internal Memory: ~55MB
Media: MicroSD (up to 4GB), microSDHC (up to 8GB)
File Format: JPEG, H.264 (video)
Flash: Built-in
Interface: USB 2.0, composite video out, HDMI (with optional cable)
Batteries: Rechargeable
Dimensions: 100 x 60 x 18mm
Weight: 166g without battery or card
Pros
- Dual screens
- Great image quality
- Touch interface
Cons
- Some awkward controls
Verdict
Excellent pocket camera for Friday night revellers
CONTACT
This review is from Tone issue 79.
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