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Samsung WB150 review

Our Rating :
Price when reviewed : £150
inc VAT

Keenly priced, with comprehensive manual controls, but it’s ultimately an average camera

Specifications

1/2.3in 14.2-megapixel sensor, 18.0x zoom (24-432mm equivalent), 204g

http://www.morecomputers.com

Compact cameras with big zooms normally cost a lot more than £150. Samsung is no stranger to this end of the market, but whereas previous models have looked distinctly cheap, the WB150 looks smart and business-like. At this price, there some concessions, such as its plastic case, no HDMI output and video recording limited to 720p rather than the more common 1080p. There are fewer fancy shooting modes than its pricier rivals have, but it does include various creative effects and you can capture a panoramic photo simply by rotating with the camera.

Samsung WB150

The WB150 is well equipped for manual photographic control, too. It includes priority and manual exposure modes, sharpness, contrast and saturation controls, manual focus and the ability to move the autofocus point anywhere in the frame.

Samsung WB150

Unfortunately, the controls aren’t ideal for those who like to tinker with manual settings. Adjusting the shutter speed without the help of a wheel is a chore, and key functions, such as exposure compensation, ISO speed and white balance, are only available via the main menu. Still, the menu is well organised with these functions at the top of the list. After selecting the relevant mode in the menu, moving the autofocus point is a simple matter of hitting the OK button followed by the navigation pad. Keen tinkerers are unlikely to be impressed by the WB150’s performance, with it taking 2.5 seconds between shots. Continuous mode was barely faster, and trundled along at 0.6fps in our tests.

Samsung WB150

The WB150 has a 16-megapixel sensor, but only uses 14 of those megapixels to capture images. It’s a fairly common trick to get a big zoom range from a small camera, but the downside is that it gives the high noise levels of a 16 megapixel sensor without the extra detail.

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Basic Specifications

Rating ***
CCD effective megapixels 14.2 megapixels
CCD size 1/2.3in
Viewfinder none
Viewfinder magnification, coverage N/A
LCD screen size 3.0in
LCD screen resolution 460,000 pixels
Articulated screen No
Live view Yes
Optical zoom 18.0x
Zoom 35mm equivalent 24-432mm
Image stabilisation optical, lens based
Maximum image resolution 4,320×3,240
File formats JPEG; MP4 (AVC)

Physical

Memory slot SDXC
Mermory supplied 18MB internal
Battery type Li-ion
Battery Life (tested) 270 shots
Connectivity USB, AV
Body material plastic
Lens mount N/A
Focal length multiplier N/A
Kit lens model name N/A
Accessories USB cable
Weight 204g
Size 60x107x33mm

Buying Information

Warranty one-year RTB
Price £150
Supplier http://www.morecomputers.com
Details www.samsung.com/uk

Camera Controls

Exposure modes program, shutter priority, aperture priority, manual
Shutter speed 16 to 1/2,000 seconds
Aperture range f/3.2-7.2 (wide), f/5.8-7.5 (tele)
ISO range (at full resolution) 80 to 3200
Exposure compensation +/-2 EV
White balance auto, 5 presets, manual, Kelvin
Additional image controls contrast, saturation, sharpness, auto contrast balance
Manual focus Yes
Closest macro focus 5cm
Auto-focus modes multi, centre, flexible spot, face detect
Metering modes multi, centre-weighted, centre, face detect
Flash auto, forced, suppressed, slow synchro, red-eye reduction
Drive modes single, continuous, self-timer

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