Samsung WB150 review
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
The Samsung WB700 had the same specifications, and the resulting image quality was disappointing. Thankfully, the WB150 marks a big improvement, with much less intrusive noise as the ISO speed went up. This seems to be as much down to improvements in noise-reduction processing as sensor design. Indoor shots taken using automatic settings weren’t excessively grainy, but noise reduction took a heavy toll on subtle details such as hair and skin textures, giving photos an airbrushed appearance.
Noise reduction has drained all the fine detail out of this photo, and still struggled to suppress noise – click to enlarge
Image quality in our outdoor tests was much better. It put in a solid performance at the wide-angle end of its zoom and delivered impressively sharp focus as we zoomed in, often capturing crisper details than rivals with bigger zoom ranges. The autofocus was sometimes slightly off the mark, though, and the slow shot-to-shot times made it more laborious to fire off a couple of shots for safety.
Outdoor photography is much better, although there’s still some evidence of noise reduction smearing details in these leaves – click to enlarge
If you can live with the 720p resolution, this isn’t a bad video camera. Pictures were as sharp as the resolution allows, the optical stabilisation kept shots steady when we zoomed in and the zoom motor didn’t interfere with the soundtrack. The autofocus was extremely reluctant to update while recording, though.
The WB150 doesn’t offer much to get excited about, but it’s keenly priced and takes attractive photos when there’s plenty of light, although it might be worth waiting for the arrival of the WB150F, which adds Wi-Fi and various networking tricks.
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 |