While it's not the first name you think of in digital cameras, Samsung makes a decent piece of kit and its
SL820 took the top prize in our
recent summer shootout. So we figured you'd want to know that its WB1000 compact with those smokin'
analog battery and capacity gauges is now on sale for KRW548,000 or about $418 closer to home. The 12.2 megapixel WB1000 features a 24-mm wide-angle 5x zoom Schneider-KREUZNACH lens and 1/2.33-inch CCD with 720p video record mode in H.264 format, max ISO 3200 sensitivity (at 3 megapixel resolution), and Samsung's Dual IS optical and digital image stabilization to compensate for hand jitter. The viewer won't disappoint either with a full 3-inch 480x260 AMOLED display rocking the backside. Why should you care? Check the video after the break to see how AMOLED compares to the TFT-LCD found on the
Canon SD990 IS under different lighting and viewing angles. The winner is clear, no?
posted Jun 11th 2009 5:44AM
Does it have a reserve tank?
I would buy this just for its uber-cool analog guages!!! :P
Is this out already?
Style over substance, I'm afraid. Samsung compact cameras aren't much good. Especially when they cram over 12mp into a 1/2.3" sensor. They could at least have used a 1/1.6"
Anyone who's interested in image quality won't buy it.
As for their competitor to Micro4/3, that is promising.
People who are truly interested in image quality wouldn't buy this class of camera, no matter how stylish, anyway. It's a gratuitous comment. It's like saying people who are serious about off-road racing wouldn't buy a tricked out Escalade. Of course they wouldn't. The machine isn't made for the prosumer market. This camera is all about looks ... and it's stunning. The substance is the amoled screen. The hooks are the 12 megapixel rating and the analog gauges. Of course this camera is all about style, like so many other beautiful, over-priced products. It's an Apple moment. Think of the mini.
I really like the gauges on top. The screen is less important to me though as long as the camera is equipped with EVF.
If you look at the pictures, you'll see there's no EVF. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen a compact with an EVF.
i like the gauges up top, too.
too bad they weren't also analog-looking OLED... would be way cooler than just analog.
Pretty good spec, but you'd hope so for that price.
Anyone know what the deal is with the ISO3200/3mp mode? Is it doing something fancy like pixel binning or just resampling down to fuzz out the noise?
Yes.
The gauges are wonderful until the hands fall out.
However the shell is sweet and looked solid
And the recent Canon styling on buttons are not good-looking at all.
Is there some benefit to analogue gauges I'm not getting here?
No, it just looks cool. And apparently that coolness comes at about a $200 premium over similarly spec'ed PnS cameras. I'll pass.
They look cool...
and... uhh... no, that's it.
"And apparently that coolness comes at about a $200 premium over similarly spec'ed PnS cameras."
Really? You can get a new camera with "a full 3-inch 480x260 AMOLED display" for a little over $200 now, eh? Wow, where have I been?
/sarcasm
Wait. Would you want the memory gauge to be full or empty? Full meaning its full of pictures or full meaning its at full usability. I would say full means the camera is empty, just so it doesn't run opposite of the battery, but I'm not entirely sure.
You would call a disposable camera 'empty' when it is 'out' of film. I would call a digital camera empty after I wipe the card. Good point, but I assume even tho the gauges are retro they would mean the latter.
E = Out Of Memory.
If the memory card is full, it cannot take anymore pictures, so you would want it to be at E.
This would make the most sense, but I could see a lot of users mistaking E for 'no more free space'.
Yea... Think of it as the battery life.
F= Memory card is full = no more space
E= Memory card is empty = lots of space
Both hands go down to E when shut off....
Which is little bit disappointing but I guess for battery consumption.
Take caution, Samsung cameras have historically had pretty damn shitty image quality. Remember this cool little oddity?
http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/22/samsung-nv7-reviewed/
So much potential...
The NV7 was a bit of a piece of crap, but a history of shitty image quality? Rubbish, man...I've had an NV3 for a few years, and even though it's a more compact point and shoot, it's one of the better small cameras I've had over the years.
I've no issue with the image quality for what it is (a slim P&S), and the screen still outclasses some of the current Casio and Fuji point and shoots for reviewing shots. Samsung make decent cameras, but people don't always realise it because their name isn't synonymous with photography.
Sure, the viewer is important but... what about actual picture quality? Something Samsung's cameras have always lacked
Want OLED.
on a Canon or Nikon...
@ Mike
Yes, because as everyone knows, Canon and Nikon are always great, while everyone else is always crap on a stick.
/double sarcasm
Canon is ALWAYS great.
/fanboy
I'll take Panasonic for P&S anyday.
Hoping LX4 has OLED
It would appear we have us a good 'ol fashion Samsung fanboy in Gad Get.......
No no, I'm a Canon fanboy.
I'd have thought the presence of M/A/S/P shooting modes was more interesting than analogue displays given the relatively small number of compacts that provide this sort of flexibility. It's certainly something that suggests that this camera is a little more serious that usual.
Thanks for this comment. That's what I thought, too!
Glanceable information. Dual dials are also pretty cool, too. Lets you get to options quickly so you don't have to go into a menu.
http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/27/canon-powershot-g10-reviewed/
That one actually has three dials.
An analog gauge for memory? thats a technological oxymoron and a work of art. Beautiful.
I also enjoy the humor, and the beauty of this model. It is interesting that a design feature like that made it through "committee". Sounds to me like the people at Samsung have a pretty good time designing their products.
Do the gauges return to zero when the camera is off, or do they stay in place?
Would be useful to check memory and battery quickly without turning the camera on.
Yeah...I tried it out two weekends back. I was there when the shipment came in and forced the storekeeper to unbox and let me demo it immediately. As soon as you power it up, the gauges snap to attention in a smooth sports car gauge-like fashion.
I am really impressed with the quality of the materials used to make it, and it feels solid. The rubber grip on the front lends itself more to shooting one-handed than some of the models with slippery fronts.
I can't comment on photo quality because I didn't view any of photos off the camera, but damn they looked incredible on the AMOLED! I am looking for a solid little P&S so that I don't have to carry around my D300 and a bag of lenses all the time for every occasion, and I almost bought this thing on impulse. I took a step back and decided to give it a moment to simmer before digging in.
I still might buy it, before leaving Korea for India and Brazil later this year. Some locales in these countries will demand full DSLR capabilities, but in other locales it might be tempting fate to pull out a couple thousand worth of camera equipment.
Also waiting to get my hands on that hot little Olympus 4/3rds number with the leather before I make my final decision (that would require an investment into a whole new line of lenses, but at least it would satisfy my size prerequisite).
They return to Zero... Unfortunately....
"its SL820 took the top prize in our recent summer shootout."
Right, your highly flawed shootout....
Damn... this looks really old-school cool!
OLED is nice, but the extra $100 makes it compete with entry DSLR, and then I think you are better off with a good picture from the camera than a good picture on the camera if you are into photography, although if you want portable P&S then this would be something to consider.
I just had a look on the samsung site and their WB500 and WB550 interest me more than these. I do want to see one in person and have a play with it, i might be sold on it! I dont care for OLED or lots of MP, i just want a good quality image.
I hope there are some good reviews for these beasts
Only a 5x zoom?
I'm actually ordering a samsung SL620 tomorrow and don't see why this one cost 200 bucks more than that other than the screen.
that music is death to my ears...
"While it's not the first name you think of in digital cameras"
Im sorry WHAT?
"decent piece of kit"
What does that mean?
That's not the Canon SD990 IS... Looks more like the 880...
That isn't the SD990 IS it's the SD970 IS - IXUS 990IS they're the same camera.
I got a free Samsung camera that they gave to employees. Basically, it looks nice but its functionality and quality sucks. I still use my Canon and the Samsung was given away. Samsung should stick to keeping resources in other products because the cameras suck.
Something about analog gauges that allways make me happy, good move samsung!
The camera is stunning, and the rich features are excellent. The problem is that they use a terrible, noisy little sensor with horrid NR algorithms. Its CCD is half the size of my first 3.2mp camera, but they've jammed over 12 million pixels onto it... total waste of a beautiful design and capable lens.
Image Quality > Design and Functions
Until they figure that out, Samsung will continue to bleed red in the consumer digital camera market.
Okay I get the point - it has a good screen... but how good are the pix it takes??
test
Why don't they put optical viewfinders in cameras like this? Doesn't anybody take pictures outdoors in the sun anymore? I do, and without a viewfinder I might as well keep my eyes shut.
What's the difference between the WB1000 and the SL820 that won the summer shootout? Is it just the OLED and gauges?
For the same money go for the Panasonic TZ7, with a 12X stabilized zoom that produces excellent images. Samsung is always dead last when it comes to image quality.
Those OLED screens are soooooooo cool and awesome. I can't wait to have a 22-inch OLED monitor although it seems i will have to wait after all :D
Why in the world would they opt for two gimmicky gauges instead of a hotshoe!?
The Unwashed Masses are so easily impressed.
Regards,
Samsung Product Development, Camera Division
AMOLED does not reflect light? Seriously? What's with the reflections then on the screen? And the Kodak OLED picture frame is as glossy as a screen can be glossy without being a mirror (read MacBook).
I need a compact camera for my trip to vegas in September but not sure about the image quality on this one. I've always owned nikon cameras and have always been impressed. Hope to see some solid reviews on this before I commit.