Samsung WB150F First Impressions Review

Features
Handling
Performance
Verdict
Specification


Samsung WB150F

The Samsung WB150F is the latest pocket zoom from Samsung and features an 18x optical zoom lens, 3 inch screen, 14 megapixel sensor and built in Wi-Fi for uploading and backing up photos.

Samsung WB150F Features

Samsung WB150F

Key Features

• 18x optical zoom lens, 24mm wide angle
• 14.2 megapixel sensor
• 3 inch screen
• Manual controls
• Textured grip surrounding the lens
• Metal body.
• 720p video (mono sound), zoom available
• Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi features in more detail:

• Social sharing: facebook, picasa, youtube, photobucket
• Email: enter email address to send to
• Mobile Link: Download from camera to smartphone (iphone or android using app)
• Remote viewfinder: download remote viewfinder app from app store to control the camera from your mobile phone
• Cloud: SkyDrive Backup (Photo only)
• Auto Backup - transfer recent files to a Windows computer wirelessly using the iStudio program
• TV Link

These features are the same on the DV300F, ST200F and WB850F as well.

Samsung WB150F Handling

The camera has an easy to use menu system. It has a backlight mode (that fires the flash) but not an HDR mode. The GUI (Graphical User Interface) is improved using icons so that modes and options can be clearly seen. The camera has impressively close macro focus. The camera has a lithium ion rechargeable battery and takes SD cards. The mode dial on the top makes it easy to change modes and the dedicated video record button lets you quickly start recording a video.


Samsung WB150F - Pre-production menus (thankfully we did not use this specific camera for the test shots below).

Samsung WB150F Performance

These sample photos were taken with a nearly-ready pre-production model that worked well in our testing. Click the image to view larger, or click Hi Res to view the original images.

Samsung WB150F Other sample images

1/90 sec | f/5.3 | 65.0 mm | ISO 120 (Pre-production) High-Res	1/500 sec | f/4.5 | 28.9 mm | ISO 80 (Pre-production) High-Res
1/250 sec | f/5.8 | 72.0 mm | ISO 80 (Pre-production) High-Res	1/250 sec | f/5.8 | 72.0 mm | ISO 80 (Pre-production) High-Res
1/500 sec | f/5.2 | 6.8 mm | ISO 80 (Pre-production) High-Res	1/350 sec | f/4.5 | 14.3 mm | ISO 80 (Pre-production) High-Res
Wide - 1/500 sec | f/4.5 | 4.0 mm | ISO 80 (Pre-production) High-Res	Full Telephoto - 1/350 sec | f/5.8 | 72.0 mm | ISO 80 (Pre-production) High-Res

Sample Video:

Value For Money

The pocket / travel zoom market of compact digital cameras with 10x or more optical zoom is one of the fastest growing markets and therefore there is a lot of competition and also choice. Alternatives to look at include the Samsung WB750, Pentax Optio RZ18, Fujifilm FinePix F600EXR, Olympus SZ-10 to name a few.

Samsung WB150F Verdict

The Samsung WB150F is a solid camera with a good range of features including Wi-Fi for backing up images or uploading to the internet. The 18x optical zoom lens performs well and the camera has colourful images, although they did appear a little soft. It's possible image quality could be improved further before shipping. However, with only 720p video, it makes it slightly less apealling when compared to other pocket zooms with full HD and high speed shooting. We will have a full review of the camera when we get a full production version.

Samsung WB150F Specifications

Manufacturer	Samsung
Lens
	Max Aperture	f/3.2 - f/5.8
	35mm equivalent	24mm - 432mm
	Optical Zoom	18x
Image Sensor
	CCD pixels	14.2Mp (Megapixels)
	Pixels (W)	4320
	Pixels (H)	3240
	Sensor Type	CCD
	Sensor Size	1/2.3 inch
	Sensor Size (width)	6.16mm
	Sensor Size (height)	4.62mm
	Aspect Ratio	4:3
LCD Monitor
	LCD Monitor	3in
	Screen resolution	460,000 dots
	Touch Screen	No
Focusing
	Min Focus	5cm
	Focusing modes	Autofocus Face Detection AF Tracking Multi Centre
Exposure Control
	Shutter speeds shortest	1/2000sec
	Shutter speeds longest	16sec
	Exp modes	Program Aperture-Priority Shutter-Priority Manual Scene modes A
	Metering	Centre-weighted - Average Multi Pattern Spot
	ISO sensitivity	80 - 3200
	White balance	Auto Manual Outdoors/Daylight Cloudy Incandescent Fluorescent
	Exposure Comp	+/-2
Shooting Options
	Continuous shooting	No Data
Video
	Movie mode	Yes
	Video Resolution	1280x720 720p 640x480 VGA 320x240 QVGA
	Video FPS	30, 15
	Stereo Sound	No
	Optical Zoom with Video	Yes
Other Features
	Image Stabilisation	Yes
Interface
	HDMI	No
	USB	USB 2
	Wi-Fi	Yes
Storage
	Card Type	SD SDHC SDXC
	File Type	JPG
Power Source
	Battery Type	Rechargeable battery : SLB-10A
	CIPA Rating	No Data
Box Contents
	Box Contents	Camera, Wrist Strap, USB Cable, USB Wall Charger, CD-Rom
Dimensions
	Weight	188.2g
	Width	106.5mm
	Height	59.9mm
	Depth	23.4mm

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