Samsung WB600

This is not just another point and shoot. It also has a 15x zoom and full manual capability

This camera can zoom in up to 15 times the original frame, and has a wide angle that starts from 24 mm. Its preview screen is a large 3 inch LCD, and yet the body is just 30 mm.

Add to that its image sensor that can clock up to 14.2 megapixels for still images and also shoot HD videos of up to 720 p at 30 fps. And all this comes in a compact point-and-shoot form, and at a low price point. Not just that, its lens is by Schneider Kreuznach.

To make sure that its images are clearer still, it comes with dual image stabilisation electronics. This lets you shoot distant images without the distortions that hand movements can cause. That it lets you record videos with stereo sound is a big plus.

While this is an automatic camera, it has very impressive manual capabilities. You can choose not just full manual, but also aperture and shutter priority modes.

There’s also a great mode for amateur photographers, called the Smart Auto 2.0. For a still image, it can automatically adjust the aperture, shutter and lighting so that the subject (and not the entire frame) gets the ideal exposure. In video mode, the camera’s auto focus can track the subject and also ensure that the exposure conditions are adjusted to suit the subject.

Though the WB600’s 15x magnification translates to about 360 mm on a 35 mm camera, the zoomed-in images are not as sharp as you may like them to be. But it can still be useful, for example, while catching a bird in flight. It also has a really quick start-up time of about 3 seconds.

I hate the fact that Samsung uses a proprietary cable and a proprietary connector for the USB connection to the camera. However, the positive side to this limitation is that the camera can be charged even while it is plugged into the PC.

Though this camera is not among the fastest that I have checked out from Samsung, I still count it as one of Samsung’s good cameras, especially because of its good ISO range, price and features.

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Gagandeep Singh Sapra