SAMSUNG DIGITAL IMAGING WB550

It is still a bit cold, but cherry blossom is proving that spring has come. People are dressing lightly and look livelier than in freezing winter. (The good season has come for taking pictures. In winter, people used to stay inside due to cold weather and gloomy environment, but now it s time to go outside. I used to put my digital camera home in winter season, but I m planning to go out more now.)

Samsung Digital Imaging s WB550 is the most recent one of the high-class WB series. Compared to the former WB550, many things are upgraded. And it s good to carry and take high quality pictures in such a good weather like these days. (Some important features are upgraded such as Smart Auto, HDMI, image resolution, etc.)

It will be definitely different from popularized products. From this review, we ll take a look at its various functions and quality of photos and videos.

Specification

Sensor	Type	1/2.33 (1.09cm) CCD
	Effective Pixel	Approx. 12.2 Mega-pixels
	Total Pixel	Approx. 12.3 Mega-pixels
Lens	Focal Length	Schneider Lens f = 4.2 ~ 42.0mm (35mm film equivalent : 24 ~ 240 mm)
	F No.	F3.3(W) ~ F5.8(T)
	Digital Zoom	Still Image mode : 1.0X ~ 5.0X Play mode : 1.0X ~ 12.5X (depends on image size)
Image Stabilization	Image Stabilization	Dual IS (OIS + DIS) * OIS (Optical Image Stabilization), DIS (Digital Image Stabilization)
Display	Type	TFT LCD
	Feature	3.0" (7.62cm) QVGA (230,000 pixel)
Viewfinder	Viewfinder	N/A
Focusing	Type	TTL auto focus (Center AF, Multi AF, Selection AF, Manual Focus, Face Detection AF)
	Range	Normal : 50cm ~ infinity (Wide), 2m ~ infinity (Tele) Macro : 5cm ~ 50cm (Wide), 1m~2m (Tele) Auto Macro : 5cm ~ Infinity (Wide), 1m ~ Infinity (Tele) Manual : 5cm ~ Infinity (Wide), 1m ~ Infinity (Tele)
Shutter Speed	Shutter Speed	Auto : 1/8 ~ 1/1,500 sec.,  Program : 1 ~ 1/1,500 sec., Manual Mode : 16 ~ 1/1,500 sec. Night : 8 ~ 1/1,500 sec.,  Fireworks : 4 sec.
Exposure	Control	Program AE or Manual Exposure
	Metering	Multi, Spot, Center Weighted, Face Detection AE
	Compensation	2EV (1/3EV steps)
	ISO Equivalent	Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200(Up to 3M Size)
Flash	Modes	Auto, Auto & Red-eye reduction, Fill-in flash, Slow sync, Flash off, Red eye fix
	Range	Wide : 0.3m ~ 4.7m,  Tele : 0.5m ~ 2.7m (ISO AUTO) Flash Amount Compensation ( 1EV (1/2 steps))
	Recharging Time	Approx. 5 sec.
Sharpness	Sharpness	Soft+, Soft, Normal, Vivid, Vivid+
White Balance	White Balance	Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent_H, Fluorescent_L, Tungsten, Custom
Still Image	Shooting	Smart Auto, Auto, Program, Manual, Dual IS, Beauty Shot, Scene Scene : Frame Guide, Night, Portrait, Children, Landscape, Close-up, Text, Sunset, Dawn, Backlight,                Fireworks,  Beach & Snow, Self shot, Food, Cafe Continuous: Single, Continuous, HS Continuous, AEB, Motion Capture Self-timer : 10 sec., 2 sec.,  Double, Motion Timer, Remote Controller(SCR-A5)
	Effect	Photo Style Selector : Normal, Soft, Vivid, Forest, Retro, Cool, Calm, Classic Color Effect : Normal, BW, Sepia, Red, Blue, Green, Negative Image Adjust : Sharpness, Contrast, Saturation (5 steps)
	Edit	Image Edit : Resize, Rotate, Trimming Color Effect : Normal, BW, Sepia, Red, Blue, Green, Negative, Custom Image Adjust :ACB, Red Eye Fix,  Face Retouch, Brightness, Contrast, Saturation, Add Noise
Image Play	Image Play	Single image, Thumbnails, Advanced Slide show, Smart Album * Slide show : Slide show with Effect & Music
Voice Recording	Voice Recording	Voice Recording (max. 10 hours) Voice Memo in Still Image (max. 10 sec.) Stereo Recording (Only Movie mode)
Date Imprinting	Date Imprinting	Date&Time, Date, Off (user selectable)
Movie Clip	Recording	Size : 1280x720(30fps & 15fps) High Quality, 1280x720(30fps & 15fps) Standard Quality,           640x480(30fps & 15fps) , 320x240 (60fps & 30fps & 15fps) Optical Zoom : 1280X720 HQ & SQ - 10X Optical Zoom(24.0 ~ 240 mm) with sound recording                         640X480, 320X240 : 6.7X Optical Zoom(36.0 ~ 240 mm) with sound recording Max Recording time : 29min
	Effect	Color : Normal, BW, Sepia, Red, Blue, Green, Negative Photo Style Selector : Normal, Soft, Vivid, Forest, Retro, Cool, Calm, Classic
	Edit	Pause during recording, Still Image Capture, Time Trimming
Storage	Media	Internal Memory : About 21MB External Memory(Optional) : MMCplus(up to 2GB guaranteed 4bit 20MHz) SD (up to 4GB guaranteed) SDHC (up to 8GB guaranteed) * Internal memory capacity is subject to change without prior notice.
	File Format	Still Image : JPEG (DCF), EXIF 2.21, DPOF 1.1, PictBridge 1.0 Movie Clip :MP4 (H.264(MPEG4.AVC)) Audio : WAV
	Image Size	12M :4000x3000 pixels 10MP : 3984X2656 pixels 9MW : 3968X2232 pixels 8M : 3264x2448 pixels 5M : 2592x1944 pixels 3M :  2048x1536 pixels 1M : 1024x768 pixels
Interface	Digital output connector	USB 2.0
	Audio	Microphone : Stereo Internal Speaker : Mono
	Video Out	AV : NTSC, PAL (user selectable) HDMI 1.2 : NTSC, PAL (user selectable) * Remarks: HDMI function is available when connected through Type C HDMI Cable (optional).
	DC power input	4.2V
	Cradle	N/A
Power Source	Power Source	Rechargeable battery : SLB-10A (1,050mAh) Adaptor : SAC-47, CB20U05 Connector Type : 20pin * Included battery may vary depending on sales region.
Physical Specification	Dimensions (WxHxD)	105 x 61.4 x 36.5 mm
	Weight	225g (without battery and card)
	Operating Temperature	0 ~ 40 C
	Operating Humidity	5 ~ 85%
Software	Software	Samsung Master, Quick Time Player 7.5, Adobe Reader
System Requirement	For Windows	PC with processor better than Pentium 500MHz (Pentium 800MHz recommended) Windows 2000/XP/Vista 250MB of available hard-disk space (Over 1GB recommend) Minimum 256MB RAM (Over 512MB recommended) USB port CD-ROM drive 1024 768 pixels, 16-bit color display compatible monitor (24-bit color display recommended) Microsoft DirectX 9.0C
	For Macintosh	Power Mac G3 or later Mac OS 10.3 or higher Minimum 256MB RAM 110MB of available hard-disk space USB port CD-ROM drive
System requirements for 720P H.264 Movie	For Windows	Intel Pentium 4, 3.2GHz or higher / AMD Athlin 64FX, 2.6GHz or higher Windows XP service pack2/Vista Minimum 512MB RAM (1GB and above recommended) 64MB or greater video card (nVIDIA Geforce 7600GT or higher / ATI X1600 series or higher recommended)
	For Macintosh	1.8GHz Power Mac G5 or 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo or faster Macintosh computer Mac OS 10.3.9 or higher At least 256MB of RAM 64MB or greater video card

This product is for trial so may have different specifications from actual product on sale.

Design

This is how FULL KIT looks. You can see many accessories included: quick manual, S/W CD (In S/W CD, there re Samsung Master, Quick Time Player 7.5, and Adobe Reader program.), hand strap, battery, power adapter, USB cable, AV cable. @ Memory card, wireless remote control, case, and HDMI cable are for separate sale.

It is 105x 61.4x 36.5mm and 225g. The size is the same as WB500, and weight 9g heavier. Compared to inexpensive compact digital cameras, it s somewhat big and heavy, but it s not hard to carry around. And since the lens is not protruding, it s convenient to carry in pocket or bag. (High-end product should be worthwhile. WB550 s weightiness and fancy design apparently differentiate itself from low-priced cameras.)

Its design gives luxurious feeling. Compared to ST10 or IT100 s splendid design, it looks graver with its black color. Metal case and rounded sides complete satisfactory appearance. (You will easily notice that it is a high-end product by just looking at its wide aperture lens part.)

This is how it looks on the front with wide aperture lens and various parts. Unlike cheaper models, it has Schneider lens in protruding type. (Once you press power button, the lens cap opens and lens comes out. It s good that you don t need separate lens cap.) On the upper left side, there s flash for night or indoor shots. Plus, AF assist-light/ self-timer lamp and remote control reception are there. And rubber on grip part to improve grip feeling is impressive. @ It support 24mm ultra-wide angle. Compared to most of digital cameras with 35mm angle, it s absolutely better in wide angle shots. And with its 10x optical zoom, you can freely set angle you want easily and quickly. It supports 24-120mm in 35mm film equivalent, so it works well for wide angle, regular, and zoom-in shots.

On the top, there s a mono speaker on the left so you can easily check the sound from video recorded. And there s power button on the center. (As you can see from the photo, there s LED so you can check the operating status at night without difficulty.) Also, there s shutter button on the side, and zoom lever helps to take photos and videos without much movement.

On the right side, there s mode dial. WB500 supported only regular mode but here SMART AUTO, power function from VLUU series, is added. And it had M mode that cheaper models don t have. (Not only auto shot, you can do manual shooting with this.) Also, it supports video mode, Beauty shot for portrait, Dual IS of OIS + Advanced DIS, and Scene mode.

The size of LCD is bigger than WB500 (2.7 ). It has 3 TFT LCD with 230,000 pixels. (When you play the photo, you can check it in detail.) It also shows excellent clarity. (Like WB500, it works ok in dark area, too.)

On the upper right side, there s status display LED and command lever. (Using command lever, you can control exposure, ISO, and white balance. Also, adjusting aperture and shutter speed is available in Manual mode.) Also, there re Fn (delete) button, cross button, play and special effect button. (If you press Fn button, main menu appears, and you can select resolution, AF, light measure, ISO, and white balance. And using E button, you can select detailed color settings like photo style, color, sharpness, contrast, and saturation. And with cross button, you can easily set function explanation/info, macro, flash, or self-timer function.)

On the bottom of the camera, there s battery and memory card slot. And there s mount hole to connect with tripod for stable shooting. @ It basically supports SDHC (guaranteed up to 8GB) and 32M internal memory, so there ll be no shortage in space.

This is how it looks on the left and right side of the camera, with 20-pin terminal for connecting USB/AV cable. And there s a strap hoop on the side. Also, there s a mike for recording voice on the center of the top. @ WB550 support dual mike so it picks up even slight sound.

On the right side, HDMI terminal (Mini HDMI) is added, which was not included in WB500. And just like the left side, there s a mike. (It supports high-resolution image shot and HD video recording. By connecting it to digital TV, you can appreciate excellent quality video.) @ In test part, I ll display what is connected to HDMI. Please refer to it.

It is somewhat weighty, but it still fits in one hand. It s somewhat thicker than digital devices like cell phones or MP3P but its size is not that different.

These are basic accessories like manual, warranty, S/W CD, hand strap, A/V cable, USB cable, and power adapter. (As shown in the photo, power adapter is USB cable connecting type. It can be also used to charge MP3P or electronic dictionary by USB.)

UI & Function

We ve checked the design and features. Now let s see what kinds of functions are supported through UI interface. (I found that its interface is much different former products. Let s take a close look at it.)

It basically supports total eight modes. (If you turn the mode dial on the top, it explains about every mode in detail through UI.) It supports Regular P mode, Auto mode, VLUU s Smart Auto mode, Beauty shot for beautiful portrait shots, Dual IS to prevent hand blur, Scene, and video recording mode. (And as a high-end product, is support Manual mode so users can be involved actively by freely selecting shutter speed and aperture.)@ Smart mode: It automatically detects the scene and makes settings so that beginners can also take high-quality pictures without extra setting. There re many environments like Macro, Macro text, White, Landscape, Action, Tripod, Night scene, Night portrait, Backlight, Backlight portrait, and Portrait. (It is much more advanced than regular Auto mode.)

Using cross button, you can directly access frequently used functions without going into menu. You can display shooting information (It also displays histogram as a professional camera), self-timer, AF mode, and flash setting.

Picture Option

When you press Fn button, you can set main functions. (According to each mode, the screen display changes. The picture above is tested in Manual mode.) It is available up to 4000x 3000 resolution (WB500 used to support up to 3648x 2736) so it can take pictures for professional use, and it support diverse AF domains. (Central, multi-split AF, plus selective AF that selects focus by manually moving focus mark) It also supports central, multi-split, spot light measure, and successive and high-speed AEB, and motion capture. @ It supports advanced functions that cheaper models do not have.

It supports up to 3200 ISO, so you can use it at night or inside without difficulty. (But ISO 3200 can be only set under 3M. ISO will be analyzed more in detail through test.) In addition, it supports diverse white balance so that you can get natural color image. (AWB is amazing, so you really don t need to set WB manually. I ve set AWB and performed test, but it wasn t inconvenient at all.)

VLUU series has been optimized for taking portrait shots, and it supports various face detection functions. There re Regular mode that detects faces and automatically controls focus and exposure, Self Guide that helps taking self-shots by making beeping sound when detecting faces, Smile shot that detects smiley face and automatically takes a shot, and Blink detection that takes two successive shots when detecting blinking. @ And it has separate Beauty shot mode to make skin look clear and beautiful, so its portrait shots will be especially satisfying.

In video recording mode, separate menu is displayed like in photos. It supports 120x 720HQ HD quality video and 30fps (60fps for 320x 240) so it can be used as a camcorder. (WB550 supports HDMI terminal that wasn t in WB500. So you can enjoy clearer video. It ll also be dealt with in the test.)

By pressing E button, lots of special effect can be applied. Photo style menu supports various modes like Soft, Vivid, Forest, etc. And in color menu, you can set black-and-white/sepia/red/green/blue/dark-bright reversion/custom. In addition, it supports sharpness, contrast, saturation control, so you can take pictures in a style you want. (Since it offers lots of effects, you don t really need to use photo editing program.)

Shooting Option

When you press menu button, you can select shooting environment in detail. You can select a function for command lever on the top (select one out of exposure, white balance, ISO) and flash light amount can be also set. The image quality can be decided in three levels. ACB, OIS, voice memo, and sound recording function are also offered. (Like Fn, different menu is displayed according to mode.) @ It offers OIS that prevents hand blur by the movement of a sensor. And it also supports Advanced DIS (capturing one shot in high speed and removing noise in two steps, reducing image saving time and preventing saturation drop that can happen while combining images) so guarantees perfect shot in a place where it s hard to retain shutter speed.

Once you select Beauty shot mode and press Menu button, you can select skin brightness and face retouch in three degrees. (Users who want flawless skin tone can solve every problem with Beauty shot mode.)

Once you select Scene mode and press Menu button, there shows a variety of Scene modes. (Frame Guide, Night Scene, Portrait, Children, Landscape, Text, Close-up, Sunset, Dawn, Backlight, Firework, Beach/Snow, Self shot, Food, and Café) @ Since it supports Smart Auto, Scene mode doesn t seem to be needed. But when you need to select Scene manually, it can be useful.

Sound

Through sound setting menu, you can set volume, select start-up sound/ shutter sound/ operating sound, and turn on/off AF sound. (In a place where you need to stay quiet, you can turn off all the sound.) Also it offers Self Guide (When detecting face in self shots, it makes beeping sound)

Screen

This is what screen menu setting looks like. As a global product, it supports many languages and provides options for guidelines. Plus, date and time setting is available and you can select start-up image, screen brightness in three levels, preview time, and power-saving mode.

Option

It supports the format of memory or reset of the machine, and it has recycle bin like in PC so you can easily restore photos you deleted. You can select file names, date/time display, power block, video output, AF assist light, and USB function. @ As a product that has HDMI terminal, HDMI resolution setting menu is added.

Play Option

If you press play button on the back of the camera, you can check photos, video clips, and voices. (You can check various Exif info of taken images, and you may capture still images from video clips.) @ Even when the machine is turned off you can check them by pressing and holding the play button.

It supports image magnifying function, so you can check the photos in detail. You can also cut out the image when you magnify it. As you can see from the picture above, it offers 20 thumbnails so you can easily select a photo you want.

In Smart Album, it supports diverse photo arrangement system. (You can categorize images under dates, files, and colors. Photos and video clips are saved in the same folder, but since it supports file arrangement function, it wasn t inconvenient to play the desired image.)

By pressing E button, you can select main functions. You can change image resolution (but not from small to big and not supported in video), and it also offers rotating functions. Also, after taking pictures, you can apply photo style effect and image editing functions like ACB, red eye removal, brightness, contrast, and saturation. It also offers noise effect that applies old photo feeling.

Through the condition setting menu, it supports various functions for slide show. (You can select photos with background music for slide show. You can also decide on interval and freely select background music.) @ Please take a close look at it in the video preview.

In Play menu, you can insert voice memo to still image and protect important image from deletion. And it offers deleting function, and through output info from DPOF you can select photos and decide on how many to print. (but only with a printer that supports DPOF) And you can easily copy files in the internal memory to card.

TEST

We ve checked various basic functions. Now let s see many strengths of WB550 in the test. (Compared to regular products, it has outstanding specifications, so a lot to be tested. Let s take a look at it one by one.)

WB550 offers various functions for perfect portrait. The photo above is taken with Beauty shot mode, and it looks definitely different from regular shot. (The skin looks clear like make-up on, and exposure is optimized for portrait shot.)

It supports Smile shot function that automatically takes shot of smiley face. Also, its Blink detection function works perfectly to takes successive shots when it detects blinking. In addition, there s Self Guide function that helps perfect self-shot by making beeping sound when face detected. @ I ll deal with face detection related functions in video preview. Please refer to it

Not only outdoors, its portrait shot works well in indoors, too. When you use Face detection function, it automatically sets focus and exposure, so even beginners can take a shot conveniently.

The biggest strength of WB550 is its 24mm ultra-wide angle. Wb550 can take pictures that regular compact digital cameras can t take. (Like the photo above, it can take a picture in wide angle. I also brought a compact digital camera with 38mm angle from C company, which allowed only narrow angle. On the other hand, WB550 can take a shot in perfect angle without much movement.) @ Just looking at the photo above, you can see how wide angle it covers.

I could feel the convenience of 10x optical zoom with which you can easily shoot far-away subject. In zoom, it doesn t show much drop in image quality, so users who take pictures in various environments will love it. (I took a picture in Children s Grand Park. Since the animals were far away, people couldn t take a shot in desired angle, but I could take pictures freely.)

I ve tested Dual IS. (tested in the same environment) When IS is not applied, shutter speed is too low and the image looks blur. On the other hand, with Dual IS mode, its focus looks good enough for web use. (OIS restrains shakes and Advanced DIS edits blur. Also, increasing ISO will retain shutter speed.)

This is taken under Smart Auto mode that automatically detects shooting environment and optimizes the setting. Unlike other products with which you should adjust brightness and macro, you don t need to do extra operation with this one. (Most of recently released products support Auto mode. But many times, the exposure isn t right or it shows hand blur. But as you can see from the photo, WB550 s Smart Auto offers accurate exposure and stable images. It s much more advanced than regular Auto mode.)

In noise test of ISO, it doesn t show any difference until ISO 1600. (Noise doesn t appear much in high sensitivity. If it s not too important, you may use up to ISO 1600 freely.)

ISO 3200 definitely shows noise and has limited resolution. But if you resize it, it s ok to utilize, so it ll be useful under a circumstance where you can t use flash. (In ISO 100, it is blurry because it couldn t retain shutter speed, but in ISO 3200 the focus looks accurate.)

As a high-end product, it shows outstanding color expression and close-up capability. Also, it support Manual mode, so I could take satisfying pictures after setting shutter speed and aperture as I wanted. (Using all the functions mentioned, I could take shots without difficulty under any circumstance.)

@ Click the top of the photo you can see the original photo.

WB550 supports HDMI as well as regular AV-OUT, so you can appreciate the photos or video clips on digital TV. (I checked that there was no problem with image or sound when it is connected with HDMI cable. It is satisfying that it supports HDMI with easy connection, in addition to outstanding image quality.) @ If you want to connect HDMI, you must purchase HDMI to mini HDMI cable. Since it s different from regular HDMI terminal, you have to use mini HDMI cable.

Now let s check the quality of recorded video clips. As HD video quality, it looked very clear and its smooth expression of movement was very impressive. It s absolutely different from SD video quality. (Compared to FULL HD camcorder, it sometimes looked a little smudged, but not so much. I can confidently say that it is good enough to record regular video clips.)

You can enjoy photos on big screen as well as video clips. (WB550 supports multi slide show, so it s good enough to watch photos on big screen.)

Movie Preview

[Video clip for Samsung Digital Imaging WB550n design & operation]

Epilogue

What is the most important in camera is image quality. But is that the only factor to decide on the capacity of a camera? I don t think so. How conveniently it can take pictures that users want should not be overlooked. (The reason that I use heavy press body and big telephoto lens is not just about image quality. I chose it because I can be done shooting while other people are still setting this and that.)

WB550 in this review has amazing capacity that says itself This is what a high-end camera is. With 24mm ultra-wide angle and 10x optical zoom, you can take a shot in angle that other cameras can t cover. Also its Dual IS makes it possible to produce the most stable photos. Plus, Smart Auto function makes it easier to take a good shot.

VLUU series has been strong in portrait shots, so it also supports Beauty shot, Face detection, and Smile shot for satisfying result. In addition, HD video recording is available, and it supports HDMI terminal. It is impressive that it can be used as a camcorder with its ability to record and play video.

However, WB s specialized UI interface felt rather complicated. (Since buttons are subdivided into each function, it took more time to think than former UI interface.) Its design looks high class, but not as noticeable as ST50 or IT100.

Do you want to take good quality pictures in any circumstance? Also you want to take photos conveniently? Then WB550 is the answer for you. It will definitely satisfy what you want.