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At Photofair 2009, I managed to get my hands on Samsung's new ST50 digital camera. Though I did not get enough time to test it elaborately, I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to pen my thoughts down. So here we go.
The ST50 is sleek and has a glossy finish. This tiny cam can easily
fit in your palm and can be carried around in your shirt pocket
However,
clicking pictures with a camera this small is a task, as you don't get
a proper grip and the stainless steel body tends to slip if your hands
are sweaty.
The back of the camera houses a few buttons that also include a Mode switch (video/still images), a menu button and a D-pad to access the menu options. The buttons are small but clearly labeled.
Features
The menu is typical Samsung and needs some time to get used to.
The new ST50 from Samsung is their latest ultra compact digicam that comes in a stainless steel body and is only 14mm thick. It incorporates a 12.2 MP sensor, 2.7-inch QVGA (230K) TFT LCD screen and Samsung's new "Smart Scene" feature that has 11 optimized presets like portrait, macro, night mode, etc that helps the user take pictures in any lighting condition. One can also use these settings to search for all the images stored on the camera.
This nifty camera also comes with DIS, Self Portrait, ISO settings up to 3200. Its Angle/Composition Guide takes a ghost picture of your desired shot and displays a template when you pass the camera over to someone else - ensuring they always take the picture you want them to
The ST50 also comes with Face Detection features that locates the subject's face and automatically adjusts focus and exposure to ensure better composition and image quality for portraits. The Blink detection mode on the camera will detect when a subject's eyes are closed and take a picture again automatically, the Smile Mode in the ST50 lets the camera take a picture automatically when smiles are detected.
The Beauty Shot mode retouches facial skin for a brighter and smoother skin tone.
Digital Contents Management is a new feature on the ST50 that helps significantly reduce the time it takes to find a photo. The navigation program automatically organizes your shots based on the date they were taken, their contents, color or themes.
It also comes with a Recycle Bin feature that you find on all Windows PCs.
The Samsung ST50 is slated to be launched sometime in March 09. Pricing in India hasn't been announced yet. But going by the Euro pricing of about 180 Pounds (Rs. 14,500 approx), I think it should be available here for about Rs 16,000-18,000 when launched.