Samsung unveils a slew of new SMART cameras including a 60x superzoom with unique dual grip design
posted Wednesday, January 8, 2014 at 9:54 AM EDT
At CES in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Samsung introduced a series of updates to their compact digital camera lineup, including the new WB2200F "Super Bridge Long Zoom" camera. Apart from the versatile 60x optical zoom lens, the WB2200F bares a striking resemblance to pro-series DSLRs with its integrated "Dual Grip" design that allows for not only a more comfortable grip in portrait orientation but also a larger battery -- the same as in the Galaxy NX30, in fact -- meaning a longer battery life than typical, smaller point-and-shoot batteries can provide.
Being a "SMART" camera, the WB2200F features the latest wireless connectivity features from Samsung including both Wi-Fi and NFC. Samsung's new "Tag & Go" feature utilizes the NFC capabilities of a range of current smartphones for an easy pairing of devices simply by touching your smartphone to the camera -- no manual setup required. The smartphone connectivity allows users to instantly view and share photos from the camera via their smart device, and you can also use the AutoShare feature to automatically backup images from the camera to a paired smartphone or tablet, or use the Remote Viewfinder feature to control nearly every aspect of the camera.
The Samsung WB2200F features a 1/2.3" 16MP backside-illuminated CMOS sensor and sports a 60x optical zoom lens with optical image stabilization, providing a 20-1200mm equivalent field of view. Users can view and compose their shots on a 3" HVGA LCD screen as well as with an EVF. Full manual exposure modes, including a full PASM dial, lets more advanced photographers have complete control over their exposure.
Pricing and availability hadn't been disclosed at press time. Check our full Samsung WB2200F preview for more details.
For something a little more compact, the Samsung WB350F could be a sure bet for those wanting a pocket-friendly long-zoom camera, although as yet we have relatively little information about the camera.
Based around a 1/2.3-inch type, 16.3 megapixel backside-illuminated CMOS image sensor, the Samsung WB350F offers a sensitivity range of ISO 80 to 3200 equivalents.
The sensor sits behind a 21x optical zoom lens with a 23mm-equivalent wide angle, and a telephoto equivalent in the region of 483mm. Maximum aperture starts from f/2.8, and falls to f/5.9 by telephoto. On the plus side, optical image stabilization is included, helping to prevent blur from camera shake. Images and movies are framed and reviewed on a 3.0-inch, 460k dot LCD monitor, which also serves as an interface device courtesy of a touch-panel overlay.
Like the WB2200F, the new WB350F features the whole range of Samsung's SMART Camera 3.0 connectivity features like Wi-Fi and NFC.
Body colors for the Samsung WB350F include white, black, brown, red and blue. Pricing and availability hadn't been disclosed at press time.
Samsung also debuted a trio of entry-level-oriented cameras, while still keeping the full range of wireless and smartphone connectivity features. The Samsung WB1100F superzoom compact camera is based around a 16.2 megapixel CCD image sensor, offering a sensitivity range of ISO 80 to 3200 equivalents. The sensor sits behind a 35x optical zoom lens with a 25mm-equivalent wide angle, and a telephoto equivalent in the region of 875mm. Maximum aperture is rather dim, starting at f/3.0 and falling to f/5.9 by telephoto. On the plus side, a dual stabilization system is included, pairing both optical and digital image stabilization.
The Samsung WB35F and WB50F are both based around the 16.2 megapixel CCD image sensor like the WB1100F, but houses a 12x optical zoom lens with a 24mm-equivalent wide angle, and a telephoto equivalent in the region of 288mm. Maximum aperture starts from f/3.1, and falls to a dim f/6.3 by telephoto. The WB35F is a fairly straightforward entry-level model with the exception of its Wi-Fi / NFC connectivity, while the WB50F features primarily the same specs but incudes a unique top-mounted articulated flash dubbed "Soft Flash." The WB50F uses a 3.0-inch, 460k dot LCD monitor for composing and reving images, while the WB35F utilized a smaller-than-average 2.7-inch, 230k dot LCD monitor.
Pricing and availability hadn't been disclosed at press time for either of these three models.