Starting 2009, 24mm ultra wide angle, optical 10x zoom compact digital camera Samsung WB500 was an issue. There had been optical 10x zoom digital camera, but the WB500 was the first for 24mm ultra wide angle. In a word, the WB500 has the widest angle lens digital camera among compact digital cameras.
However, after a little while, the upgraded WB550 has been released. It s not a good news for WB500 users, but it s enough to draw attention, because it s a following model of the WB500 which has got high grades from users.
| Image 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 |
Looking at the specification of the WB500, you can see this camera have various features like 12.2M pixels, 24mm ultra wide angle optical 10x zoom Schneider lens, Dual IS (OIS+DIS), compact size high zoom, smart auto, built-in HDMI, 3 inch intelligent LCD whose color changes depending on the light, HD video recording (720p, H.264), frame guide, ISO 3200, portrait system such as face recognition/beauty shot/blink detection.
From the specification, you can see the WB500 has satisfactory functions and features as a compact digital camera.
Let s take a look at the package of the WB500. The box of the WB500 is 17cm 13.5cm 6.5cm
The phrase "Capture your world, like never before" is impressive.
At the back of the box, feature and functions of the WB500 are simply explained in 5 languages.
At one side, the features of the WB550 are explained as icons such as 12.2M pixels, 24mm ultra wide, optical 10x zoom, DIS (Optical and software type), various image styles, smart photo, H264(1280x720), built-in HDMI, and so on.
At the other side, you can see the Eco mark. Looking at the box of the WB550, it s made of paper. To be honest, I though the box is not that good, but I decided to forget it, after seeing the ECO mark.
Opening the box, items come out. It consists of body, manual/warranty, strap, AV cable, battery, AC adaptor/USB cable, install CD, etc. Memory card, remote controller, camera case, and HDMI cable are not included. Personally, I think camera case, HDMI cable, and cradle should have been included in the basic package.
Compared to other compact digital cameras, the WB500 is not that slim or small. However, considering the 24-240mm FOV, the size is small enough, I guess.
The size of the WB550 is 105 61.4 36.5 mm. It s a little big to put in a pocket, but enough to carry as a compact camera, I suppose.
The weight is 225g except a battery and memory card. The WB500 was 219g, so the WB550 becomes slightly heavier. But still the 225g weight can guarantee the portability.
It s the front of the WB550. You can see the 24-240mm ultra wide angle, optical 10x zoom Schneider lens take a half of the camera.
There s lens, flash, AF/self timer lamp, remote control sensor, and Samsung logo at the front.
The WB550 is made of slippery material on the whole, but for better grip, rubber bar (?) is attached at a grip part, so you can take picture more stably. This is changed part from the previous WB500. And the sticker of the WB550 is attached.
The lens of the WB550 is a protruding type, so when turning it on, the lens is protruded. It takes about 1.5 sec.
It s the most important Schneider lens. It shows 24mm ultra wide angle and optical 10x zoom. The phrase "VARIOPLAN 10 ZOOM 4.2-42mm 1:3.3-5.8 24mm Ultra Wide Dual IS" under the lens is impressive.
At the side of the WB550, HDMI output port and microphone are located. USB/AV/CD port and strap hole are also here.
It s the top of the WB550. Speaker, power button, zoom T/digital zoom lever, zoom W/division lever, and mode dial are located. The blue lamp is on the power button, and it gives dimming feeling. I think buttons are arranged well. However, personally, the mode dial of the WB550 is a bit small and located inside, so it s not easy to rotate it.
Unlike the inconvenient mode dial, smoothly rotating zoom T/digital zoom lever, zoom W/division lever, and shutter were good.
From the top, you can see the right side is protruded for better grip.
It s the back of the WB550. This has 3 inch 230K pixels QVGA LCD screen. Compared with the 2.7 inch screen of the WB500, it s a little bigger. The back of the WB550 is quite simple.
Camera status lamp, command lver, Fn/Delete button, menu button and 5 function button, play mode button, and E (Effect) button are located. Each button is made of metal, so gives luxurious feeling. All buttons are kind of small, but there s no inconvenience, because they are clicked well.
Like the WB500, the WB500 also has a command lever. This is used to adjust exposure and manual operation with left/right adjustment. It s useful to take picture, but kind of small to control. The Fn button is an option setting menu such as AF region, photometry, white balance and face recognition.
It s the bottom of the WB550. Battery and memory card slot and tripod hole are located.
It s the place for a memory card and a battery.
We ve looked at the appearance of the WB550. Talking about the design of the WB550, the WB550 is not a cute camera. This can appear rough. But this doesn t mean the design is bad. However, it has strong points in functions and performance, so the WB550 is a charming camera, I think. Thank you.
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