On what purpose are you using the digital camera?

Here is a user review about Samsung ST50 digital camera.

On what purpose are you using the digital camera? Personally I use DSLR because mostly I use a camera for work or taking pictures for my friends’ special events. It is big and heavy but I like it because it is easy to operate and expresses what I intended accurately. But I have to give up taking pictures of every part of daily life. (Due to its bad portability, it’s hard to carry it around.)

SAMSUNG DIGITAL IMAGING ST50 is a stylish compact camera that is small enough to fit into a pocket. Normally, it is hard to expect portability or satisfying design from high-end digital cameras or DSLR. But you can take pictures or record movie clips anywhere and whenever you want with this one. Not only that, it supports 12200000 pixels, enabling high quality pictures.

Its cute design attracts users’ attention. Throughout this review, let’s take a close look at its design, functions, and quality of photos and movie clips.

The size is 94.2 x 55.7 x 14.2 mm and weight 121.4g; needless to mention its excellent portability. (It fits right into a pocket, so unlike other products, there is no need for an extra case. Thanks to its 14mm slim body, it will be the perfect choice for users who take various snap shots in daily life.)

Its design is also fascinating. It used stainless steel cover and the hairline makes it not to look too plain. In addition, its luxurious glossy coated body will be able to satisfy female users. (It is really cute pretty. Other than RED color in this review, there are more choices of Black, Silver, and Blue. I strongly want to recommend this one to users who fond of stylish design.) However, I think it would better if bolts on side and bottom were hidden.

When you look at the front, it is equipped with a protruding-type 3x optical zoom lens. (There is no need to remove lens cover every time. When you turn it on, the lens comes out and the cover automatically separates to both sides.) It supports 35~105mm and covers wide standard angle perfectly well. It also supports variable aperture of 3.0 (W) ~ F5.6 (T). so it works ok in indoor shoots as well as outdoors. Same as the WB500 that I just reviewed, the startup time is very fast. Think of other cameras which take a whole lot of time for lens to come out. But with this one, you can take pictures within 2 seconds after you press power button.

In the middle of the top, there is a self-timer & AF Assist lamp. And on the right side, there is a flash for shooting at night and indoors. (For the flash, it supports a variety of modes such as automatic, red eye removal, compulsory flash, and slow syncro.) Also, at the bottom of the lens, a mike is attached, so it helps to record clearly when you record movie clips.

On the top, the model name is printed, and there are POWER and SMART button in the middle. (BLUE LED makes it easy to spot buttons at night.) Also, shutter button and zoom lever on the side helps to set the angle easily. (It supports half shutter function so there is no difficulty in taking pictures.) You will notice that there is a speaker for checking the sound of the recorded video clips.

Since its mainly for common users rather than professionals, it support SMART mode that helps shooting pictures and videos in the optimal mode without extra handling. Even users who have difficulties in handling machines are able to express the satisfying images.

You can check out 2.7” QVGA TFT LCD that supports 230000 pixels on the backside. (It offers satisfying clarity and there is no problem with viewing angles. Another strength is that you can check the subject more closely through the big screen display.)

On the right side, there are switch that selects photo or movie mode, LED that displays camera status, and menu, cross, play, and delete button. (The size of the buttons is small, but you can control them easily with your thumb. And even when the power is off, if you press and hold the play button, you can directly see the photos or video clips that you took.

At the bottom, a mount hole for connecting tripod is located in the middle. And there is a spot for rechargeable battery and SD card on the side. (Not only SD, it also supports SDHC. Using the built-in 31MB memory and SDHC, you can take pictures or record movies without much capacity limitation.)

There is a loop for connecting neck or hand strap on the left side. (It is small and light enough to hang around your neck.) On the side, there is combined 20pin adaptor for charging, data transmission, and TV-OUT. (Same one as WB500 and Haptic 2)

It is small enough to fit into one hand. (It is impressive that it’s smaller than MP3P and Smart Phone.) In fact, the grip is not as good as high-end digital cameras or DSLR, but I didn’t feel much inconvenience when using it. It is possible to take pictures with only one hand; with two hands, it could be more stable.

We’ve gone over its design and features. Now, let’s take a look at how UI is composed and how various functions it supports.

When turned on, it displays each kind of information and AF domain. Unlike high-end products, it doesn’t support detailed manual functions, but it supports Program mode as well as Smart mode, so there is not much inconvenience. (It is not a suitable model for users who want various manual settings like DSLR. But how many people expect perfect manual functions from compact cameras anyways? I’d like to say that Smart mode can make up for any insufficiency there.)

Without entering into set up menu, you can control the frequently used functions with the buttons on the back. It supports a function that hides shooting information on LCD, and it is easy to delete images. Also, you can easily control self-timer, flash, and macro using the cross button.

Looking at the recording menu, you will notice the functions that are as diverse as high-end products. (There are total 4 menus, and UI is designed with a cross button that enables easy operation of those.)

From now on, let’s check out the recording menu. The photo above shows the recording functions. Most functions needed such as size, image quality, face detection, DIS (Digital Image Stabilization), and ISO are supported.

It automatically controls the suitable exposure, but the user can also set the exposure. (±2EV, 1/3EV steps) Also, it supports various White Balance functions, and maximum 3200 high-sensitivity shooting is possible.)

In addition, it supports many face detection functions. (It recognizes maximum 10 faces. When it detects many faces, it focuses on a subject that is considered closest.) Also, it supports Beauty shot that modifies skin tone clearly and beautifully, Self-portrait that notifies facial detection by beeping sound, Smile shot that automatically detects smiley face, and Blink detection that takes two successive photos in case it detects blinking. (It maximizes the strength of compact cameras that are used mostly in portrait shots.)

Read more: http://www.samsungimaging.net/on-what-purpose-are-you-using-the-digital-camera/#ixzz0aJb3jnPQ