Best Samsung EC-WB350FBPBUS 16.3Digital Camera with 21x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom with 3-Inch LCD (Black)
This is My Opinion About This Product
After I buy this New Samsung WB350F 16.2MP CMOS Smart WiFi & NFC Digital Camera with 21x Optical Zoom, 3.0" Touch Screen LCD and 1080p HD Video (Red) (Electronics)
Vine Customer Review of Free Product (What's this?)
Compact, great automatic features, access to manual controls and... takes great pictures
BOTTOM LINE:
With each generation, Samsung makes the "WB" series easier to use and still get great results. Like its predecessors, this one fits into my front pants pocket (or the case I recommend toward the end of this review). That point alone may make this the best camera you own; having a $5k DSLR doesn't do you much good if you left it home because it wasn't worth the effort to lug it along.
However, unlike many other small cameras, Samsung had designed a camera that works with, rather than trying to compete with, your phone or tablet. They do this without sacrificing either features or quality. Even low-level manual control, things like setting shutter speed, lens aperture, ISO, are available *without* being buried deep inside menus. However, it is done in a way that doesn't get in my way when I don't want to bother with it. This camera is designed to leverage convenience and technology while still providing control when I want it.
DETAILS:
The camera body has a sleek appearance and a solid feel. The pebbled finish that covers most of the camera looks like leather and, more importantly, aids in getting a secure grip. And, if you don't care about the "mechanics", it makes for a very nice looking camera.
One issue with all small cameras is the built-in flash. They are underpowered and create red eye. Both problems are caused by the need to keep the camera small; the flash needs to be small and positioned close to the lens. Samsung addresses in a number of ways. Firstly, they include a powerful (for a compact camera) flash to pop up and out of the camera at the press of a button. Secondly, the lens is designed to let in a lot of light so I don't need as bright a flash in the first place, Thirdly, the "sensor" is very accurately captures pictures even when there isn't a lot of light available. The result is an image that is remarkably sharp, even in low light. In fact, I can take pictures in a well-lit room without having to use the flash at all.
What sets this camera apart is how well it integrates with a phone or tablet. In my case, these are iDevices and I haven't tried it with any of the Android options available. However, with iPhones/Pads, it is a matter of downloading a free multi-purpose app. After that, transferring photos from my camera to my phone/tablet is as easy as pressing a button on the camera (it is a real, honest-to-goodness hardware button) and starting the app. From there I can quickly send one or a bunch of pictures from my camera for editing, embellishment, and probably posting to Facebook. There are a boatload of other wireless capabilities like using the camera as a baby monitor and using my phone as a remote viewfinder and camera control. To me, though, the biggest and most heavily used feature is the ability to easily and quickly move pictures from the camera to a device that can "send them off" from anywhere in the world.
Things of note:
- This camera does not have a GPS. Based on my experience with other compact cameras that do have that feature, they tend to shorten battery life dramatically and I don't miss it.
- This camera uses a mico-SD card. That's not a bad thing, you just need to know to have one on hand and now you do. My recommendation is to get a relatively fast card with a large capacity. I'm using the SanDisk Ultra 16GB MicroSDHC and it works just fine. The time between shots is about halved when I use a SanDisk Extreme Plus 32GB MicroSDHC instead. For nature shots it's not such a big deal. However, if you are taking pictures of people, and especially kids, I would definitely recommend the faster card.
Some other suggestions that apply:
Normally at this point, I would put in some details about manually setting ISO or selecting a color space. However, for most people buying this camera, it just isn't relevant. You are buying this camera because you want to take great pictures without having to worry about that stuff. The good news is the Samsung WB350 has several "automatic" modes where it makes those decisions for you and does a great job at it.
However, as I mentioned above, this camera stands out among others in its class in putting this level of control at your fingertips when you care to use it. If you do want to "take your photography to the next level then a great resource is the Confessions of a Compact Camera Shooter: Get Professional Quality Photos with Your Compact Camera. It tells you how to get dSLR results out of cameras such as this one.
Finally, I've found the Case Logic TBC-312 Pocket Video Camcorder Case is just the right size for this camera (and is surprisingly inexpensive It's made even better by using one of these, Nite Ize SB1-2PK-01 Size-1 S-Biner, Black, 2-Pack, to secure it to a belt loop.
Please feel free to let Amazon and me know whether this was helpful to you or not, since it helps me improve my reviews.
BOTTOM LINE:
With each generation, Samsung makes the "WB" series easier to use and still get great results. Like its predecessors, this one fits into my front pants pocket (or the case I recommend toward the end of this review). That point alone may make this the best camera you own; having a $5k DSLR doesn't do you much good if you left it home because it wasn't worth the effort to lug it along.
However, unlike many other small cameras, Samsung had designed a camera that works with, rather than trying to compete with, your phone or tablet. They do this without sacrificing either features or quality. Even low-level manual control, things like setting shutter speed, lens aperture, ISO, are available *without* being buried deep inside menus. However, it is done in a way that doesn't get in my way when I don't want to bother with it. This camera is designed to leverage convenience and technology while still providing control when I want it.
DETAILS:
The camera body has a sleek appearance and a solid feel. The pebbled finish that covers most of the camera looks like leather and, more importantly, aids in getting a secure grip. And, if you don't care about the "mechanics", it makes for a very nice looking camera.
One issue with all small cameras is the built-in flash. They are underpowered and create red eye. Both problems are caused by the need to keep the camera small; the flash needs to be small and positioned close to the lens. Samsung addresses in a number of ways. Firstly, they include a powerful (for a compact camera) flash to pop up and out of the camera at the press of a button. Secondly, the lens is designed to let in a lot of light so I don't need as bright a flash in the first place, Thirdly, the "sensor" is very accurately captures pictures even when there isn't a lot of light available. The result is an image that is remarkably sharp, even in low light. In fact, I can take pictures in a well-lit room without having to use the flash at all.
What sets this camera apart is how well it integrates with a phone or tablet. In my case, these are iDevices and I haven't tried it with any of the Android options available. However, with iPhones/Pads, it is a matter of downloading a free multi-purpose app. After that, transferring photos from my camera to my phone/tablet is as easy as pressing a button on the camera (it is a real, honest-to-goodness hardware button) and starting the app. From there I can quickly send one or a bunch of pictures from my camera for editing, embellishment, and probably posting to Facebook. There are a boatload of other wireless capabilities like using the camera as a baby monitor and using my phone as a remote viewfinder and camera control. To me, though, the biggest and most heavily used feature is the ability to easily and quickly move pictures from the camera to a device that can "send them off" from anywhere in the world.
Things of note:
- This camera does not have a GPS. Based on my experience with other compact cameras that do have that feature, they tend to shorten battery life dramatically and I don't miss it.
- This camera uses a mico-SD card. That's not a bad thing, you just need to know to have one on hand and now you do. My recommendation is to get a relatively fast card with a large capacity. I'm using the SanDisk Ultra 16GB MicroSDHC and it works just fine. The time between shots is about halved when I use a SanDisk Extreme Plus 32GB MicroSDHC instead. For nature shots it's not such a big deal. However, if you are taking pictures of people, and especially kids, I would definitely recommend the faster card.
Some other suggestions that apply:
Normally at this point, I would put in some details about manually setting ISO or selecting a color space. However, for most people buying this camera, it just isn't relevant. You are buying this camera because you want to take great pictures without having to worry about that stuff. The good news is the Samsung WB350 has several "automatic" modes where it makes those decisions for you and does a great job at it.
However, as I mentioned above, this camera stands out among others in its class in putting this level of control at your fingertips when you care to use it. If you do want to "take your photography to the next level then a great resource is the Confessions of a Compact Camera Shooter: Get Professional Quality Photos with Your Compact Camera. It tells you how to get dSLR results out of cameras such as this one.
Finally, I've found the Case Logic TBC-312 Pocket Video Camcorder Case is just the right size for this camera (and is surprisingly inexpensive It's made even better by using one of these, Nite Ize SB1-2PK-01 Size-1 S-Biner, Black, 2-Pack, to secure it to a belt loop.
Please feel free to let Amazon and me know whether this was helpful to you or not, since it helps me improve my reviews.
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