Overview

Samsung WB600 is the industry's first digital compact camera to combine a 24mm ultra-wide angle lens with 15x super-zoom control. It incorporates a 14.2 megapixel CCD image sensor that adopts a point and shoot mechanism. Built with a 3-inch LCD display incorporating intelligent brightness technology, it automatically adjusts itself to the ambient light conditions for optimal viewing. Adding support for 720p HD video recording at a decent 30 fps (frames per second), it produces high quality videos in H.264 format and allows the user to hook up the camera to a HDTV using the HDMI interface. Encompassing a wide array of impressive features like Smart Auto, Face Detection, Smile Shot, Blink Detection, Self Portrait and Beauty Shot, it promotes digital compact cameras to the next level.

Build quality & dimensions

Samsung WB600 is built with a robust plastic material and decorated with chromium metallic finish across the body frame covering the top and side edges. The body contours are elegantly sculpted, with an outward body curve marking the right-hand thumb grip for holding the camera steady while shooting stills and videos. The camera is very sleek and trendy, aptly fitting the dimensions for a digital compact camera and hardly weighs about 200grams.

Ergonomics

The control pad buttons are lined across the body curvature beside the LCD screen, with an ok button at the centre. Scattered around the control dial, are the menu, video playback and function buttons arranged in the dot-triangle form. Also, there is a video recording button at the far right corner of the LCD screen, slightly popping out of the curvature making an out-dent. At the top of the camera, there is a wide array of chunky controls sprinkled across the chromium plate, that adds glamour & style to the camera. Starting at the left, it includes a twin set of holes meant for stereo sound recording system and an indented power button located between them, which glows dazzling blue when turned on. Just to the right of it, is the scene mode selection dial control, followed by the tele-wide angle zoom control switch. Moving to the front of the camera, we see a thick chromium plated circular strip surrounding a plastic shutter acting as the lens cover, when not in use. There is a small port hole beside the lens cover, that houses the AF assist/self timer lamp, and a 9 hole microphone indentation placed at the bottom beside the lens cover. Due to the wide circumference of the large lens while on operation, the built-in flash unit has been moved to the right corner on the front face of the camera. Finally, exploring the bottom face of the camera, we find a tripod mount porthole located at the centre and a latch door controlled battery/memory card compartment located right next to it. Although, the navigation controls and camera controls are intuitively organized for quick access, the menu system could have been much more simple for the first time user. Most options are not easily revealed at first glance, unless the user is prepared to delve deeper exploring the various manual and program settings.

Read all about the Features and functionality of the Samsung WB600 in the next page...