| The Samsung WB500 impressed me a lot. It is a | | | | ensure that faces do not appear to be in the |
| digital camera with a long zoom lens (10x zoom) | | | | shade when the sun is in the background as well |
| that comes in a relatively small body. Although it is | | | | as ensuring the face is in sharp focus. Next up is |
| still too large to fit into a pocket, Samsung has | | | | a beauty mode that helps to soften the skin and |
| ensured the WB500 is still small enough to take | | | | smooth out any blemishes. For me smile detection |
| most places with you. | | | | is more of a gimmick than a must have feature, |
| As well as the obviously capacity for zooming in | | | | but you may find it comes in handy from time to |
| on distant subjects the WB500 also has wide | | | | time. When smile detection is turned on the |
| angle capabilities. The minimum focal length of lens | | | | WB500 will automatically take a shot if the |
| is equivalent to 24mm in 35mm format. At the | | | | camera detects someone is smiling. |
| time of its introduction this was the first 10x lens | | | | For me the most important facet of any digital |
| to offer such a wide angle. A wide angle lens is | | | | camera is whether or not it takes a good photo. |
| great for packing wide landscapes or groups of | | | | The WB500 performed well in all my tests. I was |
| people into a shot. | | | | particularly taken with how bright the photos |
| In addition to the usual selection of scene modes | | | | were. The camera also scored highly when it |
| Samsung has also added in a basic manual | | | | came to the sharpness of the photos. In the past |
| exposure mode. This allows you to switch | | | | I have noticed that cameras with wide angle |
| between a large or small aperture and to set the | | | | lenses can produce photos that are soft when |
| shutter speed for a shot. There is no access to | | | | the lens is zoomed all the way out. Despite it's |
| shutter priority or aperture priority. For composing | | | | even wider than standard lens the WB500 |
| photos there is a 2.7 inch LCD screen. It is a | | | | manages to produce a sharper than standard |
| shame that the writing for the menu system is | | | | shot. From this test shot I could also see clearly |
| not a bit larger and therefore clearer as with this | | | | the impact of the wider lens. Another shot I liked |
| size of screen Samsung had quite a bit of room | | | | was the macro shot. It was much sharper than |
| to play with. | | | | most digital cameras manage. |
| With the longer length of the lens increasing the | | | | Of late I have been testing a string of cheaper, |
| possibility of camera shake spoiling pictures | | | | entry level digital cameras. Looking at my test |
| Samsung has built image stabilisation into the lens. | | | | shots from this Samsung camera and also from |
| For anyone who likes to shoot the occasional | | | | its build quality it reminds me of how much of a |
| video clip with a still video camera there is a High | | | | step up in quality you can get if you are able to |
| Definition movie mode available. | | | | pay that bit more. It also highlights that the larger |
| There are a range of features available to help | | | | physical size of the lens can contribute to better |
| you take the best possible portrait shoots. The | | | | quality images. |
| face detection setting will adjust the exposure to | | | | |