Samsung WB150F Review

June 18, 2012 | Gavin Stoker | Rating star Rating star Rating star Rating star

Introduction

The Samsung WB150F is a 14.2 megapixel compact camera with the company's own BSI CMOS sensor, a 18x, 24-432mm optically-stabilized lens, 720p HD video recording and a 3 inch LCD screen. The WB150F travel-zoom also offers wi-fi capability that allows users to email photos from any hotspot or share them on social networks such as Facebook and Picasa, simultaneous stills and video capture and an HDMI port, advanced A/S/M shooting modes for the more experienced user, auto modes for the beginner, Live Panorama mode and a range of creative filters and effects. The Samsung WB150F is available now in black or white for £199 / $229.

Ease of Use

Apart from compact system cameras and to a lesser extent DSLRs, one area of the digital camera market still on the upward curve, according to industry data, is that of the travel zoom. And just in the nick of time for the summer holidays, Samsung has let rip with the latest entrant in its 'wide and big' WB series.

Looking slick at first glance without outwardly appearing revolutionary, the 18x optical zoom WB150F offers a focal range running from an extra wide 24mm to 432mm in 35mm terms, and is very much the point and shoot camera all the way.

Having said that, this tough-feel, metal construction and in many ways 'traditionalist' camera does find room to cram in program, aperture priority, shutter priority and manual shooting options on its dime-sized top plate dial. Such hands-on settings, along with the lens reach, go some way to distancing the WB150F point-and-shoot from the camera you already own within your mobile phone. There's the option here to adjust your frame and shoehorn in a wide variety of subjects without the need to actually take a step from your vantage point.

What is omitted from this budget-priced £199 travel zoom however is a GPS antenna and touch screen operation, both now becoming standard features on pricier rivals. In fact, touch panel operation has allowed other recent Samsung models to deliver app-like, screen icon-led handling that we don't get here and which more blatantly bridges the gap between smartphone and, um, 'smart' camera. The latter is an epithet Samsung is trotting out to signal the 'auto everything' technology on offer here.

Apart from the obvious selling point of an expansive zoom range from a camera that will sit in your pocket or purse, the flashiest feature on the WB150F, and perhaps less expected at this price, is Wi-Fi connectivity. Here this addition theoretically saves users the need to pack the USB lead when traveling abroad - though in practice, as the same lead doubles up as a means of charging the battery in-camera, you might want to include it in that suitcase after all.

Samsung WB150F Samsung WB150F
Front Side

The WB150F offers an effective resolution of 14.2 megapixels from a standard-issue 1/2.3-inch CCD sensor with a total of 16.4MP, packed into a body measuring 106.5x59.9x23.4mm. That latter depth measurement indicates the Samsung is not a great deal wider than your average 5x zoom snapshot, for all its additional zoom firepower. In terms of helping achieve blur-free results toward the telephoto end of the zoom, a subtly curved edge to one side of the chassis, and a roughened lens surround to the other, provide a means of getting a decent hands-on purchase, making sure the camera is theoretically held steady enough in the process.

With a matt black finish the WB150F appears functional rather than flashy. The camera's front plate is dominated by a lens with automatic sliding cover by way of protection, alongside a small round porthole housing the AF illuminator/self timer lamp. Adjacent to this again is a lozenge-shaped window for the integral flash, which is partly set into the top edge of the handgrip. Such positioning throws up an obvious issue - that of a finger accidentally getting in the way of said flash when the camera is gripped in the right hand. But this is the case to a greater or lesser extent with many such marvels of miniaturization, which have to find somewhere to squeeze all the essentials.

On the WB150F's top plate the control positioning makes more sense. The stiff-feel shooting mode dial is situated over to the far right-hand edge, which means it's easily rotated left or right with a flick of the thumb. Aside from the creative settings touched on at the outset, the eight-option shooting mode dial adds the usual smattering of auto options. Here these include Smart Auto alongside Program, plus eight scene modes, a smattering of funky effects filters for both video and stills, comprehensive Wi-Fi mode options - including the ability to link up with a mobile phone and use it as a remote viewfinder if downloading the necessary application, or automatically back up files to your PC - plus a dedicated video mode.

Additionally located on the top plate are a raised shutter release surrounded by a zoom lever, the front lip of which juts outwards for easier operation, yet keeps within the boundaries of the curve of the handgrip. The lens takes around four seconds to glide between the extremities of its settings. There is a very low mechanical buzz as it does this, but it's quiet enough not to be a problem. Separate slits for mono microphone and speaker also feature on the top plate, as does, logically, a main power button, which is recessed into the brushed metalwork so just the top sits level.

Give this a press with a fingertip and the camera readies itself for the first shot in around two seconds, folded lens optics extending from flush with the body to arrive at maximum wide angle setting and stand proud by a couple of centimeters. Squeeze the shutter release button gently, and, after a brief adjustment, focus and exposure are determined, central AF square highlighted in customary green. If the camera can't find focus, which happens if you are zoomed in towards the telephoto end and are simply standing too close, this same lack-of-focus point is highlighted in red.

Take a shot, with the camera pre-set to a maximum 14.2 megapixel resolution and Super Fine (best) compression level, and a JPEG is committed to memory in just under two seconds, screen momentarily frozen to display the captured image. In all the WB150F is satisfactorily swift for this class of point and shoot.

Samsung WB150F Samsung WB150F
Rear Top

The camera's rear layout continues the straightforward ethos, and again all the essentials are here. Top right of the backplate and prevented from accidental activation by a protective metal surround is a camcorder style record button for recording video. The Samsung offers the not quite full HD 1280x720 pixels and mono sound, boasted by budget models, but at least here footage at 30fps is recorded to full size SD card, instead of the unloved (by us) microSD that other Samsung point and shoots patronise. There's also a small internal capacity to fall back on out of the box. Press record for video and the screen display narrows to 16:9 ratio, black bands cropping the LCD top and bottom. Happily though the zoom can be used and adjusted during the process of filming. We did find auto focus a bit slower to catch up than we'd have liked if adjusting framing whilst recording however.

The contents of the WB150F's box are here rather sparse as - like most budget models these days - the WB150F's rechargeable lithium ion battery is replenished within the camera, courtesy of the dual-use USB lead provided. This slots compliantly into a suitably enabled mains plug, also provided. There's no separate mains charger, so the camera is tied up each time you want to recharge.

Returning to the WB150F's back plate, and the largest feature here is, unsurprisingly, the LCD screen, presented in standard 4:3 aspect ratio. It's 3-inches in size, though somehow looks smaller - perhaps for not being widescreen. Its 460k-dot resolution is however an improvement on the standard 230k dots granted to models lower down any manufacturer's range.

On the right of the screen is where the Samsung's lion's share of buttons feature. We get a familiar multi-directional control pad - the largest control of all - with which to tab up, or tab down a right-of-screen toolbar, or progress left and right when reviewing previously captured images. At the centre of the pad is a familiar 'OK' button for effecting settings changes, while at points north, east, south and west are a means of controlling the display (including calling up a live histogram), selecting self-timer, switching from standard auto focus to macro focus or even, somewhat surprisingly on a £199 point-and-shoot, manual focus.

Here the focusing is undertaken by tabbing along a sliding scale, with macro icon at one end and infinity at the other. Because Samsung provides us with an enlarged view - basically an image crop - on screen in manual mode, detail isn't really sufficient to make focusing a precise art, so its inclusion here feels less than ideal. Finally, at the west most point of the control pad we find the flash settings. On the WB150F these comprise flash off, auto flash, red eye reduction, fill-in flash, slow sync and red eye fix options - so the full gamut of what we'd expect to find on a decent snapshot camera.

While bottom left and right of the control pad are a playback button and a delete button respectively, mirroring the layout of these controls and ranged directly above the control pad are the last two backplate buttons - a 'menu' and a 'back/return' button, indicated by a 'u' turn type arrow icon.

Samsung WB150F Samsung WB150F
Memory Card Slot Battery Compartment

A press of menu and the array of shooting options presented in list form extends from left of screen across two thirds of it, a dark but still transparent background allowing the user to still 'peek' at the image relayed behind it. If the camera is set to Smart Auto rather than program, these options are far fewer in number. But at its most expansive, the list includes the ability to adjust exposure compensation by +/- 2EV, tweak white balance and ISO speed between ISO80 and ISO3200, alter the focus area between Centre AF, Multi AF, Selection AF and Tracking AF, plus activate a host of face detection technologies, including smile shot, 'smart' face recognition and blink detection options. The same menu list also allows the option to adjust photo size in terms of pixel count and image quality in terms of JPEG compression level, with Super Fine denoting the optimum level, along with metering - the choices here being between the familiar multi zone, spot, or centre weighted. Images can also be adjusted in camera for the likes of sharpness, contrast and saturation. We'd offer that shots straight out of the WB150F are fine is terms of being visually punchy, but a little sharper may not go amiss on occasion. The same menu list further offers the chance to activate the camera's built-in optical image stabilization to boost performance when using the camera handheld towards the extremity of the zoom. Movie size can also be downgraded from 1280x720 pixels to an email friendly 240x320 if really desired.

We don't get a set up menu or folder on this list - instead this is adjusted with a twist of the top plate scroll wheel to the cog icon; and it's here where sound, display, connectivity and 'general' (time, date, formatting of images) options are tweaked. Photo filters and more creative effects are also applied at the point of capture via the top dial, when it's set to the camera icon that displays an inset star motif. It's here we find artistic effects by the dozen for both stills and movies, including the familiar soft focus, fisheye, old film, half tone dot, 'classic' monochrome, retro, miniature, vignetting, ink painting, oil painting, cartoon, cross filter and sketch options - so a lot to play with! Filters can also be applied to pre-captured shots, which can also be retouched for the likes of red eye and have their brightness, contrast and colour saturation adjusted in camera. An editing suite at the fingertips of those who would rather not mess around later in an image editor, but would like some limited post-capture creative control nonetheless.

While the left hand flank of the WB150F, when viewed from the back, is devoid of any controls at all, the right hand side hosts a loop for attaching the provided wrist strap, plus above this a door protecting a port for joint audio/video and USB output. There's no HDMI output here.

The base of the Samsung features the familiar centrally located screw thread for attaching a tripod, and, at the base of its subtly curved handgrip, a sliding catch and door protecting the joint shared compartment for the camera's rechargeable battery and optional SD/SDHC/SDXC card (with 18MB internal memory as back up). As mentioned earlier, said battery is replenished in camera, rather than with the aid of standalone charger. Battery life is good for 270 pictures or 110 minutes of video when fully charged.

While the above would suggest the Samsung WB150F is shaping up to be rather more than your average point and shoot camera, its small sensor size and relatively small lens - we're talking in terms of physical proportions for both - would indicate that its performance in terms of image quality may not exceed expectations. But we're prepared to be pleasantly surprised...

Image Quality

All of the sample images in this Review were taken using the 14.2 megapixel SuperFine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 5Mb.

To start with a positive, primary colours look particularly lush straight from the Samsung WB150F when it is left on its default factory settings. But if you do zoom in towards the telephoto end of the zoom, and are standing less than a metre and a half from your subject (350cm officially at telephoto setting, 80cm at maximum wide angle), the camera will struggle to focus if left in auto focus mode, if it can find it at all. The fallback Smart Auto option is also better suited at keeping up with static subjects than moving ones, which have the tendency to blur even in broad daylight. Maximum shutter speed is theoretically 1/2000sec.

In terms of light sensitivity, users of the WB150F will want to stick to ISO 800 or below. Detail is softening noticeably at ISO 1600 as noise reduction kicks in, while at top whack ISO 3200, colour is going awry and it appears as if we are viewing the image through a sheet of cellophane. Conversely, in bright conditions there's a tendency for the camera to lose highlight detail, and the familiar bugbear of pixel fringing creeps in too under such circumstances.

While not a completely clean bill of health for all subjects and all conditions then, having such a broad focal range at our disposal - and in our pockets - is not to be underestimated. And, with a steady hand a bit of luck you can get some very usable results, as our close up wildlife images reveal. For the amateur naturalist the WB150F represents a very affordable option. Inevitably it's also an option for the traveler wanting a cheap snapshot to drop into their luggage too - just be prepared to take two or three shots in both circumstances in order to achieve one with focus and exposure spot on.

Noise

There are 7 ISO settings available on the Samsung WB150F. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting.

ISO 80 (100% Crop)

ISO 100 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

ISO 1600 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 3200 (100% Crop)

 
 

Focal Range

The Samsung WB150F's 18x zoom lens offers a very versatile focal range, as illustrated by these examples:

24mm

432mm

Sharpening

Here are two 100% crops which have been Saved as Web - Quality 50 in Photoshop. The right-hand image has had some sharpening applied in Photoshop. The out-of-the camera images are a little soft and ideally benefit from some further sharpening in a program like Adobe Photoshop. You can also change the in-camera sharpening level.

Original (100% Crop)

Sharpened (100% Crop)

   

Chromatic Aberrations

The Samsung WB150F handled chromatic aberrations fairly ell during the review, with purple fringing present around the edges of objects in high-contrast situations, as shown in the examples below.

Example 1 (100% Crop)

Example 2 (100% Crop)

Macro

The Samsung WB150F offers a Macro setting that allows you to focus on a subject that is 5cms away from the camera when the lens is set to wide-angle. The first image shows how close you can get to the subject (in this case a compact flash card). The second image is a 100% crop.

Macro Shot

100% Crop

Flash

The flash settings on the Samsung WB150F are Smart Flash / Flash Off / Auto / Auto & Red-eye reduction / Fill-in flash / Slow sync / Red-eye fix. Somewhat strangely the full range of options aren't available in the ASM modes. These shots of a white coloured wall were taken at a distance of 1.5m.

Flash Off - Wide Angle (24mm)

Auto - Wide Angle (24mm)

ISO 64 ISO 64
   

Flash Off - Telephoto (432mm)

Auto - Telephoto (432mm)

ISO 64 ISO 64

And here are some portrait shots. As you can see, neither the Auto setting or the Red eye fix option caused any red-eye.

Auto

Auto (100% Crop)
   

Red-eye fix

Red-eye fix (100% Crop)

Night Shot

The Samsung WB150F's maximum shutter speed is 16 seconds in the Night scene mode, which is excellent news if you're seriously interested in night photography. The shot below was taken using a shutter speed of 4 seconds at ISO 80.

Night Shot

Night Shot (100% Crop)

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Samsung WB150F camera, which were all taken using the 14.2 megapixel Superfine JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Sample Movie & Video

This is a sample movie at the highest quality setting of 1280x720 pixels at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 27 second movie is 28Mb in size.

Product Images

Samsung WB150F

Front of the Camera

 
Samsung WB150F

Isometric View

 
Samsung WB150F

Isometric View

 
Samsung WB150F

Rear of the Camera

 
Samsung WB150F

Rear of the Camera / Image Displayed

 
Samsung WB150F

Top of the Camera

 
Samsung WB150F

Bottom of the Camera

 
Samsung WB150F

Memory Card Slot

 
Samsung WB150F

Battery Compartment

Conclusion

Though the Wi-Fi enabled Samsung WB150F operates very much as a user-friendly point-and-shoot camera, its manufacturer has packed in more functionality, digital effects, and a diverse range of control options - including manual operability, if so desired - than one would usually expect to find on a camera costing £199.

While there's nothing here that we haven't seen elsewhere before, the expansive zoom range provides a broad range of framing options for pretty much any subject, and it can also be utilized when recording video - even if that footage comes with mono sound and isn't quite Full HD; a couple of ways in which the WB150F (rarely) betrays its budget status. As is the overall image quality. While colours are lush and images vibrant straight out of the camera, they are softer than we'd ideally like, especially at the extremities of the 18x optical zoom.

Perhaps there's something psychological going on here; that's to say because Samsung has packed a basic snapshot camera with a whole host of functionality - more than many rivals would bother to cram into its chassis - this in turn leads the user to expect slightly more of its end performance.

If you view the Samsung WB150F as a means of achieving a wider selection of images than would be possible with a smartphone however, while accepting that it inevitably falls a distance short of the image quality delivered by pricier compact system cameras (including the manufacturer's own NX range) and baby DSLRs, then the conclusion 'can't go far wrong' is one that it is difficult to argue with.

4 stars

Ratings (out of 5)
Design 3.5
Features 4.5
Ease-of-use 4
Image quality 3.5
Value for money 4.5

Review Roundup

Reviews of the Samsung WB150F from around the web.

reviews.cnet.co.uk »

The WB150F is a great-looking camera that produces a punchy set of snaps. The built-in Wi-Fi makes it easy to share your pictures directly without first downloading them to your computer, but we'd have liked to have seen Samsung push this feature a little further. Still, at £190, it's a bargain.
Read the full review »

pcmag.com »

It's not perfect, but the nicely priced compact Samsung WB150F camera packs a sharp 18x zoom lens and integrated Wi-Fi so you can email or upload your pics to Facebook easily.
Read the full review »

digitalcamerainfo.com »

Samsung’s new WB150F combines two very trendy technologies currently sweeping the imaging world: impossibly long zoom, and Wi-Fi connectivity. But when manufacturers do this, especially at the low end, there’s a tendency for gimmickry to overpower image quality. That may be the case here. We spent some time with the WB150F and both our shooting experiences and test results were mixed.
Read the full review »

technobuffalo.com »

Various camera manufacturers have attempted to incorporate Wi-Fi in the past with limited success, but that hasn’t stopped Samsung from releasing eight models with advanced wireless capabilities. The Samsung WB150F is one of the lower-tier point-and-shoot Wi-Fi cameras offered by the maker of the Galaxy family, but it comes with a slew of wireless features that enable images to be uploaded to social networks and transfer files to any Samsung Android phone. There’s also a wireless Remote Viewfinder that transforms a smartphone into a viewfinder, and the WB150F has one of the best suites of fun digital image effects on the market. But will the WB150F’s 18x optical zoom and 720p HD video be enough to drive a wedge between consumers and their camera phones? Let’s find out.
Read the full review »

Specifications

Image Sensor

Sensor Type 1/2.3″ (Approx. 7.76mm) CCD
Effective Pixel Approx. 14.2 Mega pixels
Total Pixel Approx. 16.4 Mega pixels

Lens

Focal Length Schneider-KREUZNACH 18x Zoom Lens f = 4 ~ 72mm (35mm film equivalent : 24 ~ 432mm)
F No. 3.2 (W) ~ 5.8 (T)
Digital Zoom Still Image mode : 1x ~ 5x
Play mode : 1x ~ 14.4x (depends on image size)(1)

Image Stabilization

Mode Optical Image Stabilisation

Display

Type TFT LCD
Feature 3" (7.62cm), 460K dots

Focusing

Type TTL Auto Focus (Centre AF, Multi AF, Tracking AF, Face Detection AF, Face Recognition AF, Selection AF)(2)
Range Normal : 80cm ~ Infinity (Wide), 350cm ~ Infinity (Tele)
Macro : 5cm ~ 80cm (Wide), 180cm ~ 350cm (Tele)
Auto Macro : 5cm ~ Infinity (Wide), 180cm ~ Infinity (Tele)
Manual : 5cm ~ Infinity (Wide), 180cm ~ Infinity (Tele)

Shutter Speed

Smart Auto : 1/8 ~ 1/2000sec., Program : 1 ~ 1/2000sec., Night : 8 ~ 1/2000sec., Manual : 16 ~ 1/2000sec.

Exposure

Control Program AE, Aperture Priority AE, Shutter Priority AE, Manual Exposure
Metering System Multi, Spot, Centre-weighted, Face Detection AE
Compensation ±2EV (1/3EV steps)
ISO Equivalent Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200

Flash

Mode Auto, Auto & Red-eye reduction, Fill-in flash, Slow sync, Flash Off, Red-eye fix
Range Wide : 0.3m ~ 3.38m (ISO Auto), Tele : 0.5m ~ 1.51m (ISO Auto)
Recharging Time Approx. 4sec.

White Balance

Mode Auto WB, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent_H, Fluorescent_L, Tungsten, Custom, K

Still Image

Mode Mode (Dial) : 1) Smart Auto 2) Program 3) A / S / M 4) Scene 5) Magic Plus 6) Wi-Fi 7) Set 8) Movie
Scene : Beauty Shot, Night, Landscape, Text, Sunset, Dawn, Backlight, Beach & Snow
Magic : Live Panorama, Magic Frame, Split Shot, Picture in Picture (Still / Movie), Artistic Brush, Photo Filter, Movie Filter, Photo Editor
Smart Auto : Portrait, Night Portrait, Night, Backlight Portrait, Backlight, Landscape, White, Macro, Macro Text, Tripod, Action, Macro Colour, Natural Green, Blue Sky, Sunset, Fireworks
Drive : Single, Continuous, AEB, Motion Capture
Self timer: Off, 2sec., 10sec., Double (10sec., 2sec.)

Image Play

Single image, Thumbnails, Advanced Slide Show, Movie Clip, Smart Album

Date Imprinting

Date&Time, Date, Off (user selectable)

Movie Clip

Recording Smart Movie : Landscape, Blue Sky, Natural Green, Sunset
Movie Size : 1280 x 720 (30fps, 15fps), 640 x 480 (30fps, 15fps), 320 x 240 (30fps, 15fps)
18x optical zoom (Max. recording time : 20min)
Voice recording : Sound Alive On / Sound Alive Off / Mute
Effect Smart Filter : Miniature, Vignetting, Half Tone Dot, Sketch, Fish-eye, Classic, Retro, Palette Effect 1, Palette Effect 2, Palette Effect 3, Palette Effect 4
Edit Pause during recording and playing, Still Image Capture, Time Trimming

Storage

Media Internal memory : 18MB
External Memory : SDSC (up to 2GB guaranteed), SDHC (up to 32GB guaranteed), SDXC (up to 64GB guaranteed)
File Format Still Image : JPEG (DCF), EXIF 2.21, DPOF 1.1, PictBridge 1.0
Movie Clip : MP4 (Video: MPEG4, AVC / H.264, Audio: AAC)
Image Size 14M : 4320 x 3240 pixels,
12M P : 4320 x 2880,
10M W : 4320 x 2432,
10M : 3648 x 2736,
8M (1:1) : 2832 x 2832,
5M : 2592 x 1944,
3M : 1984 x 1488,
2M W : 1920 x 1080,
1M : 1024 x 768

Interface

Digital Output Connector USB 2.0
Audio Microphone : Mono
Internal Speaker : Mono
Video Output AV : NTSC, PAL (User selectable)
DC Power Input 5V

Power

Power Source Type Rechargeable battery : SLB-10A
Connector Type : micro USB (5 pin)

Physical Specification

Dimension Dimension (WxHxD) 106.5 x 59.9 x 23.4 (32.2) mm
Weight 188.2g (without battery and memory card media)
Operating Temperature 0 ~ 40°C
Operating Humidity 5 ~ 85%

S/W and PC OS

Bundle PC S/W Intelli-studio, PC Auto Backup (CD)
Compatible OS Windows XP SP2 / Vista / 7

System Requirement in General

For Macintosh Power Mac G3 or above
Mac OS 10.4 or above
110MB or more hard-disk capacity
minimum 256MB RAM
CD-ROM Driver
USB Port
For Windows Intel® Pentium®4 3.2GHz or above / AMD Athlon™ FX 2.6GHz or above
Windows XP_SP2 / Vista / 7
250MB or more hard-disk capacity (over 1GB recommended)
512MB RAM (over 1GB recommended)
nVIDIA Geforce 7600GT or above / ATI X1600 series or above
1024 x 768 pixels, 16-bit colour display compatible monitor
(1280 x 1024 pixels, 32-bit colour display recommended)
CD-ROM Driver
USB Port
DirectX 9.0c or above

Usage note

  • (1) Intelli-zoom : 2x
  • (2) Manual Focus

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