Samsung WB350F Smart Camera - Brown (16.3MP, Optical Image Stabilisation) 3 inch LCD Review

This is the updated model to the WB250, minor changes here not dramatic. The hand grip is gone on the previous model, replaced with a "pleather" (pretend leather) texture. The main appeal of this type of camera is how you can connect to other devices, making sharing photos and videos quite simple. Hence the "smart" title. Samsung have really embraced this aspect, more so than many makers.

NOTE: The camera uses micro SD cards not normal ones (bear this in mind)

My summary of some good and bad points about the camera

Pros:
+ Good price for a fairly well featured compact, excellent value
+ Handy 21x zoom range 23 - 483mm equivalent in 35mm, that's a nice wide angle and a good telephoto reach
+ 3" 460K touch screen control on the LCD panel it's quite good visibility wise and responds with good accuracy to touches (touch to focus and menus)
+ Image quality is pretty good in daylight fairly sharp images suitable for reasonable sized prints better than many compacts in this price point
+ Fully loaded with connectivity NFC, and wifi with apps available to download (iOS and Android)
+ Battery life isn't bad about 280-300 shots on average
+ Full manual controls on the mode dial (PASM) Max shutter speed of 16 seconds in M Mode (not bad for night shots)
+ Full HD video quality is quite sharp and decent for a compact

Cons:
- Micro SD, normal SD cards would be better
- Images in low light are a bit "mushy" I would avoid the highest ISO 1600 setting, though can get away with smaller prints
- Photos can blow out in the highlight end (white out sky effect) dial in a bit of - negative exposure compensation to help here
- LCD hard to see in harsh lighting
- Battery charged in camera (via USB port) probably a non issue for most, you can pick up an external charger

Additional notes:
Flash pops up on the top part of the camera, though re-charge times are not super fast but adequate.
Metering and white balance are ok most times, but you might want to dial it back a bit in harder light

You have your usual selection of tons of auto effects and filters to play around with. Images out of the camera are quite sharp and in good light better than many rivals at this keen price point. I personally find Samsung's default values a bit "pumped" and contrasty for my own tastes, but you can adjust this in camera to suit your own needs.

Samsung Smart Camera App can be downloaded and you can control the camera via that and auto share (facebook and other sites). They even have a baby monitor app so you can use the camera to send an alarm to your phone or tablet if the baby is crying.

Personally I don't need all these features, but you might..so it's there if you want it.
A nicely made, easy to use and well featured camera, if you want decent images, a good zoom range and desire the NFC and wifi aspects, then the WB350F is a good buy, Samsung have really improved a lot in recent years and this is one of their better efforts

By Mr Baz 

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