Overview
The Samsung ST550 is one of the most feature packed digital cameras you can lay your hands on. To start with nearly every feature is controlled through a touch sensitive LCD screen. The screen is 3.5 inches in size. Next up is the innovative front LCD screen. This is a 1.5 inch LCD screen that sits on the front of the camera. This helps you when lining up a self portrait.
The ST550 offers High Definition movies. There is also a 4.6x wide angle lens to go with the 12 megapixel sensor. Also included is tilt control. Once you have mastered tilt control you are able to carry out functions such as starting a slideshow and deleting images just by tilting the camera.
If you are worried about the accidental deletion of photos you will be pleased to hear Samsung has added a recycle bin to the ST550 to guard against the loss of precious snaps.
Why Buy The Samsung ST550
I am sure the combination of a front LCD screen, High Definition movies and touch control will appeal to a lot of people. I also found the LCD screen to very good for viewing.
Main Features
Megapixels:
Zoom:
LCD Screen:
Dimensions:
Weight:
12
4.6x
3.5 inches
99.8 x 59.8 x 18.6mm
165.7g
Macro:
HD Movies:
Manual Controls:
Batteries:
Memory Cards:
3cm
Yes
No
Lithium-ion Rechargeable
Micro SD/ Micro SDHC
Image Quality - See Sample Images Below
Outdoor Scenic Shots in Good Light
Outdoor 1 (Medium Zoom):
As you would expect in late autumn the ST550 is inconvenienced by the sun being low in the sky. This makes sunlight bounce back of the boats, reflecting into the lens of the camera. There is little you can do to get round this with this type of camera. Aside from that point I am happy with the way this photo looks.
Outdoor 2 (No Zoom):
Sharpness levels are above average and the level of detail in the shot is good. There is plenty of colour in the sky. I can see the merest hint of some purple fringing, but this is only likely to be a problem with large size prints.
Outdoor 3 (Maximum Zoom):
I like the fact that there is very little slippage in the sharpness of this photo as you move away from the centre. Overall the sharpness of the photo is above average.
Outdoor 4 (Building):
This is another decent attempt. In this case there is a small slippage in the definition of the shot on the left hand side. This takes the edge off the crispness of the photo.
Portraits
Outdoor Portrait:
I found it a little difficult to get the colouring of this photo exactly how I wanted it. This version, with a white balance setting of cloudy, creates an orange glow to the photo. Whilst this gives it a warm look I think it is a bit overcooked. Taking the same picture with white balance left on automatic produced a much duller shot.
Indoor Portrait with Flash:
The ST550 gets flash levels just about right in this picture. The lighting is soft enough not to wash colour from the skin tones, but bright enough to illuminate the face correctly.
Indoor Portrait without Flash:
Indoors without flash turned on is a tough assignment for any digital camera. The ST500 does well and keeps noise levels fairly well controlled.
Macro, Colours and Noise
Macro:
My macro test shot works quite well. The shot is sharp and there are good levels of detail showing.
Colours:
On the whole I think the camera manages to get the colour balance about right. The only photo where the colour did not work out was with the outdoor portrait.
Noise:
There is nothing out of the ordinary showing in terms of noise. You will find noise in darker areas of your photos with the ST550, but this happens with all compact digital cameras.
Summary
The ST550 has performed well in my tests. There are no obvious weaknesses that would stop me from buying this camera.
Style
Samsung has created a shiny camera with a gloss finish. The lens unit dominates the front of the camera.
Shutter Lag Times
Single Shot
Five Shots
Single Shot With Flash
Five Shots With Flash
Turn on Time
0.56 seconds
10.39 seconds
1.55 seconds
25.58 seconds
2.59 seconds
Ease of Use
There are a few extra features here you will need to take time out to get to grips with. My main gripe about this camera was I found the touch control screen a bit unresponsive and it took me a while to select the setting I wanted.
Points I Like
Picture quality - front LCD screen - Hugh Definition movies - recycle bin - LCD screen quality
Where it Could Improve
Slow shutter lag times - I found it difficult to select options through the LCD screen
Verdict
There are plenty of features to get your teeth into with the Samsung ST550. Picture quality is very good too. If you like the features on offer then there should be very little to put you off buying this camera.
Product Shots
Front View
Back View
Top View
Sample Menus
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Related Pages
Samsung ST550 Review Samsung ST550 Specification Samsung ST550 Sample Images Samsung ST550 Features Nikon Coolpix S1000pj vs Samsung ST550
Review Date
November 2009
