The Samsung WB500 is a 10 megapixel digital camera with a 10x optical zoom lens. The WB500 gives you a lot of zoom capacity in a relatively small body. The lens also offers plenty of flexibility with an ultra wide angle available. Other attractions include optical image stabilisation and the ability to shoot High Definition movie clips. A basic manual exposure control is also built in.

The WB500 is a very good digital camera. I was very impressed with the picture quality and I also like the range of features. If you are looking for some extra zoom power or a wide angle lens then this is a good choice.

Outdoor 1 (Medium Zoom)
The most impressive point about this shot is the overall sharpness of the picture. The WB500 manages to produce a sharp image even away from the centre with the trees in sharper focus than I am used to seeing. Colours remain true as well.

Outdoor 2 (No Zoom)
It is immediately obvious just what a wide angle this camera offers. The WB500 captures more of the scene than I am used to seeing. I was pleasantly surprised with the sharpness of the shot. Most digital cameras with a wide angle lens tend to struggle for sharpness when the zoom is not being used at all.

Outdoor 3 (Maximum Zoom)
Based on the first three test shots the WB500 is an impressive camera. There is a slight fall off in sharpness towards the right hand side of this shot, but it is not to any significant level. I like the brightness this camera manages to produce.

Outdoor 4 (Building)
Overall I would give this camera 9 out of 10 for sharpness. It has impressed me in all my outdoor shots. In this one the brickwork on the building stands out. When the picture is blown up you have no problem making out the individual bricks.

Outdoor Portrait
The WB500 adds a bit of extra pink to the skin tones. I don't mind this as it makes the picture look a little more vivid. There are no problems with the sharpness of the shot and you should be able to produce plenty of pleasing portrait shots.

Indoor Portrait with Flash
In my view this photo works extremely well. The combination of brightness from the flash, the evenness of the lighting and the amount of colour retained under the lighting conditions is hard to beat.

Indoor Portrait without Flash
Without flash you are still left with a very good effort. There is a slight colour caste, but you may feel this adds some warmth to the shot. Again there is plenty of brightness in the shot.

Colours
Samsung digital cameras turn up the power of the colours in places. It is a matter of personal taste whether you like colours to look a touch stronger or not. Personally I think the colours and brightness of the photos taken with the SB-500 work well.

Macro
This is a cracking close up shot. There is plenty of definition and high levels of clarity. The WB500 has also managed to get the colour spot on.

ISO 400 and ISO 1600
Obviously there is noise in the shots as you step up the ISO level, but noise levels are handled quite well. On top of this the colours remain true with little evidence of them breaking up.

Overall
Recently I have tested a number of cheaper digital cameras. The WB500 shows that if you are able to spend that bit more you can get a lot more quality. This is a set of bright, sharp test shots that has really impressed me.

Shutter lag and start up times were all about average, with no major problems. A single shot took 0.37 seconds, while five took 10.52 seconds. With flash turned on the times were 0.55 seconds for one shot and 15.04 seconds for five shots.

It took 2.68 seconds to turn the camera on and take the first photo.

You can compare this camera to other models by taking a look at the Shutter Lag Comparison Table.

Although the body is relatively compact it is still too large to slip into a pocket. The extra size means you can take a good hold of the camera when taking a shot.

105 x 61.4 x 36.5mm

219g

Lithium ion (SLB-10A). A battery and charger are supplied as standard.

Samsung has built enough memory into the WB500 to hold around 12 shots. The camera is also compatible with SD and SDHC cards.

Click here to save money on SD cards..

Average. If you choose to you can use the WB500 as a point and shoot camera. To make full use of all the features available will take more time. I found the text in the menu system small and not always easy to read.

Picture quality - manual exposure mode - size and design - High Definition movies

Size of menu text

Other digital cameras offering extra zoom in a compact body include the Canon Powershot SX110 IS.

I really like the Samsung WB500. The pictures it produces are bright and sharp. The lens offers great flexibility and the camera has a compact size.

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Front View

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Back View

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Top View

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Sample Menus

Description:	10 megapixels and a 10x optical zoom lens
Ease of Use:	8
Features:	8
Colour:	8
Macro:	9
Indoors:	9
Value for Money:	8
Style:	8
Movie Mode:	9
Image Quality:	9
Build Quality:	8
Total:	84
Verdict:	The Samsung WB500 has plenty going for it. I like the idea of offering a long lens in a smaller body. Picture quality is very good indeed. You also have access to a basic manual exposure mode and High Definition movies.
Review Date:	April 2009
Related Pages:	Samsung WB500 Specification Samsung WB500 Sample Images Samsung WB500 Features

	GBP 157.99
	GBP 164.71
	GBP 169.59
	GBP 174.99
	GBP 174.99
	GBP 199.99
Click a flag for prices from other countries:

Camera	Rating
Fuji Finepix F70EXR	85
Canon Powershot SX120 IS	85
Panasonic DMC TZ7	85
Canon Powershot SX200 IS	85
Samsung WB500	84
Sony DSC H20	81
Fuji Finepix S1500	81
Olympus MJU 9000	79

Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information on this site, please make sure you double check the feature set and specification at the point of purchase.

Samsung WB500