When Samsung introduced the NV24HD last year, the shooter's 24mm lens blew us away. We predicted then that the ultra-wide-angle trend would be a hit with consumers, and we were right--Panasonic's Lumix DMC-LX3 proved to be a success and the Korean cheabol is riding on this wave with its new WB500. This shooter was first seen at Photokina last September, and made its debut at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this year.
To sweeten the deal and differentiate itself from its competition, Samsung has melded other useful functions such as a 10x optical zoom into the point-and-shoot. While it offers a variety of creative and exposure functions, we can't help but feel handicapped by the limited manual mode and the slight lag which presents itself when we taking high ISO or long exposure shots.
Note that the WB500 is known as the HZ10W in some countries such as the US.
Design
In the looks department, it appears that Samsung has taken a leaf out of Panasonic's book, and styled the WB500 similar to the Lumix DMC-TZ15 (which will be replaced by the upcoming ZS3). On the front of the Samsung is a large lens barrel flanked by an onboard flash and AF illuminator.
We found the positioning of the flash too near to the handgrip, and there were occasions when we accidentally covered it while shooting. This was probably due to the large lens barrel which takes up most of the camera front. A nice way to resolve this issue would be to make the flash unit pop up from the top, like with the NV24HD.
The WB500 is no slim shooter, and we don't fault it. The robust chassis has to house more lens elements as well as components necessary for the operation of this high-end point-and-shoot. Even so, the camera was well-balanced and we didn't have any difficulty shooting handheld with it for long periods.
The rear layout is simple with few buttons to clutter the rear estate. Functions are mapped to the four-way directional pad which surrounds the Menu button. The command lever on the thumbrest allows easy access to change exposure (or ISO or white balance) settings by rocking it left or right. The charger port beside the thumbrest is well protected with a cover that is easy to open.
The WB500 doesn't come with a dedicated battery charger, so depending on which camp you are in, it can be either a good or bad thing. The upside to this is that the travel charger is less bulky to bring around. The downside is, unfortunately, if you don't have a spare battery, you are tethered to the electrical point when the cell runs low on power.
To sweeten the deal and differentiate itself from its competition, Samsung has melded other useful functions such as a 10x optical zoom into the point-and-shoot. While it offers a variety of creative and exposure functions, we can't help but feel handicapped by the limited manual mode and the slight lag which presents itself when we taking high ISO or long exposure shots.
Note that the WB500 is known as the HZ10W in some countries such as the US.
Design
In the looks department, it appears that Samsung has taken a leaf out of Panasonic's book, and styled the WB500 similar to the Lumix DMC-TZ15 (which will be replaced by the upcoming ZS3). On the front of the Samsung is a large lens barrel flanked by an onboard flash and AF illuminator.
We found the positioning of the flash too near to the handgrip, and there were occasions when we accidentally covered it while shooting. This was probably due to the large lens barrel which takes up most of the camera front. A nice way to resolve this issue would be to make the flash unit pop up from the top, like with the NV24HD.
The WB500 is no slim shooter, and we don't fault it. The robust chassis has to house more lens elements as well as components necessary for the operation of this high-end point-and-shoot. Even so, the camera was well-balanced and we didn't have any difficulty shooting handheld with it for long periods.
The rear layout is simple with few buttons to clutter the rear estate. Functions are mapped to the four-way directional pad which surrounds the Menu button. The command lever on the thumbrest allows easy access to change exposure (or ISO or white balance) settings by rocking it left or right. The charger port beside the thumbrest is well protected with a cover that is easy to open.
The WB500 doesn't come with a dedicated battery charger, so depending on which camp you are in, it can be either a good or bad thing. The upside to this is that the travel charger is less bulky to bring around. The downside is, unfortunately, if you don't have a spare battery, you are tethered to the electrical point when the cell runs low on power.
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