SAMSUNG ST1000(CL65) REVIEW

　

All products from Samsung Digital Imaging have the distinguished lineup. They have released various products according to the design and performance from the highest level WB series, ST, PL, and ES, so it gives more choices to users. Among them, the ST series shows more sensible and elegant design than other cameras.

We can also see the ST1000(CL65) I’m reviewing now is elegant and luxurious product. However, this also supports distinguished functions, not just emphasizing the design, so this catches my eyes. (GPS, which was supported for DSLR only as an option, is included, and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are also supported. Besides, I could see this features DLNA which is a home networking service.)

I’m expecting this much, because functions which we can’t even imagine for compact digital cameras are supported. Let’s check them through the review.

Image sensor	Type	1/2.3" (1.10cm) CCD
	Effective Pixel	Approx. 12x Mega-pixel
	Total Pixel	Approx. 12x Mega-pixel
Lens	Focal Length	Schneider Lens 6.3mm ~ 31.5mm (35mm film Equivalent: f 35mm ~ 175mm)
	F No.	F3.6 (W) ~ F4.8 (T)
	Digital Zoom	Still Image mode: 1.0x ~ 5.0x Play mode: 1.0x ~ 12.0x (depends on image size)
Focusing	Type	TTL auto focus (Multi AF, Center AF, Face Detection AF, Smart Touch AF, Face Recognition AF, Touch AF)
	Range	Normal: 80cm~infinity Macro: 10cm~80cm (W), 50cm~80cm (T) Auto Macro : 10cm~Infinity (W), 50cm~Infinity (T) Super Macro: 1cm~5cm (Wide, only) (TBD)
Exposure	Compensation	±2EV (1/3EV steps)
	Control	Program AE, Shutter AE, Aperture Priority AE or Manual ExposureAE Lock (TBD)
	ISO Equivalent	Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200
	Metering	Multi, Spot, Center Weighted, Face Detection AE
Flash	Modes	Auto, Auto & Red-eye reduction, Fill-in flash, Slow sync, Flash off, Red eye fix
	Recharging Time	Approx. under 4 sec.
	Range	Wide : 0.3m ~ 5.0m, Tele : 0.5m ~ 3.0m (ISO AUTO) (TBD)
Storage	Media	Internal Memory: TBD External Memory (Optional): Micro SD Card
	File format	Still Image: JPEG (DCF), EXIF 2.21, DPOF 1.1, PictBridge 1.0 Movie Clip: MP4 (H.264 (MPEG4.AVC)) Audio: WAV
	Image Size	12M: 3968 x 2976 pixels, 8M: 3264 x 2448 pixels (TBD) 5M : 2560 x 1920 pixels, 3M: 2048 x 1536 pixels 1M: 1024x 768 pixels, 9M W: 3840 x 2160 pixels, 2M W 1920 x 1080 (1792 x 1008 TBD) pixels 10M P: 3984 x 2656 pixels Resize 4:35M: 2560 x 1920, 3M: 2048 x 1536, 1M: 102
Interface	Audio	Microphone: StereoInternal Speaker: Mono
	Digital output connector	USB 2.0
	Video Out	AV: NTSC, PAL (user selectable) HDMI 1.2: NTSC, PAL (user selectable)
	DC power input	34pin
	Cradle	New Type
Physical Specification	Dimensions (WxHxD)	99.8 x 60.8 x 18.9mm
	Weight	TBD (without battery and card)
	Operating Temperature	0 ~ 40°C
	Operationg Humidity	5 ~ 85%
Display	Type	TFT LCD
	Feature	3.5" Wide over h VGA w / Full Touch Screen Panel
Movie Clip	Recording	With Audio or without Audio (Max Recording time: 20min) Size: 1280 x 720 (30fps & 15fps) High Quality, 1280 x 720 (30fps & 15fps) Standard Quality, 640 x 480 (30fps & 15fps), 320 x 240 (60fps & 30fps), For Share(320 x 240, 30fps) (5x Optical Zoom)
	Effect	Color : Normal, Soft, Vivid, Forest, Retro, Cool, Calm, Classic, Negative, Custom
	Edit	Pause during recording, Still Image Capture, Time Trimming
Multimedia functions	Additional functions	Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) Bluetooth 2.0GPS for Geotagging and Location Name
Still Image	Shooting	Smart Recognition, Auto, Program, Dual IS, SceneScene: Portrait, Children, Landscape, Text, Close-up, Sunset, Dawn, Backlight, Fireworks, Beach & Snow, Angle Guide
	Effect	Photo Style Selector: Normal, Soft, Vivid, Forest, Retro, Cool, Calm, Classic, Negative, Custom RGB Image Adjust: Sharpness (Soft+, Soft, Normal, Vivid, Vivid+), Contrast (Hight+,High, Normal, Low, Low+) , Saturation(++, +, Normal, -, --)
	Edit	Image Edit: Resize, Rotate, Trimming Photo Style Selector: Normal, Soft, Vivid, Forest, Retro, Cool, Calm, Classic, Negative, Custom RGB Special Effect: Color Filter, Elegant, Add NoiseImage Adjust: Face Retouch, Brightness, Contrast, Saturation, Red Eye Fix, ACB Funny Face: Face Retouch (Level 1,2,3), Red eye fix, Snow, Mosaic
Special Feature		1. Wirless Connectivity w / internal Wi-Fi & Bluetooth Module - DLNA based on Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11 b/g) - DSC to DSC, DSC to TV, DSC to Cell Phone - Online File Sharing 2. Geo-tagging w/ internal GPS Module - Location Name (OSD) - Google Map Link
System Requirement in general	For Windows	PC with processor better than Pentium III 500MHz (Pentium III 800MHz recommended) Windows 2000 / XP / Vista 250MB of available hard-disk space (Over 1GB recommend) Minimum 256MB RAM (Over 512MB recommended) USB port CD-ROM drive 1024 x 768 pixels, 16-bit color display compatible monitor (24-bit color display recommended) Microsoft DirectX 9.0 or later
	For Macintosh	Power Mac G3 or laterMac OS 10.3 or higher Minimum 256MB RAM 110MB of available hard-disk space USB port CD-ROM drive
System Requirement for 720P H.264 Movie	For Windows	Intel Pentium 4, 3.2GHz or higher / AMD Athlin 64FX, 2.6GHz or higher Windows XP service pack2 / Vista Minimum 512MB RAM (1GB and above recommended) 64MB or greater video card (nVIDIA Geforce 7600GT or higher / ATI X1600 series or higher recommended)
	For Macintosh	1.8GHz Power Mac G5 or 1.83GHz Intel Core Duo or faster Macintosh computer At least 256MB of RAM 64MB or greater video card

☆ This product is for test,

so can be different from the official product in the specifications.

99.8 x 60.8 x 18.9 mm of size and 156g of weight are not 100% satisfactory, but it’s enough for you to carry without much inconvenience. (Personally, I prefer a little firm and heavy product to a just small product. Thanks to appropriate weight and stable grip, I could take shots and control it satisfactorily.)

Like I mentioned earlier, the design is elegant as a high graded product. On the front, the metal is used, and with the hairline, it gives freshness and heaviness at the same time. It’s also very neat without excrescences. (I’d like to say the finishing is great.) @ Not only the black color which is being reviewed, but also red and blue colors will be released.

It’s the front of the product. You can see the lens doesn’t come out unlike the protruding type ST550. (Turing it one, the lens cap moves to the side. After testing it, it has drastically less vibration, so more stable shots could be done. This supports 5x optical zoom, so it’s possible to take an object at a far distance without moving much.) The Schneider approved lens has been attached. And the F value is F3.6(W)~4.8(T). @This not only supports 12.2M pixels, but also this has the Dual IS function, so under any circumstances, satisfactory shots could be taken.

Besides, like the picture, in the center, flash, microphone, and AF / Self timer lamp are located, and on the left side, Wi-Fi antenna which is not seen is included. (When using the wireless internet, please do not touch the antenna part if possible.)

It’s the top of the product. The GPS antenna located in the center is the most noticeable. (Usage of the GPS will be handled later.) On the right side, power and shutter buttons are located, and zoom lever, play button, and speaker are also attached. It also supports the status LCD, so when using wireless mode, Bluetooth mode, and GPS mode, you can easily see the status.

This is the back of the product. Like the ST550, for better display, 3.5” wide (1.152M pixels color) wide touch LCD is located. (Even though it’s the TFT-LCD, but I could experience the strength and vividness as much as the AMOLED of the WB1000. There’s no inconvenience due to the viewing angle, and the touch response is also great, so it was quite satisfactory. It doesn’t support the vibration feedback, but it supports the sound feedback, so I could definitely see if the button is pushed or not. ) @This has minimized the button part, so all functions have to be controlled through touch, but I could unexpectedly feel much inconvenience. Because of the large display, the finger touch was quite easy. Moreover, like other products having a touch pad, this supports the gesture function, so rotation, magnification, and delete of picture can be done through the movement of fingers.

This is the left side of the product. There’s a strap ring, so you can hang a hand strap, necklace, or something on this.

This is the bottom of the product. For a tripod connection, a mount hall is located, and also the 34 pin port is also installed for USB or A/V cable. (Not universal 20 pin, but 34 pin port has been adopted. Using an accessory not included, HDMI output is possible.) On top of that, on the side, battery is attached with the card slot. (Unlike other products, the Micro SD is noticeable.) @This also support 100MB built-in memory, so it will be useful when the memory is full.

This is the size comparison. You can see it can be carried on a hand. (The size is similar to the size of smart phone or premium MP3P.)

@ Body, power adaptor, USB cable, battery, hand strap, A/v cable, and CD (Including a user manual) are included, and case, memory card, HDMI cable/adaptor, and remote controller will be sold separately.

We’ve checked the design and feature. Let’s take a look at the functions this support closely. (This supports various unique functions which haven’t been seen before.)

This is the main UI. As a touch screen supported product, various addition functions can be set. On the left top, the current mode is displayed, and on the lower side, flash, self timer, and display set are possible. On the right side, including the motion recognition setting button, GPS and Wi-Fi setting button and menu button are provided. And on the bottom, the quick menu of the current menu is displayed. (By supporting the quick menu, you don’t need to go inside of the menu to set functions.) @ Because this supports the motion recognition function, mode and functions are executed by tilting it while holding the button. Besides, the GPS and Wi-Fi which haven’t existed are also impressive.

We can see this supports 6 modes. Including the smart auto which automatically recognizes the scene to take good pictures, this supports auto program modes. And unlike other low range products, this supports the Dual IS mode. This also supports the scene mode including the beauty shot and video recording function, so this can be used for various purposes.

When setting the mode, the icon on the left top changes according to the mode. (When it comes to shots, the structure of main UIS is almost the same.) @ Various modes such as macro, macro text, white, scenery, action, tripod, night scenery, night scenery portrait, backlight, backlight portrait, portrait, blue sky, sunset, macro color, macro portrait, and natural green will be automatically set. This is the advanced Smart auto, I could say.

Because this supports GPS function, you can record the information of locate on the picture. Pushing the GPS icon, the menu is activated, and you can execute the GPS mode set and effective time, the name of the city, and initialization.

The one of the biggest advantage of the ST1000(CL65) is the wireless networking function. The above picture is the menu and various 6 functions are supported. (Supported functions will go over later.) @ The wireless internet of Free AP region or secured AP line with password can be used, and in Korea, the Netspot will be supported later.

At the user setting, you can insert name and email address, and through the AP setting, you can connect the wireless signal. (I connected the free AP line. If there’s a password protection, the password window is activated.) @ Not only auto connection, but also manual connection is supported.

You can send a mail after registering the email address of the receiver, and transfer size of the DLNA and WPS type setting are supported. Besides, the information of the instrument can be confirmed.

When selecting the picture and video share, 4 web sites are displaed. (You can upload pictures and videos on the 4 sites in the left top. I selected the YouTube and tested.) After log in with ID and password, once pulling the video to upload up, the registration is ready, and when pushing the OK button on the bottom, the upload is stated. @ Like the above picture, I could see the video from the ST1000(CL65) was appropriated uploaded on the YouTube. Only 320x240 resolution videos are possible, but I think this function will be very useful.

Email Transfer function is also supported. Through the user registration, the sender is automatically registered, and the receivers can be added and selected from the setting. After all procedure, selecting the picture and pushing the OK button, the transfer begins. @ Like the picture, we can see the mail arrived appropriately. Personally, I think this is one of the most very surprising functions, and this will appeal to users who need to transfer a picture in a hurry.

It’s possible to connect to another camera and transfer files, and through the share with DNLA instruments, you can easily watch pictures in the large screen. @ DLNA: A technology connecting the instruments through network and sharing the contents. Samsung TV supporting DLNA has already been released in the market.

Not only the Wi-Fi, but also the Bluetooth is supported, so file can be easily transferred. Executing the function, this starts to search Bluetooth instruments and by inserting the PIN code, the pairing can be made. Through the pairing, once the 2 instruments are connected, like other function, file transfer is possible. @ But, only camera-camera and camera-cell phone connection are supported.

It’s connected to my smart phone, and we can see this starts to transfer data after pairing.

On the side, the direct button is attached, so you can easily execute flash, focus, self timer set, and display set.

This is the beauty shot setting in the scene mode. Various detailed settings are possible. (Skin brightness and skin compensation can be adjusted to 3 levels.)

Let’s take a look at the video function. Like you see from the picture, video size and recording speed can easily be selected and OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) is also supported. Unlike most other products supporting only SD resolution, this supports 1280x720 720P HD video recording, so you can get videos with better quality. (Using the adaptor not included, HDMI connection is also possible.)

When setting the program mode, you can manually set the all functions supported. (Selecting a different mode, some functions go auto.) The picture above is the shot function menu, and we can see various functions are supported.

From -2 to +2, brightness of pictures can be freely adjusted and various white balance functions are supported. Besides, up to ISO 3200 is supported, so in the dark place, you can take a picture without flash. ACB function compensating the difference between light and darkness is also provided.

When it comes to AF region, this basically supports center and multi division AF. Not only that. It also supports the one touch shot which takes shots through long touch after selecting the focus by touching the object from the screen and the smart touch AF function which moves the focus region when changing the composition after setting the focus by touching the screen. (This maximizes the strength of the touch screen.) This also supports multi division, spot, and central photometry, and for the shot mode, normal, continuous (Taking shots continuously while pushing the shutter), motion capture (Taking 6 shots per second in VGA resolution up to 30 pictures), and AEB (Taking 3 consecutive shots with appropriate, insufficient, and excessive exposure) are supported.

Detailed face recognition function is one of the distinguished advantages of Samsung digital camera. The ST1000(CL65) also supports normal, smile shot, self guide, and blink detection, and smart face recognition, face recognition list, and my star function have been added. @ Up to 20 faces are supported for the smart face recognition. (It is the world’s best in the number of recognized faces.)

This supports 12.2M pixels high resolution shot, and as you can see from the picture, this supports various sizes of pictures and 3 levels of resolution settings. (Considering the size and quality, you can select the size and resolution of pictures.)

Like other products, through the picture style setting, different shots can be taken, and contrast, sharpness, and chroma can be manually set. (This function is used when you want to give some different feeling to pictures.)

Different from low price range products, this perfectly supports the OIS (The optical image stabilization is very useful and frequently used function.), and voice memo and voice recording functions are basically provided.

Let’s take a look at the setting of sound. The volume of operation sound is adjustable (3 levels and off), acting, start, shutter, and AF sound settings are provided. (The sound setting of the self guide function is also possible.)

It’s the display menu setting. Various languages are supported and self explanation function displaying option and explanation is also provided. (It’s useful for beginners to get used to functions.) Besides, when turning it on, the starting image which can select the first image is provided. (Users can register the image.)

Guide line setting is supported, so pictures can be taken with more accurate angles and brightness, direct viewing time, and battery saving mode can be set. (When setting the battery saving mode, the LCD goes off and the status LED blinks as the battery saving mode.)

It’s the setting mode, and like other product, various menus are provided. (Like the picture on the right bottom, initialization and format functions are supportd.)

Date & Time and time zoon setting are possible, and file numbering type can be selected. (If you take a lot of shots and want to manage files with a PC like me, don’t forget to set this to the  ‘continuous’. If you set the ‘From the beginning’, the same file number will appear.) Besides, automatic rotation of pictures, date record, auto power off, AF , and Anynet+ settings are provided.

In case connecting the cradle not included, the HDMI resolution setting is provided, and video output, USB, PC software setting are possible.

Connecting to a PC through the USB cable, like the picture, the built-in editing software Intelli-Studio is automatically executed, and through this, you can save, edit, and share images.

You can check the picture, video, and voices taken by pushing the play button on the back. (Even if it’s off, you can check them by pushing the play button.) As a touch screen supported product, various additional functions to control taken pictures are supported from the main menu.

This supports the magnification function of pictures (You can cut it after magnification.), and motion recognition function is also supported for playback. Besides, various divided screens are supported, so you can search images and videos more easily and quickly. (Using the zoom lever while playback, magnification and thumbnail setting are possible.)

This supports various sorting function. Pushing the menu button, you can sort files by file, date (Week/day), and color. By bookmark and registering faces, you can give a priority on pictures and sort them by the priority.

When going out with the GPS function, like the picture, the icon goes green and the GPS is activated. (You can see the name of the city is displayed on the top.) When taking a shot while the GPS is received, like the left bottom, the GPS antenna icon is displayed, and setting the local, the name of the city is displayed on the bottom, so you can easily search the file.

On the main screen, registered face list can be confirmed and file delete, multi slideshow, editing, and screen information setting function are provided.

It’s the multi slide shot setting screen. Not only the play mode setting, but also interval, background music, and effect settings are supported.

It’s the edit screen. The rotation of pictures is possible and the size of pictures is adjustable. Besides, like the shot menu, photo style can be applied to the pictures taken, and effects, brightness, contrast, chroma, ACB, face decoration (Skin compensation, Red-eye elimination, snow, mosaic, and outfocusing) are provided.

It’s the play setting menu. When running the smart album, the number of pictures can be shown, and delete and protection functions are supported. On top of that, through the trash bin function, deleted pictures can easily be recovered,, and voice memo, DPOF, copy to card, and motion recognition can be set.

I could see this product has some new functions which are not in other products such as GPS and Wi-Fi. Through some test, let’s take a closer look at the quality of pictures.

This product supports 5x optical zoom and 35-175mm FOV on 35mm. The wide angle is a bit unsatisfactory, but for the standard and tele angle, this has perfect angles, so it’s enough to take various pictures.

Like other Samsung Digital Imaging products, this supports specialized functions for portrait such as the smile shot which automatically takes a shot of smile and blink detection which takes 2 consecutive shots when it detects blink. Besides, the self guide function making a beep sound when a faces is recognized is provided.

The picture above was taken with the beauty shot, and we can see It’s much different from normal shots. (As if putting on cosmetics, the skins got clean and the exposure was also optimized for portraits. You don’t need to use any editing software such as Photoshop after taking pictures.)

I’d like to say the OIS makes totally different pictures. The pictures above were taken under the same condition and OIS on or off. When the OIS is off, there’s a lot of hand blur, but after setting the OIS, there’s no hand blur. (2-3 more steps of shutter speed can be secured. It’s quite useful function for those who have a tremor of the hand like me.)

This supports the advanced smart auto function. Unlike other products, Sunset, Blue Sky, natural Green, and Self shot (Macro portrait) have been added, so optimized shots can be taken under any circumstances. (As the picture above, no other special operations was needed under any circumstances.)

It’s the noise test by each ISO. Up to ISO 800, there’s no noise, and not much noise on ISO 1600 and 3200 enough to be used. (Of course, with more than ISO 1600, it’s not easy to use for some professional purpose. However, after resizing, it’s enough to be used for web site.)

It’s the original pictures. The more ISO, the more noise was made and picture got more smashed. (However, the pixels weren’t that rough. This is good enough to take a shot with high ISO.)

It’s the sample cut. On any mode, the exposures were accurate and the auto white balance was very good. This product has great color expression, so this can be used not only for normal, but also semi-pro, I think.

　

@ Clicking the picture, you can see the original pictures.

This product can take HD videos. Even though it was connected to a Full HD TV via AV cable, the quality was so satisfactory. (This provides clean and vivid video quality enough to be used for web or snap shot.)

[Design of the ST1000(CL65) & Operation video]

If you want to have a camera only taking great pictures, I‘d like to recommend DSLR. (When it comes to DSLR, recently it supports various functions, so it’s used for various purposes, but basically, the quality is the most important.) However, it has to be small and easy to use and have various functions, I’d like to recommend a compact camera like the ST1000(CL65) which I’ve been reviewing. (Recent compact digital cameras have a powerful shot function and some professional functions.)

The ST1000(CL65) from Samsung Digital Imaging is the one of them. Different from other cameras supporting functions only about taking shots, through the GPS, the information of the location can be added on the picture (Recently, the navigations searching the path only by a picture with the information of the location have been released variously. It will be useful in various ways.), and through the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth functions, pictures can easily be transferred. (Like we saw in the test part, you can easily transfer pictures and videos on web site, mail, and cell phone supporting Bluetooth. I’d like to recommend this for those who want a camera for business.)

Large, clean, and vivid display is the big advantage of the ST1000(CL65), and through the advanced smart auto mode and Dual IS mode, I could take satisfactory shots under any situations. Besides, this supports various functions optimized for portrait shots, so you will be satisfied when taking pictures of family and friends, I think.

This is for those who want good quality, convenience, and various functions. If you want to use a camera for business such as transferring some result or information of the location, I’d like to recommend this product.