Digital Home Thoughts - News & Reviews for the Digital Home

Well, PhotoRumors.com has posted a photo of the alleged NX100, which is rumoured to be a higher specified version of the NX10. I'm left wondering if Samsung is throwing good money after bad; a new lens mount needs to have a lot going for it, and just the Samsung name is not going to be good enough. In fact, after the lukewarm reviews of the NX10 (and all the cameras before it) maybe the Samsung name is more a liability than an asset.

"Camera releases are somewhat a by-the-numbers thing with so many different variations being released by numerous companies throughout the year. Samsung's pair here does have some interesting standout features, but one at a time."

Samsung's got a pair of interesting cameras; the first one, the ST80, offers a standard 3x zoom lens (35-105 equivalent; people still make them?), a 3" touchscreen with no physical controls at the back, 720p video, and WiFi to upload files directly to photo-sharing and social network sites. After having played around with the latest generation of smartphones, I think it would be cooler if cameras now started adding Bluetooth so we can use our phones to share those social snaps taken on something better than crappy cellphone cameras.

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"Samsung continues to lead the field of cameras with front-facing screens -- it's bringing its total count of DualView cameras to six with the new flagship ST100 and ST600. In addition to sharing a new larger 1.8-inch front screen, both cams feature the same 14.2 megapixel sensor with ISO 3200 sensitivity, a 3.5-inch rear display, and a new "jump shot" mode that uses the front screen to cue a group of people to jump and then fires off three quick snaps to capture the action."

Engadget picked up on Samsung's press release introducing these two new "DualView" digital cameras, which are expected to be available early this fall. As with many new digital cameras, these models are packed with features, including 1280x720 video recording, optical image stabilization, and Samsung's "Smart Gesture User Interface," which combines LCD touch-screen control with physically tilting the camera. Still, it is the dual LCD screens that remain the major selling point - a feature that I initially thought was little more than a gimmick. However, a couple of the shooting modes caught my eye: 1) the "Jump Shot" mode described above, and 2) "Couple Shot" mode, wherein the camera takes a photo "when it detects two faces tilted toward each other." Factoring these shooting modes in with the balance of the features leads to the inescapable conclusion that I am not a member of the target market for these models! The question then, of course, becomes "Who Is?" Do you find the DualView feature attractive enough to make it a required purchase point?

It seems like the Samsung EX1 (TL500 outside of Asia) has a lot going for it - the materials and construction look fantastic - but by sticking it with the tiny sensor, Samsung partially nullifies one of the advantages of the f/1.8 lens...the DOF bokeh. It's still appealing from a lens speed point of view...but if this had a bigger sensor, it would be much more appealing. Oh, and HD video is a must as well.

I really like my Panasonic GF1 for instance, but would be perfectly happy if it had a non-removable lens. Yes, that's a core advantage of the micro-four thirds system, but what matters more to me is the speed of the auto focus, and the image quality - I have a DSLR for lens flexibility. Since I only have the 20mm lens for it, I have the speed (f/1.7) I want, but no zoom. If I could get a camera with the sensor of the GF1 and the lens of the Samsung TL500 (f/1.8 to f/2.4) I'd be quite happy. Does such a camera exist?

"It's now more than a year since we published our last superzoom group test and despite the hype surrounding mirrorless system cameras such as Micro Four Thirds or the Sony NEX, and the fact that entry level DSLRs are becoming more and more affordable, superzoom cameras are as popular with consumers as ever. It is easy to see why. The combination of a large zoom range from wideangle to super telephoto, DSLR-like ergonomics and an attractive price point guarantee that these cameras appeal to a very broad audience."

Following up on their travel zoom roundup, Digital Photography Review has released one on the travel zoom's big brothers; the super zoom cameras. As mentioned, despite mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras being the new must-have for manufacturers, the appeal of such "bridge" cameras still lies in their versatility at a low cost. This time round, the winners are not so surprising. Still, I can't imagine going back to using thumbnail-sized sensors in my cameras!

"For many years now, the trend on this website has been to review the more expensive, cutting-edge cameras. Not only do those cameras capture my interest -- they are what the majority of DCRP readers are curious about, as well. Recently, I was reminded by a reader that I wasn't giving enough attention to entry-level cameras. These cameras may be boring to tech enthusiasts, but let's face it, millions of them are sold every year to regular folks who want something easy-to-use that takes decent photos."

Jeff Keller of the Digital Camera Resource Page has done a nice roundup of eight budget digital cameras. As digital cameras becomes more commoditised, reviews tend to become fewer and fewer, especially in the budget section, where unfortunately it is an area where it's likely to be a big segment of consumers who will likely need some help in making their choices. So if you know of anyone who's just looking for a cheap, no-frills camera that won't let them down, send them over to this roundup.

Here's a trio of reviews of superzoom cameras, including one of the winner's of dpreview's travel zoom round up, the Samsung WB650. PhotographyBLOG reviews it, and like dpreview, came away pretty impressed by it. Between this and the Samsung EX1/TL500, it seems that Samsung's slowly creeping in as a viable brand for digital cameras. Hopefully they can keep the momentum going in this very tight market.

More cameras after the read link.

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"Every now and then a camera comes along that simply feels right from the moment that you pick it up. It's a curious combination of design attributes, build materials and ergonomics that makes this so. The Samsung EX1 (TL500 in some markets) is one such camera. Given how new to camera making Samsung is, it's a bit surprising that they got so much right. But maybe not."

Michael Reichmann of Luminous Landscape takes the Samsung TL500 (EX-1 in Europe and parts of Asia) through one of this usual hands-on reviews, and came away pretty impressed with it, lamenting only on the low resolution of the video mode, and the proprietary RAW format used by the camera. I'm a little surprised with the outcome of the review - Samsung's cameras have to date, been plagued with image quality issues like poor noise control and overall lack of sharpness due to de-mosiacing algorithms. I'm also a little surprised by the lack of image quality tests in the review. While Michael generally doesn't do the bench testing sites like dpreview.com do, he generally runs through an ISO comparison test and maybe a colour checker test before posting. I'm now curious to see how the camera fared at higher ISOs, beyond the one lone 100% crop shown!

"The NX10 ($699) marks Samsung's bold entry into the increasingly competitive interchangeable lens camera market. It's designed to go head-to-head with the likes of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2 and, to a lesser extent, the more compact (and viewfinder-less) Olympus E-PL1 and Sony NEX-5 cameras. Samsung never really got any traction selling regular digital SLRs, so now they're trying their hand at an ILC. Based on my experiences with the NX10, I think Samsung has a good chance of success in this space."

Samsung's entry to the fast-growing EVIL (Electronic Viewfinder Interchangeable Lens) market is based on an APS-C sensor, which about 70% larger in area compared to the Four Thirds sensors. Long-time digital camera reviewer Jeff Keller at DCRP takes a look at the NX10, and while he was quite favourable about many aspects of the camera, he does conclude that its higher ISOs are not as good as the Micro Four Thirds cameras. It's a good reminder to everyone that sensor size is not everything. It needs to be backed up by the accompanying electronics package and the firmware to properly process the images. Also it's a reminder that such expertise in producing quality images needs to be earned; Nikon and Canon both spent years getting to where they are today.

"Panasonic's suggested retail price is $2,900 for a 50-inch plasma set, one pair of glasses and a 3-D Blu-ray player. An extra pair of glasses costs $150. South Korean competitor Samsung Electronics Co. announced Tuesday that its 3-D sets would go on sale this week. For $3,000, buyers get a 46-inch set, two pairs of glasses, a 3-D Blu-ray player and a 3-D copy of "Monsters vs. Aliens.""

Meh, totally not interested. I really have no desire to watch stuff in 3-D. Any time I've watched something in 3-D it pretty much guarantees a migraine. Plus there is not a heck of a lot of content available yet, so even if you really want this, you might as well wait until later in the year when there is more compelling content AND you can pick the gear up at a bit lower than the bleeding edge price of admission.

"It was just last month at CES when Skype announced its partnerships with LG Electronics and Panasonic to deliever Skype-enabled TVs to the market. Today Samsung is announcing that all Samsung LED 7000 and 8000 series HDTVs will be Skype-enabled as well."

I can see how some people might like this idea, but the picture that Skype presents somehow seems a bit creepy to me. I think the whole concept of something that is for all intents and purposes 'always on' that can snoop on me tickles my privacy bone. While it is probably quite comfortable and natural to talk to your peeps through a big screen so it is almost like you are in the same room, for all I know, some school administrator could be sneaking snapshots while I sit in front of the TV and fulfil my guilty pleasures like The Princess Bride or The Pirate Movie. Does anyone see something like this as a good idea?

"Ridgefield Park, NJ (January 18, 2010) - Samsung Electronics America, Inc., a market leader and award-winning innovator in consumer electronics, today announced the addition of two new models to its HZ-Series of high zoom, point-and-shoot digital cameras. The 12-megapixel HZ35W and HZ30W offer the same wide-angle 24mm Schneider lenses as their predecessors, the HZ15W and HZ10W, but extend the telephoto capability of the range from a 10x optical zoom to an impressive 15x optical zoom. In addition, the HZ35W comes equipped with a super clear and sharp 3.0" AMOLED display and built-in GPS technology for the automatic geo-tagging of images from anywhere in the world. "These cameras represent what consumers can expect from Samsung," said Mr. SJ Park, CEO of Samsung Digital Imaging Company. "From their powerful optics to the exceptional combination of features which make snapping perfect pictures every time effortless, Samsung's new HZ-Series goes above and beyond what's expected from a point-and-shoot and raises the bar even higher for this class of high zoom compacts.""

Cramming a 15x optical zoom into a body only 1.1 inches thick is no small feat, but adding GPS and a three inch AMOLED screen on top of that is quite impressive. Due to be shipping in March 2010 for an unknown price point - honestly, why send out a press release with no MSRP? - the HZ35W looks like a camera designed to compete with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 and the Canon SX-200 IS. The remainder of the press release is after the break, along with more images. Read more...

Late last year, I did a bit of office re-configuration, and retired my old Canon MP780 inkjet all-in-one in favour of something that would get the old "dried out ink cartridge" problem, and something that had a lower cost per-page. That something was a colour laser multi-function printer.

I had a specific space for the printer, and since most of them are quite large, I was seeking something as small as possible. The Samsung CLX-3175 fit the bill: it printed, scanned, faxed, and was much smaller than any competing product. It fit exactly where I needed it to fit, so I thought I was all set. It didn't turn out that well in the end.

The first problem when I set it up and did a test print was the horrible stench - I'm used to laser printers being a little oderous, but this was extreme. Thankfully, after a few days it lessened to the point where it was tolerable. What wasn't tolerable, however, was the print quality of the CLX-3175. The first sample print I did looked awful - the colours were horribly washed out. I thought perhaps I had it set on some sort of draft mode, but after triple-checking every driver checkbox and drop-down menu there was, I couldn't see any way to improve the quality. Read more...

"Its glossy black finish and polished Darth Vader design make Samsung's newest Blu-ray box, the BD-P4600, stand out from every other player on the market. Well, it actually doesn't stand anywhere at all — it comes with the metal brackets to mount it on a wall or plant it on a desktop pedestal. And like Lord Vader, this model packs some serious force with its built-in streaming for Pandora music and Netflix movies."

I've always been surprised that there are not more options in wall mountable DVD/Blu-ray players. With the growth in wall-mounted TV's, a wall-mounted player seems to be a logical option. Unfortunately, all the wall-mounted players I've seen tended to be rather specialized products and were priced accordingly. I don't care about a wall-mounted player so much for the living room since I have lots of other components that are not wall mountable anyway. But I've got a 32" LCD wall-mounted in the bedroom and having to make space on a nearby dresser to put a DVD player takes away from some of the elegance of a wall-mounted TV.

"The market is flooded with flash-based solid state drives (SSD) right now, all of which claim to deliver impressive throughput at power consumption levels low enough to save the world. So much for the theory, though—the reality is rather different. A few select products are truly impressive, but the bulk of these are just expensive offerings that do not deliver on their promises. Two new drives by Samsung and Solidata found their way into our test labs, and they are as different as they can be."

SSD Manufacturers are working hard to improve the performance of their product and bring them more into the mainstream. Of course, it almost seems as if everyone and their mom is making SSDs now. Solidata and Samsung have their latest babies wrung through the testing labs of Tom's Hardware and the results demonstrate that time does not always see improvements in technology. Of course, I welcome the extra competition, but the results that Tom's Hardware produces still leaves me a bit wanting and thinking that I may still stick with good old HDDs for the next year, maybe two. Sure, HDDs are a fairly mature product, but they've stood with me through the test of time. At least I'm not waxing poetic about 3.5" floppies, the Parallel Port or trying to convince people that VESA Local Bus really is better than ISA.

"The Samsung YP-P3 is actually a knockout of a portable media player. True, it may not have the WiFi or custom application support going for it, but the native video codec support and numerous music playback abilities knock the socks off of an iFruit. What's more, the 3rd iteration of the Digital Natural Sound Engine (DNSe) sounds absolutely incredible! The integrated Bluetooth has great potential, but for now is limited by an inadequate bitrate for stereo playback and lack of certian handsfree abilities like voice dialing. I'd also like to see better support for FLAC and AAC when it comes to reading ID3 tags, but at least the codecs are there. Highly recommended for music and movie afficionados alike."

The broad format support is a definite plus for Samsung's offering. I really hate having to convert my videos to different formats for different portable devices. I'm also intrigued by the haptic feedback offering which I hope to see on more touchscreen offerings in the future.

"The keyboard-free Q1EX-71G UMPC was first showcased at CES 2009 for all to drool over, but the company has finally gotten around to posting a product page for the device. The Q1EX-71G will retail for $749.99 and provide users with a 7-inch 1024×600 pixel touchscreen, 1.2Ghz VIA Nano processor, VIA Chrome9 HC graphics, 2GB of RAM, 60GB hard drive, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0, and SD card slot."

Getting close to what I'm looking for from a tablet form netbook. Add an inch or so to the screen and get the price to at least the sub $600 level and we can talk. Other than that, the form factor looks about right.

A bit on the large side for what I'd normally consider as a netbook. Given the size I think it looses some of the advantages of a netbook but maintains a nice price/weight advantage that makes it more of a competitor to things like the Macbook Air. Personally, I'm more interested in the physical dimensions and less so in the weight, so I'd probably choose a cheap full-sized laptop over this particular model, but I know a lot of people this would be great for.

"The Samsung R610-64G hovers in a strange place between a traditional mainstream notebook and a full-fledged multimedia desktop replacement. A svelte 6 pounds (for its size), the R610 is the lightest 16-inch notebook we’ve tested, and with a street price of $999, it’s also one of the cheapest. Its classy black chassis is one of the most attractive we’ve seen in this form. But to achieve its low price, the R610 skimps on performance and features such as dedicated media controls, a full HD screen, and a Blu-ray drive option."

While netbooks are the trend du jour, Samsung has come out with a fairly light 16" notebook. While the price is a tempting $999, Laptop Magazine finds the machine a little weak when it comes to performance. Looking at the spec sheet, it isn't hard to see why. It's hobbled with a 2Ghz Core 2 Duo, a 5,400rpm hard drive and a paltry 1366 x 768 screen. The worst part is the 6-cell battery that gives you an estimated 2.5 hours which means you might be able to watch all of "The Dark Knight." It looks like Samsung cut a few too many corners to meet a sub-$1000 price tag. Wouldn't you expect a bit more if you wanted to go for a 16" screen? A high resolution screen paired with a Blu-Ray drive? The ability to watch a full movie without hunting for a power plug?