Samsung WB550 (aka HZ15W) Review

Photography Blog has a great review of the Samsung WB550 (aka HZ15W).  They give the camera a 4 out of 5 starts and say:

Though it is beginner friendly, Samsung’s WB550 fortunately doesn’t look cheap and cheerful and neither should it for $300. While, OK, it may not be the most svelte compact around, compensation comes in the form of its broader-than-average focal range which provides competition for Panasonic’s similarly specified TZ series of big zoom, small form factor compacts

Amazon.com Price: $240.99 (as of 2010-09-04 01:05:15 GMT) Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.

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	Manufacturer: Samsung Customer Rating:   List Price: $329.99 Sale Price: $240.99 Availibility: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Now
Product Description
The Samsung HZ15W includes a world first 10x optical zoom and 24mm ultra wide angle Schneider lens and cements Samsung's position as an innovator in the new and important High-zoom category - compact cameras equipped with the sort of advanced zoom lens technology traditionally seen only in SLR cameras. This new technology gives people even greater control and helps them take better, professional standard photos; enhancing the entire photography experience, from shooting to sharing images with friends and family. The 12-megapixel HZ15W also includes HD movie capture so people can "Pause and Re-record" high definition videos and super sharp movie-quality recordings in one movie clip - a Samsung patented function. The cameras also include "Smart Auto" (Scene Recognition) technology: 11 optimized picture pre-settings such as Portrait, Night portrait, Macro and Macro Color, to help people take the perfect shot regardless of the conditions.
Product Details
12-megapixel resolution for large, photo quality prints 10x optical zoom; 24mm ultra-wide angle Schneider lens Dual Image Stabilization combines the strengths of Optical and Digital Image Stabilization Record high-definition video at a resolution of 720p Capture images to SD/SDHC memory cards (not included)
Video Reviews
[No-Edit PMA 09] Samsung to announce its camera HZ15W The new Samsung HZ15W digital camera Samsung WB550/HZ15W HD Movie Test (Macro) The unprecedented 24mm ultra wide wirh 10x zoom! WB550 Review Imaging Resource PMA 2009 - Samsung Digital Cameras
Customer Reviews
Great Camera Great Price   Review Date: August 17, 2010 Reviewer: Steven E. Hodges, This camera produces exceptional quality photos and is extremely easy to use. For the price, it is a great buy. Everyone I've shown the zoom feature has been very impressed. I would highly recommend this camera. Samsung produces quality products. greatly disappointed   Review Date: July 17, 2010 Reviewer: Mymumu, Very shortly after I got the camera, a bright white vertical line appeared on the monitor. I have no idea how it came to be like this. I called the customer service and they told me it was quite normal for any digital products to have some problems. They even didn't apologize! A good camara (Tuyen Vu)   Review Date: July 9, 2010 Reviewer: Tuyen Vu, Pro: Good looking. Easy to use. Good quality pictures. Great and uselfull functions (wide angle, face detects, full manual mode...). Super with video 'pause/record' mode that not found on the others, included HZ30W and HZ35W models. Why? This is very important to me. Con: Noisy when using zoom/tele in video mode. Bad position of shooting button caused the flash get covered by fingers (improved in model HZ30W and HZ35W). A ruined vacation   Review Date: June 30, 2010 Reviewer: D. C. Morton, Meeker, Colorado I purchased the HZ15W as a gift for my wife. After owning the camera for a little over a month, during which time it was used sparingly because of time constraints, it was taken, last week, for a visit to the kids and grandkids. Our grand daughter was appearing in her first play (Oklahoma) and we wanted to get many shots of her performance. The camera quit cold. It would turn on for about three seconds, go beep-beep-beep and quit! My wife got no pictures of the play or any other activity. She is livid. An hour spent with the tech rep yielded no results. Amazon said it had been more than 30 days so, "Sorry Charlie." A ludicrous policy if there ever was one. If Amazon sells it, they should stand behind it. It should be their problem to rectify, not mine. Time spent on the phone with Samsung and then having to box the thing up and send it for "repairs" has left a bad taste. If I cancel the order I will only get back a partial refund. That stinks. Now I must wait for the "repaired" camera to return. Will it go on the blink again? Then what? Back again for repairs? No way. Amazon and I will have a very serious discussion. They should have sent a new camera, no questions asked. If Craftsman can do it, so can they. Very, very bad policy. Actually stupid! I love this Camera !   Review Date: June 2, 2010 Reviewer: Kendall D. Squires, I have been researching cameras for about 6 months now. I purchased a canon touch screen camera and the picture quality in low light was horrible. I sent it back and got a sony cybershot and that one was even worse. After much agony and searching I bought the Samsung HZ15W camera. Oh my gosh is all I can say. I love the picture quality of this camera. It does very, very well in low light situations. The only mode I have used is AUTO and have had wonderful results. I love how the power button lights up blue and how sturdy and good this camera feels in your hands. Nothing cheap feeling with this gem. I have taken many pictures and the battery is still strong. I bought 2 extra batteries and a battery charger for it. You dont have to charge it in the camera as some people think...This is the perfect camera for anyone who wants good quality photos. I like how you can use a slide show with music. It has many features that I havent checked out, but the main reason I purchased this was because I wanted good quality pics in all situations. Let me tell you, this camera is well worth the money. There are some cons too. I don't like the fact that a user friendly manuel does not come with the camera. You have to download one and order it if you want a hard copy. I feel that the directions aren't very explicit... The software is good, but I liked the canon one better. No viewfinder. The cord to download your pictures to the computer is very short... I still give this camera 5+ stars. You won't go wrong with this one. I can't say enough good about this camera.

Tagged as: Camera, hz15W, Photography, Samsung, schneider, Small form factor, wb550m