QUICK LOOK

• 14.2 megapixel camera
• 26mm wide angle lens
• 5x optical zoom
• HD movie capable
• Built-in Wi-Fi

The Samsung SH100 compact digital camera must be one of the smallest, lightest, feature-packed compact cameras I have seen in a while. But it should not be judged by its packaging. 

I must admit, when I first saw the box, I didn’t expect much (see my snapshot) but wow. This little beauty deserves a prettier box! But it’s what’s in the box that matters, right?

The Samsung SH100 is a 14.2MP camera, with 5x optical zoom, and a 26mm wide angle zoom lens. It comes packed with some great functionality, and is quite an intuitive device. It took me longer to find a spare microSD card than to figure out how the camera work. (Yes, microSD, you know, the one that’s in your phone…) It also comes in three sexy colours: black, silver and red.

The camera has a 3-inch touch screen, and it comes with a stylus, so you don’t leave fingerprints all over the screen! Besides the screen (where you basically do everything), there are only three other buttons on the camera, one to access preview mode, and one to return to the shooting mode, or menu screen (the home button) - and then, of course, the shutter button.

The camera also has Wi-Fi enabled – this means you can share your pictures (and videos) to social media sites like Facebook, Picasa and YouTube. You can also e-mail pictures to your friends, straight from the camera. Provided you are connected to a Wi-Fi hotspot.

The Samsung SH100 has “Smart Auto” functionality that automatically chooses the correct mode for the photos you are taking: landscapes, portraits, close-up shots, daytime shots, night photos, and much more. It also has smile detection, so you never miss a smile! You can also set up your modes manually if you choose to.

The average photo size of a picture taken on the camera is about 3MB. This is sufficient to get a photo printed out (or blown up) and frame it. You could add smart filters for photos from your menu, ranging from vignette, to soft focus, to old film, to retro effects, and you can edit some features of a photo on your camera (before you share it).

The only feature of this camera I am not completely sold on is Wi-Fi connectivity as Wi-Fi is not freely available in South Africa yet. That, and the microSD card!

Overall I couldn’t help but fall in love with this little Samsung camera. For someone like me who isn’t an expert on photography, but still likes to take pictures, this is ideal. It’s compact, it’s sexy, and it does not cost an arm and a leg. It also has a quite decent battery life – it didn’t need a charge in the time I had it. 

Turn Ons

• Lightweight and compact
• Loads of functionality
• Intuitive and user-friendly
• Auto modes for less experienced photographers 

Turn Offs 

• Works with a microSD card
• Not completely sold on Wi-Fi connectivity

Price: R2 099.00