Samsung HZ15W 12MP Digital Camera with 10x Schneider Wide Angle Dual Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0 inch LCD (Grey)

Samsung HZ15W 12MP Digital Camera with 10x Schneider Wide Angle Dual Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0 inch LCD (Grey) Features & Description

• 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)

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.

Versatile Super-Zoom Digital Camera

Review Date: May 29, 2009

Reviewer: Eagle Vision, Southeastern United States

PROS HDMI connection terminal In-camera cropping In-camera trimming of video clips 10x optical zoom Lightweight Crisp viewing from LCD CONS No dedicated battery charger Unusual placement of flash adjacent to grip Short charging cable (2 feet) Average sound quality for a camera but below average for someone looking for a camcorder INTRODUCTION I am a casual user who prefers size, convenience and function over versatility of SLR cameras. I have been using digital cameras since the 1.2 MP era in the late 1990s. My most recent camera prior to this model was the Panasonic Lumix TZ-5 with 9 MP and 10x optical zoom. WHAT IS IN THE BOX? Camera User manual AC adapter Rechargeable battery Audio Video Cable Carrying Strap CONSTRUCTION The metallic body has a black matte finish with a grip on the right side. The grip is textured which decreases the chance of slipping from my hand. It is slightly heavier than my TZ-5 and really requires two handed operation to keep it steady. On the top of the camera, there is a power button, speaker, zoom lever, and mode dial. The flash is on the same side as the grip which is something that you need to be congnisant of when using flash. In the bottom of the unit, there is a centrally placed tripod unit which is more stable than eccentric placement that I have had on other cameras. The Battery chamber holds the battery and memory card. The back of the camera has a nice vivid color screen, a multidirectional keypad, command lever, function/delete key, play button and effect button. On the right side of the unit a USB, AV and DC terminal are located towards the top. The command lever allows for custom exposure control, ISO/white balance and Aperture/shutter speed. The unit has 21 MB of internal memory and is guaranteed to work with up to 8 GB. The built in memory does not allow for more than 5 photos at the highest resolution. OPERATION Setup of the camera is easy and intuitive. You initially set up the camera by entering your language (English, Korean, French, German, Spanish, Italian) and the Time and date. I set my command lever for white balance but you can also set it for exposure levels. Operation of the camera includes full automatic mode, program mode, manual mode, Scene, beauty shot , movie and smart auto. There are a few scene modes including landscape, self shot, children, beach/snow, and fireworks, just to name a few. The mode is set by using the control dial at the top of the unit. What I like about this camera over my Panasonic Lumix TZ-5 is that the dial actually locks into place, as opposed to inadvertently switching me to another mode (big advantage in my opinion). Beauty shot mode allows you to clear facial imperfections (this is the first that I have experienced something like this). This camera has good low light sensitivity with both video and photographs. This camera uses an SDHC card up to 32 GB. With a 1 GB card, you can take 404 pictures at the highest resolution or 780 photos at 5 MP. At the highest quality movie, you can record 8 minutes 20 seconds at 1280 HQ, 30 Frames per second. Battery life by the manufacturer is about 140 minutes for stills only and 125 minutes for movie mode, so I recommend a second battery for backup when travelling or taking videos of your child's rehearsal, for example. Unfortunately, this has no supplied battery charger, so you have to plug the camera into the wall. The glossy LCD screen is comprehensive showing icons for remaining battery life, shots remaining on camera, metering, ISO, color saturation, date/time, flash status, zoom level, and histogram (there are other functions revealed but I mentioned what I feel are important). The quality of the images viewed on the LCD is vivid and crisp. The camera can take 1.5 frames per second in high speed mode or one picture at a time, aside from the continuous and motion capture mode (6 shots per second for 5 seconds). Image stabilization is good but there are times that I would still get motion blur. There seems to be a long refractory time between photographs when flash is being used. Shutter lag is average to other point and shoot cameras that I have used. PHOTOGRAPHY Photographs are stored in JPEG, EXIF, DPOF. Color effects include normal, black and white, sepia, red, green, blue, negative and custom color. Recharging time for the battery is about 5 seconds when freshly charged. Viewing photos by normal display or thumbnails is intuitive. I like the ability to crop the photo within the camera - it's like having a built in photo-editor. You can also view photos by slide show, which I use to play back when we go on trips. Shutter speed on automatic mode runs from 1/8 to 1/1,500, on program mode from 1 to 1/1,500, manual from 16 to 1/1,500. ISO equivalents are from 80 to 3200. VIDEO The video mode allows for zooming while filming. Zoom is smooth in transition. Video is stored in MP4 (H.264(MPEG4.AVC). Audio is saved as a WAV file. Video clips are set by determining your image size from 1280x720 HQ to640x480 to 320x240. Maximum recording time per clip is 29 minutes. Frame rate can be set based upon resolution. Videos can be recorded with or without sound. Sound quality from the microphone is decent but not as sensitive as a conventional camcorder. A nice feature of the movie playback is the ability to trim clips, if they are longer than 10 seconds. So in-camera processing is relatively painless. PLAYBACK ON TELEVISION Image size for playback includes 1080i, 720p, 480p, and 576p. SOFTWARE System recommendations for the USB support on Windows: Pentium III 800 Mhz Windows 2000/XP/Vista Greater than 1 GB MS Direct X 9.0 C The recommendations for USB support on Mac: Power Mac G3 or later Mac OS 10.3 or later 110 MB hard drive space >512 MB RAM The software is rudimentary allowing for photo organization, inserting text, effects, narrations, and music files to a movie clip. It is not quite a full featured program like iMovie on my Mac. CONCLUSION Overall, this is a powerful camera for its relatively compact size. Its limitations for video include low sensitivity for the microphone and just an average shutter lag. Highly recommend for an all purpose camera and casual videography. UPDATE June 13, 2009 I was at the beach last weekend and I took a picture of the clouds. With the 12 Megapixel resolution, I was able to zoom into the picture and see very good detail of people (who were in the distance). So even though you probably would not print a 30x40" picture, you can zoom in and crop small details of your photograph. I have also found that using the in-camera crop feature, that I can edit out 'bystanders' in photos without having to resort to Photoshop Elements.

Great Results and GREAT Customer Service from Amazon

Review Date: July 9, 2009

Reviewer: Randal Gibson, Tampa, FL USA

I bought the Samsung HZ15W for its small size, high megapixels resolution, large LCD screen, and wide-screen 720p movie recording ability. Plus there were some pretty good reviews concerning this camera's picture quality. I took the camera on a vacation to Las Vegas and I am very pleased with the 9 megapixel 16x9 pictures that I took and the 1280 x 720 movies with 10x smooth zooms. Pictures and movies shot in low light and night-time situations turned out better than I believed possible. THE SOUND OF ZOOM One of the reviews for this camera complained about the fact that you can hear the zoom when recording movies with sound. Yes you can but there are three options available when recording movies. You can record with no sound at all, sound at all times, or you can automatically have sound muted when you use the zoom feature. With a movie editing program on your computer you could then cut and paste a length of background sounds from the rest of your movie to cover the zoom sound or the muted portion of your movie, depending on your settings. SHUTTER BUTTON AND GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE As soon as I got this camera I knew something was weird with the functioning of the shutter button. I would press the shutter button half way and nothing would happen - no pre-focus or focus lock. And, sometimes when I pressed the shutter button all the way down the camera would not take a picture. I would sometimes have to press the shutter button 2, 3, or 4 times before the camera would take a picture. Despite this obvious problem, I took a lot of very good pictures and movies in Vegas. I also got a chance to try this model camera in a store where I discovered that my camera was definitely acting abnormally with the shutter button. When I got home, I accessed the Amazon website and reported that I wanted to exchange the camera for a new one of the same model. I filled out a web page and was able to print out a return authorization and a UPS shipping label to return my defective camera. I was given notice that my return request would be processed within three business days and that I would receive an email telling me if my request was accepted. Also, as long as I returned the defective camera within 30 days, there would be no charge involved. This request was made on a Sunday. The following Wednesday, just three days later, I was shocked to receive a new camera in the mail. I hadn't even checked my email yet to see if I should return my old camera. The new camera does have a correctly working shutter button and my old camera will be dropped off at the local UPS store tomorrow. Amazon just solidified a customer for life with their incredible customer service. Imagine a company that sells products you can't get locally, provides informative customer reviews for those products, and then provides the best customer service possible. Amazon.com is the best. Keep up the good work Mr. Bezos.