Samsung ST200F Wi-Fi Digital Camera Review

Features
Handling
Performance
Verdict
Specification



The ST200F was announced in January 2012 as part of Samsung's latest Wi-Fi enabled smart cameras. This means you can shoot with the 16 megapixel sensor and 10x optical zoom, then share your images straight from the camera. It is available in black, plum and red from around £140.

Samsung ST200F Features

Packed into a slim body, the ST200F has a 16 megapixel sensor and 10x optical zoom lens, a 35mm equivalent of 27-270mm. There is Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) to keep images sharp, whether you're in low light situation, zooming or have shaky hands.

One of the most appealing features is its Wi-Fi connectivity, meaning you can send photos to Facebook, Picasa, Photobucket or email with videos uploaded to YouTube. You can also upload to a cloud service, meaning you can backup your photos and then delete some, creating space to take more pictures. The Samsung Mobile link app makes it possible to send your images to your smartphone or tablet. Images can also be saved to your PC with auto backup.

Smart Auto 2.0 automatically adjusts the cameras settings, choosing from 16 different scenes. There are 12 Magic Frames and 14 Photo Filters. Other unique shooting modes include Motion Photo, Live Panorama, Picture In Picture, Funny Face, Artistic Brush and Split Shot.

Videos can be recorded at 720p HD at 30 and 15fps, with options to record at VGA, QVGA and 240, ideal for uploading to the web.

Key Features

• 16 megapixel CCD sensor
• 10x optical zoom lens (35mm equiv: 27-270mm)
• Optical image stabilisation
• 3.0 inch, 460K dots, TFT LCD screen
• Wi-Fi connectivity
• 720p HD video recording
• ISO 80-3200
• 5cm minimum focusing distance
• Live panorama mode
• Available in black, plum and red

Samsung ST200F Handling

The size of the ST200F makes it really easy to carry in your pocket, with the front of the camera made from metal. The rear is totally covered in rubber which continues around the side of the camera to the edge of the front, making it extremely easy to grip.

The buttons are standard for a compact, but there isn't a dedicated movie record button, meaning this has to be selected via the home button, where the modes are split into categories (Basic, Wi-Fi, Scene, Magic and Album). To edit any of the shooting options for the mode you are in, you need  to press the menu button. Thankfully the menus system is easy to navigate.

The 3 inch LCD screen is bright and colourful, as well as being easy to view in varying lighting conditions. The battery managed just over 220 shots before running out of power. We tested the cameras performance at focusing, shutter response, shot-to-shot time, continuous shooting etc. and have posted the results below. To test this we took 6 or more shots and calculated the average, so that consistent results were produced.

Shutter Response		0.17 secs
Wide - Focus / Shutter Response		0.6 secs
Full zoom - Focus / Shutter Response		1.4 secs
Switch on Time to Taking a Photo		2.1 secs
Shot to Shot (without flash)		2.2 secs
Shot to Shot with Flash		3.1 secs
Continuous Shooting		0.6 fps

Continuous shooting mode records at full 16 megapixel resolution.

Screenshot 1

Screenshot 2

Using the Wi-Fi to upload to Facebook etc. was easy enough. We tried to test the MobileLink and Remote Viewfinder apps with an iPhone but weren't successful.

Samsung ST200F Performance

Additional sample photos and product shots are available in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review and product ratings.

Samsung ST200F Sample Photos

Sample Photos - The ST200F takes a good portrait shot free of red-eye when shooting with the flash. When in landscape mode, images have excellent blues and greens.

Samsung ST200F Lens test images

Lens Performance - Images have excellent colour reproduction and are well exposed. Detail is OK, although softer in the corners and there are signs of purple fringing in contrasting areas. The lens has a minimum focusing distance of 5cm which allows the camera to get close enough to take an excellent macro shot.

Samsung ST200F ISO test images

ISO Noise Performance - ISO 80 and 100 produces images which are free of noise, with only a small amount appearing when you change to ISO 200 and 400. Noise at ISO 800 is significant enough to reduce sharpness with a much softer image then produced at ISO 1600. Noise at ISO 3200 creates a very soft image with some detail missing. If your images are more likely to be shared on the web rather than printed in a large format, you'll still get decent results with the higher ISO settings.

Samsung ST200F White-balance test images

White Balance Performance - Under the incandescent lights, both the Auto White Balance (AWB) and incandescent presets perform well, taking very similar images. The AWB preset also performs well under the fluorescent lights. There are two fluorescent presets, with fluoresent L performing well and fluorescent H giving a stronge orange cast.


Panorama 1 | 1/250 sec | f/8.8 | 4.9 mm | ISO 100


Panorama 2 | 1/125 sec | f/8.8 | 4.9 mm | ISO 100

Panorama mode - The Live Panorama mode makes it very easy to take well composed images, thanks to the preview that appears on the bottom of the screen. When viewing them full sized, they don't have loads of detail and there is some ghosting evident, but they look impressive when resized for web use.

Samsung ST200F Digital filters

Digital Filters - The ST200F has a range of photo filters, with examples above. There are also a number of filters which can be used when recording videos. Also grouped with the photo and movie filters are Funny Face, Split Shot, Artistic Brush and Motion Photo, examples of which can be seen below.

Funny Face | 1/60 sec | f/5.0 | 15.9 mm | ISO 120		Split Shot | 1/350 sec | f/4.1 | 9.8 mm | ISO 80
Artistic Brush Cartoon | 1/250 sec | f/4.1 | 9.8 mm | ISO 80		Artistic Brush Ink Painting | 1/250 sec | f/4.1 | 9.8 mm | ISO 80
Artistic Brush Sketch | 1/250 sec | f/4.1 | 9.8 mm | ISO 80		Motion Photo | 1/125 sec | f/10 | 6 mm | ISO 100

Video - Below is a video shot at 720p HD, optical zoom is available during recording, an example of which can be seen on the ePHOTOzine Youtube Page.

Value For Money

The Samsung ST200F is available from £139.90. Cameras with the same resolution and optical zoom include the Nikon Coolpix S6300 at £159.00, Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ1 at £149.00, Sony Cybershot DSC-W690 at £179.00, Olympus VR-340 at £109.00 and Fujifilm FinePix T400 at £119.00. Other cameras with Wi-Fi include the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX90 at £209.00, Samsung WB150F £179.00, Samsung DV300F at £155.00 and Canon IXUS 240 HS at £244.00.

You'll also need to buy a memory card and a case or bag to keep your camera safe and protected - have a look at our complete guide to camera bags.

Samsung ST200F Verdict

Considering the camera features, particularly the 10x optical zoom and Wi-Fi connectivity, the ST200F looks like good value for money. Although we were able to upload directly to Facebook, we weren't able to use the iPhone apps for image sharing and remote viewfinder. Image quality is OK, colour reproduction is excellent and the body is solid with a good amount of grip thanks to the substantial amount of rubber on the rear and side. Samsung have included some unique shooting modes including Split Shot, Artistic Brush, Motion Photo and Funny Face, the latter being great for taking pictures of your friends with an unusual twist!

Samsung ST200F Pros

Slim metal body with rubber on the rear to aid grip
Decent noise performance at higher ISO's
Good colour reproduction
Handy amount of optical zoom
Some unique shooting modes
Macro mode takes detailed close-ups

Samsung ST200F Cons

Video is only 720p HD
Slow continuous shooting
Wi-Fi apps didn't work with iPhone

FEATURES
HANDLING
PERFORMANCE
VALUE FOR MONEY
VERDICT

Samsung ST200F Specifications

View Full Product Details