Samsung WB600 Digital Camera - Black (12MP, 15x Optical Zoom) 3.0 inch LCD

i already have a fuji f10 and panasonic fz7 and wanted a compact camera with wide angle and big zoom.the wb600 seemed to fit the bill and i chose it over its competitors the panasonic tz8 and canon sx210.i dont like the panasonic videos and the canon flash always pops up regardless.the wb600 almost immediately developed a fault but i had seen enough to like it.on friday afternoon i reported the problem on the amazon website and requested replacement.on sataurday morning it arrived!! the faulty one will be collected on wednesday, i chose the date on the website.amazing amazon service, no problems, didnt have to speak to anyone.if i'd gone to currys or comet for example, they would almost certainly have fobbed me off with the usual manufacturers guarantee story.i took some test shots comparing with my panasonic fz7.the samsung is good on movie clips, the panasonic has dreadful shimmering on panning shots. used microsoft media player classic home cinema for both - quicktime is poor.on stills both cameras about equal on normal shots, on full zoom the panasonic is clearly better , possibly because its a bigger and heavier camera (13oz against 8oz - gross) and may therefore have room for a better lens.whether the panasonic tz8 is better on full zoom i dont know but it still uses motion jpeg for movies against mp4/h.264 with the samsung.so far this camera will do for me, the ultimate will be the same compact big zoom range but with an electronic viewfinder also , the fz7's is excellent.UPDATE 18 aug 2010------------------which? magazine now have a review of the wb650 - the same camera with GPS and anAMOLED screen.the review is good - score is 69% . this compares with the panasonic tz8 score of 74% - its not clear why its better.i have also compared the wb600 with a panasonic tz5 - which still has very poor movies , the stills are very similar.

I bought this and was so disappointed with the pictures I returned it as faulty.However, it might have been fine. After doing a ton of research I can advise the following:More MegaPixels does NOT mean better pictures. As manufacturing techniques have improved, they are cramming greater number of pixels onto the CCD. Simultaneously they are reducing the physical size of the CCD as this is one of the most expensive parts of the camera. the net result is that Pixel Density, the number of pixels per square cm, is massively increasing and this is not a good thing. The electronic noise associated with the CCD increases too and this can lead to fuzzy detail rather than sharp, crisp detail.I took the same shot with my old Casio Z55 - 5MP at a density of 20MP/cm2 and compared it to the Samsung 12MP at a density of 42MP/cm2. The detail differences are astounding. On a portrait shot individual hairs are clear and bright on the Casio yet merge and blend on the Samsung.I repeated the test under many different conditions and settings, all with the same result.As far as I can see, the ONLY advantage of greater megapixels is the size of print that is possible without enlargement - but how often do you need a 4ft x 3ft print?!On the up side, the Samsung is packed with features and settings. If you want an easy to use, flexible camera with excellent zoom then this is a good buy, but if you want crisp, clear and sharp results do some research and find a camera with a pixel density of 20MP or less.

Following excellent reviews from several sources I had high expectations for this camera and unfortunately they've not been met. The images can be quite good, sometimes excellent, but too often the image is soft due to incorrect focusing, or underexposed. The image stabilisation system works well, but there's no substitute for holding the camera still/using a tripod and it does tend to detract from image sharpness. The flash is rather weak and as with non-flash pictures, some images are just underexposed. I've also had problems with the autofocus, particularly at maximum zoom, when the camera has occasionally completely failed to focus. Overall, the image quality is inconsistent and just not as good as my Canon Powershot 650. The reason I choose the WB600 was for the very wide-angle lens (great for indoor shots/groups) and the optically stabilised 15X zoom, and subject to the limitations above, these features are very useful and make me choose to use the WB600 more than my Canon. The battery life is good, the camera feels solidly built and it's reasonably compact. When you buy a camera of this sort/price you might expect to receive a reasonable instruction manual, but while there is a finely printed quick start guide (in 14 different languages), for the full manual you need to print off a pdf file. Overall, I've found the WB600 is OK but not as good as some reviews make out.

I purchased this camera expecting great things having read several reviews but what a diasppointment. Despite being meticulous to ensure that the focus light was showing before taking photo's on auto they came out grainy. I took some test shots with the camera set to 10mp against a Panasonic TZ7 also on 10mp, both on a tripod. I then sent them to a friend who is really into photography and he compared them and the TZ came out on top by a mile. His verdict, the WB600 was not up the standard expected of a camera with its specification. I contacted Amazon, no hassle and returned the camera for a full refund.

I bought this camera as a replacement for an old vivtar camera that has just decided to 'retire!' I was looking for something that was straightforward to use - I am not very technically minded - but would also provide decent pictures. The camera is very easy to use. It is perfect for those people who just want to point and shoot. It also has very useful features such as a 15 x zoom. It is still early days but the more I use the camera the better the results. It really is a good product.