Samsung has announced that the time has come to add a couple of new flagship cameras to its Dual View range. The new models benefit from even bigger LCD's at the front and rear, some interesting photo modes and both sport 5x optical zoom lenses, one of which has internal zoom functionality. At the same time, the company has also unveiled a feature-rich budget point-and-shoot model capable of recording high definition movies.
There's little noticeable difference in the technical specifications of the two new Dual View models but they look quite different. That's because, for the first time in the Dual View range, the ST100 features an internal 35mm equivalent, 5x optical zoom Schneider Kreuznach lens, while the one on the ST600 pops out from the body. Both have a 14.2 megapixel sensor with full resolution ISO3200 and benefit from a larger, touch activated 1.8-inch LCD panel at the front and a 3.5-inch touchscreen display at the rear.
In common with the previous models, the rear display features Samsung's Smart Gesture User Interface that responds to gestures or tilts for quick menu access and image viewing. The front panel features a front-facing self portrait mode, an intriguing couples mode (which automatically snaps a shot when the camera detects two faces tilted toward each other) and a children's setting, which will play a cartoon animation with sound to encourage young ones to smile for the camera. When using the timer, those being photographed will see a visual countdown and there's a new addition called jump shot mode. This takes three shots at the moment those in front of the camera are provided with a visual cue to jump in unison.
As well as both optical and digital image stabilization, there's also something called Smart Auto technology for both still images and movies. This automatically selects the appropriate scene mode to get the best results, taking such things as color, brightness, motion and subject matter into account. Both also record 720p high definition video at 30 frames per second.
There's a slight difference in the price to reflect the different lens configurations, the ST100 costing US$349.99 and the ST600 costing US$329.99 when they both become available for purchase in September.
Top tech at a budget-friendly price
Samsung has also announced a September launch for a budget-friendly, high definition capable point-and-shoot digital compact in the form of the PL200. Like the others mentioned here, the 3.9 x 2.3 x 0.83-inch camera has a 14.2 megapixel sensor, benefits from both digital and optical image stabilization and records 720p high definition video in H.264 format at 30 frames per second.
In addition to the company's Smart Auto scene recognition technology, there's also Beauty and Smile Shot modes, Blink and Face Detection and a Smart Album feature to help with image management. The PL200 has a 31mm to 217mm equivalent, 7x optical zoom lens and a 3-inch, 230,000 dot LCD display. It will cost US$179.99 upon release.
