Samsung HZ15W 12MP Digital Camera with 10x Schneider Wide Angle Dual Image Stabilized Zoom and 3 0 inch LCD Grey
Posted by HDTV in Photography Oct 15th, 2009 | no responses
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.
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars Very detailed pictures
I’ve been using this camera for about a month now and really like it. It would be a very good camera for someone who wanted to take some better-than-average family photographs — as long as you’re not planning on low light situations.
The photographs I took in daylight were outstanding. Very detailed and low noise.
Highlights:
* High resolution, very detailed photographs.
* Vivid colors in day light.
* Very low barrel distortion (possible software correction)?
* 10x Zoom in a compact is great.
Lows:
* Poor (almost non-existent) low-light performance
* Auto-Mode is not as sophisticated as other cameras.
* Slow auto-focus — but this could be due to a larger lens.
* GUI is a bit strange.
4 Stars Too big for my taste, but not a bad camera
This is a nice camera and very easy to use. I really enjoy the very large screen. What I’m not so in love with is how big the camera is overall. It’s too big for a pocket camera (in my opinion) and the picture quality isn’t up to a standard that I would deem acceptable as a replacement for an SLR. If you’re looking for something in between those extremes, then this could be an option for you. The wide lens is very nice and 12 megapixels is plenty of resolution for most anyone.
5 Stars This Little Camera is Awesome!
My previous camera was (is) a Kodak EasyShare Dx which I have owned for a number of years and liked quite a bit. I knew it was time for a change though, since the Kodak is only 6.1 megapixels, and I wanted to see if doubling the pixel count would actually make a difference. The Samsung HZ15W performed light years ahead of my current camera for obvious reasons:
*12MP versus 6.1MP
*10X optical Zoom versus 3X
*Digital Image Stabilization versus NONE
*3 inch LCD versus 2.2 inch LCD
To sum it up, I stepped up in a big way. The camera takes great pictures in many lighting situations with the exception of low light situations. This is not a deal breaker for me, since the Kodak didn’t fare that much better, but did have a low light auto focus and shutter speed selections for low light. There is hardly any noticeable lag between snap and shutter closure.
Smart Auto and Movie mode are where this camera shines. You will make GREAT HD video with the movie mode, and the provided image stabilization will make you look like a pro to your family. The Smart Auto mode will allow you to take photos with minimal involvement. This mode is the one to use if you have just purchased the camera and want to use it out of the box.
Overall, I am pleased with my new Samsung. It is a definite improvement over my old Kodak, and definitely a keeper.
5 Stars Improved my photography
I am not much of a photographer. Do not get me wrong, I like to take pictures. I am just not very good at it. For a couple of years now I have had a small camera, which I have enjoyed very much and have taken many “okay” pictures with it. This camera manages to increase the quality of my photos without much effort on my part. Of course, the fact that the colors are more vibrant and the image is crisper is down to the camera itself. However, the nicer features, like the great zoom and better stabilization than my old camera, means even mediocre (at best) photographers like me can get great results. Other reviewers have gone into many of the features, so I will not repeat that here. I will however note that, like most electronics I review, I start out the “old fashioned” American way and see what I can figure out without looking at the directions (not that we are ignorant, we are just ferociously independent!). I was able to use many of the features by trial and error so I think someone would be able to operate it pretty well straight out of the box. That turns out to be a great thing since the manual is not very helpful. All-in-all, I think it is a good camera for a casual photographer and it can help improve your shots if you are photo-impaired like me.
5 Stars Great Results and GREAT Customer Service from Amazon
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 16×9 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.
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