MANILA, Philippines - Just got back from a busy trip to Bangkok last weekend. I was invited to the launch of a new line of great cameras by Samsung. I was with a group of writers to view specifically the unveiling of the Samsung 2View ST550 camera, ask questions and to try it out in scenic Bangkok.
The launch happened at 6 p.m. of Aug. 17 after cocktails at Centara Grand Ballroom, Central World Hotel. It was quite a sleek, high-tech production with an impressive video and a gorgeous endorser named Chompoo Araya who sashayed in from the back of the hall dressed in glittery red while holding the new Samsung 2 View camera.
Every few months, new cameras from the biggest names in the industry flood the market with ever-new innovative gadgets that make photography so much more fun and imaginative. The ST550, known as 2 View, is Samsung’s latest foray into the world of the ever-evolving consumer camera market.
A day after the launch, each of us in the team got a 2 View with instructions to shoot at the Grand Palace grounds. We had shots to do in four categories which included a self-portrait, a group shot, a smile shot and landscape shot. The assignments were chosen to highlight the features that the 2 View can do very well.
We were determined to compete and win over delegates from other Asian countries such as Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Australia were taking..
And so it was a mad rush amid the threat of impending rain and a really tight schedule made even tighter due to Bangkok’s perennial traffic. We were literally dragged from one location to another where the assigned categories were to be shot. Since we had just gotten the cameras, we had barely touched them and so had to work it out on the spot. And yet, to our pleasant surprise, we came out with good to great shots. They’re quite intuitive to handle.
The Samsung 2 View camera is named as such because it has dual monitors, one in front and one at the back. When I first heard about this feature, I could not get the point why one needed a monitor in front of the camera until I tried taking a picture of myself. Of course! It really makes a lot of sense. Just a tap (or two or three) on the front monitor and it’s on. With a dual LCD, one can be subject and photographer and do it with great ease.
The front monitor is also useful to let the subject know other things such as the countdown of seconds (3 to 1) when the timer is on, the flashing of a happy face symbol to let you know that the 2 View is in “smile-detection” mode (this can get a bit too sensitive though, as it clicks the camera by itself), and many other things. To me, the dual monitor overall is a winning feature.
The back monitor is something to rave about as well. It is quite big and wide at 3.5 inches with great resolution. Other great features are the 12.2-megapixel sensors, 4.6x optical zooms and 720p HD video recording modes.
I have been using it the past three days now and I am amazed at how easily I can go from one function/setting to another because of its “haptic” touch-screen feature. Still, the navigation map can be improved a bit. The Samsung 2 View ST 550 is thin enough to fit in a jeans pocket, light enough to carry anywhere and versatile enough to take impressive pictures.
You don’t need Christmas to find a reason to buy the 2View. Just get it. You won’t be sorry.