-{ news }-

Friday August 13:
I found the first user review and Joe has lots of samples.
Also here is one on Flickr.

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It is now the end of April, nothing tho see or hear from the WB2000, I had enough with waiting, got me a Sony HX5, this blog ends now. You blew it Samsung!
(mid July 2010 and there is still nothing to see from this camera. I bet Sony was pissed that Samsung wanted to offer 1080p while Sony is all cameras with the same sensor still restricting to 1080i and they might fighting over the release date.)
Dear Samsung, it is now exactly 2 month (Anaheim, CA February 20, 2010, SAMSUNG ANNOUNCES THE HIGH-SPEED TL350 WITH FULL HD VIDEO ) since you told the world about the WD2000. Since then nothing. The only info is a badly made page on the German Samsung site what tells about a 12 Mp sensor and other half truth and marketing gibberish. No details nothing. If this is Mr. SJ Park, CEO of Samsung Digital Imaging Company, "Samsung’s strategy to lead the digital imaging industry through product innovation" then you might need a new CEO because this is unaceptable.
Samsung, I will give you until end of April, if by then there is not more qualified information available, this blog will end and I will get a Sony HX5v.

I just read a review about the Samsung WB5000 and the verdict is the same as with most the Samsung p&s cameras:
In typical Samsung style, the WB5000 is packed with intelligent user-friendly features and impressive specifications. Unfortunately, the image quality and general performance of this new model are disappointing. Samsung is trying to appeal to both complete beginners and more seasoned photographers by putting together a mix of clever technology and manual control, but in this case the final product does not measure up to the competition.
So even if I wish the WB2000 would have none of the usual Samsung faults, my hope is dwindling and the absence of any information is not too encouraging either.

Monday, March 15, 2010

SAMSUNG WB2000 / TL350 or SONY HX5V

updated 10-03-16 1:16
Life is full of tough choices...
The decision of SONY not to include advanced controls in the HX5 will drive several potential customers to other brands and got me thinking too.
Now what are the alternatives if you want to have full control but also want full HD video?

Well, that is simple, there is just one, the SAMSUNG WB2000 or for the USA the TL350.

A 2000 model in 2010?
It seems 2010 is not only the year of the exiting cameras but also the year of crazy model names what jump over several numbers and do not make too much sense like SONY H1 - H5 but HX1 and HX5 are two totally different cameras. Panasonic skips several numbers and renames the TZ for America.

Let´s get back to SAMSUNG. They often come out with interesting cameras but the mess it up with mediocre quality and stupid design and handling choices.
On the first look the TL350 looks quite interesting but there is virtually no info out about this camera. The camera at the PMA 2010 was just a concept camera, no actual shooting was possible. So up until now there is not even a pre production model out.

Now let´s see what are the differences between the two contenders
  • a bright 3" AMOLED with great viewing angle and nearly 3 times the resolution of the HX5 screen, it uses less power and is more resistant.
    there is no way to change anything here, SAMSUNG wins 5
  • 1080p, 720 p 60, 240 fps at 608 x 342 and up to 1000 fps at a tiny unusable resolution compared to 1080i. The 1080i does not look good in players who do not deinterlace the video. Splash Lite does a great job here and converts into 1080p very nice. The high speed mode is interesting but mostly limited to 720p 60 fps and 608 x 342 240 fps but after that is is just to low res for my taste.
    could be done with a firmware update but SONY does not add features to P&S later, SAMSUNG wins 5
  • the possibility to snap a picture while shooting a video (no info if the video is interrupted, but I think it will as with the Canon), not possible with the HX5
    could be done with a firmware update but SONY does not add features to P&S later, SAMSUNG wins 5
  • full manual mode with with RAW to the HX5 pseudo manual mode with two ND filters to choose from. I do not know if Samsung has a real multi blade aperture build in or also uses ND filters
    could be done with a firmware update (Canon added a very limited RAW later to the SX1) but SONY does not add features to P&S later, SAMSUNG wins 10
  • full control over contrast, sharpness and saturation on a sliding scale where the HX5 has nothing
    you can do these tweaks easy in post processing, SAMSUNG wins in convenience 2.
  • you can choose the quality of the compression in 3 steps, have a more modern snappier menu system also with a skin smoting beauty shot function.
    could be done with a firmware update but SONY does not add features to P&S later, SAMSUNG wins 2
  • time lapse photography, which lets you mount the camera on a tripod and set the time interval between shots, number of shots to be taken, and the starting time.
    If you ever seen the Galactic Center of Milky Way Rises over Texas Star Party from William Castleman on Vimeo you know it it a gorgeous feature to have.
    could be done with a firmware update but SONY does not add features to P&S later, SAMSUNG wins 2
  • Picture Effects: sketch (which turns the image into a line drawing), anti-fog, soft, vivid, forest, retro, cool, calm, black and white, and negative, plus the option to tweak red, green and blue levels individually (some Sony camera owners would love to have the last function)
    could be done with a firmware update but SONY does not add features to P&S later, SAMSUNG wins 2
  • a real full size HDMI port behind a sturdy hinged flap, HX5 a HDMI SONY dongle and an unprotected connector.
    there is no way to change anything here , SAMSUNG wins 3
  • a slim 22 mm - 0.8" to 29 mm - 1 3/16" (TX7 18 mm)
    there is no way to change anything here , SAMSUNG wins 5
  • 5x zoom with a fast wide angle and a slow tele 2.8-5.8 HX5 10x 3.5-5.5
    there is no way to change anything here, SONY wins 7
  • take 6 pictures and the camera combines them to a panorama (I presume), HX5 intelligent sweep panorama
    The sweep panorama is a good feature but the result is often sadly a very basic quality what is not as good as a picture shot in the same resolution. It is screen and small print only.
    For a quality panorama (with a 28 mm lens) you still need to take 6 shots for 180 - and 12 shots for a 360 degree panorama. So if Samsung takes 6 pictures than this looks more like a different more HQ approach, but so far this is just a speculation. If my presumption is true, Samsung wins in quality here. No rating until I know more.
  • optical and digital shake reduction , HX5 optical shake reduction and the very powerful active mode what should be the best image stabilisation on the market today
    according to Tom the Active mode is very good, SONY wins in video mode 5
  • NO GPS NO compass
    you need to add a gadget for around $50 to get that function, SONY wins 10
  • NO HDR mode
    could be done with a firmware update but Samsung does not add features to P&S later. If you shoot HDR seldom it is quite easy to do this manual with 3 shots in exposure bracketing and combine in a more powerful software where you decide how it will look. SONY wins 2
  • NO Hand Held Twilight
    could be done with a firmware update but Samsung does not add features to P&S later, so you will need a tripod here to simulate this feature with not moving objects. SONY wins 5
  • NO Anti - Motion Blur
    could be done with a firmware update but Samsung does not add features to P&S later, so you will need to crank the ISO up to 1600 or 3200 here to simulate this feature with moving objects and use a noise reduction software later. SONY wins 3
I created a rating what is important to me an how important it is. 10 points = essential, 5 to 8 = important, 2 to 4 = nice to have
So the SAMSUNG collects 41 points and the SONY collects 32 points.
Now, do you own rating.




So is the SAMSUNG TL350 / WB2000 the better camera?
Depends, if you want full manual control, RAW, a very good screen, a very slim camera, want to take a picture while in video mode, want to control contrast, sharpness and saturation in the camera, slow motion video, maybe the better panorama mode but we need more info about that, a covered full size HDMI port
or
want more than 5x zoom, HDR, HHT, AMB, GPS, sweep panorama, the most effective anti shake mode

The lens and the (now updated) design was already used in the TL320 or WB1000, so just find the reviews like the one from TR and you get an idea about the lens and the handling.
"The Schneider Kreuznach lens is exceptionally good, with superb corner-to-corner sharpness, good contrast and no barrel distortion even at the 24mm wide angle end."
The most info I found so far are here and here and if you think that TL320 is just like a miniDSLR then you might be from Korea

So if you torn between the SONY HX5V and the SAMSUNG TL350 / WB2000, welcome to the club.

Oh and if SAMSUNG would have been clever, they would have put these features in Samsung HZ35W with the 15x lens plus GPS and would have made a HX5 killer.

9 comments:

  1. Damn ! I dont know man I dont think that samsung can do something realy cool.(Only that amoled screen is something amesowe, and the slow motion video)
    But Sony's Top models always takes the awards, HX5 have more cool stuffs that i want!
    My w300 is stolen :(
    So i thinking to buy HX5 in next week !
    Waiting your review!
    Hola !

    ReplyDelete
  2. "NO GPS NO compass
    you need to add a gadget for around $50 to get that function, SONY wins 10"

    What gadget for $50 will do that?
    A gps frequently costs more than that, and would require a LOT of "post" work to glue the locations to the pictures.

    One of the reviews I saw said that the samsung was due mid-may. If you are in a hurry, that's a lot of waiting.

    For either camera, I am mostly interested in it as a super-small video camera, so the big features to compare are: zoom/F (that's a tough battle), samsung has 60fps for 720, and "take a picture while videoing" (which would have very little worth if it interferes)

    Actually, one review said the samsung could do 10fps at full resolution indefinitely, so that's kindof a "video mode" too, and could be a nice one at that.

    As far as really fast frame rates are concerned, that usually takes more light than I have available. It's too bad the 240fps mode wasn't up to NTSC resolution, though; I imagine that might be fun to use occasionally with kids' sports, since you could "salvage" it for normal video if the slow-mo wasn't good. As it is, though, it would come out even blurrier than SD.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Damm ,choices...choices.
    Is it truth that the WB1000 does not record sound in video mode during zoom in/out?
    I hope this is not the case for WB2000,because if it is, the points according your point system change drammaticaly and for me no dilemma at all!
    SONY big time!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have to say that the choice between those cameras is difficult for me.
    I want a pocketable digital camera with the best video available.

    So,i have few notices to make.

    1.I just saw a video recording by WB650/HZ35w.
    The zoom in/out was really noisy even though video was taken in a relatively crowded place.
    Also i notice some strange noise like "gggrrr" after zooming and a "klik".

    Here it is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPDH7I1RL6k
    Just unacceptable for me.Will WB2000 be improved?
    I don't dare to mention WB1000 that has no sound.

    Just see how sony handle zooming noise in a silent office http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AitbcFqR6FE

    2. The WB1000 has a limit of max 8GB SDHC.
    For just pictures is ok,but what about video in full HD?
    For me is one more minus that i did't expect.

    I don't know,maybe i am a "strange" person.

    ReplyDelete
  5. The Samsung TL-350 is interesting but it does not best the Sony HX5, by a long shot.


    Sarah Joyce

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  6. The Samsung TL350 will be better different sensor pixel pitch slightly better,10fps full resolution, better build, looks better imo, retro gauges, Sony uses ND filter for apertures and only has 2 choices, Samsung has better color and white balance this I know from owning the TL500. The only thing better about the Sony is that it is available now and GPS but I have a JOBO photoGPS.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Bought a Samsung WB2000 camera yesterday, played with it for one night loved all the features and especially the price $200 less then the Sony HX5

    But what really put me off while video recording with WB2000 was the "gggrrr" like noise while zooming in and out,. dam was so pissed of would have been a perfect camera in comparison to the Sony HX5,.

    Anyway long story short spent the extra $200 and swapped it for the Sony HX5 :(

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hmmm. Nobody talks about the Lumix zs7.

    I, too, was frustrated by the data blackout about the sammy.
    The Lumix has GPS, and a whole lot more. Disappointed about the "low" aptr at 3.3, but at least it has full manual mode, and I can tripod it up to 60 sec.
    Waiting for it to arrive.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I downloaded and installed firmware upgrade successfully. Must say that I do see a "stabalization" improvement in that the sceen mode wheel does not move on its on on the screen. BAD about the firmware update is that I can not use PHOTO STYLE SELECTOR and IMAGE ADJUST at the same time after the firmware upgrade. This is not good! I was previously able to shot PSS Black & White and IA Sharp +2 forStunning B/W shots. Can't do this now on the TL350, but can do on my old TL320!

    ReplyDelete