While smartphones carry on
To hammer the nails in the sub-$500 pocket camera coffin, camera makers have done their best to add some appeal to the point-and-shoot category. Not able to match the superior optics and sensors of more expensive ones To compete with fixed-lens cameras, point-and-shoots have to be sold on their main strength: software.
The EX2F offers better optics than most point-and-shoots, a more solid build quality, and some attractive pro-level manual controls
Galaxy camera
, a touchscreen-equipped point-and-shoot device running on Android. This particular Samsung shooter, the
EX2F smart camera
, takes a slightly different tack — it has many of the advanced software features that make their way into the latest point-and-shoots, including some creative filters and one-touch photo sharing over Wi-Fi. But it also offers a better one Optics than most point-and-shoots, a more solid build quality, and some attractive pro-level manual controls. It seems less like a point-and-shoot camera meant to appeal to smartphone users and more like a compact one Option for DSLR lovers looking for a cheaper camera that allows manual shooting.
The EX2F's list price is $400 and can be found online for around $350. That's at least $200 cheaper than our favorite point-and-shoot currently available, the
Sony Cyber shot RX100
, but still expensive territory for a camera that doesn't offer interchangeable lens options. Because of this, the physical build of the camera and the quality of the manual controls really have to rock to make the EX2F a good buy. And that's especially true for people who used to compact system cameras or DSLRs, a group who are quick to count out already mid-priced fixed-lens point-and-shoots as they lack manual adjustments.
The EX2F has excellent controls, after all. It offers both manual and shutter/aperture priority modes. I've used dozens of DSLRs, and the EX2F's manual dials felt immediately comfortable in my hands, with my index finger and thumb resting lightly over the dials on the front and back of the camera to change aperture and shutter speed. When shooting in shutter priority mode, I was pleased to see that the EX2F's optical/digital image stabilization enabled me to hand hold extremely steady photos at slow shutter speeds .
The 1/1.7-inch CMOS sensor is an obvious upgrade from the tiny sensors found on mobile devices and a downgrade from a DSLR, but its 12-megapixel output is sufficient for most amateur photographers. Battery life should be enough for most, too Photographers suffice. I started with a full charge and it lasted a few days shooting - maybe 30 minutes active a day. After a long photo walk around the park it finally broke. I got maybe three hours total shooting with each charge. Not stunning, but not noticeably bad either.
Shooting without a viewfinder can be tedious, but the EX2F's 3-inch screen didn't have much glare, and its rotatability took the guesswork out of some otherwise tricky shots.When I came across a blue heron during a bike ride in the park, I could take a smooth, flat shot with grass in the foreground without getting off your bike.
Hardware aside, the EX2F's capture tools are decent but not exemplary. The EX2F's 'Scene' modes work as advertised - 'Beauty Shot' mode smoothes skin tones, 'Night Shot' mode slows shutter speed and "Backlight" mode increases exposure in the darker areas of the image.
The best thing about the EX2F's non-manual shooting modes, however, is the "Smart" setting. This notch on the dial reads the scene and tries to guess what type of photo you're taking, and then adjust the settings accordingly. "Smart" is a fairly common marketing term among camera makers, and using it here made me expect a lot of things.Using the word "smart" when describing mobile devices usually means it's running some sort of advanced operating system, accessing Wi-Fi, and being in social networks and that it doubles on saxophone. So the EX2F had to use a lot of cleverness to convince me.
Next: Samsung EX2F-Test:
