Samsung's PL150 digital camera features two LCD screens and a 12.4-megapixel sensor

The Samsung PL150 is a 12.4 megapixel digital camera with dual LCD screens. It is an ideal pocket camera for a young partygoer. It has a front-mounted LCD screen in addition to the main screen on the back, so you can say goodbye to unflattering self-portraits and say hello to well-framed glamorous shots of you enjoying your youth to the fullest.

The Samsung PL150 has a 27-135mm image stabilization zoom lens, and it's a camera packed with great features and scene modes. It's available in a whole host of colors and it even has a pleasant price.

The camera is solidly built and small, so it fits comfortably in your pocket or purse. A 3-inch LCD screen, the usual navigation buttons and a mode dial sit on the back of the PL150. Navigating through the different menus and options is simple; you don't have to spend agonizing time learning how to use the camera (just press the Fn button to access most features).

On the top of the PL150 is the shutter button, which is surrounded by a zoom wheel; on the left is the LCD screen activation button on the front of the camera, which is particularly convenient for shooting selfies. Another thing that makes self-portraits easier is the beveled bottom edge of the camera body; this allows the camera to point slightly upwards when sitting on a flat surface, instead of at all right. It uses the extended lens as a counterweight, so the camera must be turned on, otherwise it may fall backwards.

Sunset mode adds a warm orange tint to your photos.

The LCD screen on the front of the camera is indeed quite handy: turning it on automatically activates face detection, so you can see if your face has been detected and is in focus. a great tool for taking self-portraits, but you also have the option of using the front LCD screen for video recording.

Beauty mode can make anyone look half decent at 7:30.

Digital video recording on the PL150 is also quite good. Shooting in HD mode at widescreen resolution of 1280x720 the results were satisfactory. Dim lighting will lead to grainy images, so make sure you are in a good environment lit if you want the best of the PL150. A nice feature that Samsung has included in the recording mode is the ability to pause while recording, instead of stopping the recording completely and then starting a new one .

The camera has 10 scene modes to choose from, as well as auto and smart modes.

The fisheye effect is pretty cool, but not as cool as a real fisheye lens.

Forest mode gives photographs a greenish tint.

Retro mode makes photographs look like an old film.

Vignette effect without flash (top) and with flash (bottom)

Beauty photo mode has adjustable levels of skin softening, and in program mode you can control just about every aspect of the photo taken (except shutter and aperture values). exposure is adjustable, as are white balance, ISO speed, photo size, image quality, face detection, focus area, metering, photo style and more Again.

We have mixed feelings about photographs taken in low light. Here the background pops out nicely, but the foreground is oversaturated and spoils the whole image.

Digital distortion and chromatic aberration plague this photograph.

Image quality is good but not outstanding. Chromatic aberration is apparent in photographs taken in both dark and bright situations. Digital distortion is also apparent in images, but it is not a sufficient problem to erase this camera. If you're looking for a camera you can take out to a party to take quick snaps, we think the PL150 is worth considering; however, if you want sharp images with fine detail , you might be better off looking elsewhere.

We have some hesitations on the design. As the

Samsung ST550

camera, the PL150 takes a microSD memory card, rather than a full SD card. This will be annoying if you already have a collection of regular SD cards. A battery charger is not included; charge a second battery while continuing to use the camera.

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