Review: Samsung PL121 the little dual-screen camera that could

Text and photos by Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

The Samsung PL121 is a follow up to last year's innovative PL150 dual-screen point and shoot camera now features a 14 megapixel sensor, a 2.7" inch rear and 1.5" inch front LCD screen, 5x optical zoom as well as a variety of smart filters that keep photography interesting. We found it to be a surprisingly good all-around pocket camera.

The Samsung PL121 ($179.99) is the cheaper of the two dual-screen cameras that were launched this Spring. The ST700 ($269) offers similar features and performance but a 16 megapixel sensor, SmartTouch screen control and a Schneider-Kreuznach lens. While the whole touch-enabled interface is a cool concept, we found it to be less precise and a bit laggy compared to using actual physical buttons and controls. Blame it on our klutzy fingers but we made way more mistakes fiddling around on a SmartTouch screen than we did using the more traditional button settings approach.

The PL121 may not have the fancy glass or the slick touch-control features but we found it to be an accomplished little camera. Samsung has designed it in such a way that you can't tell there is a screen in front until it the LCD is on.

The obvious attraction of a dual screen camera is that it is ideal for self-portraits. Being able to see yourself and frame the picture properly is an outstanding feature in itself but the avilability of that second screen is also useful for running animations in Children Mode to distract or delight children who can be difficult to photograph. Samsung makes a number of animations available online.

The front LCD is also great for showing a coundown timer for photos taken in the timer mode. This way, people get a a visual clue on when to smile. Video is also considerably good at 720p HD video recorded at 30fps which also offers the Sound Alive audio recording feature that isolates background noise when recording.

Samsung has gone all oout in providing users various photography options in the Smart Filter menu. The Tilt & Shift Lens Effect gives your subjects a miniaturized look, the Vignette Camera Effect delivers a strikingly strong compositional contrast, and our Fish-eye Effect gives your video that cool distorted feel. Its colour effects, and Sketch and Defog, can add an expressive layer or an ultra-Vivid vibe to your shots.

The Samsung PL121's 26 mm wide-angle lens is great for capturing landmarks

Children's Mode can work on pets to keep them interested while you take a photoOne of the best features of the Samsung PL121 is its macro mode

For added fun, the Magic Frame function offers a range of poster quality graphics that you can use to frame photos of people.

Overall photo quality was very good even when using the Smart Auto Mode which did a reasonable job of figuring out the settings for optimal photographs. With Program mode, you can calibrate the settings even further and the results are quite interesing.

For anyone looking for a an extremely pocketable and dynamic camera under $200, the PL121 is a good choice, specially for people who foresee taking a lot of self-portraits or who have children whom they want to take photos of.

Samsung PL120 features:

• 14.2-megapixel 1/2.33" CCD Image Sensor
• 5x, 26mm wide optical zoom lens
• 2.7-inch main Display (230K)
• 1.5-inch front Display (61K)
• Front Display Feature modes
• Magic Frame
• Smart Face Recognition
• Smart Auto 2.0 (Movie & Still)
• Smart Filter 2.0
• Smart Album
• Face Detect & Tracking
• Beauty Shot
• Object Tracking AF
• High Definition Movie Recording - 720p
• Multi Slide Show
• High Sensitivity ISO3200 (Full Size)
• Compact body measures 94 x 54.5 x 18.8mm

  Rating: 5 out of 5