Samsung WB600/WB650: 15x zoom and still small enough for your pocket

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Now that the CES is a distant (but powerful) memory, Samsung is back on top of things with two new digital cameras with powerful zooms and plenty of fashionable technology like GPS, HD video, HDMI outputs and AMOLED displays.  Meet the new WB600 and WB650 ...

Let's start with the new flagship at the top of the WB range, the WB650.  Like the WB600, it will have a 12 Megapixel sensor and an impressive 15x wide-angle zoom which will cover focal lengths from 24 to 360 mm.  For the time being, the manufacturer isn't giving much away, and hasn't yet revealed any details on the apertures available, amongst other things.  Either way, such a powerful zoom in a such small camera is an impressive achievement, as neither camera is more than 3 cm thick.

Of course, the Schneider Kreuznach zoom lens comes with optical stabilisation, which will be helped along by a digital system to give you the best chance of getting a stable shot even at 360 mm.  Both new models will be able to film in 720p HD TV using the H.264 codec, at a framerate of 30 fps and a HDMI-CEC port will allow you to watch your videos on a compatible TV.  We can see two mic inputs on the front of the camera, so we hope that means they'll be able to record sound in stereo, but once again, Samsung is remaining tight-lipped about the details.

Both new cameras will have P, S, A and M exposure modes, automatic scene recognition (Smart Auto) as well as a whole range of other recognition systems for faces, smiles and looks.

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Other details are specific to the WB650, and the most interesting factor is the presence of GPS and a 3'' AMOLED screen.  This display technology is very bright but with deep, realistic black, has great viewing angles and requires less energy. 

For its part, the WB600 will have a traditional TFT display instead of the AMOLED reserved for the next model up. 



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