Samsung HZ10W (WB500)

Opinion: I bought this camera in may for sommer boat trip, to shot photo and 720р movie. Now I have two compact camera with similar possibilities - WB500 and Canon TX1.
Generally, I satisfied. WB 500: very good lens! Wide angle 24mm - phantastic, I never had before. Nice landscapes, very convenient for limited rooms - at home, boat, any interiors. If compare with TX1, a WB500 have a little more noise, but less chroma aberration. About noise: of coarse, no "auto-ISO"! Manually, 100 - all right, 200-400... acceptable for some cases. Video, stereo sound - very good. (wind noise of coarse cant be effecively supressed - no miracles). Big, bright screen (TX1 have very small one, only suitable for general frame compose). Some samples:
picasaweb.google.ru/Grigory.M150/WayToGeyranger#

Opinion: This camera was disapointing due to the poor image quailty. It has a combination of excessive noise combined with excessive noise reduction, so you get the worst of both worlds, noisy images even at base iso, plus massive smearing from the noise redction.

The noise from this sensor must be extreme, that not even the overuse of noise reduction can reduce the noise to an acceptable level. I have an old Samsung L730 that produces vastly superior images to the WB500, even though the L730 results aren't top notch.

I can't overstress the poor results from this camera.
Noise in clear blue skies, extreme noise in shadow areas,
Smudging of detail so that peoples faces look clownish.

Also, the flash is in a bad position. If you grip the camera using the finger grip on the front, the flash will be partially blocked and you'll get a shadow on the right side of the picture. So you have to remember to hold the camera on top and bottom, while making sure none of your fingers get in the way. Not as easy as it sounds.

Video results are better, except for the poor quality sound. The microphones lack sensitivity, so replaying videos requires the volume be turned up very loud.
Also the zoom noise during video is recorded and quite obvious when the volume is turned up. I suspect Samsung tried to mask the zoom noise by reducing the sound sensitivity.

All in all, this is not a good camera if you value image quality. This is the first time I've felt the need to express how bad a camera is, and I've had a few bad ones before.

Opinion: this is just A BAD CAMERA !
I RETURN SECOND DAY.
I OWNED 3 SAMSUNG AND ALL BAD PIC .
SO SORRY SAMSUNG NOT WORTH IT.
BUY THE PANASONIC ZS1 O SONY H20 MUCH BETTER AND SAME PRICE .

Opinion: I owned this camera for 2 weeks, so far it has no at all. i enjoy using it and its play back function is so fun and interesting. it play back photos using different effect and music.

HD video is excellent. user can zoom during video, forward, and rewind while playback. besides, every moment in the video can be capture as a photo. i love this fuction a lot. we will not lose any precious moment when we take video.

beauty shot is good. reduces blemishes and uneven skin tone.

besides, the color effect is pretty good. the choice of color is enough for me to choose around.

smile shutter is the function i love the most. i took many photos with my boyfriend and we both enjoy taking photo using samsung WB500!!

the battery life is pretty long. i have been using it for 2 weeks, took about 400++ photos with flash or without flash, the battery bar still left one bar

camera is not too small. nice hand grip. not heavy, easy to bring around for daily use

overall, i love this camera a lot and i will support samsung camera in the future ^^

Opinion: Easy to setup, great images, love the wide angle, good for point and shoot

Opinion: I purchased this camera 2 weeks ago, after reading numerous reviews and test reports, as a backup to my Nikon D90 DSLR, for a trip to Perth WA that is coming up.

I will also take my Panasonic LX3, but from early results outdoors the Samsung handles and performs brilliantly, and with care and attention to focus and mode, indoor results are also very good.

It's pretty quick to get operating and very easy to carry around, and value for the A$380 dollars paid could not be beaten....But it could do with a spare generic battery!
Just in case you get caught out, as it requires a dedicated USB cord and does not have a separate battery charger but recharges in camera....No real drama, but it does take about 2.5 hours to recharge, even if not fully discharged.

All in all, Samsung have done a great job with this camera....
Great exposures every time, lovely wide angle, 14 scene modes and in camera edits!
HD movies with lens zoom ability is also impressive.....

I could easily recomend the HZ10W (WB500 in Australia) to anyone as a 2nd or maybe even their 1st digital camera.
It rivals my TZ2 which goes everywhere with me just in case an opportunity arises.....

Opinion: Camera looks great and feels solidly built. great menu system and after a few minutes is easy to search around. like the 10x optical zoom and the great wide angle which is why i bought it. pictures look great so far.