Samsung SH100
Manufacturer: Samsung Part number: SH100
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- If you like all the photo apps for your smartphone camera but miss having an optical zoom, the Samsung SH100 is the point-and-shoot for you.
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CNET editors' review
Samsung SH100 price range: $103.00 - $199.00
- Reviewed by: Joshua Goldman
- Reviewed on: 09/19/2011
- Released on: 03/15/2011
The good: The Samsung SH100 has features tailor-made for people wanting the functionality of their smartphone camera in a point-and-shoot.
The bad: The SH100's low-light photos are not good and its performance can be slow. Also, wireless uploads are limited to 2-megapixel photos and 30-second low-res movie clips.
The bottom line: If you like all the photo apps for your smartphone camera but miss having an optical zoom, the Samsung SH100 is the point-and-shoot for you.
Samsung seems to be the only camera manufacturer really pushing forward with Wi-Fi in its cameras. It's launched a handful of wireless-enabled models over the past couple years, but they've been mysteriously hard to come by, so I haven't been able to review one. That changes with the SH100.
The camera has built-in 802.11n wireless that can be used to connect to your Wi-Fi network for automatic backups or viewing on DLNA-equipped devices; connect to other Samsung Wi-Fi cameras for sharing; connect to hot spots including those provided by Boingo (an account comes with the SH100) or wirelessly tether to a smartphone; and connect to an Android 2.2-powered Galaxy S smartphone, 7-inch Galaxy Tab, or iPhone 4 with iOS 4.3.
That last option can be used to upload content to sharing sites, but it will also allow you to control the camera remotely. Your display turns into a viewfinder and you can move the camera's zoom lens as well as hit the shutter release. It'll also use the phone's GPS receiver to geotag your shots. (Samsung plans to extend these features to other non-Samsung Android smartphones as well.)
Outside of the wireless features, the camera is just a nice ultracompact. It's using a 14-megapixel CCD (1/2.3-inch type), a 26mm-equivalent wide-angle lens with a 5x optical zoom, and a 3-inch touch-screen LCD, and shooting modes are automatic, meaning there's no full control over aperture and shutter speed. In fact, using it is a lot like using a smartphone camera due to an abundance of filters and simple editing tools. Oddly, given the extensive shooting features, Samsung used digital image stabilization--not optical or mechanical--which is its biggest feature shortcoming.
| Key specs | Samsung SH100 |
|---|---|
| Price (MSRP) | $199.99 |
| Dimensions (WHD) | 3.7 inches by 2.1 inches by 0.7 inch |
| Weight (with battery and media) | 4.7 ounces |
| Megapixels, image sensor size, type | 14 megapixels, 1/2.3-inch CCD |
| LCD size, resolution/viewfinder | 3-inch touch-screen LCD, 230K dots/None |
| Lens (zoom, aperture, focal length) | 5x, f3.3-5.9, 26-130mm (35mm equivalent) |
| File format (still/video) | JPEG/H.264 AAC (.MP4) |
| Highest resolution size (still/video) | 4,320x3,240 pixels/ 1,280x720 at 30fps |
| Image stabilization type | Digital |
| Battery type, CIPA rated life | Li-ion rechargeable, 220 shots |
| Battery charged in camera | Yes, by proprietary USB cable via wall adapter or computer |
| Storage media | microSD/microSDHC |
| Bundled software | Intelli-studio, PC Auto Backup (Windows) |
Photo quality from the SH100 is good up to and including ISO 400. Like most sub-$200 point-and-shoots, it's not a camera you'd want to use in low-light conditions or indoors without a flash. The photos get spectacularly worse above ISO 400, picking up a lot of color noise and losing detail. Actually, noise is a bit of a problem even at the SH100's lowest ISO sensitivities when photos are viewed at full size; if you need to enlarge and heavily crop your photos and still want to use them for large prints, I would skip the SH100. However, if you're considering this for its online-sharing capabilities and don't typically make prints larger than 8x10s or view images at large sizes onscreen, the SH100 is a safe choice for the money. It is because this camera is designed primarily for Web sharing that it earned a higher-than-usual photo-quality rating.
Colors produced by the SH100 were very good at and below ISO 400: bright, vivid, and pleasing. The auto white balance is good, which is important since this camera really is all about automatic shooting. If you do want more say in the end result, in the Program mode you have access to manual white balance and custom RGB sliders as well as sharpness, saturation, and contrast sliders.
There's a slight amount of barrel distortion at the wide end of the lens and barely perceptible pincushioning with the lens extended. More importantly, the lens on my review camera was inconsistent with some softness off to the sides, particularly the left side. Center sharpness was OK, though.
Video quality is on par with a basic HD pocket video camera; good enough for Web use and casual TV viewing. Panning the camera will create judder that's typical of the video from most compact cameras and you will see ghosting with fast-moving subjects. The zoom lens does function while recording, though the audio cuts out slightly while the lens is moving. Image stabilization is digital only.
| General shooting options | Samsung SH100 |
|---|---|
| ISO sensitivity (full resolution) | Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200 |
| White balance | Auto WB, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent H, Fluorescent L, Tungsten, Custom Set |
| Recording modes | Smart Auto (photo, movie), Program, Scene, Simple Shot, Magic Frame shot, Beauty Shot, Object Highlight, Night Shot, Close Up, Vignetting, Photo Filter, Movie Filter, Movie |
| Focus modes | Multi AF, Center AF, Smart Face Recognition AF, Face Detection AF, Smart Touch AF, One Touch Shooting AF |
| Macro | 2 inches (Wide); 3.3 feet (Tele) |
| Metering modes | Multi, Spot, Center-weighted, Face Detection |
| Color effects | Custom RGB, multiple photo and movie filters |
| Burst mode shot limit (full resolution) | Unlimited continuous |
If you really like playing with filters and other shooting effects with your smartphone, the SH100 is definitely the camera for you. While it has regular point-and-shoot auto modes, it also has a lot of other automatic shooting options beyond simple scene modes. What's nice is that you can use them both before you shoot or apply them after with a built-in editor. While you don't have complete control over shutter speed and aperture, there is a Night mode that lets you select shutter speeds from 1 second up to 16 seconds and pick from two apertures (though one is achieved with a neutral density filter). Also, the camera's Program mode has more control than you usually get at this price.
Shooting performance is a bit mixed. The SH100's shutter lag is low for its class at 0.4 second in bright lighting and 0.7 second in dim conditions. However, it's somewhat slow to start up and shoot, averaging about 2.4 seconds. Shot-to-shot time is almost as long at 1.9 seconds; turning on the flash drives that up to 3.6 seconds. Its continuous shooting speed averages 0.7 frame per second. While these times aren't horrible, they will make taking photos of active kids and pets trickier. You'll get a shot, but it might not be the shot you were after. But really, that goes for most point-and-shoots, especially those that cost less than $200.
Samsung wisely kept the SH100 very small and light. If you're already leaving your camera at home in favor of your smartphone's camera, you probably wouldn't be interested in something that's bulky and heavy unless it had a significantly longer lens. With its 3-inch touch screen used for most of the controls, it slips easily into a small bag or pants pocket. The only buttons are the power and shutter release on top and playback and home buttons on back. The screen isn't very responsive to fingers; you can use them, but even after calibrating it to my taps I found it didn't work consistently. On the other hand, the included stylus that clips to the wrist strap worked perfectly.
The SH100 has a very smartphonelike interface with pages of large icons to tap on and easy menu scrolling. Press and hold an icon and you can then move it to another page. For example, if you really like using the Vignetting mode, just drag it over to the first page of options so it's one of the first things you see when you turn on the camera.
The wireless features in general are easy to set up and use, though you'll want to use the stylus to tap in usernames and passwords. (Note: Wi-Fi networks that require you to agree to terms and conditions before you can connect--such as those at hotels and airports--will not work with this camera.) You can upload to Facebook, Picasa, YouTube, Photobucket, and a Samsung Imaging site. Up to 20 photos at a time can be sent with the total size being 10MB or less. The rub is that photos must be 2 megapixels or smaller and video is limited to 30-second clips recorded at 320x240-pixel resolution. Photos shot at higher resolutions will automatically resize while uploading, but movies will not. Photos can be sent by e-mail directly from the camera, too, but have the same restrictions.
The Remote Viewfinder feature is very cool, but its overall usefulness is debatable. It's good for setting up self-portraits and group shots, but because there's a significant lag between tapping your smartphone's screen and the camera responding you have to remain fairly still to get the shot you want. The app (a free download on the Android Market and Apple App Store) can control flash, timer, resolution (2 or 10 megapixels), and the shutter release. Once you snap a photo it's stored on the camera, but you'll also see a small version on your phone screen. Tap it and you'll see a larger version that can be saved to your smartphone resized to VGA (640x480 pixels) quality.
The SH100 uses microSD cards for storage, something to consider if you've already got SD cards you're planning to use. These little cards can be a hassle, but they make sense for smartphone owners. This way if you can't connect the camera wirelessly or want to upload or e-mail a full-size photo or video, you can just pop out the card and stick it directly into the phone's card slot. The card slot is in the bottom of the camera with the battery, which is charged in-camera via USB. Unfortunately, Samsung uses a proprietary AV/USB port on this model, requiring you to use the included cable. The battery is rated for up to 220 shots, but keep in mind that battery life will be cut short if you're using the Wi-Fi or the touch screen a lot.
Conclusion
The Samsung SH100 is a fun little point-and-shoot. It is the closest thing to using a smartphone, which in this case is a very good thing. Stay away from the SH100 if you require good low-light photos without a flash; the results above ISO 400 just aren't good. But otherwise, it offers a lot of things to play with that you normally wouldn't get at its sub-$200 price.
Find out more about how we test digital cameras.
User reviews
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Best point and shoot ever !!!!!!!
by SH100Lover on April 29, 2011
Pros: Picture quality on auto setting. Ease of use. Fun to use.
Cons: NONE at all. Still looking for a spare battery though.
Summary: This camera is the best digital camera I have ever used. I've been through several cameras looking for one that would take consistently great pictures in any circumstances, on ...
Summary: This camera is the best digital camera I have ever used. I've been through several cameras looking for one that would take consistently great pictures in any circumstances, on it's "auto" setting. I have finally found one. I'm no camera junkie or tech geek......but have been disappointed with the capability of my previous cameras (some costing 2-3 times as much) to take great pictures; consistently, on their full auto setting. This camera is also a blast to "play" with. I looked at over 20 cameras this time.....and almost passed on this one due to lack of familiarity with Samsung in the camera world. It was the last camera I picked up in the store, before I almost walked out frustrated that I had not found what I was looking for: a camera for under $400 that took great, clear, realistic pictures without any "tweeking"....and was easy to use. What a steal at $179.00 !!!!
1 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Best point and shoot camera ever
by wumber on April 25, 2011
Pros: Easy to configure Wi-Fi, Breeze to use. Awesome sharing capabilities. Incredible special effects. Gorgeous, clear, sharp pictures! Easy to understand documentation (located on CD!)
Cons: There are no cons!
Summary: This camera is the best camera I have ever owned and I am addicted to cameras! This is the best camera ever. I have had so much fun with this ...
Summary: This camera is the best camera I have ever owned and I am addicted to cameras! This is the best camera ever. I have had so much fun with this camera. It is as much fun to use as an Ipad! It is a blast. Post your pictures right to Facebook, your videos to YouTube. It is a blast! I can't say anything negative about the camera because there is nothing negative to say! Best $200 I ever spent!
1 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great digital camera
by msclaudia on August 24, 2011
Pros: I can easy share pic to facebook
Cons: it only allowed's you to upload 30sec of video with low resolution on YouTube witch I think it really sucks!!!
Summary: I was looking for a camera to take pictures of my new born and i found this cam at radio shack for 200.00 i almost settle for something that ...
Summary: I was looking for a camera to take pictures of my new born and i found this cam at radio shack for 200.00 i almost settle for something that cost 79.00 bucks but i decide to keep shopping around, I drove to Fry's and found the same camera SH100 for 149.95 and thought it was a pretty good deal since radio shack had it for 200.00+bucks I ask the sales guy and he said it was the best and only wifi camera in the market, so i bought it its nice the only thing i didnt like its that i scratch it with the pen it comes with, about a week after buying it. i wonder if the company will repair it for free? oh and the YouTube 30sec low quality video sharing sucks...
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Bad, support hard to config wifi
by mraamohamed on April 17, 2011
Pros: Size, resolution, features
Cons: lack of documentation, support with issues bad. WiFi hard to setup
1 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Easy to use, light-weight, awesome camera!
by toacydil on July 13, 2011
Pros: Size, features, resolution, battery life, ease of use, and many, many more!
Cons: Only one that I've found so far, and that is that it can be a bit slow in processing pictures after taking them. It's not too bad, but it can be frustrating when you just want to take a few pictures right in a row and instead have to pause a while in betw
Summary: Overall, this camera deserves five stars because of all its features. The one con that I have found so far is not enough to make me even give this camera ...
Summary: Overall, this camera deserves five stars because of all its features. The one con that I have found so far is not enough to make me even give this camera half a star less. It's a very user friendly camera and extremely fun to play with. It's small enough that I can fit it in my pocket and light enough that I hardly notice it's there. For the quality of the pictures and the features it offers, this camera is worth the price! I am happy with my choice to buy this camera and I know that you will be too!
0 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME!
by seb_nic_lara on June 1, 2011
Pros: Battery life, tens of different settings, user interface, great pricing, etc.
Cons: Screen can get dirty fast if you don't use the stylus, there is no SD card, just a microSD card.
Summary: Best camera owned by far. It is so useful and house setting for retro camera, fisheye, different color filters, etc. and more! GET IT! :)
Summary: Best camera owned by far. It is so useful and house setting for retro camera, fisheye, different color filters, etc. and more! GET IT! :)
0 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Poor cust. service,could not register,review censorship
by currter on December 18, 2011
Pros: Inexpensive
Cons: Censorship of reviews on Samsung website. Could not register camera easily initially.
Summary: "your Samsung product review has not been posted"
"Thanks for leaving a review. Unfortunately, your review did not meet our posting guidelines."
"Please revise your review to meet our posting ...Summary: "your Samsung product review has not been posted"
Samsung is a liar stating that feedback is important as it continues to censor my reviews. I hope this negative review here will get to Samsung and they will notice. The following is the same form letter I have been getting about 5 times now when my initial review was excellent and rating the camera highly 5/5. All subsequet reviews have been low 1/5 primarily due to censorship. Maybe Samsung is actually a North Korean company than South.
"Thanks for leaving a review. Unfortunately, your review did not meet our posting guidelines."
"Please revise your review to meet our posting guidelines. Mobile View"
After writing a glowing review of the SH100 camera and giving it 5 out 5 rating, I received the above message stating that the review I submitted and took a lot of time to type was not posted. There was no reason why the review was rejected and there was no way to access the review to make modifications to it so it would be approved to meet posting guidelines. Finally there was no way to revise the review given a link and Mobile View.
I have had problems from the start with customer service regarding this otherwise nice and convenient camera. I had problems registering the serial number. First it said the serial number could not be registered or could not be found a few times perhaps because it was a new product. Next I was able to register it after about a half an hour.
Unfortunately I have to rate this product lower than before because Samsung could not assist me in finding my original glowing review so it could be modified and reposted. Also, I forgot what I said in the original review and thus my lower rating of the product for this current review. I am saving a copy this time as I really thought there was nothing wrong with the original review for it to be modified.
Overall Samsung needs to improve its customer service for this product and allow editing and access to reviews.
Updated on Jan 1, 2012
Thanks for leaving a review. Unfortunately, your review did not
meet our posting guidelines.
This may be because it contained references to other products;
or to pricing, ordering, delivery or other customer service issues.
Your feedback is important because it helps others make informed choices about Samsung products. We invite you to read our posting guidelines, then log in to your account on Samsung.com
to post a new review.
Updated on Jan 2, 2012I am sorry for misspelling "subsequent" as I guess the 'n' got stuck.0 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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watch out for super reviews. they try to pimp you.
by Jfkadlec on August 22, 2011
Pros: read only the reviews which are legitimate. look at the unfavorable reviews to find the honest ones. the ones like "best camera ever" are written by someone who is selling them.
Cons: i don't know about this camera, but when a 200 dollar camera gets a bunch of "awesomes" you know something is fishy.
Summary: there are a million pimping reviews out there which get in the way of truly trying to evaluate a product. the one star reviews are usually written by someone with ...
Summary: there are a million pimping reviews out there which get in the way of truly trying to evaluate a product. the one star reviews are usually written by someone with a gripe, which may not even be related to the product, but to whomever sold it. the two star reviews are often legitimate, but the writer often got a lemon. the three star reviews generally tell the truth (no product is perfect but you are trying to get a sense of how it will perform). the four star reviews are from people who are generally happy, and may be legitimate. the five star reviews are often submitted by someone who is getting a five dollar credit for writing it. be wary of these.
0 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Samsung
- Part number: SH100
- Description: Samsung SH100 is a compact Wi-Fi enabled camera that delivers great shots that you can share over the Internet and social networks with your friends and family, from wherever you are in the world. The SH100's built in Wi-Fi can also automatically back up your shots to your PC by only pushing two buttons, or by using DLNA to wirelessly connect to your HDTV and see your photos and videos right away. Wi-Fi enables you to upload your pictures instantly to your social networking sites such as Facebook, Picasa or Photo Bucket, or email them to individual email addresses straight from the camera. The people you care about can enjoy your experience from wherever they are. You can also record HD video and share your favorite moments over sites such as YouTube. To make the upload process of large files easier and quicker, the SH100 includes an account with mobile hotspot provider Boingo, giving you access to over 200,000 Wi-Fi hotspots worldwide.
General
- Product Type Digital camera - Compact
- Resolution 14.2 megapixels
- Optical Sensor Type CCD
- Total Pixels 14,480,000 pixels
- Effective Sensor Resolution 14,200,000 pixels
- Optical Sensor Size 1/2.33"
- Wireless Connection IEEE 802.11b/g/n
- Digital Zoom 5 x
- Image Stabilizer Electronic
- Auto Focus TTL contrast detection
- Digital Video Format H.264
- Image Recording Format JPEG
- Max Video Resolution 1280 x 720
- AV Interfaces Composite video/audio
Exposure & White Balance
- Exposure Metering Multi-segment,
Center-weighted,
Spot - Exposure Modes Program,
Automatic - Shooting Programs Smart auto,
Self portrait,
Beauty shot - White Balance Automatic,
Presets,
Custom - White Balance Presets Cloudy,
Daylight,
Fluorescent light (daylight),
Fluorescent light (cool white),
Tungsten light - Max Shutter Speed 1/2000 sec
- Min Shutter Speed 8 sec
Lens System
- Type 5 x x Zoom lens - 4.7 mm - 23.5 mm - F/3.3-5.9
- Focal Length Equivalent to 35mm Camera 26 - 130 mm
- Focus Adjustment Automatic
- Zoom Adjustment Motorized drive
- Features Built-in lens shield
Camera Flash
- Camera Flash Built-in flash
- Flash Modes Slow synchro,
Fill-in mode,
Auto mode,
Flash OFF mode,
Red-eye reduction - Effective Flash Range 8 in - 10.5 ft
Additional Features
- Additional Features Digital image rotation,
Exif Print support,
720p HD movie recording,
Face retouch,
DPOF support,
Remote live view,
In-camera red-eye fix,
Built-in GPS,
Audio recording,
Face detection,
Brightness control,
Built-in speaker,
Auto Contrast Balance (ACB),
YouTube capture mode,
Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) technology,
Resizing an image,
Auto power save,
Cropping an image,
Saturation control,
Face Detection AF/AE,
Touch-screen control,
PictBridge support,
Face Recognition,
Sharpness control,
Contrast control,
USB 2.0 compatibility,
Direct print Display
- Type 3 in LCD display
- Display Features Built-in
Microphone
- Microphone Operation Mode Mono
Connections
- Connector Type 1 x Hi-Speed USB,
1 x Composite video/audio output,
1 x DC power input - Memory Card Slot microSD card
Viewfinder
- Viewfinder Type None
System Requirements for PC Connection
- Operating System Support MS Windows 7,
MS Windows XP SP2,
Apple Mac OS X 10.4 or later,
MS Windows Vista - Peripheral Devices USB port,
CD-ROM drive Software
- Software Drivers & Utilities
Battery
- Supported Battery 1 x Li-ion rechargeable battery - 890 mAh ( Included )
Memory / Storage
- Supported Memory Cards microSD Card,
microSDHC Card - Internal Storage 6.9 MB Flash
- Included Memory Card 6.9 MB
Dimensions & Weight
- Width 3.7 in
- Depth 0.7 in
- Height 2.1 in
- Weight 3.9 oz
Environmental Parameters
- Min Operating Temperature 32 °F
- Max Operating Temperature 104 °F
Accessories
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Samsung products on Shopper.com
-
- Manufacturer:Samsung
- Address:
105 Challenger Road, Ridgefield Park, NJ 07660 - Phone: 1-800-726-7864
- Fax: 1-973-601-6001
