The Samsung Dual View ST700: deceptively powerful with a new feature that’s no gimmick.
By Leo Stiles
Only a few years ago, I spent €500 on a Sony CyberShot compact camera which, at the time, was near to the top of the range. It came equipped with a 4-megapixel image sensor, a feature which like any tech geek, I duly bragged about to anyone who would listen.
So, when it comes to reviewing Samsung’s flagship camera in its dual-shot range, I can’t help but feel a bit silly for spending so much for so little. Samsung’s latest release, the ST700, comes equipped with a massive 16-megapixel sensor that puts all but its most prestigious competitors to shame.
Powered up
This level of tech is normally reserved for the professional end of the market and usually found in intimidating SLR cameras where the extra power is essential to the craft. So when confronted with this little powerhouse, my first thoughts were: why such a tiny camera needed that much horsepower?
The answer is of course, why not? Just as mobile phones start to become equipped with high spec cameras, it sort of makes sense that dedicated shooters up their game to make themselves relevant. With more and more elaborate photography being done on such devices, the extra megapixels give budding creatives the edge when Photoshop is fired up.
However, I’m getting ahead of myself here. The very first thing to note about the ST700 is just how light it is and even with the battery installed, the camera weighs next to nothing. The style of the camera is also consistent with Samsung’s design ethos, with everything done in glossy black and chrome silver, making the ST700 a pretty sexy bit of kit.
Second screen
The major selling feature of the ST700, and all the cameras in the Dual View range, is the second LCD screen on the front of the camera.
Measuring just 1.8-inches, the screen is almost invisible when turned off. At first I dismissed the second screen, but switching to the front screen makes traditional tasks such as self and group snaps a lot easier. Also, the second screen which, when combined with the timer, ensures that group shots are no longer spoiled by that mate of yours that just has to throw up two fingers behind your head.
Anyone who has children or pets will know the difficulty in making sure that they are looking at the camera but that mini LCD screen has a neat little trick up its sleeve for such occasions and will play a video with some head-turning sounds as you take their picture. Having tested this out in a very busy crèche, I can assure you that this feature works a treat.
Of course, the other use for this camera is for video blogging and the clarity offered by the screen is a nice step up from the usual webcams out there and, overall, makes this feature a worthwhile addition to any compact camera. I suspect that this feature will become a standard feature in most compact cameras over time.
Despite all this distracting stuff, the ST700 is a serious camera and along with its 16.1-megapixel sensor, the camera also boasts a 5x optical zoom, a massive 3-inch rear LCD touch screen and a host of software features.
Tweaking
A quick test reveals a camera that is perfect for a quick point and shoot, with image processing happening almost instantaneously. There are a variety of modes available too, with a particular stand-out being the Smart Auto mode which selects modes for you automatically depending on what you are pointing at. For casual snappers this mode produces some decent results. Of course, more experienced photographers can dig into the settings and manually tweak all the usual settings.
Overall, the image quality is outstanding throughout and colour reproduction is vibrant. Even throwaway shots are full of detail and thanks to the high megapixel count, ruined shots might also show some promise when editing. The camera also supports 720p HD video which can be outputted to your TV through a HDMI port on the side of the camera, though sadly the cable isn’t included.
I’m well aware that I’m giving a lot of love to the ST700 but a couple of things do stop it from getting a five star endorsement.
The first is that the responsiveness of the touch screen is just not up to scratch and while I may have been spoiled with the current wave of smartphones and their highly sensitive screens, the ST700 still feels a little sluggish by comparison.
I feel that this is a fair point to make because if you have one of the latest phones from HTC that now feature proper flashes and have 8-megapixels sensors, you might not reach for this camera if you can snap away with your phone with greater ease and speed. This is by no means a deal breaker and most will just adjust but, for me, it felt a little bit disappointing.
What’s missing
The other thing that is missing from the camera is a good-old viewfinder, an omission that is characteristic of compact cameras as a whole these days. While the LCD screen can deliver lots of data and composition guidelines, the omission of a viewfinder does ensure a detachment from your shots. Crucially the LCD screen doesn’t always reflect what that the lens is actually seeing, with some low-light photography appearing pre-shot as a grainy image on the LCD screen.
Of course the actual photograph was perfect but the disparity between what the camera could see and what you could see through the LCD was irritating. This is less of an issue in full daylight but it’s a shame that a traditional viewfinder wasn’t included as the photos taken with the camera are fantastic.
In the end these flaws are minor and the ST700 wins the day through a combination of high quality end results, impressive build and sheer versatility of use. With its second LCD screen it also brings a new feature to the compact camera that for once, is no mere gimmick.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Conor Sketches | Tiger Woods loves Ger Loughnane and cosplaying as Charles LeClerc
