Samsung has been exploring the dual-view concept for some time, and after releasing a previous cameras using two LCD displays (one small, one big), it came to the conclusion than a single 3” (432×240) LCD tilt display was even better: The Samsung MV800 was born.
Having one display which can rotate by 180 degrees is better than two fixed ones for a couple of reasons: First, you don’t have to compromise for a smaller image on the front. Secondly, you can use every angle between 0 and 180 degrees. Tilting the screen can also be useful to take a “low shot” without having to kneel, or to shoot a movie while holding the camera at the chest level (less stressful for the arms muscles).
The Samsung MV800 is impressively thin and when we played with it, we immediately noticed that the touch screen quality is superior to what was usually found in most touch-enabled cameras. We’re not quite at the “smartphone” level yet, but may be a couple of years from it.
Talking about “smart devices”, the Samsung MV800 comes with a number of “photo effects” that many would find inspired by the very creative apps found in smartphones (cartoon effects, distorsion, water paint, etc…). There is also a panorama mode and a 2D to 3D converter to watch your photos in 3D on a compatible TV.
Let’s come back to the photographic aspect for a moment: The Samsung MV800 captures photos at a maximum resolution of 16.1 Megapixel (4608×3456), and features a 26mm lens with a 5X optical zoom with optical stabilization (there’s a digital stabilization too).
Unfortunately, we can’t tell you how good it is at low-light shooting, because we played with it on a very sunny day in San Francisco. However, I have not seen any aperture information, so I’m guessing that the f-stop isn’t extraordinary. That said, the camera supports an sensitivity (ISO) of 3200, which can help in low-light situation.
The pricing has not been determined yet.
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