Review posted 08/21/2012

Quick Take

Pros

Camera is very easy to use with graphical menus Good image quality and sharp focus Main display screen is bright and sharp Second display screen on front of camera allows for easy self-portraits and shots with your friends Lens fully retracts inside the camera, protecting the glass Several special-effect options available Built-in Wi-Fi allows for immediate uploading of photos to social networking sites Camera is a lot of fun to use Good value; compares very favorably to other cameras in its price range Start-up is fast versus point-n-shoot cameras Very thin camera body

Cons

5x optical zoom lens is a bit small Camera control buttons are too small to be used comfortably Cannot shoot 1080p HD video Battery life can be below average, if using all of the camera's features Must charge battery inside the camera; no separate battery charger included Color scheme for camera body is a bit odd Some photos can be a bit dull color-wise Very few manual-control features Uses microSD type memory cards, which are tiny and easy to lose

Bottom Line

The Samsung DV300F is a camera that's aimed at beginning photographers who want a camera that's fun and easy to use, thanks in part to LCDs on both the front and back of the camera. Samsung also has created a camera that performs pretty well versus other similarly priced models. With a small optical zoom lens, the DV300F doesn't offer the most versatile zoom range, but it's a good option for those who want to shoot portrait photos and share them on social networks. Read more in our Full Conclusion.

Earlier this year, Samsung announced their latest incarnation in their DualView camera series, the sleekly designed DV300F. It features a 16.0-Megapixel, 1/2.3" CCD, a 5x optical zoom lens (a 35mm equivalent of 25-125mm), a 3.0" rear facing LCD viewing screen, a 1.5" front facing LCD screen, and Wi-Fi connectivity. That smaller, front facing screen has a couple new features to help self portraits, including a visual Self Timer as well as a Child Mode, which "displays an animation to keep little ones focused."

Built-in Wi-Fi enables access to the usual social media suspects (Facebook, Flickr, Picasa, YouTube), as well as allowing you to save images directly from your microSD card onto your PC (via Auto PC Backup) or Cloud services like Microsoft SkyDrive or Samsung's own AllShare Play.

If creatively altering pictures is your thing, you'll enjoy a host of in-camera apps to customize your images. Magic Frame includes 12 background templates for creating "poster-quality" art. Picture-in-Picture mode allows one image to be inserted into another, or into a video clip for uploading on YouTube. Split Shot allows users to merge up to three different images and the pics don't even have to be taken with your camera. Funny Face has 8 different modes for adding crazy facial features to portraits. Artist Brush turns any video or still image into a color or black & white "sketch" as if an artist had painted it. Lastly, the all new Motion Photo app allows DV300F owners to "freeze time around a moving subject for dramatic effect."

At less than $200, the DV300F compares very favorably with similarly priced models. It's a lot of fun to use, and the small LCD screen on the front of the camera is sure to turn some heads.