WB350F sample - Sunrise and Photo Frame

I had to pull myself out of bed this morning to try out how well the camera captures a sunrise. You'll have to take my word for it that the sunrise is quite accurately represented here.

F/3.5, 1/180s, ISO 80

The image below is a feature called "My Magic Frame". In this mode, you first capture an image to use as a background; in this case, a fishbowl. Then you mask out a desired area using the touchscreen. Then capture a second shot; in this case it is the dog. I ended with this gruesome picture of a decapitated dog's head inside a fishbowl! Sorry, Yuna!

WB350F sample video and Motion Photo

This is shot at 1920x1080 resolution.

 This is a frame grab from the above video clip.

This is an animated image (resolution fixed at 640x480). It is a feature Samsung calls "Motion Photo". Quite a fun feature to have, and not commonly found.

WB350F sample images - Zoom and Panorama

Here is a shot into the living room, followed by the same shot at 21x zoom. The camera was in fully auto mode, handheld. Notice that the second image appears to be quite stable, no doubt thanks to the image stabilizer at work.

F/6.3, 1/30s, ISO 240

F/6.9, 1/45s, ISO 400

The bottom two are panoramic shots of the living room. Camera was set in Panorama mode. The images appear as they are straight out of the camera. Despite very brightly lit windows, the exposure appears to be spot on.

F/4, 1/125s, ISO 320

F/4, 1/180s, ISO 320

Best wifi camera - Samsung WB350F

At a regular price of AUD$199, the Samsung WB350F is one of the best value-for-money pocketable point-and-shoot wifi camera one can get today. If you are a photographer and you yearn to have a high end smartphone simply because of its better image quality, this camera might make you think twice. The host of connectivity options is plentiful:

1. Built-in wifi hotspot. Some cameras use Eye-Fi for their wifi solution. (The Eye-Fi is a 3rd party flash memory card, and the wifi built into it does not work on all cameras.) With its built-in wifi hotspot. I can transfer an image to a smartphone or a tablet before or after taking the shot (prior download of app is required). I can also do batch transfer. I can preview the images either on the camera or on the smartphone. If enabled, I can transfer every shot as soon as it is taken (this happens in real time, but with a few seconds delay in between shots)

2. Built-in NFC. With one tap, I can transfer an image I am viewing, on to a NFC-enabled smartphone. Or, if in shooting mode, the WB350F will automatically turn the smartphone into a remote viewfinder for the camera. I can trigger the shot using the smartphone.

3. Built-in wifi recognition. The WB350F can detect and connect to any wifi hotspot out there. Note that not every wifi camera can do this. With this, I can email a photo straight from the camera to anyone; I can upload to cloud storage;  and I can upload to social media like Facebook, Picasa, and Youtube.

With the above connectivity options, the WB350F is a perfect solution for anyone who has been exclusively shooting with a smartphone. This camera comes with a 1/2.3" BSI-CMOS sensor, which can be found in high-end smartphone cameras. Needless to say, the image quality is as just as good as or better than what you see in a top end Samsung Galaxy phone. The built-in effects and filters are available on both stills (16MP) as well as on video (1920x1080, 30fps).

 


Here are some of the other features I find to be either interesting or useful on the WB350F:

a. Touch screen display. Navigating on the menu is so much easier with a touch screen display, especially if you are trying to type out an email address.

b. Charging via USB port. I find this very, very handy indeed. No more one-of-a-kind charger to lug around.

c. Frame grab. While reviewing a video clip on the camera, I can simply extract a frame as a jpeg image. Alternatively, I can shoot a still image while recording a video.

d. Effects and filters. A full range of effects and filters, commonly found in a smartphone, is available on the WB350F. The effects and filters can be applied either before or after taking the shot.

e. Powerful white balance control. White balance can be set using AWB, one of the presets, setting colour temperature manually, or custom shooting into a white background. Each of the presets (e.g. Daylight) can also be fine-tuned to your liking.

 Next time, I shall post some images taken with the WB350F. So far, I have found this to be a very delightful camera, having far more camera features and software features than any non-Samsung cameras, at any price. Yes, that says a lot!

Prior to this, I had planned to eventually upgrade to a high end smartphone simply for its better image quality. With the WB350F, I now have a real and dedicated camera with all the connectivity options and the fun-filled features of a smartphone, and an unrestrained battery life. As you can guess, I have struck the high end smartphone off my shopping list.

My collection of Nokia phones

It just dawned upon me that I do have quite a colourful collection of Nokia phones.

My latest acquisition is the orange one, the Lumia 530, which I got for a bargain basement price of just AUD39 a few days ago. It has the latest Windows 8.1 mobile operating system. It is minimalist in design, yet equipped with all the essentials like GPS, wifi, bluetooth, memory card slot, etc. The processor and display are not cutting edge, but good enough to please the down-to-earth-practical me. This is my foray back into using a smartphone after deliberately abandoning smartphones for a year.

Yes, a year ago I gave up my Samsung S2 for the yellow Nokia Asha 210. The Asha 210 has a rudimentary capability in the areas of wifi, camera, web, Whatsapp and Facebook; all of which I rarely put to use due to poor performance. In a twisted way, that helped wean me off smartphone addiction, while I grew to love the alarm clock (works even when powered off), calendar (never missed any appointment), keyboard (helps when you don't have a smartphone keyboard), and 3-4 days battery life. It also has dual SIM, which is great for travelling.

Blind woman's discrimination claim against Coles

There is a report in today's papers that a blind is filing a discrimination claim against Coles Supermarket because she couldn't do her online shopping anymore after some software upgrades. This woman is legally, but not completely, blind.

My say: I think some people are using the word "discrimination" indiscriminately. The woman is demanding that Coles caters to her special needs on the website. Does Coles have a sinister plan to single out this woman to discriminate against? Imagine if a lawsuit were brought up by everyone with special needs, against every website, there would be absolute chaos. I cannot imagine that any judge will take the lawsuit seriously. Very soon we may have people claiming discrimination because they don't qualify for a credit card to make online purchases. We may have obese people crying foul because the retailer does not carry extra, extra large sizes. We may have religious groups claiming discrimination because the website displays items offensive to their beliefs. The list is endless.

Click here if you want the full report: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-11-05/blind-woman-launches-court-action-against-coles-over-its-website/5869874

My trip to the Grampians

I spent last weekend with my wife and her childhood friends at The Grampians. It was a very enjoyable visit to the national park. It was also an opportunity to practise what I have recently learned about handling the camera for shooting sharper images. I am quite happy with the result, after reviewing the images back home. Here are some of the images I like.

On the way to The Pinnacles, we passed through this place called The Grand Canyon.

The rock formation reminds me of Angkor Wat and Raiders of the Lost Ark.

 Another interesting reminder of the Angkor Wat temple ruins.

This reminds me of a werewolf, shot against the midday sun and converted to monochrome.

Shot this "family portrait" at the aboriginal centre in Hall's Gap.

This is Mt Abrupt, as seen outside the tourist information centre in Dunkeld. Dunkeld is the southern gateway to The Grampians.