The Samsung WB500 is one of the few compact cameras I’ve seen with such zoom capabilities. While most compact cameras only have 3x optical zoom, the WB500 can do 10x.
The camera is a bit thick and bulky and easily lands in the “large compact” category of digital cameras. The body is curved outward a little on the right end and has a small patch of rubber up front so you get a good grip while shooting. The almost all-metal body and black, matte finish gives it a pretty slick look and professional appeal.
The most prominent feature is the extra-large lens barrel that seem to take almost half the size of the entire camera. Despite the 10x optical and 5x digital zoom, the lens barrel doesn’t extend much (about 2x thicker when fully extended). It has a focal length of 4.2-42 mm which translates to a range of 24-240 mm (on an equivalent 35mm focal length). Lens aperture is pegged at F/3.3-5.8 which is not too bad but would have been nice it were as wide as 2.0 like the LX3.
The camera controls are pretty standard and the layout is comfortably positioned at the back  and top for easy access. There’s a lever on the top right corner to provide quick control for exposure compensation. The circular 4-way controller allows access to most common functions like macro, flash, timer and display settings. The LCD display screen is only 2.7″ across and doesn’t maximize the available space at the back. There’s only 30MB internal storage so you’ll need to buy an SD card separately.
Took sample shots above (click on the thumbnail to see full raw 1.6MB file). Photo quality ranges from good to great, depending on lighting conditions although objects are a little smoothed out especially in macro mode. You can switch to manual so you have full control of settings. And though you can crank up ISO from 80 to 1600 (3200 at up to 3MP), the higher you go the more noise is introduced to the photos.
In the 3rd sample shot (cityscape, wide-angle shot), you will already notice some distortion near the edges of the photo. The dual IS (image stabilisation) works really nice on night shots or low light conditions without the aid of a flash. Photos turn out much less blurry although its got that smoothed-out effect. The built-in flash feels inadequate though and doesn’t have enough power to give it some range.
The WB500 can also capture videos at 720p resolution (see sample shot above on YouTube HD). Though not very crisp, the quality is good enough. I’d give the Samsung WB500 an 8.5 out of 10 on still and 8 out of 10 on motion capture. In comparison, I’d give my Canon Ixus 80IS an 8 on photo and 6 on video.
At a suggested retail price of Php24,990 (it’s a bit odd though since in the US, it’s under $250), the Samsung WB500 is reasonably priced for the features it provide. There might be cheaper competing models out there that’s similarly spec’d but I personally prefer the design and construction of this one. The Samsung WB500 gives you a good mix of form and function but on the higher end of the price spectrum (the wider angle and manual mode could have bumped it up).
I have just bought this camera. I know it’s now considered as old, but the image quality appears to be pretty good for the price.