Samsung ST550 / TL225
Samsung Unveils Innovative Cameras with Front and Back LCD Screens
Dual LCD helps take the perfect self portrait
Mississauga, August 13, 2009: Samsung Electronics Canada, a leader in style and technological innovation, today announced the ST550 and ST500 innovative compact digital cameras featuring Dual LCD screens. With one LCD on the front of the camera and a second one on the back, Samsung now gives consumers the ability to step out from behind the camera and put themselves in the picture.
Delivering an unrivalled user experience, the 1.5” LCD located on the front of the camera allows consumers to take first-rate photos whether they are behind the camera or in front of it.
The ST550 also features a 3.5” wide touch-screen back LCD. At 1,152K resolution, the ST550’s LCD delivers almost four times more resolution than traditional cameras and also comes complete with haptic vibration feedback for ease of use. A 12.2 mega-pixel CCD and 27mm wide-angle Schneider-KREUZNACH lens with 4.6x optical zoom give a wider shooting range from a shorter distance, producing clear, clean images with balanced resolution from the centre of the image to its edges.
Samsung ST500 / TL220 Back View
“These cameras are the very first of their kind,” said James Murphy, vice president, Consumer Electronics Division, Samsung Electronics Canada. “The use of digital imaging technologies has evolved and we are offering functionality and capabilities that no other digital camera manufacturer has yet addressed. It has become more common for the photographer to switch roles and become the subject of his or her photo, especially given the rise in popularity of self-portraits or profile pictures for use with today’s popular social networking sites. The Dual LCD on the ST550 and ST500 allows consumers to become part of the picture in a way that they simply were unable to do before. These cameras will be must-haves for those individuals that use popular social networking websites and for families that want to get everyone, including the photographer, in the picture.”
Showcasing further innovations, Samsung’s Smart Gesture User Interface (UI) with a built-in Gravity sensor means that once the camera is on, a simple tap on the front LCD turns it on and the camera is automatically set into self portrait mode with smile detection. This means if users want to take a self portrait, they only need to tap and smile and the picture will be taken automatically, without pressing the shutter button. Teamed with innovative Samsung technologies such as Smile Shot, Smart Face Recognition and Smart Auto, users can take the perfect image with ease.
Additionally, just by tilting the camera towards a certain direction, users can go directly to a different mode or view their saved images. A simple touch or hand gesture is all it takes to access the camera’s full range of key features. With Samsung’s Smart Auto feature, the worry of photos being washed out, too dark, or out of focus is also now a thing of the past. Smart Auto, which is able to recognize 16 different potential scenes, analyzes key elements of your composition and subject and then automatically selects the appropriate scene settings in response.
Samsung’s innovative Smart Face Recognition technology will memorize up to 20 faces and adjust the focus and exposure to the most high-ranked faces in the picture. It allows users to sort images by registered faces, and scroll through to find images of people in their Smart Album instead of viewing every single photo.
Alongside professional-grade photos, the ST550 and ST500 record 720p HD video at 30 frames-per-second in H.264 format, providing twice as much recording capacity as MPEG4 format, and four times more than using MJPEG format, all in the palm of your hand. HDMI connectivity means that your HD videos can be enjoyed on any HDTV or HD Monitor.
Pricing/Availability:
ST550 – CAD $429.99/Aug
ST500 – CAD $369.99/Aug
Editor’s note:
– Samsung Canada is following Europe’s lead in its camera naming convention.
– The Samsung ST500 is known as the Samsung TL220 in the US
– The Samsung ST550 is known as the Samsung TL225 in the US.
Related Link:
– Samsung ST1000 Press Release