When people think of manufacturers who make compact digital cameras, few will probably think of Samsung. Though recently, it seems Samsung has been building more photographic equipment, and been doing a great job of it too. The latest compact digital camera from Samsung to reach the market is the EX1. With its compact metal body, an impressive F1.8-2.4 optical zoom lens capable of 24mm at the wide-angle and an articulated screen, it looks like Samsung is serious about their cameras.
There are many features of the Samsung EX1 that was unexpected but highly desirable, the impressive F1.8 aperture capability, their high quality OLED articulated rear display and the ability to capture images in RAW (an uncompressed/lossless file format).
Samsung EX1 Key Features
- 3.0x Optical Zoom – 24-72mm equiv. F1.8-2.4 lens (Dual Optical Stabilization)
- 10.0 Megapixels
- High Sensitivity of up to ISO 3200
- RAW capturing
- 3.0-inch articulated OLED rear display
- Manual Controls
- Smart Mode
- HD output
Specifications
For those who love to read the geekier lingo of product specifications, you can check out the Samsung’s EX1 Specifications.
Packaging
When Samsung ships you something directly, they are always good about ensuring the safety of their product. The Samsung EX1 was placed inside a larger box with shipping peanuts. Though there was a bit of a surprise, Samsung also included a separate wide-angle converter which you can use to get a slightly wider photograph that was closer to around the 17mm length.
Back to the packaging. Being that the Samsung EX1 is a compact digital camera, the retail box that it comes packaged with is not very big. Included in the box are the following: Samsung EX1 compact digital camera, USB to Camera cable, AC Adapter, Lithium Battery, Lens Cover, Samsung Neck strap, AV cables, CD (manual, software).
It is nice to see that manufacturers are shying away from large paper manuals and including them on CDs. An included Neck strap is an added bonus as well, though typically a camera this size would normally come with a wrist strap. The separate lens cap is a nice touch, especially that it comes with its own strap that you attach to the camera to help prevent it from becoming misplaced or lost.
One particular downside noticed off the bat is the proprietary USB cable. It is nice that you use the USB cable to charge the Lithium battery, but without the proprietary cable, you cannot charge the battery. I would have liked to see the cable make use of a regular mini USB connection so that in case you forgot or misplaced it, you could easily purchase another one from an electronics store.