Samsung WB350F Review

We all agree that point-and-shoot camera buyers are slowly deteriorating because of smartphone getting better camera sensors, and DSLRS & mirrorless cameras getting a larger share in the market. That’s why most manufacturers are doing something to spice up their point-and shoot cameras.

The Samsung WB350F looks very simple but there’s something that you don’t know inside it, it’s a Smart camera. Yes, it can connect to your smartphone and even upload photos and videos to your social networking accounts. It may be called as a Smart Camera, but the Samsung WB350F isn’t powered by Android.

The Samsung WB350F might fool you with its looks, but its design isn’t really made up of leather. It’s actually made up of plastic. Unlike the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and the Samsung Galaxy S5, the Samsung W350F doesn’t have that texture of those phones so yeah, don’t get fooled by its texture. But of course the Samsung W350F isn’t entirely made up of plastic, there’s little bit of metal. I wished Samsung had made the leather look similar to the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 so there will be more grip into it.

The Samsung WB350F is slim, small and very light. Yeah, I really like its dimensions. One cool feature of the Samsung WB350F is NFC, which allows you to connect to your smartphone via Wi-Fi. You can also send pictures and videos to your Android device. It’s easy to connect to your smartphone to the smart camera. You just need to press the direct link button and just follow the instructions. The Samsung WB350F can also connect to your Android device and use your Android device as your viewfinder. Yep, great feature for selfie lovers.

At the top, you can find the mode dial in where you can find the Samsung WB350F’s coolest features.  On the rear, there’s the 3-inch touch screen LCD, which is just okay for a camera. Just don’t compare it to flagship smartphones’ display, okay? Unfortunately, you can’t tilt the camera’s display. There’s multi-touch and the display was responsive. I didn’t had any problems with its display. You could also adjust the camera’s settings via touchscreen display

One of the disappointing features of the Samsung WB350F is the use of MicroSD instead of the typical SD card, which can be found on most cameras.  But of course, some people might appreciate this because you can switch your phone or tablet’s MicroSD card to the camera whenever the camera’s MicroSD card is full.

Like what I’ve said earlier, the Samsung WB350F has a dial mode in where you can find its coolest features.  With Samsung WB350F, you’ll be able to adjust the ISO, Shutter speed, Aperture and many more. There’s a smart mode too in where there are presets best suited in most conditions. I use it whenever there’s a shooting condition that matches one of the presets in the camera.

I always use the direct link on this smart camera. I always connect the smart camera to my smartphone but sometimes, I experience disconnections and errors and I don’t have any clue why that happens

The Samsung WB350F features a 21x optical zoom lens with OIS. The camera has a 16.3 MP back-illuminated CMOS sensor but the sensor isn’t that large at 1/2.3. The Samsung WB350F is also capable of recording FHD videos at 30 fps. Here are some sample photos:

I used the Samsung WB350F for sometime and I was disappointed in its color reproduction however, I applaud its fast auto focus and its sharpness. The noises are noticeable at lowlight conditions.

I recorded some videos too using the Samsung WB350F and unlike the photos that I took, most videos that I recorded were quite well.  The audio quality was good and the OIS was great and it was noticeable on videos.

The Samsung WB350F is hoping to make a mark in the point-and-shoot industry but the unpleasant image quality especially in lowlight was a dealbreaker. Nevertheless, there are only a few smart camera that are available in the market and you might be interested on this one if you want that feature.