Samsung DV300F

Bottom line

If you like to shoot self-portraits -- and post them to websites instantly -- experts say Samsung has a camera for you.

The Samsung DV300F has a handy front LCD screen and built-in Wi-Fi. That's pretty impressive for an under-$200 pocket cam, reviews say.

Its kooky photo effects are fun to play with, too. But testers say the DV300F struggles with its basic task -- shooting good photos. It's fine for the web, but if you plan to make prints, experts say you'll get better-looking snapshots with the top-rated Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX150 (*Est. $220).

Ease of use

Extra LCD on front makes self-portraits a breeze. Unlike most cameras, the Samsung DV300F has two LCD screens -- the ordinary big one on the back, plus a little one on the front. The front LCD makes it easy to take photos of yourself. In Children mode, it also plays a little cartoon with funny sounds, grabbing kids' attention while you're taking their picture.

Owners praise the front LCD. Experts at Steves-Digicams.com say it's the Samsung's best feature.

Otherwise, the DV300F is a typically tiny, easy-to-use pocket camera. It's little bigger than a business card and less than three-quarters of an inch thick -- "No one will feel discomfort slipping the DV300F into a trouser pocket, and in fact it's almost too easy to forget it's there," says Mark Goldstein at PhotographyBlog.com.

You'll see few physical buttons. Almost everything is controlled through the menu. It's an extremely simple menu, experts say. "Inspired by smartphones, with large colorful icons," says Jim Fisher at PCMag.com. Goldstein says it's "great for beginners who are just trying to learn how to use a camera for the first time."

Performance

Photos and videos are just so-so. Photo quality is OK. "This won't be a huge deal if you plan on sharing photos on Facebook, but will be noticeable if you want to make prints," PCMag.com's Fisher warns.

Photos look sharply focused in tests. But the Samsung DV300F loses a lot of its 16-megapixel detail in anything but very bright light.

 "By the time you bump it up to ISO 200 detail starts to be smeared away -- and it's completely gone by ISO 800," Fisher says. Other experts say it's about par for pocket cameras, but Fisher says the photos look "waxy" -- and he points out that the Sony WX150 doesn't have this problem.

Speed is unimpressive, too. Fisher calls the Samsung DV300F "downright sluggish ... It takes a full 2.1 seconds to start and shoot, makes you wait 1.5 seconds between shots, and records a lengthy 0.5-second shutter lag." PhotographyBlog.com's Goldstein adds that "the flash seemingly takes forever to recharge."

Most owners don't complain, but some find this unacceptable. "It is missing something very important: the ability to snap a photo quickly," writes one Amazon.com customer. "The shutter lag is *terrible* -- unless the subject is a statue and doesn't move, I miss shot after shot. Add a flash and it gets even worse."

Video shoots in HD, but only 720p (not full 1080p), and experts aren't impressed. "The quality is not good," Fisher says. "Footage looks grainy when zoomed all the way out, though it does improve a bit as you zoom in." One owner says footage looks basically like a smartphone video camera's.

Battery life "doesn't appear to be any great shakes," Goldstein says. "Indeed it's distinctly average in that a recharge was needed after a day's shooting and reviewing." One Amazon.com owner is happy with that: "I had heard bad things about the battery life, but I find it a bit better than 2AA's I've used in previous cameras. The stock battery fully charged lasts me a whole family party and that's with a mix of pictures and videos."

Durability

Few complaints about sturdiness. The Samsung DV300F's lens "fully retracts inside the camera, protecting the glass" -- a durability advantage, Steves-Digicams.com says. Experts don't test the DV300F for toughness, but owners usually don't mention any problems. A few owners at Amazon.com say theirs quickly malfunctioned, though.

Features

Send photos instantly via Wi-Fi. Zoom is pretty short -- only 5x -- but the Samsung DV300F has one thing most pocket cameras don't: Wi-Fi.

This is the Samsung's "most impressive feature," says Fisher at PCMag.com. "It allows you to transfer photos to your smartphone, post directly to social sharing sites, or transfer them to a PC -- all without wires." It works well in tests, but only close to the source, Fisher says. "I was only able to get about forty feet away before I lost my connection."

Special effects are another outstanding feature. Testers say it's a hoot to stretch your subjects' faces like a funhouse mirror, plop a virtual "frame" around your photo, make it look like an oil painting or a cartoon ... the Samsung offers tons of these. You can shoot sweep-panoramic photos, too.

"The Samsung DV300F is a really fun camera," Goldstein says. It lets you "turn an ordinary photograph into something special or funny for your Facebook page" -- and then upload it instantly via Wi-Fi.

Two things are missing, though. There's no one-touch video record button and no HDMI jack, although you can hook your HDTV up to Wi-Fi to watch videos that way.