Samsung ST65 Review

Samsung ST65 Overview

Posted: 01/19/2011

The Samsung ST65 is an ultracompact digital camera, based around a 1/2.3"-type CCD image sensor with 14 megapixel resolution. The ST65's sensor sits behind a Samsung-branded 5x optical zoom lens, which offers approximately the same field of view as a 27mm to 135mm lens on a 35mm camera -- a useful wide angle to a moderate telephoto. No information on maximum apertures or actual focal lengths of the lens were available at press time.

Nor do we yet know whether the Samsung ST65 includes any form of optical image stabilization, or if it instead relies on software techniques to counter the effects of blur from camera shake. We do know that the Samsung ST65 forgoes any optical or electronic viewfinder, providing only an LCD display of unspecified size and resolution on which to frame and review your shots.

The Samsung ST65 include the company's Smart Auto mode, which selects from a subset of 15 different scene modes automatically. Other features include the ability to shoot at sensitivities as high as ISO 3,200 equivalent (resolution unknown), and 720p movie recording, although we don't currently know the frame rate or codec used. (We do know that it's not the more modern H.264 codec.) There's also a Smart Filter function that offers special effects for both still and movie capture, such as Vignetting or Fish-eye, and a Smart Album function that sorts images in playback mode, for easier access.

The Samsung ST65 ships in the US market from February 2011, priced at around US$130.