The Samsung WB750, successor to the WB700 is a neat 12.5-megapixel compact camera but one that plays host to Samsung’s new BSI CMOS sensor technology and a superb Schneider Kreuznach 18x, 24-432mm lens. The design is remarkable in the sense that it is both svelte and feature rich, provides nice ergonomics and is easy to use too, even with that large wide-zoom lens somehow squeezed into its body.

Samsung WB750 Review – Features

The WB750’s feature set provides a set of attributes and lens combination that make it the type of compact ideal for the traveling snapper or those requiring a little more from their compacts than simple point and shoot-ability. It’s compactness make it easy to carry, even in a pocket and yet the wide zoom lens provides scope enough for everything from shooting wide open landscapes to getting in close to subjects farther afield.

The lens is optically stabilised making handholding shots at the longer focal lengths available an easier task sans tripod, while an excellent 3-inch LCD screen makes viewing images and composition a breeze, though the screen is tad too reflective in bright conditions.

Alongside these features the WB750 also has 1080p HD video recording with stereo sound and a neat creative movie mode, which can shoot simultaneous stills and video and output everything via the HDMI port which nestles under a small flap in the right side of the camera, adjacent to a the camera’s USB cable port; thus making playback on your compatible HDTV a breeze as well.

There are full manual control options – for those more advanced users among you – with Aperture and Shutter priority modes bolstered by full Manual shooting along with Program AE. An array of Auto modes – for the less proficient user – improves the shooting armoury further and includes HDR shooting, Landscape, Night, Beauty shot, Zooming shot and 3D capture options, among others.

All the scene modes are displayed using a neat and colourful set of icons, with text explanations for each, that look great and are easy to scroll through; although I found this method of using and scrolling menus rather too slow.

A 10fps burst shooting mode allows you to capture fast moving and action subjects relatively easily; thankfully there’s minimal shutter lag marring the experience. A clever Live Panorama mode (which works a la Sweep panorama shooting modes, on other makers compacts) can capture some really snazzy panoramas.

There’s a range of creative filters and effects to bring to bear on your subjects as well and so, in short, the WB750 camera has enough kit and tools for almost any shooting task you can throw at it.

The key to all this fun stuff is the heart of the camera, namely its new backlit CMOS sensor, a technology that has enabled kit such as the high speed shooting, sweep panorama and the other effects and brings the WB750 into line with many of its competing counterparts in terms of such fun features.

Another plus is Creative Movie Maker a system that comes installed on the camera activated when in playback mode which allows you to manually or automatically collect photos and/or video in-camera and then apply a theme and music and create a slide show or movie, respectively, based on the selections you’ve made.

You can choose the video’s resolution and each of the pre-installed themes provides a different set of music choices with a very pleasing effect.