Samsung PL150 review

Image quality was a sticking point for the ST550 and it’s not as good on the PL150. It uses a similar 12-megapixel 1/2.33in sensor, but the Schneider lens has been replaced with a cheaper Samsung optic. This reduces the PL150’s ability to resolve its 12 megapixel resolution and the particularly aggressive noise reduction doesn’t help either.

The new lens suffers from barrel distortion at the wide end of its 27-135mm effective focal range and pin cushion distortion is a problem at the telephoto end. Throughout the focal range, we found between about 2x and 3.5x zoom delivered the best results optically.

Noise is a problem at ISOs above 400, with ISO 1600 and 3200 being particularly poor. ISO 800 doesn’t escape either though, as there’s a horrible yellow cast to white areas, which is caused by chroma noise – it only gets worse as you increase the ISO. Of course, most users won’t venture into Program mode to access ISO, but it’s fair to say you’ll want to use the flash in anything but a relatively well-lit room if you’re looking to print the images.

What’s more, the performance or battery life woes haven’t been addressed, so you’ll find yourself reaching for the charger more often than you would with most compacts. Of course, a lot of this depends on how often you use the front-facing display, as that’s the main culprit, but even without it it’s by no means impressive.

The issues probably won’t be enough to turn Samsung’s targeted audience away from the PL150 though. It’s a decent enough compact camera and if the better ST550 is out of reach, the PL150 is a viable alternative. If you don’t need the additional screen on the front, there are better alternatives out there.