Samsung ST500 Review: 7 Reasons this is the Best Camera for Solo Travelers

Last Updated on June 19, 2021 by Christine Kaaloa

samsung st500 st550
The new Dual View Samsung ST500

 

Sometimes equipment meltdowns when you’re traveling can introduce new resources and innovations.

When my Canon DSLR broke when I was abroad in Thailand and I had to pick up a new camera on the fly, I didn’t know how fortune found me the solution to my solo traveler woes !

There are few things I’m truly jazzed enough to recommend, but I’m all raves about my new Samsung ST500ir?t=gt0d8 20&l=am2&o=1&a=B002LFGH36&camp=217145&creative=399369.

Best Camera Brands for Travel Filmmakers

When purchasing a brand, you choose a manufacturer’s commitment to quality; until now, most of my loyalty has been towards brands, such as Sony, Canon and Panasonic. Here’s what they say:

Sony

Industry, solid, well designed, long-lasting technology

Canon

Industry, Deep colors and a sturdy commitment to photography

Panasonic

Industry, Digitally,  a bit of everything!

Nikon

Consumer, Affordable, does a decent job.

Samsung

Consumer, television sets and microwaves.

Frankly, staring at a Samsung ST500 camera in a Chiang Mai technology store whilst holding my broken Canon DSLR, I did not know what to make of things. But I sorely needed a camera.

Samsung ST500 Camera Review

After three months of using the Samsung ST500 camera and I’ve been taking it around with me… everywhere! For a female solo traveler, blogger and adventure flash packer, it made my life and travels, lighter and easier.

Usually I carry a serious travel video camera equipment wherever I go…enough to warrant packing a power strip in my travel backpack!

The Samsung ST500 camera is two devices in one an Hi Definition travel video camera and a point and shoot camera for my vacation. As a vacation camera, it’s more fun than my DSLR!

The Samsung ST500 is packed with goodies you’ll not find common to standard brands entering the States.

Samsung ST500: 7 Reasons this is the Best camera for Solo Travelers

Dual Viewfinder LCDs

Solo travelers~ You know, those lonely moments when everyone is “click-happy” with friends and you’re trying not to look pathetically bummed you’ve got no one to take your picture? GONE! You will love this camera for the very fact that it’s designed with the soloists needs in mind! Dual LCD’s mean TWO screens- one in the back and one in the front. The 1.5″ Front LCD screen turns on w/ a simple tap and you can view your positioning and your face angle before you snap.

No other camera has this feature. Not even a mobile phone.

Automatic Smile Detection*

One of the biggest drawbacks of solo travel is not having someone to take your photo. The Automatic Smile Detection is like having your own personal photographer in your pocket. You can either strain your finger and fumble with the gadgets to press its button or you can simply say “Cheese” and smile. While other cameras are still stuck on Automatic Face Detection, the ST500 has gone a step further and given its “Detection” features, practical use.

Combined with its Face Recognition feature, it not only recognizes your face and your best angle, but detects your smile and goes ahead and snaps the photo for you! Pretty clever right? Finally, a camera that takes initiative!

Wide angle lens

A 27 mm Schneider-KREUZNACH lens, what’s that mean?  I don’t know much about numbers-I only know what I had before- and let me tell you, this lens is wide! Landscape-wide. When I was testing it in the store up against normal Sony’s or Canon’s, it was almost a frame + 1/2 wider.

Hi-Def Video  (Mac ready)

Samsung ST500 camera is two devices in one an Hi Definition travel video camera and a point and shoot camera for my vacation. As a vacation camera, it’s more fun than my DSLR! After seeing this video in playback, you’ll want to ditch your camcorder. Aside from shooting video in a luxurious Hi-Def quality, it uploads to my Mac without requiring extra plug-ins or my needing to be an encoding warrior! You’d think Sony HD cameras would have gotten the Mac-thing down by now, but they really haven’t.

My only disappointments with the video feature is that the audio cuts out every time you zoom in or out and there’s nothing subtle about the zoom; you’re either whipping in or a whipping out. Don’t expect a film or documentary out of it, but you will get some nice footage.

Click here  to check out the video. It’s compressed to a small 358 x 222 sized mpg4 but you can see the Zoom capabilities and color. It’s some snippets of The Cat’s Empire concert I went to at Nokia Theatre in Times Square this past December!

12 MP

We thought 10 MP was badass it was more than we needed for a simple consumer camera and the going rate of a DSLR! But the Samsung has once again raised the bar; this time to 12 MP! Why? Who knows. Perhaps because our society is on tech overload and always wants more-more-more than we actually need. Anyways, it’s not a deal-breaker and you’re still impressed with it right?

Easy Touch Screen Menu Navigation

At first, it will seem overwhelming. That’s just because you’re new to the menu system and there’s not a whole helluva lot of external knobs and buttons on your camera.  Samsung actually makes navigation pretty easy and they even give you a pointer-pen to do it! The menu is touch screen and switching functions are quick- maybe not as quick as an operating an external rotation wheel during the day, but it sure is easy at night when you don’t have any light!

Haptic touch sensor

The screen has a Haptic Touch Sensor, meaning you can feel when you’ve hit a button because the camera vibrates. A nice little feature I thought might be annoying but lets me know my camera is there responding to my gestures.

Conclusion

While the Samsung ST500 camera won’t replace a Canon DSLR or a professional video camera, it is the best camera for a solo traveler and travel blogger.

More Samsung ST500 camera information:

SAMSUNG ST500

Read Solo Friendly’s Samsung ST500 camera review  (she testing it out too!) 

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