Samsung DualView TL225 / ST550 Digital Camera Review

Key Features and Specs
Samsung's DualView TL225 / ST550 occupies the mid-to-high end position in an ever-growing and very confusing lineup of digital still cameras. Surf on over to Samsung's site, and you'll see no less than six different "series" of digicams. There's really not much point trying to figure out what slots where in the range - just know that this TL225 / ST550 belongs to the slim and stylish ST line and boasts the world's first dual LCD configuration. Not to be overlooked are the class-competitive specs of the TL225 / ST550, including 12MP resolution, 4.6x zoom with 27mm (equivalent) wide-angle, sensor shift image stabilization, a 3.5" 1152k dot touchscreen wide LCD and 720p HD video recording.

Included in the box is a lanyard strap, thin Lithium-Polymer battery. wall adapter with USB port, USB cable with proprietary docking connector on the other end, and an A/V cable for connection to an old CRT. Conspicuous by their absence are any sort of memory card (the DualView TL225 / ST550 takes the tiny Micro SD and Micro SDHC cards) and an HDMI cable for connection to a flat-panel display to show off those snazzy 720p HD videos. The camera does have about 55MB free if you forget your memory card, so so can still take a few photos before you're completely up a creek without a paddle. I did like very much that the wall adapter is just a small "plug", and relies on the USB cable included with the camera. In this way, the wall charger became useful for many other gadgets I own that charge via USB.

Package content

Pretty much every feature known to mankind is included with the DualView TL225 / ST550. The list just goes on and on. More notable for their uniqueness are the haptic vibration effect (same technology found on YP P3 PMP) you get when pressing any button (a great substitute for the tactile feedback of buttons), dual screens (more on this later), and Smart Gesture UI technology, which allows you to issue camera commands with a shake or twist of the camera.

The Touchy Feely
Samsung makes no claims as to whether the DualView TL225 / ST550 is the lightest or thinnest camera in its class, but it really doesn't matter because this little thing is a stunner. Housed in a really high quality plastic, the front is glossy black trimmed in gold (also available in silver, orange, purple and blue trim), with the sides and back a matte black. The 3.5" wide touchscreen LCD dominates the back of the camera and you immediately are drawn to the fact that there are no buttons at all where you are probably accustomed to finding them. The top of the camera contains a built-in microphone, the power and shutter buttons, the tiny zoom rocker control, and the playback button. On the left side of the camera you'll find a speaker and on the right, the wrist strap mounting point. Finally, the bottom of the camera contains the tripod mount, docking connector (perhaps a dock will be made available in the future), and battery/memory card door. This door is notable because it is latched and while small, feels solid and well-finished. The Micro SD card slot is also found inside the battery compartment.

The 3.5" touchscreen dominating the back of the DualView TL225 / ST550 features haptic vibration effect.

The front of the camera is dominated by the Schneider-KREUZNACH 4.6x zoom lens which retracts nearly flush and neatly accordions out upon power-up. To the left of the lens is the 1.5" front LCD which is activated by a quick tap, or by turning it on in the control panel from the rear touch LCD. The front LCD appears a bit dim, likely due to the smoky black glossy plastic that totally hides the fact that anything so brilliant as a second LCD could be hiding behind. In other words, when off, there is no hint that a screen resides beneath the plastic casing. A very elegant design trick for which Samsung should be commended. The front LCD is not very high-res at 185K dots, and it is in the familiar 4:3 aspect ratio as well, which means it does crop the image should you be taking 16:9 widescreen photographs. At the very upper top edge is the mandatory built-in flash.

And oh, that main LCD. Suffice to say it is the most gorgeous display I have EVER seen on any digital camera at ANY price point. Weighing in at a 800x480 resolution it is difficult to appreciate how clear and detailed the images are until you go back to your typical compact digital camera. Of particular note are the icons which are so finely detailed, it's hard to tell they are even produced from a dot-matrix display. A quick comparison with a camera we recently reviewed, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T500 puts everything in stark perspective. Here the Sony's display is also 3.5" wide, but with a 230K dot resolution and blocky icons and comparatively dim outlook, the Samsung puts it literally to shame.

Sitting alongside with the DualView TL225 / ST550 is Sony's first 720p video recording capable DSC-T500.

Holding the DualView TL225 / ST550 is easy once you get used to the inevitable smudges on the glossy screen and casing. Samsung does not provide any sort of hand grip or rubberized surfaces so you really are left to your own devices. The rear of the camera is ever so slightly curved to assist your right thumb in gripping the camera, but I'll have to admit, I nearly dropped it a few times before I made a habit of stringing the wrist strap around my hand.

Ergonomically, once you get used to gripping the camera, all other controls fall readily to hand, and the tiny rocker-style zoom control actually is not as hard to use as it looks. The shutter button has a nice, soft, 2-stage release (press halfway down for focus, and fully to take the exposure). In contrast to other slim digicams which use the internal folding lens design, the TL225 / ST550 presents no challenge to hamfisted photographers with a tendency to put their fingers over the lens. Because its lens telescopes, the lens barrel itself allows one to rest your left fingers next to the lens and take clean pictures without fingerprints or errant fingertips getting in the way. I found this is a real benefit when handing the camera to a stranger offering to take a quick snapshot of your and a loved one.

The physical buttons of the DualView TL125 / ST550 include just the shutter button, rock-style zoom, preview button & power switch.

Overall, the design and tactile experience is very very good for this class of camera with truly top notch build quality, beautiful aesthetics, and no real compromises for those with dexterity.