Unreleased cameras on display at Samsung’s Spring event

There were two unreleased cameras at Samsung’s 2009 Spring Fever Showcase today. On display were the HZ15W and the TL320. According to representatives at Samsung, both cameras will be available in May.

TL320: Impressive and stylish

The TL320 is the top dog of Samsung’s TL line. The 3-inch AMOLED display on the TL320 had an incredible viewing angle and a great contrast ratio as you would expect from such a display.  When you are reaching to take a picture or just taking pics outside, lots of LCDs just can’t handle the extreme viewing angle or the light. The AMOLED screen can take care of that problem.  

Additionally, Samsung put some extra flair into its design of the TL320. It has a very slick looking set of analog gauges on the top of the device.  The dials show battery life and the amount of free space on your memory card.  While there are plenty of cameras that can show you this information, these gauges are a nice way of displaying the information. It is reminiscent of analog clocks in luxury cars and adds a bit of class to the camera.

As for the rest of the stats for this camera:

• 720P HD video recording
• 12.2 MP
• 24mm Ultra Wide Angle lens
• Digital and Optical image stabilization
• Face detection, Beauty Shot, etc.

The HZ15W: An upgrade to the HZ10W

The HZ15W is the bigger brother to the HZ10W.  Both cameras can record 720P HD video, have 10x optical zoom, and optical and digital image stabilization.  The differences?  The HZ15W has a larger screen at 3-inches compared to the HZ10W’s 2.7-inches.  Plus, the HZ15W has an HDMI out so you can watch your videos on your television with a standard HDMI cable.  The HZ10W requires a cradle.  The HZ10W costs $299.99 and the HZ15W costs $329.99. That extra $30 will also get you more megapixels. The HZ15W can handle 12.2 MP pictures while the HZ10W does 10.2 MP. The HZ15W may be out in April or May of this year.

The rest of the line up

There were plenty of other point and shoot cameras from Samsung at the event.  For the most part, digital point and shoot cameras have become very homogenous.  Samsung is trying several methods to keep their products in the forefront of the consumer’s mind.  Apart from the standard smile-detection, red eye detection, and lots of megapixels, Samsung has something called “Beauty Shot.”  Beauty Shot is a feature that processes images and evens out skin tones. Applying the effect is done through the camera and doesn’t require you to hook up to a computer to alter the photos.