Snapshooters shouldn’t be intimidated by
the Samsung EX2F’s “advanced” compact camera designation. Automatic and “smart”
modes expand this model’s appeal to a wide range of photographers. With its
manual controls, it’s also a good option for people who want to develop their
skills.
Well-built and sturdy, the EX2F measures
4.41 by 2.46 by 1.08 inches and weighs about 10 ounces. It’s a little too big
to fit into shirt pockets or most pants pockets, but you can easily tote it in
your jacket or coat.
Well-built
and sturdy, the EX2F measures 4.41 by 2.46 by 1.08 inches and weighs about 10
ounces
The EX2F has no built-in viewfinder and no
optional electronic viewfinder. The good news is that the 3-inch, fully
articulated AMOLED screen works well under almost all lighting conditions.
The external controls are a little unusual
in that they include both a shooting-mode dial and a drive-mode dial. The
dual-dial concept is great, but the dials are a bit stiff; at least you have no
chance of changing settings accidentally.
Like other advanced compacts, the EX2F
offers manual, semi-manual, and auto/smart exposure modes. Additional features
include bracketing (exposure or white balance), a built-in Neutral Density
filter, and a collection of scene modes and creative modes. The Wi-Fi features
are generally easy to use.
You
can select focus points manually, but the points don’t extend too far from the
center of the frame
Overall performance is pretty good, with
fast startup and little shutter lag. Short-to-shot time is respectable, even
when you’re firing the flash. The EX2F’s autofocus sometimes struggles in low
light and in low-contrast scenes, however. You can select focus points
manually, but the points don’t extend too far from the center of the frame.
Although the EX2F offers both Raw and
RAW+JPEG modes, continuous shooting is limited to JPEGs only. Burst modes
include 3 fps, 5 fps, and a speedy 10 fps.
Movies are captured in MP4 (AVCHD) format,
up to full HD video (1920 by 1080). High-speed options are available as well.
Image stabilization is active during movie capture; you can select white
balance, EV, and metering mode too. Video image quality is pretty good, and you
can apply Smart Filters to make creative effects.
Burst
modes include 3 fps, 5 fps, and a speedy 10 fps
I was pleased with most of my still shots.
Exposures were accurate, and colors were well saturated but attractive. Test
images were sharp, with good detail, though some photos seemed a little over sharpened.
Since the focal range is limited at 3.3X
(24-80mm), you’ll have to move closer to the subject to zoom. But the fast,
f/1.4 lens is a bonus. With such as speedy lens, plus the EX2F’s image
stabilization, you can keep the ISO lower than average to avoid image noise.
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Specifications
·
Price: $499
·
Ratings: 4/5
·
Company: Samsung
·
Dimensions: 2.4 x 4.4. x 1.1inches
·
Weight: 10.4oz
·
Sensor size: 7.6 x 5.7mm
·
Optical zoom: 3.3x
·
Maximum ISO: 3200
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