Points for shooting

Samsung's WB350F packs in a lot, including a very long zoom lens, for a compact camera. The only thing that will make you hesitate is its price tag

Entry-level digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) cameras have brought about a revolution in the world of photography. Wherever you go, you see someone claiming to be a photographer (including yours truly). The prime victim in all this is the point-and-shoot camera, the sales of which have witnessed a drastic decline. Consumers are gravitating to cameras that are more advanced and incorporate unique features, long zoom being one of them.

Acknowledging this need, Samsung has come out with the WB350F, which offers a wide-angle 21x optical zoom lens in a compact form factor. The camera also provides advanced shooting options and an excellent Wi-Fi implementation.

The WB350F's star feature is its zoom lens, with optical image stabilisation. The 23mm wide-angle lens (35mm equivalent) has an f/2.8-5.9 aperture and a shutter speed of 16-1/2,000th of a second, depending on the mode. The camera uses a 16.3-megapixel back-illuminated CMOS sensor, but at 1/2.3 inches this isn't very large. The ISO ranges from 80 to 3,200, there's a continuous burst mode of 7.1 frames per second, and video capture is up to Full HD 1920 x 1080 at 30 frames per second.

The front is uncluttered, with the exception of the large retractable lens barrel and an AF-assist/timer lamp. With the back facing you, there's an NFC tag on the left (for pairing with an NFC-enabled smartphone or other device), and on the right is a USB and A/V port behind a small door and a slot to attach a wrist strap. At the bottom is the tripod mount, mono speaker, and battery/Micro SD card compartment.

The 3-inch LCD is not super bright, but for this type of camera it's the norm and we thought it worked well. There's no flip-out or tilt feature, so no selfies. The screen is touch-sensitive. To the right are buttons for movie recording (red-dot button), menu, back, playback, and function/delete (for calling up basic settings adjustments when shooting, and deleting photos during playback).

The WB350F isn't complicated to use. You will get a hold of its technicalities within hours of laying hands on it. If you're shooting in automatic or a scene mode, there isn't a lot you need to play with. However, in the advanced modes, you can make adjustments, including to exposure, ISO and white balance. The camera brings these to the front when you hit the Fn button, so there are no endless menus to drill through.

The 21x zoom can come in handy, and it's also a fairly wide lens. I was able to capture a nice shot of kids playing in the park while standing in the balcony of my flat, which is on the fourth floor of the building. However, at such zoom levels, the images aren't sharp.

A positive is the Wi-Fi implementation. Pairing the camera to a smartphone is straightforward. It takes a few steps to get started, but no major issues here.

The WB350F is a good camera coupled with a terrific long lens, easy-to-use operations, and with excellent Wi-Fi capabilities. While it may not be as thin as many slim cameras, it's not bad considering that a 21x optical zoom lens is packed inside it. Auto focusing is good and performance speed is fine. But it all boils down to one question - would you spend Rs 19,990 on a point-and-shoot camera?