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Samsung WB2200F Smart Camera freshens up megazoom design

With a new dual-grip layout and a 60x zoom, this Wi-Fi-enabled camera is worth checking out.

Joshua Goldman Managing Editor / Advice
Managing Editor Josh Goldman is a laptop expert and has been writing about and reviewing them since built-in Wi-Fi was an optional feature. He also covers almost anything connected to a PC, including keyboards, mice, USB-C docks and PC gaming accessories. In addition, he writes about cameras, including action cams and drones. And while he doesn't consider himself a gamer, he spends entirely too much time playing them.
Expertise Laptops, desktops and computer and PC gaming accessories including keyboards, mice and controllers, cameras, action cameras and drones Credentials
  • More than two decades experience writing about PCs and accessories, and 15 years writing about cameras of all kinds.
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Joshua Goldman
2 min read
Watch this: Samsung WB2200F has a second hand-grip for portraits

LAS VEGAS -- The Samsung WB2200F Smart Camera, announced at CES 2014, is more than just a big lens (though it certainly has one of those).

To keep the new camera from blending in with all the other megazooms on the market, Samsung gave it a dual-grip design allowing you to comfortably shoot portrait or landscape. A secondary set of controls are on the bottom right of the camera, too, so you won't be struggling to get your shot regardless of your grip.

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The 60x 2.8-5.9 20-1200mm lens will give you plenty of reach so you can totally keep an eye on your friends and family or complete strangers from a distance. Samsung says the zoom can be operated at double speed or shot straight out so there's less of a chance you'll miss the shot. Behind the lens, by the way, is a 16-megapixel BSI CMOS sensor.

Though it looks like a serious shooter, Samsung's Smart Cameras lean more toward automatic and assisted shooting modes. However, it does have full manual control over shutter speed and aperture.

Samsung's new megazoom Smart Cameras arrive at CES 2014 (pictures)

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The WB2200F has built-in Wi-Fi as well as NFC, which makes pairing with NFC-enabled Android devices easy to set up. Also, if you live in a world of Galaxy devices, the NFC can be used to beam photos viewed on the camera to multiple devices at once.

When used with Samsung's mobile camera app for Android or iOS, the built-in Wi-Fi will allow you to control the camera remotely with your smartphone. That's generally a pretty handy feature, but when you consider the 60x zoom lens, it could make shooting wildlife a little easier.

Lastly, the WB2200F has a 3-inch HVGA LCD and an electronic viewfinder for framing your shots. The screen resolution and the fact that it's fixed and not tilting are disappointing, though.

Along with the WB2200F, Samsung announced the WB350F Smart Camera. Essentially, it's a redesigned version of 2013's WB800F camera with the same 16-megapixel BSI CMOS sensor and 21x, f2.8-5.9, 23-483mm lens.

This is the same combo you'll find in the new Galaxy Camera 2, too. The camera doesn't run on Android, though, but uses Samsung's Smart Camera 3.0 interface and features instead.

Pricing and availability were not announced.