Samsung PL120 Review
Image Quality
All of the sample images in this Review were taken using the 14.2 megapixel SuperFine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 5.5Mb.
Noise
Image quality at ISO 80 is exceptional, we were really impressed. This good quality continues through ISO 100 but at ISO 200 it starts to drop. Only slightly though so it's not something that needs to be worried about. After all, edge definition is actually still pretty good. Salt and pepper noise begins to creep in at ISO 400 in the darker areas of images and by ISO 800 coloured blobs start to appear in mid-range parts of the picture.
At ISO 1600 noise control is working as hard as it can to reduce the problems that the high setting produces. If you have to use ISO 3200, do it sparingly because in a final bid to improve image quality the camera knocks the resolution down. Noise is still present through the picture but we've seen much worse on higher spec cameras and there's a degree of edge definition still present. What this means is that despite its faults, the noise control is very good on the Samsung PL120.
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ISO 80 (100% Crop) |
ISO 100 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 200 (100% Crop) |
ISO 400 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 800 (100% Crop) |
ISO 1600 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 3200 (100% Crop) |
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Sharpening
Images straight out of the Samsung PL120 are very good. They're nice and sharp but getting a little extra help in an editing suite boosts the sharpness that bit more.
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Original (100% Crop) |
Sharpened (100% Crop) |
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File Quality
The Samsung PL120 has 3 different image quality settings available, with Superfine being the highest quality option. Here are some 100% crops which show the quality of the various options.
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Superfine |
Fine |
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Normal |
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Chromatic Aberrations
We had some real trouble finding any chromatic aberration (CA) in the pictures we took in the test. That's not to say it isn't present, we did notice it but on occasions when we thought there would be some, it wasn't there.
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Example 1 (100% Crop) |
Example 2 (100% Crop) |
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Macro
Pictures in the Samsung PL120's macro mode are extremely sharp. That sharpness starts to fade as you move out to the edges though and although only mild, the wide-angle lens gives some barrel distortion.
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Macro Shot |
100% Crop |
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Flash
Using flash in general use will eliminate a lot of the natural vignetting that the lens produces but it's still present at the very far corners of the frame. Moving to the top end of the zoom range and the vignetting becomes more definite. There are 6 options with 2 of them dedicated to red-eye reduction.
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Forced Off - Wide Angle (26mm) |
Forced On - Wide Angle (26mm) |
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Forced Off - Telephoto (130mm) |
Forced On - Telephoto (130mm) |
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Along with the red-eye preflash, there's also a red-eye fix system which uses software to locate red-eye in the picture and remove it completely. However, in our tests we found that the Samsung PL120 doesn't leave red-eye in normal circumstances. We got it with animals but the problem with that is that the camera doesn't have programming for yellow eye.
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Auto |
Auto (100% Crop) |
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Red eye fix |
Red eye fix (100% Crop) |
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Night
On one of the night shots, we used an ISO 80 rating for an ultra long exposure and we found that we started to get noise in the dark areas of the shot. The reason is due to the pixels. During a long exposure, the pixels are being used for a lengthy amount of time. As the seconds pile up, they begin to heat up and this causes noise on neighbouring pixels. Some noise reduction systems can cope with this and reduce or eliminate it but the Samsung PL120 doesn't seem to be able to do this.
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Night Shot |
Night Shot (100% Crop) |
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Sample Images
This is a selection of sample images from the Samsung PL120 camera, which were all taken using the 14.2 megapixel Superfine JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.
Sample Movie & Video
This is a sample video from the Samsung PL120 camera at the highest quality setting of 1280x720 pixels at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 21 second movie is 83.4Mb in size.
As of February 2025, we are no longer providing full size sample images or videos for download.
Please contact us if you have any feedback on our new policy.
Product Images
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Front of the Camera |
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Front of the Camera / Lens Extended |
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Front of the Camera / Front LCD On |
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Isometric View |
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Isometric View |
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Rear of the Camera |
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Rear of the Camera / Turned On |
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Rear of the Camera / Function Menu |
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Rear of the Camera/ Main Menu |
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Rear of the Camera / Shooting Modes |
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Rear of the Camera / Playback Menu |
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Top of the Camera |
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Side of the Camera |
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Side of the Camera |
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Front of the Camera |
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Battery Compartment |
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Memory Card Slot |
Conclusion
For such a small camera, there's a lot going on with the Samsung PL120. In fact it could be argued that there's too much going on, especially on the back. It only has a tiny body and to have all those buttons on the back, especially three menu buttons, is a little too much.
The main feature of the Pl120 is the front screen for easy self portraits and to help get better children shots. It works brilliantly for self portraits, the flash test was one of the easiest we've done because we could frame it without any help. We tried the animation on our children and while it attracted their attention, it didn't make them smile which is unfortunate. Saying that, there are more animations that can be downloaded from the Samsung website.
Build quality is nice and the Samsung PL120 feels solid which is great considering they're selling for around the £100 mark at the moment. We expected to see more plastic at this level but even the plastic bits such as the battery door don't feel weak.
The Samsung PL120 takes good enough pictures. Don't expect to be blown away but the pictures are sharp enough, the colours are realistic and the sensor has a decent dynamic range. For the average happy snapper that has a family and regular holidays, the Samsung PL120 is a great option. The 5x optical zoom is good enough for most situations that you'll find yourself in.
Be under no illusion that the PL120 is only for families, though. The young, tech-savvy social networker will also enjoy the self-portrait screen and the face recognition system for pictures of family and friends before uploading onto the internet. The only downside is that it doesn't have a direct upload to popular network sites that some other cameras use.
The Samsung PL120 is a camera that can be taken out and about and if it gets damaged then because of the reasonable price it doesn't matter as much. The simple design, while not breaking any new ground, won't make you ashamed to take it out in a crowd. If you're one of these people then you need to take a look at the Samsung PL120.
| Ratings (out of 5) | |
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| Design | 3.5 |
| Features | 4.5 |
| Ease-of-use | 4 |
| Image quality | 3.5 |
| Value for money | 4.5 |
Review Roundup
Reviews of the Samsung PL120 from around the web.
reviews.cnet.co.uk »
It would be easy to dismiss the Samsung PL120's dual-screen feature as a gimmick but it's actually pretty useful for taking self-portraits. If that's not something you tend to do, though, there are better cameras available at a similar price.
Read the full review »
ephotozine.com »
Samsung released the PL120 in January 2011 adding to their range of compact cameras with screens on both the front and the rear of the camera. The camera is one of the cheapest Samsung cameras available with dual screens, and is available in pink, purple, and silver (shown here). Nb. Due to similarities in the cameras, parts of this review are based on the Samsung PL170 review.
Read the full review »
Specifications
Image Sensor
| Sensor Type | 1/2.3″ (Approx. 7.76mm) CCD |
|---|---|
| Effective Pixel | Approx. 14.2 Mega pixels Approx. 14.2 Mega pixels |
| Total Pixel | Approx. 14.4 Mega pixels |
Lens
| Focal Length | Samsung 5x Zoom Lens f = 4.7 ~ 23.5mm (35mm film equivalent: 26 ~ 130mm) |
|---|---|
| Digital Zoom | - Still Image mode: 1x ~ 5x, (Optical x Digital: 25x), Play mode: 1x ~ 13.5x (depends on image size) |
| F Value | F3.3 (W) ~ F5.9 (T) |
Image Stabilization
| Mode | DIS * Digital Image Stabilization |
|---|---|
| Image Stabilization | DIS(1) |
Display
| Type | TFT LCD |
|---|---|
| Features | Main Display: 2.7" (6.9cm) QVGA(230K), Front Display: 1.5" (3.8cm) 61K TFT LCD |
ViewFinder
| Type | N/A |
|---|
Focusing
| Type | TTL auto focus (Multi AF, Center AF, Face Detection AF,Object Tracking AF, Smart Face Recognition AF) |
|---|---|
| Range | Normal: 80 cm ~ ∞ (W), 100cm ~ ∞ (T), Macro: 5cm ~ 80cm (W), 100cm ~ 150cm (T), AutoMacro: 5cm ~ ∞ (W), 100cm ~ ∞ (T) |
Shutter Speed
| Shutter Speed | Auto: 1/8 ~ 1/2000 sec., Program: 1 ~ 1/2000 sec., Night: 8 ~ 1/2000 sec., Fireworks: 2 sec. |
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Exposure
| Control | Program AE |
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| Metering System | Multi, Spot, Center Weighted, Face Detection AE |
| Compensation | ±2EV (1/3EV steps) |
| ISO Equivalent | Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200 (3M) |
Sharpness
| Sharpness | Soft+, Soft, Normal, Vivid, Vivid+ |
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White Balance
| Mode | Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent_H, Fluorescent_L, Tungsten, Custom |
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| White Balance | Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent_H, Fluorescent_L, Tungsten, Custom |
Still Image
| Edit | - Image Edit: Resize, Rotate, Trimming - Smart Filter 2.0: Miniature, Vignetting, Soft Focus, Cinema 1, Cinema 2, Half Tone Dot, Sketch, Fish Eye, Defog, Classic, Retro, Negative, Custom RGB - Image Adjust: Face Retouch, Brightness, Contrast, Saturation, Red Eye Fix, ACB, Add Noise |
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| Effect | - Smart Filter 2.0: Miniature, Vignetting, Half Tone Dot, Sketch, Fish Eye, Defog, Retro, Classic, Negative, Custom RGB - Image Adjust: Sharpness, Contrast, Saturation (5 steps) - Image Adjust: Sharpness, Contrast, Saturation |
| Shooting | - Mode: Smart Auto, Program, Scene, Movie Front LCD (Hot Key) - Easy Self Shot: Front LCD (hot Key): Self Portrait, Jump Shot, Children mode Front Mode Setting Tap: Smile on / off, Children Smile on / off, Children Sound, Front Display demo Smart Auto: Portrait, Night Portrait, Backlight Portrait, Night, Backlight, Landscape, White, NaturalGreen, BlueSky, Sunset, Macro, Macro Text, Macro Color, Tripod, Action, Fireworks Scene: Magic Frame, Object Highlight, Beauty shot, Night, Landscape, Text, Sunset, Dawn, Back Light, Beach&Snow - Drive: Single, Continuous, AEB, Motion Capture - Self Timer: Self-timer: 2sec., 10sec., Double (10sec., 2sec.) (Front LCD will be turned on when selecting Self timer) |
Image Play
Single image, Thumbnails,Smart Album, Advanced Slide show, Movie Clip * Slide show : Slide show with Effect & Music - Smart Album Category: Type, Date, Color, Week, Face (External Memory card is needed for Sorting the photos by Face)
Voice Recording
Voice Recording (max. 10 hours), Voice Memo in Still Image (max. 10sec.)
Date Imprinting
Date&Time, Date, Off (user selectable)
Movie Clip
| Recording | With Audio or without Audio - Zoom mute on / off option: zoom mute off is default (Max Recording time 20min) |
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| Effect | - Smart Filter2.0: Palette Effect 1, Palette Effect 2, Palette Effect 3, Palette Effect 4, Miniature, Vignetting, Fish Eye, Defog, Classic, Retro, Negative, Custom RGB |
| Edit | Pause during recording, Still Image Capture, Time Trimming |
Storage
| Media | - Internal memory: 30MB - External memory: Micro SD Card (up to 2GB guaranteed) Micro SDHC (up to 8GB guaranteed) |
|---|---|
| File Format | Still Image: JPEG (DCF), EXIF 2.21, DPOF 1.1, PictBridge 1.0 Movie Clip: AVI (Video: MJPEG, Audio: AAC) |
| Image Size | 14M: 4320 x 3240, 12M P: 4320 x 2880,10M: 3648 x 2736, 10M W : 4320 x 2432, 5M: 2592 x 1944, 3M: 1984 x 1488, 2M W: 1920 x 1080, 1M: 1024 x 768 |
Interface
| Digital Output Connector | USB 2.0 |
|---|---|
| Audio | Microphone: MonoInternal Speaker: Mono |
| Video Output | AV: NTSC, PAL (user selectable) SCC-AV20 |
| DC Power Input | 4.2V 20Pin |
Power
| Power Source | Type | Rechargeable battery: BP70A, Adaptor: SAC-48, CB20U05A, Connector Type: 20pin(2) |
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Physical Specification
| Dimension | Dimension (WxHxD) | 94 x 54.5 x 18.8mm |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 110g | |
| Operating Temperature | 0 ~ 40 °C | |
| Operating Humidity | 5 ~ 85% |
Software
| Application | Intelli Studio |
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Special Feature
- 14 Mega-pixel
- 5x 26mm Slim Optical Zoom Lens
- 2.7” Main Display (230K), 1.5" Front Display (61K)
- Image Stabilization: Digital IS
- Front Display: Self Portrait, Children mode, Jump shot, Easy Self Shot (User can change the flash file of children mode by downloading new file from Samsung Website or making with Intelli Studio)
- Self Timer (Front LCD On: 2sec., 10sec., Double (10sec., 2sec.)
- Smart Face Recognition (Register 8 people manullaly and 20 people automatically / My Star: 8 people who are registered manually )
- Face recognition AF, Face List, My Star (Register manually), Smart Album (Face)
- Smart Auto, Smart Movie
- Smart Album (Smart Album Category: Type, Date, Color, Week, Face)
- Perfect Portrait System (Face Detection, Smie shot, Blink Detection, Smart Face Recognition, Beauty shot, Self Portrait - Front LCD)
- Beauty Shot (1, 2, 3 Steps)
- Object Tracking AF
- High Definition Movie Recording: - 720p Resolution @30fps / MJPEG
- Multi Slide Show
System Requirement in General
| For Macintosh | Not support |
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| For Windows | Intel Pentium 4, 3.2GHz or later / AMD Athelon 2.6GHz or later, Minimum over 512MB RAM (1GB recommanded), Windows XP / VISTA / 7250 MB (Over 1GB recommanded), CD-ROM Drive, USB 2.0, Microsoft 9.0c or later, Over 1024 x 768 pixels, 16 bit color monitor or later (1280 x 1024 pixels, 32 bit color recommanded), Over 64MB video card (nVIDIA Geforce 7600GT or later, ATI x 1600 series or later) |
Flash
| Mode | Auto, Auto & Red-eye reduction, Fill-in flash, Slow sync, Flash off, Red eye fix |
|---|---|
| Recharging Time | Approx. 4 sec. |
| Range | Wide: 0.2m ~ 3.4m, Tele: 1m ~ 1.9m, (ISO AUTO) |
Usage note
- (1) Digital Image Stabilization
- (2) Included battery may vary depending on sales region.
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