Samsung WP10 review

Will Samsung’s first waterproof compact sink or swim?

Samsung take their first plunge into the waterproof compact market in the form of the WP10. Marketed as a weatherproof sports camera this little compact can be submerged to depths of up to 3 metres whilst also being fully dust and sand resistant. But is this just another happy snapper that is out of its element? 

Its body is small, lightweight and comes in a range of colours including yellow, black, red and blue. The camera feels solid with the battery, memory card and AV connection locked away safely giving you piece of mind. It doesn’t boast a laundry list of rugged specs. Instead its simple features and bold colours make it stylish for a waterproof compact. It fits comfortably in the hand and is easily slipped in to a pocket, which is ideal when on the move.

This is a camera aimed at casual photographers and it shows with a simple button layout and menu system. You can browse the shooting modes in a touch of a button and easily access the control menu at any time. Portrait modes like face detection, smile shutter and beauty shot are all available.

Samsungs Smart Auto function is not among the best out there and with camera’s limited capabilities it will often leave you with over-exposed images and constant focusing issues. Shooting in darker conditions or fast moving objects creates large amounts of blur and processing speeds become sluggish.

Digital image stabilisation does an adequate job of keeping blur to a minimum but you will find that more often than not the flash is needed. Indoor and in low light scenes will leave you with grainy blurry images and the flash will only assist in over-exposing areas of the shot in most cases. 

The camera does offer 14 preset scene modes that will let you take a little more control of your images. And for more advanced users there is a program mode that will open up exposure, iso and focus controls. This can be a real saving grace at times and is a good way for beginners to learn new photography skills.

Underwater the camera does actually hold up very well when using the flash. Colours are well defined, the flash is not too overwhelming and the focus although slow at times can be very sharp. With a bit of persistence and patience you can get some excellent results. The LCD screen can be a bit unclear in certain angles, making it difficult to compose shots with its offset lens. The bright red colour and flash attracted plenty of underwater attention from sea life. 

It is safe to say this is fair weather camera, perfect for swimming, snorkelling and general holiday photos. If you are looking for a solid all-rounder then you need to look further. This compact will perform well underwater and in well-lit sunny conditions but don’t expect a whole lot more. You are investing your money in the fact that this will shoot underwater and you need to bear in mind that this means it will struggle in low light.

Reviewing images can be painstakingly slow when shooting 12 megapixel images on the super fine setting but the controls and 2.7” screen are decent. There are even some nice little features to group your images and add post-shot touches.

HD video is a welcome additional feature in this compact but the stabilisation is a must. Sound is almost inaudible on playback and is disabled when using the zoom functions.

The competition for underwater and rugged compact cameras is fierce. You will get roughly the same results from the Pentax WS80, which has recently dropped below £90. But this is a good first effort from Samsung and it is almost certain that they will be learning from early mistakes. There is certainly potential here and we look forward to seeing what will come in the future.