Introduction: Whether you are a photographer or a video maker, the 12megapixels HZ15W of Samsung will prove to be an ideal choice for you. Powerful zoom lens, a bunch of manual controls and an array of advanced features is what you can expect from this small camera. Though the gigantic lens eats up much of the front part of the camera,  the controls were placed in a balanced manner through out the rest of the body and there are no evident scruples regarding its design and lay out.

Features: The 24mm ultra-wide angle Schneider–KREUZNACH lens with 10x optical zoom is undoubtedly the most remarkable feature of the HZ15W and allows it to offer a tough competition to the other cameras that boast of their ultra zoom lens. To keep the ghosting phenomenon at bay, the lens was supposedly coated on the edges and will render images that do not exhibit any purple fringing or some such other chromatic aberrations. Apart from the most famous Beauty mode, the camera also offers several scene modes, focus modes and the ability to edit the pictures within the camera itself.

Pros:

• Invested with 21 MB internal memory and the camera’s ability to support SD/SDHC/MMC cards is a huge plus for an avid shooter.
• Use the mini HDMI port of the camera to transfer the HD footage onto a TV and watch the images on a full blown screen.
• This camera leaves enough work to do for experiment-lovers with its full manual mode. People hungry for experimentation are going to love this feature.

Cons:

• Despite offering functionality, the three menu systems succeed well in perplexing the user; consumes good deal of time before he actually gets to master them.
• As the battery charger is not a part of the supplied kit you will have to charge it by plugging it into the wall.
• The USB cable is of insufficient length and this camera does not carry any viewfinder as well.
• There is no printed manual for this model. You will have to rely on the CD alone which can be taxing at times. Even the provided CD is just bilingual leaving people of varied linguistic backgrounds in lurk.

Pricing Range: Make this camera yours by paying just 235$-329$. Available in Black!

Final Verdict: The HZ15W is meant for those who are looking for a longer zoom lens in a smaller body. The textured body offers good grip for holding and the user is required to press the ‘fn’ button twice for actually accessing the shooting controls. To be honest, its image quality neither surpasses nor satisfies our expectations. The rest is up to you!