Samsung Soul U900 camera samples

One of the Samsung Soul U900's premium features is its 5-megapixel camera, equipped with a sophisticated autofocus system and an extensive array of tools for adjusting picture settings and optimising shooting performance. Among these are a macro shooting mode for ultra close ups, face detection software for sharper shots of people, a digital image stabiliser to cut out possible camera wobble, and Wide Dynamic Range (WDR) technology for improving results in difficult lighting conditions.

The high-level pixel count and functionality puts it among the higher quality cameraphones currently on the market. It can produce excellent quality print shots, with images captured at a maximum 2560x1920 pixels resolution at its highest setting (you can check its current setting among the viewfinder screen indicators).

The camera set-up includes some of the functionality included on the photo-centric Samsung G800, although it lacks that phone's optical zoom capability - something that would be very difficult to pack into its slimline 12.9mm thin casing. There's no Xenon flash on this model either, Samsung instead opting for the LED set-up that's on other slider models such as the G600.

The Soul's camera and LED flash are tucked away behind the phone's back panel when the slider is closed, so it's necessary to extend the phone full when taking shots. There's a dedicated camera button on the side of the phone to activate it from standby. This does duties as the capture button too.

When engaged, the phone's screen automatically rotates around into landscape viewfinder mode, as does its Magical Touch touchpad control panel. Camera-specific icons appear on the touchpad, offering shortcuts to four handy photo functions - flash on/off, macro on/off, self timer (3,5, or 10 seconds, or off), and exposure adjustment.

Having to hold the Soul open to shoot doesn't feel quite right for a higher-spec cameraphone, but it does function perfectly well. Unusually, the volume rocker/digital zoom control is on the bottom side of the phone, but is comfortably positioned for easy thumb operation.

As well as using the touchpad controls, the softkeys can be used to delve into the settings menus. The automatic metering system can be tweaked in a variety of ways to adjust for different lighting conditions or your own creative intentions. There are the usual controls for white balance (daylight, incandescent, fluorescent and cloudy), plus shooting size options (five selections from VGA to 5-megapixel). You can take multiple shots, panoramas and mosaic shots, or add frames plus regular cameraphone colour effects can be applied (grey, sepia, negative, antique and watercolour). In addition, you can switch on face detection focusing (or one of the touchpad options) within the first strata of settings.

Further settings options enable you to switch on the anti-shake option - particularly useful in lower light conditions where exposure is longer - and WDR. WDR will improve results if you're taking an image where light sources are conflicting or you have wide variations in lighting conditions that might otherwise challenge the auto exposure system. There are sensitivity tweaks too for contrast, saturation and sharpness, plus ISO adjustment (from 50 to 400) for light sensitivity, and exposure metering settings.

Naturally, there are a range of settings too for the Soul's video capture facility. This can take shots at up to QVGA (320x240 pixels) resolution, so is capable of average moblle phone quality rather than the high-level quality of the still image camera.

Performance
The Samsung Soul is capable of capturing some exceptionally detailed shots for a mobile phone, enabling users to get impressive quality prints from the phone. The 5-megapixel camera has a fine auto metering system too which deals well with variations in lighting. As with most cameras, the better the lighting conditions, the better the overall results. Colour rendition was rich and natural, and the camera adjusts well to subtle differences in tone.

The autofocus system used on the Soul is impressive too. A 2-step capture button enables you to focus on the element in the viewfinder you want sharp and well exposed, and then move the camera to get the composition you want before releasing the shutter. The system locks on fairly rapidly, so you don't have a frustrating time lag (like on some cameraphones) when trying to get a spontaneous shot.

The face detection software put on a good show too, achieving its stated aim with little fuss. It enables you to lock the autofocus on to people's faces in shots, ensuring that they come out as crisp as you want.

The macro option produced excellent results; we were able to achieve sharp ultra close-up images and tweak the focus within a small focal range. You can see some of our results in the sample shots here.

Although it has an onboard flash, the LED included on the Soul doesn't offer the quality of illumination you'd get from a good Xenon flash. In dark conditions, you can overwhelm close up subjects, and the LED doesn't carry enough power to light up subjects well further away. Low light shooting can therefore be a bit problematic, with images more blurry and prone to picture noise.

The camera on the Soul is generally a very good shooter. It's not quite up there with the very best of the 5-megapixel camera crop, but it can take high quality images with lots of detail that you'll be very pleased with.