Samsung Announces the DualView DV300F Camera

Samsung's new DV300F camera, the latest addition to the company's DualView series, is a 16-megapixel shooter with a 5x (25-125mm equivalent) lens. The most striking physical feature of the camera is its front LCD, which makes it easy to frame self-portraits. In this regard, the camera is similar in function to the flip-up rear LCD of the recently released Samsung MV800.

The sleek, black camera is quite slim, measuring just 2.2 by 3.7 by 0.7 inches (HWD) and weighing just 3.6 ounces. The front 1.5-inch LCD is a bit sparse on resolution, consisting of only 61k dots, but the rear 3-inch display packs in 460k dots for sharp display of photos. In part due to its small form factor, the camera supports only microSD memory cards.

The camera offers an innovative way to share your photos with friends, social network contacts, and family. Built-in Wi-Fi makes it possible to email photos and videos or send them to Facebook, Picasa, Flickr, and YouTube. If you feel limited by the quality of your phone's built-in camera you will be happy to have an easier way to get high-quality snapshots to Facebook, without having to first download them to your PC. The DV300F also allows you to transfer photos wirelessly to your PC, or to Samsung's AllShare Play and Microsoft's SkyDrive cloud services.

The DV300F has a number of special shooting modes, including a Magic Frame feature that allows you to frame your photos with one of 12 backgrounds. A Picture-in-Picture function lets you surround one photo with another, and the Split Shot mode lets you merge three different images into one. Funny Face mode has a slew of grins, odd noses, and crazy eyes that can be added to photos. Artistic Brush converts your photos into color or black and white art, and the Motion Photo function makes it possible to freeze time around a movie subject for a cinematic effect.

The DV300F will be available in March for $199.

About Our Expert

Jim Fisher

Principal Writer, Cameras

My Experience

Images, and the devices that capture them, are my focus. I've covered cameras at PCMag for the past 14 years, which has given me a front row seat for the changeover from DSLRs to mirrorless cameras, the smartphone camera revolution, and the emergence of drones for aerial imaging. I have extensive experience with every major mirrorless and SLR system, and am also comfortable using point-and-shoot and action cameras. As a Part 107 Certified drone pilot, I’m licensed to fly unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for commercial and editorial purposes, and am knowledgeable about federal rules and regulations regarding drones.

The Technology I Use

I use all of the major camera systems on a regular basis, swapping between Canon, Fujifilm, L-Mount, Micro Four Thirds, Nikon, and Sony systems. I still find time to use Leica M rangefinders and Pentax SLRs on occasion, too. I keep an iPhone 13 in my pocket for the rare occasions I'm not carrying a camera.

I'm not a brand-specific photographer. For product review photos, I swap between a Canon EOS R5 and a Sony a7R IV. I use Flashpoint and Godox TTL lights and Peak Design tripods, and I most often reach for a Think Tank or Peak Design backpack to carry equipment.

When it comes to computers, I'm an unapologetic Mac person and have been for the past 20 years. I write in Pages and use Numbers for spreadsheets. I currently swap between an Intel i9 MacBook Pro and an Apple Silicon Mac Studio for writing and use a calibrated BenQ 32.5-inch with the Studio for photo and video editing. I rely on a LaCie 6big RAID for media storage. I also keep a PC around for gaming, but please don't tell my Macs about it; they'll get jealous.

I split time between several different software apps depending on the type of editing I'm doing. For Raw image processing, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic is my standard. I pair it with a LoupeDeck CT console to supplement my keyboard and trackpad, and I lean on RNI All Films 5 presets when I want to give an image a film look. I use Apple Final Cut Pro for video editing.

My first digital camera was the Canon PowerShot Elph S200, and my first DSLR was the Pentax *ist DL. I have a soft spot for antique film gear. I still use a 1950 vintage Rolleiflex Automat TLR and love trying mid-century Leica lenses on film and digital alike. I mainly use whatever's in front of me for review for digital snaps, but I pick up either my Leica M Typ 240 or Pentax K-3 III Monochrome when I want to step away from review work. In my downtime, I enjoy bird watching, reading, video games, and both good and bad movies, especially in the sci-fi and horror genres.

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