Digital Home Thoughts: Samsung Announces Two New DualView Digital Cameras

"Samsung continues to lead the field of cameras with front-facing screens -- it's bringing its total count of DualView cameras to six with the new flagship ST100 and ST600. In addition to sharing a new larger 1.8-inch front screen, both cams feature the same 14.2 megapixel sensor with ISO 3200 sensitivity, a 3.5-inch rear display, and a new "jump shot" mode that uses the front screen to cue a group of people to jump and then fires off three quick snaps to capture the action."

Engadget picked up on Samsung's press release introducing these two new "DualView" digital cameras, which are expected to be available early this fall. As with many new digital cameras, these models are packed with features, including 1280x720 video recording, optical image stabilization, and Samsung's "Smart Gesture User Interface," which combines LCD touch-screen control with physically tilting the camera. Still, it is the dual LCD screens that remain the major selling point - a feature that I initially thought was little more than a gimmick. However, a couple of the shooting modes caught my eye: 1) the "Jump Shot" mode described above, and 2) "Couple Shot" mode, wherein the camera takes a photo "when it detects two faces tilted toward each other." Factoring these shooting modes in with the balance of the features leads to the inescapable conclusion that I am not a member of the target market for these models! The question then, of course, becomes "Who Is?" Do you find the DualView feature attractive enough to make it a required purchase point?