SINGAPORE : Are you someone who loves taking self-portraits during your overseas vacations?

South Korean electronics giant Samsung has unveiled the world's first digital compact cameras equipped with a front and rear liquid crystal display (LCD). Say hello to the Samsung 2View ST550 and ST500, and say goodbye to shooting blind!

Announced at a regional launch in Bangkok this week, both the ST550 and the ST500 tout a 1.5-inch LCD screen at the front so you can see and frame the picture properly before you press the shutter release button.

The cameras are packed with a 12.2-megapixel image sensor with 4.6x (27-124mm equivalent of 35mm) optical zoom lens and Samsung's Smart Gesture User Interface (SGUI). Both devices are able to shoot 720p high-definition (HD) movie clips in H.264 format.

The only difference between the two models is the size of its rear touchscreen LCD. The ST550 has a 3.5-inch high-resolution (1,152K dot) display while the ST500 has a 3-inch (230K dot) display. The rear LCD is very responsive, making settings changing a breeze.

With a tap (or a few, sometimes) on the front LCD, the self-portrait mode with face recognition or smile detection is activated. This is made possible with SGUI and a built-in gravity sensor in the cameras.

When you activate smile detection, you don't even need to press the shutter release. Just smile and the camera will do the rest! The downside is the camera becomes too enthusiastic at times, snapping pictures when the subject is not quite ready.

For the self-timer function, the front LCD will display a timer counting down from 3 to 1, so that you will know when it is time to smile for the camera. You might want to note that given the small screen size of the front LCD, the actual picture taken is wider than you think. Perhaps it's the hot Bangkok weather or the use of dual LCDs, but the camera's battery seems to heat up pretty fast within an hour's usage.

At the launch, Samsung also introduced the ST1000, a 12.2-megapixel camera with a high-resolution 3.5-inch LCD and a 5.0x (35-175mm of 35mm equivalent) optical zoom lens.

With unprecedented connectivity options of built-in GPS for geo-tagging, Bluetooth 2.0, Wi-Fi and DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) compatibility, the Samsung ST1000 is one of the most connected digital compact cameras in the market. With the ST1000, you don't need an external GPS module to know where the photos are taken. You can also immediately transfer your party photos to your friends using Bluetooth or upload the pictures to Facebook.

The use of the microSD card in all three cameras instead of the ubiquitous SD card might annoy some users. However, with more mobile phones adapting the microSD card, Samsung might have the last laugh.

Pricing and availability of the cameras will be confirmed by the end of the month, but my guess is you will probably be able to get them at the Comex 2009 technology fair in Singapore next month.

- TODAY/il