Snap happy

Let's face it, most of the time when we're carrying a camera we're doing it to click pictures of ourselves rather than those of the scenic landscape or anything else around us. The Samsung MV800 helps you do exactly that. Samsung has had DualView cameras that feature a screen at the front to make self-snapping slightly easier. The MV800 takes that a step further by introducing a tiling screen that flips to the top. And, by doing so, you can now see and take a picture of yourself by pressing the additional shutter button placed right behind it. It may sound gimmicky but it works rather well and the execution of the design serves its purpose. The 3-inch LCD screen is touch enabled, which eliminates the requirement for most buttons on the camera. On the back you'll just see the Play/Preview button and the Home/Menu button. All other menu options can be reached from the touch screen. The MV800 is built to be a fun camera. It has a Picture-in-Picture mode, Magic Frame (that features default and customisable "frames" to take pictures in), Live Panorama, various photo and video filters, and a "pose guide" — a photo tutorial (with unintentional comical effects) on how to pose for flattering shots. But just because it's fun doesn't mean it takes its primary responsibility any less seriously. The MV800 packs a 16-megapixel sensor and a 26mm wide lens on the front to get more into one shot. And for closing in on subjects, the 5x optical zoom will come in handy. You'll also have the option of shooting HD video at 720p. The image quality is decent. Despite the high number of pixels the quality of the sensor is not up to the mark. It is by no means disappointing, but given the specs on paper (both lens and sensor) besides the brand name Samsung, one would expect a little more. The MV800 can be plugged into the TV as it features a mini HDMI-connection. And you can add more space for your photos and videos with your pick of a microSD card. If Samsung had its way, there would be no more awkward — and equally cautious — requests to strangers asking them to take a picture of you. The MV800 and its tilting screen means you can take pictures of yourself (and you in a group) just as easily as you would of others. The Samsung MV800 is available for Dh1,199 at your local consumer tech retail stores. Bhavishya Kanjhan is a digital marketing professional and an early adopter of all things digital. Follow his tweets on @bhavishya