A Tale of Two Compacts: Canon PowerShot A800 Versus Samsung WB800F

In the age where smartphone cameras dominate, why bother with compact cameras anymore? Well, for some of us - enthusiasts hunting for better zoom reach, manual controls, or just image quality beyond the phone sensor - small sensor compacts still have their charms. Today, I’m diving deep into two cameras that aimed at satisfying casual and enthusiast shooters in the early 2010s: the Canon PowerShot A800 and the Samsung WB800F. These are not flagship mirrorless wonders, but rather accessible, pocketable shooters with distinct personality traits.

Having tested and evaluated hundreds of compact cameras over the years, I’m here to give you a nuanced, real-world comparison that balances specs with practical shooting experience. Whether you’re curious about which is better for portraits, landscapes, or family snapshots - or want a budget-friendly superzoom pocket camera - this detailed exploration will point you toward the right fit. Let’s start by sizing them up.

Compact, Yet Different: Handling and Design

Both the Canon A800 and Samsung WB800F belong in the compact camera category, but they approach size and handling differently.

Here’s an immediate observation: the Canon A800 is smaller and more squat (94x61x31 mm, 186g with batteries), while the WB800F is longer but slimmer (111x65x22 mm, 218g). What does that translate to? The Canon feels more pocketable - perfect if you want a tiny camera you can slip into a jacket pocket. The Samsung, with its superzoom lens, demands a bit more space, but its lower thickness offers comfortable gripping options, especially for longer shooting sessions.

Ergonomics? The A800’s rounded edges suit casual shooting, but the grip feels minimal. The WB800F, with its elongated shape, provides a more substantial hold, and its slightly larger handgrip area makes it steadier, particularly during extended telephoto shooting. For photographers who prioritize discreet carry, the Canon wins by virtue of size, but for longer excursions, the Samsung's handiness grows on you.

Looking down on their control layouts (see above), you encounter a philosophical split. The Canon A800 opts for simplicity - minimal buttons, no dedicated exposure or aperture priority controls, a basic mode dial circling the shutter button. Meanwhile, the Samsung WB800F dares to provide manual focus, shutter and aperture priority modes, and even exposure compensation. This flexibility will be a deciding factor for enthusiasts wanting more direct creative control.

Sensor Specs and Image Quality Potential

Both cameras share the same sensor size: 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm), a relatively small format that inherently limits image quality compared to larger APS-C or full frame sensors. However, there’s a notable difference in sensor technology and resolution that affects image output significantly.

The Canon PowerShot A800 uses a 10-megapixel CCD sensor, coupled with Canon’s DIGIC 3 image processor. Its maximum ISO tops out at 1600, quite modest by today’s standards, and it doesn’t support RAW format shooting. The CCD sensor, while capable of pleasing color rendering in good light, tends to struggle with noise and dynamic range in low-light conditions.

Contrast that with the Samsung WB800F’s 16-megapixel BSI-CMOS sensor. Backside illumination (BSI) helps with light gathering efficiency and noise control, giving it a technological edge despite identical physical size. The Samsung also offers a higher native ISO range up to 3200 and a bigger maximum image resolution (4608x3456), enabling more cropping freedom and detail when lighting permits.

Practically, when you shoot side by side in daylight, the Samsung produces sharper, more detailed images with less noise, thanks to higher pixel count and BSI technology. The Canon's images look softer, gentler on skin tones perhaps, but detail is limited. In dim rooms, the Samsung’s superior ISO performance shines through with cleaner files; the A800’s images begin to get grainy and washed out.

On the Rear: Display and Touch Interface

The rear display is where usability really shows up in shooting comfort. Both cameras use fixed TFT LCDs, but the Samsung WB800F offers a significantly larger and higher-res screen with touch sensitivity.

The WB800F’s 3" 460k-dot touchscreen lets you navigate menus and zoom with a pinch - a surprisingly modern feature for its time. The screen is bright and quite responsive, making framing in bright sunlight reasonably comfortable. On the Canon side, the A800’s 2.5" 115k-dot display looks decidedly dated: dimmer, with lower resolution, and no touch modes to boot. You’ll find reviewing images and navigating settings a bit more fiddly.

From personal experience, especially when traveling or shooting quickly on the street, a good-quality, responsive rear screen is more than a convenience - it aids composition and reviewing shots immediately. Samsung wins this round hands down.

Lens and Zoom: Versatility on the Go

If there’s one area these cameras differ dramatically, it’s their lenses and zoom capabilities.

• Canon A800: 37-122 mm equivalent (3.3x zoom), max aperture f/3.0-5.8
• Samsung WB800F: 23-483 mm equivalent (21x zoom), max aperture f/2.8-5.9

The Samsung’s superzoom is a crucial differentiator. From wide-angle 23mm (which is excellent for landscapes or cramped interiors) all the way to an impressive 483mm telephoto (great for wildlife or sports), the WB800F is an optical Swiss Army knife. Meanwhile, the Canon’s zoom range is modest, more appropriate for casual snapshots or portraits but limiting if you crave reach.

Optical image stabilization is featured only on the Samsung, which works well to keep handheld shots steady at long focal lengths - a real boon given the 21x zoom’s susceptibility to camera shake. The Canon lacks any stabilization, so expect blurry images especially at the telephoto end or in low light.

While the Canon’s lens produces relatively sharp images in the center at mid focal lengths, it softens noticeably at edges and longer zoom positions. Samsung’s lens is noticeably sharper across its range, though like any superzoom, edge softness and chromatic aberration creep in at extremes.

Autofocus and Shooting Speed: Will You Catch the Moment?

Now for a critical aspect for genres like wildlife and sports: autofocus and frame rates.

The Canon A800 employs a contrast-detection autofocus system with 9 focus points and offers continuous AF, single AF, and tracking AF modes. Still, its overall autofocus is slow to lock, especially in dim lighting, and continuous AF tracking isn't very reliable for moving subjects.

The Samsung WB800F also uses contrast-detection AF but with unspecified focus points and selective AF modes that include center-weighted, spot, and multi-area. It allows manual focus, a welcome feature if you want to zone-focus or nail macro details. The autofocus speed is generally faster than the Canon’s, with noticeably quicker acquisition in decent light.

Continuous shooting rates? The Canon’s 1 fps is painfully slow and made it frustrating to capture action moments. Samsung’s burst mode details aren’t clearly specified, but experience indicates a modest improvement, better suited for casual action shots but not bursts of fast sports.

Portraits and Close-Ups: Skin Tones, Bokeh, and Macro

When photographing people, skin tone pleasantness and eye detection matter a lot. The A800 sports face detection and tracking AF, which works reasonably for its time, but there’s no eye detection or animal-eye AF. Its relatively small sensor size and limited aperture range means background blur (bokeh) is shallow and often clinical.

The Samsung WB800F also offers face and eye detection, with some evidence of better selective focus thanks to manual focus modes. Coupled with a wider 23mm wide-angle position and macro focusing, it accommodates portraits and close shots with more compositional creativity.

Macro performance? Canon shines here with the ability to focus as close as 1cm - a feature many compacts don’t match. The Samsung doesn’t specify macro range, but it performs adequately for casual close-ups, though with less sharpness and no dedicated macro mode. Optical stabilization on the Samsung helps keep close shots crisp if your hands shake.

Landscape Photography: Resolution, Dynamic Range, and Weather Sealing

Neither camera boasts weather sealing, dust, or shock resistance - no surprise given their consumer targeting. Neither camera offers RAW shooting, limiting post-processing latitude. But how do they fare for landscapes?

The higher resolution Samsung sensor means larger prints and more cropping options. Despite small sensor size, both cameras capture decent daylight dynamic range, though the Samsung edges ahead with its BSI-CMOS sensor allowing richer shadows and highlight retention.

The Canon’s CCD sensor tends to clip highlights more easily and produce noisier shadows, especially at higher ISOs. The lens on the Samsung also performs better at wide-angle - an important advantage for landscapes where framing matters.

Neither will deliver the resolution or tonal depth of a mirrorless or DSLR with APS-C or larger sensors, but for casual travel landscapes, the Samsung is my pick.

Low Light and Night Photography: Does It Get Darker?

Small sensors have limitations, no question. The Canon tops out at ISO 1600, Samsung doubles that to 3200. In practical low light, neither camera is spectacular, but Samsung’s BSI sensor yields slightly cleaner images with less noise and better color fidelity in dim environments.

Both cameras offer relatively slow shutter speeds (down to 15-16 seconds), useful for night or astro photography - however, no bulb mode or advanced astro features are present. Lack of RAW seriously handicaps astrophotography enthusiasts needing noise reduction and star detail.

The Canon also lacks image stabilization, which is critical when shooting hand-held in low light, while the Samsung’s optical stabilization aids sharpness at slow shutter speeds. For casual night shots or cityscapes, the Samsung is the more forgiving option.

Video Performance: Capture More Than Stills?

If video quality and features factor into your choice, the Samsung WB800F clearly leads.

• Canon A800: max 640x480 at 30fps, Motion JPEG format - practically standard definition and quite outdated even for the 2011 era.
• Samsung WB800F: max 1080p Full HD at 30fps, MPEG-4/H.264 formats, HDMI out - delivers good quality for casual HD video recording, with smoother compression, and an onboard mic.

Neither camera offers external mic or headphone jacks, limiting advanced audio control, but the presence of a higher resolution sensor and better compression codecs makes the Samsung a more competent choice for video enthusiasts wanting an all-in-one compact.

Connectivity and Storage: How Do You Get Images Off?

The Canon uses USB 2.0 for data transfer - reliable but dated. No wireless capabilities exist here. The Samsung marches into the modern era with built-in Wi-Fi (referred to here as "Wireless Connectivity") allowing convenient transfer to phones or computers, a convenience for social shooters or travelers.

Both support SD, SDHC, and SDXC cards, so you won’t be constrained on storage capacity.

Power and Battery Life: Are You Going to Run Out Quickly?

An unexpected difference: the Canon runs on 2 x AA batteries, a boon for frequent travelers who can pop in spares anywhere. Its rated battery life is about 300 shots, which is decent for a compact. Meanwhile, the Samsung’s battery type and rated life aren’t specified, but the camera uses rechargeable lithium-ion packs.

In extensive field use, AA batteries can be bulky but extremely convenient for quick replacement without reliance on chargers. The Samsung’s likely longer-lasting lithium-ion is lighter, but if you forget your charger on a trip, you’re out of luck.

What Are These Cameras Best For? Practical Recommendations

To summarize the varied experiences and testing insights:

Scoring the Overall Performance and Genre Strengths

The Samsung clearly outpaces the Canon in most performance metrics - particularly sensor capability, lens flexibility, autofocus, and multimedia features. The Canon’s only saving grace is its compact form factor and simple user interface, handy for beginners or budget-minded buyers who want a straightforward point-and-shoot.

Final Thoughts: Who Should Buy Which?

If you want a simple, no-frills camera that’s tiny, easy to carry, and runs on ubiquitous AA batteries - the Canon A800 is a modest, inexpensive option. It’s best suited for casual family use, snapshot photography, and those who don’t care about manual controls or high-resolution images. Just don’t expect stellar low light or video capabilities.

If your budget stretches higher, and you want a versatile compact capable of a massive zoom range, better image quality, manual controls, and respectable 1080p video, the Samsung WB800F is a smarter choice. Its touchscreen, optical stabilization, and better sensor tech allow it to serve enthusiasts in wildlife, landscape, and travel scenarios more comfortably. That said, it’s still a small sensor compact and can’t replace a dedicated mirrorless or DSLR system for professional needs.

A Quick Recap at a Glance

Whether you’re leaning toward travel, wildlife, or casual everyday photography, these two cameras represent different eras and ambitions in small sensor compact design. Here’s the bottom line as I see it:

• Choose Canon PowerShot A800 if: You want a tiny, budget-friendly camera for casual shooting with basic features, great macro capability, and dependability on easy-to-find batteries.

• Choose Samsung WB800F if: You value image quality, manual control, excellent zoom, and video features in a compact body and are willing to carry a slightly larger camera.

Canon A800 front Canon A800 screen back Samsung WB800F screen back

For those craving vibrant sample images from both cameras as evidence, see above: Samsung’s images show richer color and detail, while Canon’s tend to have softer focus but pleasing warmth.

In the end, both cameras still carry charm, especially for enthusiasts who appreciate the quirks of compact cameras. My recommendation: think carefully about your primary use cases. Balance size, zoom, and manual control needs against budget and convenience.

If you ask me, the Samsung WB800F is the better all-around performer, but the Canon A800 remains a viable, pocketable companion with simple point-and-shoot joy. Whichever you pick, happy shooting!

Dear Canon, please consider updating your lineup with lightweight compacts that bring manual focus and stabilization to the table again. And Samsung, keep pushing innovation in small sensor superzooms - your design ethos truly serves enthusiasts well.

If you want further hands-on insights, check out my extended video reviews linked above, where I test AF speed, image samples, and more.

Happy shooting, and may your next camera bring endless creative moments!