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Samsung HZ15W vs Sigma SD1 Merrill

Portability
90
Imaging
34
Features
31
Overall
32
Samsung HZ15W front
 
Sigma SD1 Merrill front
Portability
57
Imaging
56
Features
45
Overall
51

Samsung HZ15W vs Sigma SD1 Merrill Key Specs

Samsung HZ15W
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-240mm (F3.3-5.8) lens
  • 249g - 105 x 61 x 37mm
  • Introduced February 2009
  • Other Name is WB550
Sigma SD1 Merrill
(Full Review)
  • 15MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • No Video
  • Sigma SA Mount
  • 790g - 146 x 113 x 80mm
  • Released April 2012
  • Earlier Model is Sigma SD1
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Samsung HZ15W vs Sigma SD1 Merrill Overview

Below is a complete overview of the Samsung HZ15W vs Sigma SD1 Merrill, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by brands Samsung and Sigma. The resolution of the HZ15W (12MP) and the SD1 Merrill (15MP) is pretty comparable but the HZ15W (1/2.3") and SD1 Merrill (APS-C) posses different sensor sizes.

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The HZ15W was unveiled 4 years prior to the SD1 Merrill and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Samsung HZ15W being a Compact camera and the Sigma SD1 Merrill being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going into a in depth comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the HZ15W scores vs the SD1 Merrill with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Samsung HZ15W over the Sigma SD1 Merrill

 HZ15W SD1 Merrill 

Reasons to pick Sigma SD1 Merrill over the Samsung HZ15W

 SD1 Merrill HZ15W 
ReleasedApril 2012February 2009More recent by 38 months

Common features in the Samsung HZ15W and Sigma SD1 Merrill

 HZ15W SD1 Merrill 
Focus manually Very precise focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen size3"3"Same screen dimensions
Screen resolution460k460kIdentical screen resolution
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch screen Neither comes with Touch screen

Samsung HZ15W vs Sigma SD1 Merrill Physical Comparison

If you are looking to lug around your camera often, you will need to think about its weight and volume. The Samsung HZ15W comes with outside dimensions of 105mm x 61mm x 37mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.5") with a weight of 249 grams (0.55 lbs) and the Sigma SD1 Merrill has sizing of 146mm x 113mm x 80mm (5.7" x 4.4" x 3.1") having a weight of 790 grams (1.74 lbs).

Examine the Samsung HZ15W vs Sigma SD1 Merrill in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you use at the time. Following is a front view overall size comparison of the HZ15W vs the SD1 Merrill.

Samsung HZ15W vs Sigma SD1 Merrill size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the HZ15W and SD1 Merrill is 90 and 57 respectively.

Samsung HZ15W vs Sigma SD1 Merrill top view buttons comparison

Samsung HZ15W vs Sigma SD1 Merrill Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is hard to imagine the contrast in sensor measurements just by going through specifications. The graphic here will give you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the HZ15W and SD1 Merrill.

Plainly, both of these cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The HZ15W with its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF more challenging and the Sigma SD1 Merrill will show extra detail having an extra 3MP. Higher resolution will also help you crop shots way more aggressively. The older HZ15W will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.

Samsung HZ15W vs Sigma SD1 Merrill sensor size comparison

Samsung HZ15W vs Sigma SD1 Merrill Screen and ViewFinder

Samsung HZ15W vs Sigma SD1 Merrill Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Samsung HZ15W Portrait photography advice
Sigma SD1 Merrill Portrait photography advice
31
has manual focus
features face detection focusing
manual exposure not available
external flash not possible
low MP (12MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
65
has manual focus
good MP (15MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW files
does not have liveview
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Street Comparison

Samsung HZ15W as a Street photography camera
Sigma SD1 Merrill as a Street photography camera
52
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
no moving screen
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
heavier than competition in class (249 grams)
57
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW files
weather proof
screen does not articulate
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Samsung HZ15W Sports photography highlights
Sigma SD1 Merrill Sports photography highlights
27
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
no shutter priority
low MP (12 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
61
good MP (15MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
weather proof
has phase detect auto focus
does not have liveview
does not have image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Samsung HZ15W
Travel photography with Sigma SD1 Merrill
54
flash built-in
fairly wide (24mm)
no Time Lapse recording
heavier than competition in class (249g)
low MP (12MP)
display is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
54
weather proof
good MP (15 megapixels)
lack of Timelapse mode
does not offer selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Samsung HZ15W Landscape photography factors
Sigma SD1 Merrill Landscape photography factors
40
has manual focus
fairly wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
manual exposure not available
low MP (12MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
no Time Lapse recording
63
has manual focus
switch lenses (Sigma SA mount)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
good MP (15MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW files
weather proof
does not have liveview
does not have image stabilization
lack of Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Samsung HZ15W Vlogging factors
Sigma SD1 Merrill Vlogging factors
28
fairly wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
features face detection focusing
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
display is not selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
no external mic support
heavier than competition in class (249 grams)
9
no video shooting
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Samsung HZ15W vs Sigma SD1 Merrill Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Samsung HZ15W and Sigma SD1 Merrill
 Samsung HZ15WSigma SD1 Merrill
General Information
Brand Name Samsung Sigma
Model Samsung HZ15W Sigma SD1 Merrill
Also called WB550 -
Category Small Sensor Compact Advanced DSLR
Introduced 2009-02-23 2012-04-10
Physical type Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Dual True II
Sensor type CCD CMOS (Foveon X3)
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 24 x 16mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 384.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 15 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 16:9, 4:3 and 3:2 -
Highest Possible resolution 4000 x 3000 4800 x 3200
Maximum native ISO 3200 6400
Min native ISO 80 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sigma SA
Lens focal range 24-240mm (10.0x) -
Max aperture f/3.3-5.8 -
Macro focus range 5cm -
Total lenses - 76
Crop factor 5.9 1.5
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 460k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 96 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.64x
Features
Min shutter speed 16 secs -
Max shutter speed 1/2000 secs -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 4.70 m no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, Auto & Red-eye reduction, Fill-in flash, Slow sync, Flash off, Red eye fix no built-in flash
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (60, 30, 15 fps) -
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 None
Video data format Motion JPEG -
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 249 gr (0.55 lb) 790 gr (1.74 lb)
Physical dimensions 105 x 61 x 37mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.5") 146 x 113 x 80mm (5.7" x 4.4" x 3.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Self timer Yes (10 sec, 2 sec, Double, Motion Timer) Yes
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SC/SDHC/MMC/MMCplus, internal Compact Flash (Type I, UDMA compatible)
Card slots One One
Cost at release $330 $2,339