Samsung ES65

The ES65 came out in 2010 as Samsung’s most approachable everyday compact — 10.2 megapixels, a 27mm wide-angle lens, 5× zoom, and Smart Auto that reads the scene without asking you anything. It sold everywhere and got forgotten, which is exactly why it’s interesting now. The CCD produces images with that early-2010s warmth and grain no filter fully replicates, and 27mm fits more people into a frame than most phones managed at the time.

NO FILTER: SHOT ON ES65

coming soon

THE LOOKS

In silver, the ES65 is a clean, slim rectangle — 96.3 × 58 × 21.9mm, 114g, with a plastic body that has just enough metallic finish to look considered. The lens sits slightly left of center on the front, the 2.5-inch LCD fills most of the rear, and there’s almost nothing else to look at. No grip bump, no unnecessary texture, just a flat slab that disappears into a jacket pocket. Also available in black, red, pink, olive, and white.

THE SPECS

10.2-megapixel 1/2.33-inch CCD, ISO 80–1600. Samsung 5× optical zoom, 27–135mm equivalent, f/3.5–5.9. Digital Image Stabilization. 2.5-inch TFT LCD (230k dots). Smart Auto with 16 scene types. Face Detection AF. Perfect Portrait System. In-camera color profiles: Normal, Vivid, Soft, Retro, Classic, Forest, and more. VGA/30fps video (AVI). Smart Album for browsing by date, color tone, and file type. SD/SDHC. 96.3 × 58 × 21.9mm, 114g.

DESIGN HIGHLIGHTS

• 27mm wide-angle lens on a budget compact: wide enough to fit a whole group without stepping back — most phones in 2010 couldn’t match this starting focal length.
• CCD sensor with in-camera Retro color profile: the sensor already produces warm, slightly grainy output at base ISO — the Retro profile pushes it without touching post-processing.
• Smart Auto reading 16 scene types automatically: detects landscape, portrait, backlight, night and more — adjusts exposure, contrast and white balance before you press the shutter.

THE VERDICT

The ES65 is the camera that was everywhere in 2010 and is back because of what it actually does to an image — that slightly pastel, lightly grainy CCD output that looks like it was shot on something more considered than a budget compact. The 27mm wide angle gets everyone in the frame at a party, Smart Auto handles the rest, and the slim silver body fits anywhere. This is the one you throw in a bag and forget about until you need it.