Samsung PL120

Samsung’s PL120 launched in January 2011 as one of the company’s most affordable DualView cameras — compacts with screens on both the front and back of the body. The 14.2-megapixel CCD, 5× optical zoom, and a 1.5-inch front LCD made self-portraits and shooting kids dramatically easier: everyone could see themselves before the shutter fired. The front screen pulled triple duty as a real-time framing preview, a visual self-timer countdown, and an animation display to get children to actually look at the camera.

NO FILTER: SHOT ON PL120

THE LOOKS

In pink, the PL120 commits fully to its consumer-friendly identity — one of three color options alongside purple and silver. The compact plastic body measures 94 × 54 × 19mm with a clean, rounded profile that disappears into a pocket. The 1.5-inch front LCD sits above the lens, framed in chrome trim that catches the light. The larger 2.7-inch touchscreen dominates the back. A dedicated button on top activates the front screen instantly — the whole dual-screen concept is one press away from working.

THE SPECS

14.2-megapixel 1/2.3-inch CCD sensor, ISO 80–3200. 5× optical zoom, 26–130mm equivalent, f/3.3–5.9, digital image stabilization. Dual LCDs: 1.5-inch front (61k dots) and 2.7-inch rear (230k dots). Smart Auto 2.0, Smart Face Recognition (up to 20 faces), Smart Filter effects including miniature, fish-eye, vignetting, soft focus, and half-tone dot. Magic Frame in-camera compositing. Records 720p HD video at 30fps with optical zoom available during recording. SD/SDHC card storage.

DESIGN HIGHLIGHTS

• Dual-screen DualView body in pink, purple, or silver: The front LCD above the lens is the defining design feature — visible and immediately functional, not a gimmick buried in a menu.
• Children Mode with downloadable animations: The front screen could cycle through built-in animations — or ones downloaded from Samsung’s site — to hold a child’s attention long enough to get the shot.
• Jump Shot mode with front-screen countdown: A dedicated mode used the front display to count down and prompt subjects to jump, firing three shots automatically to capture the peak moment.

THE VERDICT

The PL120 is a camera with one very clear idea and the confidence to build around it. The dual-screen setup solved a real problem — self-portraits, group shots, and photographing children all became meaningfully easier — and the Smart Filter effects and Magic Frame templates kept casual shooting entertaining. Image quality is honest entry-level CCD: decent colors, soft corners, noise above ISO 800. But for the early-2010s social photographer who wanted fun over finesse, it delivered exactly what it promised.