Samsung Focus 2 (AT&T) review

The Samsung Focus 2 isn't going to draw in any serious shutterbugs with its 5-megapixel rear camera, but it performs well enough to get the job done.

Like all Windows Phones, the Focus 2 has a dedicated camera button, which can be pressed halfway to get an image in focus before taking the photo. You can also simply tap on the screen to snap pictures, in which case there is a slight delay to allow the camera to focus similar to a half press of the shutter button. You can even hold the shutter button to wake the Focus 2 directly to the camera, though this setting can also be turned off if you begin taking too many images of the inside of your pocket or purse.

Outdoor pictures came out clear, though you may want to increase the sharpness setting since the camera defaults to medium. Settings also allow you to fine tune the white balance, contrast, saturation, and manual adjustment of the ISO, though we didn't have any major complaints with the defaults.

Indoor pictures expectedly fare less successfully, with the single flash not enough to compensate for a lack of natural light.

It shoots pictures at 5M (2592x1944) resolution by default, with options to lower it to 3M (2048x1536), 2M (1600x1200), and even VGA (640x480) if you so desire. The camera also offers a 4x digital zoom, though the blurry results make it not worth using.

The Focus 2 also has a VGA front-facing camera, with expectedly poor image quality. The front lens is primarily for video chat purposes, which it performs as well as any VGA camera can be expected to, but isn't going to impress anyone.

Despite the lower resolution than other Windows Phones like the Lumia 900, the Focus 2's camera can take some quality shots. The wide variety of options will be more than enough for casual photographers simply hoping to capture a moment or two of their day.