Samsung is ahead of the curve when it comes to connected cameras. The company built an excellent Wi-Fi implementation into both point-and-shoots like its WB850F ?and advanced interchangeable lens cameras like the NX1000 . At the same time, it leads the pack in Android handset development. And its Galaxy S III? smartphone?walked away with our Editors' Choice award for Android phones.
It's only logical that Samsung would eventually combine a camera and an Android media player into one device. The resulting 16-megapixel Samsung Galaxy Camera ($499.99 list) is a bit of a Frankenstein product?it's very large for a camera, even one with a 21x zoom lens, and thick when compared with a phone. It offers 3G connectivity (although you'll have to pay a monthly fee for that privilege), it lets you use photo apps like Instagram, and it lets you fling Angry Birds at disgruntled pigs?but no, it doesn't make phone calls. Despite its ambitious design, the Galaxy Camera doesn't oust the 20x-zooming Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V ?as our Editors' Choice superzoom camera. The HX30V runs circles around the Galaxy from a performance perspective, although its Wi-Fi and Internet-sharing capabilities are nowhere near as slick.
Design and Features
The Galaxy Camera is big. It's bigger than any compact superzoom I've used, and it's bigger than an interchangeable lens camera like the Olympus PEN Lite E-PL5. It measures 2.8 by 5.1 by 0.75 inches (HWD), and it's no featherweight at 11 ounces. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 , which has a shorter zoom lens but a much larger 1-inch image sensor, is only 2.4 by 4 by 1.4 inches in size and 8.5 ounces in weight.
The main reason for the size of the Galaxy is the huge 4.8-inch, 16:9 widescreen display. Most rear LCDs top out at 3 inches at a 4:3 ratio. It's astounding how much different this makes using the camera as compared with a run-of-the-mill point-and-shoot. One downside to the big screen is that it doesn't look quite as sharp as the displays on the best digital cameras. Even though it's 1,280-by-720 and thus 921k dots in resolution, just like the LCD found on the Nikon Coolpix S9300 , the larger screen size reduces the pixel density.
The first question that popped into my mind when I picked up the Galaxy Camera was, oddly enough, "Where does my thumb go?" The big touch-sensitive LCD occupies almost the entirety of the Galaxy's backside. I have thick fingers and was worried that holding the camera normally would result in accidentally changing settings. Thankfully this proved not to be the case, as the bezel is just wide enough so my right thumb can rest against it when shooting, without accidentally setting off the touch-shutter. Due to the overall size of the camera I ended up taking photos with both hands, resting my left hand near the lens as I would with a compact interchangeable lens camera or SLR.
Physical controls are nonexistent. This is not a device well-suited for shutterbugs who demand quick control over settings. There's a zoom rocker built into the shutter control, a Power button, and a button to raise the flash. To lower it, simply push it down into the body. All shooting controls?ISO, Aperture, Shutter Speed, Shooting Mode, Exposure Compensation, and the like?are adjusted via the touch-sensitive LCD. The controls are big enough on the screen to make them usable, but they are no substitute for real physical controls. That's a shame, as there is more than enough room on the front of the body for a simple control wheel, and the top has plenty of space for a Mode Dial or EV Compensation dial. Advanced shooters will appreciate the ability to add a grid overlay to the live view display, not unlike those found on now-ancient manual focusing screens. I opted for a 3-by-3 grid, but there are also 4-by-4, 2-by-2, and diagonal patterns.
If you're the type to leave your camera in auto, or simply use your phone for all of your camera needs, chances are you'll seldom venture out of automatic mode. That's why Samsung has built a number of "smart scene" modes. You can scroll through presets that best capture fireworks, night scenes, fast action, macro objects, panoramic views, and more. For group shots, there's a special Best Face mode?it takes five images in succession and lets you mix and match the best expressions from people in the shot?so you can salvage a good family photo, even if Uncle Karl has his eyes closed in half the shots.
You can fire the shutter by pressing a physical button, but you can also touch a big onscreen camera icon to shoot a photo. There's a box that lets you know where the camera is focusing, but you can override this by touching the area of the frame on which you'd like to focus. If you feel like controlling the shutter with your voice you can make it take a photo by saying "cheese," or "shoot," and activate a 10-second self-timer by simply saying "timer."
The default camera app gives you full control over the 21x (23-483mm equivalent) zoom lens. Having such a powerful zoom is one of the biggest advantages that the camera holds over smartphone cameras. The iPhone 5 and its ilk feature fixed lenses that don't cover as wide of an angle as this lens, and couldn't dream about zooming in to capture close detail. Macro focusing is supported, and while you can't butt the lens right up against your subject, you can focus on objects about 1.5 inches from the front element when using the Smart Macro scene mode. If you just activate macro shooting in Program mode, you'll be limited to 2-inch close focus.
Unfortunately, not all Android camera apps support zooming. If you're a fan of Instagram, Pixlr-o-matic, or Retro Camera, you'll be left shooting the camera at its widest focal length. Of course, you can shoot a zoomed-in photo using the standard camera app and later add filters using your favorite retro camera filter program, but it would be nice to see these apps updated to support zoom control. Social networking apps that use the default Android camera like Foursquare and Untappd do not face this limitation?they just take you into the full-feature application and allow you to snap away.
There are a few Samsung-specific Android apps installed that will aid in photo sharing. While most users will likely share photos via Facebook, Flickr, or Twitter?all available for download via the Google Play store?users with multiple Samsung devices will be interested in AllShare Play and Group Cast. AllShare Play is a DLNA server that makes it possible to push your photos and videos to Samsung devices, your PC, and other connected devices. Group Cast lets other devices on your current Wi-Fi network connect to the Galaxy Camera, via a password, to see your photos and videos. Device-to-device sharing is also supported via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Direct, both accessible from the camera application.
(Next Page: Android and Apps)
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