In a press conference at the IFA show in Berlin, Samsung has just announced their highly anticipated Galaxy camera – a convergence of their mobile and camera devices.
‘We are combining camera features you can’t find on smartphones, with smartphone features you can’t find on cameras,’ said Stephen Taylor, vice-president of Samsung Brand, Europe.
Features include a 21x (f/2.8 aperture) optical zoom, auto cloud back-up and a 16.3-million-pixel imaging sensor.
‘This is the perfect fit for the modern communications era,’ said JK Shin, president of Samsung’s IT and Mobile division.
Shin claimed: ‘The camera is reborn.’
A ‘Smart Pro’ option is designed to deliver images to rival those captured by ‘pro photographers’.
The device includes a Share Widget, allowing access to multiple sharing streams through a single click, said Taylor.
Images can also be transferred to a TV, for example.
The camera features a top equivalent ISO of 3200, 8GB of on-board memory and uses the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system.
It accepts cards including Micro SDHC and shoots Full HD video.
Press release, as supplied by Samsung UK:
Berlin, Germany – August 29th, 2012 – Today at IFA 2012 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, announced the launch of the Galaxy Camera. Developed to fit the changing ways we communicate, the Galaxy Camera combines high performance photography with the latest AndroidTM OS 4.1, Jelly Bean, and wireless network connectivity, creating a brand new type of device for those who wish to shoot, edit and share high quality photographs and video easily and spontaneously from anywhere, at any time.
Robert King, Vice President, Consumer Electronics, Samsung UK and Ireland, said: “In this new era of visual communication the Samsung’s Galaxy Camera marks a breakthrough in convergence technology, combining the leading edge design of our Galaxy mobile products with high performance photographic capability.”
Andy Rubin, Senior Vice President of mobile and digital content at Google congratulated the Samsung team on their launch. “When we first started work on Android, we envisioned building a smart camera that would take digital photography to the next level. The Galaxy Camera is an innovative product that speaks to the openness and flexibility of the AndroidÔ platform.”
The Galaxy Camera generates outstanding photography on the go. Users never again have to sacrifice picture quality if they want to edit and share their photos instantly. The Galaxy Camera, boasting a 21x optical touch zoom lens and a super-bright 16M BSI CMOS sensor delivers pictures in brilliant quality. The device also features ‘Smart Pro’ technology, a series of modes that make professional-looking photography easy for anyone to achieve. What truly revolutionises this photography experience is AndroidTM 4.1 Jelly Bean and wireless connectivity, which opens up the device to applications for photo-editing, sharing, and much more. Users will experience all of Galaxy Camera’s great features on a market-leading HD Super Clear Touch Display. With stunning clarity, incredible ease-of-use and unparalleled connectivity, the Galaxy Camera is the next step in imaging innovation.
Shoot stunning quality images
The Galaxy Camera’s ‘Smart Pro’ feature makes it easy to recreate advanced photographic setups in just a few simple steps for stunning artistic results. Using the easy-to-navigate menu system, users can choose from a series of preset scenario options, which will automatically adjust the camera’s settings in order to capture the perfect photo. For example, the ‘Rich Tone’ setting delivers images with greater intensity – particularly effective for reducing overexposure in bright surroundings, while the ‘Light Trace’ setting automatically controls shutter speed for atmospheric night scenes full of light trails.
The Galaxy Camera’s 21x optical zoom can be controlled by either button or touchscreen, rendering long-distance pictures in a quality that users will be proud to share, while OIS ensures that images stay clear and crisp. The camera’s 16-Megapixel 1/2.3″ BSI CMOS sensor captures images in brilliant colour and resolution, while the 23mm aperture lens delivers impressive wide-angle shots incomparable to smartphone pictures.
Enjoy your photos and video on a world-leading display
The Galaxy Camera boasts the world’s largest and most vivid camera display – a 121.2 mm (4.77inch) HD Super Clear LCD screen, which makes it a pleasure to shoot, share and edit images from the palm of the hand. Another advantage of smartphone technology is the Voice Control option, which allows the user to control a number of functions such as ‘Zoom in’ and ‘Shoot’ through voice. All these features are housed in a beautifully designed, ergonomic body with the Galaxy Camera’s minimal, organic design complementing its easy-to-use professional features.
Edit and perfect images on your device
The Galaxy Camera includes a comprehensive set of 35 powerful photo editing features through the ‘Photo Wizard’, allowing users to make professional quality edits on the go. The new features take advantage of the ultrafast quad-core processor and HD Super Clear LCD, giving access to a feature like Auto Face Calibration so edits can be made in precise detail and with ease. The ‘Movie Wizard’ also allows users to create and edit expert quality videos easily from the touch screen.
The Galaxy Camera also features ‘Smart Content Manager’, an innovative on-device organisation tool which intelligently creates folders, tags faces, and even suggests which pictures to delete when they don’t come out as desired. Thanks to the combination of wireless connectivity and AndroidTM 4.1 Jelly Bean OS, the internet capabilities of the Galaxy Camera are equal to those of the latest smartphone so that users can get even more enjoyment out of their device. In addition to the pre-installed applications from Samsung, users can browse the web and enjoy any applications from Google Play or Samsung Apps stores, such as Instagram, Facebook, and Skype. If users are not sure which app to download, a user can use ‘S Suggest’, to help them discover a new photo editing app or fun game to download.
Share your images anywhere, anytime
The camera’s convenient ‘Auto Cloud Backup’ feature will also automatically save precious photos into the cloud via Samsung’s AllShare the instant they are taken. The Galaxy Camera also allows users to share photos at the same time as they shoot them with ‘Share Shot.’ As well as sharing to social networks and cloud services users can also connect to a range of Galaxy devices including the Galaxy SIII and Galaxy Note II for effortless and automatic sharing of pictures across the Galaxy family. The new device enables connection to 3G or 4G , allowing photo sharing and browsing anywhere. The Galaxy Camera also functions on Wi-Fi with Dual Band and Channel Bonding for extra speed. Connectivity is supported by a quad-core processor that enables fast web browsing and multi-tasking, as well as high-speed image processing without a significant impact on battery life.
The Galaxy Camera comes in two connectivity options: a 3G and Wi-Fi version or a 4G and Wi-Fi version.
For multimedia content and more detailed information, please visit www.samsungmobilepress.com
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