Samsung Galaxy Camera at a glance:
- 16.3-million-pixel, 1/2.33in, CMOS sensor
- Schneider-Kreuznack 4.1-86.1mm (23-483mm full-frame equivalent) f/2.8-5.9 lens
- ISO 100-3200
- 4.8in, 1280×720-pixel resolution touchscreen
- Street price around £395
Samsung Galaxy Camera review – Introduction
It may not be the first camera to have Wi-Fi, or even the first camera to have an Android operating system, but the £399 Samsung Galaxy Camera is the best example yet of what happens when mobile computing and camera technology collide. In the past few years we have seen camera phones become more popular and their image quality improve dramatically, but the Samsung Galaxy takes things one step further. Rather than being a phone with a small built-in camera, the Galaxy is a fully fledged compact camera with a wealth of smartphone technology built in.
What differentiates the Samsung Galaxy Camera from the Nikon Coolpix S800c (which is also Wi-Fi-enabled and features an Android operating system) is that the Galaxy allows 3G/4G data connection. This is the same type of connection found in mobile phones and tablets to send and receive data. What this means is that the Galaxy no longer needs a Wi-Fi hotspot to send images. Instead, it can send them anywhere a 3G/4G mobile-phone signal can be received.
However, it can do much more than that. With a huge range of additional applications that can be downloaded, the Galaxy is, in effect, a small computer that can provide additional support and tools for the photographer.
Although at present the Samsung Galaxy Camera is clearly aimed at a consumer market rather than at keen enthusiast photographers, it is possible that we could soon see such features on a more advanced compact camera, or even on a DSLR. Yet despite all the technology packed into the Galaxy it is still a camera, so image quality and handling are the main considerations. I was keen to find out whether there were any compromises made with the introduction of this latest technology.
