Shutter speeds in auto mode range from 1/8 to 1/2,000 of a second, and if you switch to manual you can push the maximum exposure as far as 16 seconds. Sensitivity ranges from ISO 100 to 3200, and even at the top of that scale the results – while exhibiting grain – are never sufficiently noisy to suffer from serious detail loss. If you need to refine the default sensitivity settings, exposure compensation stretches two stops in either direction, in steps of 1/3EV.
The Galaxy Camera is chunkier than the average compact snapper, and since the rear of the camera is entirely occupied by the big display there’s only room for a handful of physical controls. There are buttons for power, firing the shutter and zooming, but despite this we found using the Galaxy Camera surprisingly intuitive. Rather than attempting to recreate its existing camera interfaces using Android, Samsung has bet the farm on a radical reimagining that sets all of the controls on virtual tumblers, reminiscent of SLR lens rings.
Each provides live feedback, so spinning through aperture settings, sensitivity or exposure compensation adjusts the onscreen display in real time. That’s great news for beginners who need a little encouragement – and assistance – to step away from auto mode.
There’s a range of built-in apps, including a tailored edition of Instagram, and video-editing software to trim and splice the 1080p footage that the Galaxy Camera records. As with stills, the quality is high, and the image stabilisation is effective, even at full telephoto. Disappointingly, though, there’s no wind-cut feature, so if you’re filming on a breezy day expect to pick it up it on the soundtrack.
The danger with such an outlandish device was always that the camera would take a back seat to the shiny touchscreen and the Android UI. However, Samsung has pulled off the combination with impressively fine judgement. It’s very much a competent pocket snapper with the bonus of smartphone-style internet connectivity thrown in rather than the other way around, and on that basis it just about justifies the high price.
Samsung Galaxy Camera sample shots:
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Click this link for the full resolution version of the above photo
Click this link for the full resolution version of the above photo
Basic specifications | |
|---|---|
| Camera megapixel rating | 16.0mp |
| Camera screen size | 4.8in |
| Camera optical zoom range | 21x |
Weight and dimensions | |
| Weight | 300g |
| Dimensions | 129 x 19 x 71mm (WDH) |
Battery | |
| Battery type included | Lithium-ion |
| Charger included? | yes |
Other specifications | |
| Built-in flash? | yes |
| Aperture range | fUnknown - fUnknown |
| Camera minimum focus distance | 0.10m |
| Minimum (fastest) shutter speed | 1/2,000 |
| Maximum (slowest) shutter speed | 8s |
| Selectable white balance settings? | yes |
| Manual/user preset white balane? | yes |
| Progam auto mode? | yes |
| Shutter priority mode? | yes |
| Aperture priority mode? | yes |
| Fully auto mode? | yes |
| Memory-card type | microSD |
| Secondary LCD display? | no |
| Video/TV output? | no |
| Data connector type | micro-USB |
Manual, software and accessories | |
| Full printed manual? | yes |
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