Samsung connects cameras at a leading level. Samsung has a great Wi-Fi integration into point-and shooters like their WB800F (at Amazon)(Opens a new tab) as well advanced interchangeable lenses models such the NX300 ($895.00 at Amazon). It is also a leader in Android smartphone development. Our Editors' Choice Award for Android Phones went to the Galaxy S 4 smartphone.
Samsung will eventually merge a camera with an Android media player. It is only natural. The resulting 16-megapixel Samsung Galaxy Camera ($449.99 direct)(Amazon: $399.95) 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.
The camera supports Wi-Fi only. If you need 4G connectivity, you should consider the AT&T Galaxy Camera ($399.95 at Amazon). The Verizon version costs $550 and the AT&T version $500 respectively. You'll also have to pay a monthly fee.
Because it's an Android device 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 the Galaxy Camera's ambitious design, it doesn't take out the Canon PowerShot HS ($299.69 Amazon) which is our Editors' Choice superzoom cam. This camera is faster than the Galaxy in performance and has Wi-Fi connectivity that allows you to send images directly to your phone and other online services.
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Design and Features
It is huge. The Galaxy Camera is larger than any superzoom compact I have used. It also has interchangeable lenses cameras like the Olympus PEN Lite EPL5 (available at Amazon). The dimensions of the camera are 2.8 by 5.25 by 0.75 inches (HWD), while it weighs in at just 11 ounces. It is 2.4 inches by 4 by 1 inch in size, and weighs 8.5 ounces.
Galaxy's large 4.8 inch, 16:9 widescreen LCD is what accounts for its size. The average rear LCD measures 3 inches in a ratio of 4:3. This makes the difference between using the camera and a point-and shooter. The downside is the screen doesn't appear as sharp as digital cameras with better displays. It's still 1,280x720 pixels and 921k dots of resolution. However, it is smaller than the LCD on the Nikon Coolpix S9300. This reduces the pixel density.
When I first picked up my Galaxy Camera, the first thing that came to my mind was "Where is my thumb?" It takes up almost all of the Galaxy's backside. Because I am a thick-handed person, it was feared that the touch-sensitive LCD would cause me to accidentally change settings. The bezel of the camera is wide enough that my thumb rests against the lens when I am shooting.
This prevents me from accidentally activating the touch-shutter. Because of its size, I found it easier to take photos using both my hands. I placed my left hand next the lens just like I would with an interchangeable lens or compact SLR camera.
There are no physical controls. It isn't a good choice for shutterbugs that need quick access to settings. The shutter control has a zoom knob, Power button and an option to turn the flash up. Simply push the button down to lower it. All shooting controls—ISO, Aperture, Shutter Speed, Shooting Mode, Exposure Compensation, and the like—are adjusted via the touch-sensitive LCD.
Although the controls can be used, they cannot replace real controls. It's unfortunate, because there is enough space on the front for a basic control wheel and plenty of room at the top for an EV Compensation or Mode Dial dial. Advanced photographers will love the option to overlay a grid on the live view screen, similar to those used in the old manual focusing screens. Although I chose a grid that was 3-by-3, there are other options, including 4-by-4 and 2-by-2 grids, as well as diagonal patterns.
You might be the kind of person who leaves your phone in automatic, or uses it for everything, but you won't often go out of auto mode. Samsung offers a variety of smart scene modes. Scroll through presets to find the best shots of night scenes, fireworks, fast motion, macro objects and panoramic views.
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.
To fire the shutter, you need to press a button. However, you can touch an icon on your screen that shows a large camera icon in order to take a picture. The box will let you know the location of where the camera is currently focusing.
However, you can change this setting by simply touching the desired area in the frame. You can control the shutter by speaking "cheese" or "shoot", and you can activate a self-timer of 10 seconds by just saying "timer".
You have full control of the zoom lens (21x equivalent to 23-483mm) via default camera app. The camera has a much better zoom than smartphones. Amazon's iPhone 5 has fixed lenses. These don't provide as much coverage as the iPhone 5, and can't zoom in as close to detail.
Macro focusing can be done. While you cannot hold the lens up to your subject with the Smart Macro scene setting, the Smart Macro mode allows you to focus on objects 1.5 inches away from the front element. You can only activate macro shooting within Program mode. This will limit you to a 2-inch focus.
Zooming is not supported by all Android cameras apps. Instagram users will be able to zoom in at the longest focal length. You can zoom in using the camera app, and then add filters to your photos using your favourite retro camera filter software.
However, it would be great to have the zoom feature added to the app. 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.
A few Samsung-specific Android applications can be installed to facilitate 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.
AllSharePlay is a DLNA-enabled server which allows you to send your videos and photos to Samsung devices and your computer, as well as other connected devices. With a password and Group Cast, other devices connected to your Wi-Fi network can connect to your Galaxy Camera to view your photos or videos. Bluetooth and Wi Fi Direct are also available from the camera app.
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Google Android Apps
We've also tested the Galaxy Camera, which is amongst our most bizarre Android devices. You can remove the camera and have an entertaining, lively Android tablet that is on par with top smartphones and better than all Samsung Galaxy Player devices.
This Galaxy Camera's quad-core Samsung processor packs a serious punch at 1.4GHz. Three system benchmarks were run: Antutu Geekbench, Basemark OS and Geekbench. The Camera scored between the HTC One X+ (high-end Qualcomm-based smartphone) and the Samsung Galaxy Note II in a variety of tests, combining the results.
Browsermark scores were about 10% lower for the Camera than those of the Samsung Galaxy S 4 (which scored an impressive 4%). HD gaming was the only area where the Camera failed to score well on Browsermark. However, you can't expect much HD gaming on this phone. You have plenty of power to do the job.
Galaxy Camera can carry a full card. Every app that we tried worked flawlessly on the device, which comes with Google Play. Although it cannot do SMS or voice calls, the device can perform all other Android functions, such as running Skype. Gmail? It's possible. Do you want to get an office suite downloaded? You can download an office suite.
This camera can also be used to make a beautiful Kindle. It has sharp text and easy page turning. The most amazing moment we experienced was when "Arrested development" streamed on Netflix from the camera's back. All works great.
You can play music files as well as H.264 and MPEG4 files at 1080p resolution. Galaxy Camera's single speaker makes it vibrate loudly. You can connect Bluetooth headphones or use the 3.5mm audio jack to the right.
We were enjoying the Galaxy Camera's sharp 4.8 inch, 1,280x720 screen, quad-core processor and fast speed, but we also thought of Samsung’s Galaxy Player 4.2, which is a less impressive device. Samsung's handheld handset could be as beautiful and powerful.
The Galaxy Camera may not be your preferred Android phone. The Galaxy Camera's 4 hours 40 minutes video playback with maximum brightness is less than the Galaxy Player 4.2 (7 hours), and the Apple iPod Touch (179.00) (5 hours 55 minutes). It's important to keep that battery charged for taking photos so you have it when you need it.
Related Reading: Nikon 1 J3 Review
Networking
Wi-Fi 802.11n network is available on both the 5GHz and 2.4GHz band of the Galaxy Camera. This makes all the difference. We were able to connect to fast corporate networks and get an average speed of 23.1Mbps. 5GHz was 26.3Mbps faster. Speeds dropped to 3.7Mbps and 0.5Mbps respectively on 2.4GHz WiFi using the same backhaul.
Because the Galaxy Camera can create large files that you may then want to upload on the Internet, the upload speeds are particularly important. A 16-megapixel Galaxy Camera image is approximately 3.4MB. While a 10-minute-long 1080p video takes about 100MB.
The photo can be uploaded without further compression in less than a second at 5GHz, 54 seconds at 2.4GHz, and 87 seconds at 3G speeds. It would take you 30 seconds at 5GHz and 26 minutes at the 2.4GHz to upload that video.
You might be better to get the AT&T version or Verizon of the Galaxy Camera if you are restricted by Wi-Fi. Another option is to either use a mobile hotspot or connect your phone to the camera, provided that it supports tethering. Although this won't increase your monthly bills, you will need to monitor your data usage.
Performance and conclusions
The Galaxy Camera can wake from standby and take an in-focus photo in about 2.5 seconds. This isn't the best result; the Canon SX280 HS can start and shoot in about 1.6 seconds. The longer startup time can prevent you from capturing a candid moment, and you can forget about a quick start if the camera is completely powered down.
It takes a while for Android to boot, and you'll have to suffer through splash screens during the process. It's best to think of the device more like a phone than a camera in this regard. Just leave it in standby mode in between photos.
In terms of time from shot to shot, the camera is better. The camera can take 20 photos in a single burst at 3.7 frames per seconds, and there is virtually no recovery between shots. The shutter lag of the SX280 is a modest 0.4 seconds, more comparable to a lower-end point and shooter than a $500 camera.
In continuous drive mode, the SX280 records at 3 fps but you can take as many photos as you like. The shutter lag of the SX280 is only 0.1 seconds, so you can capture candid moments with ease.
Imatest was used to test the Galaxy Camera's sharpness, noise control and color accuracy. The lens can manage 2,041 lines per inch at the widest setting. This is a little better than 1,800 lines needed to create sharp images. Noise is kept under 1.5 percent through ISO 800, and detail is actually pretty good at that setting and at ISO 1600—but noise increases to 1.9 percent there.
Similar resolution is achieved by the Samsung WB800F, which manages to maintain its noise level below 1.5 percent at ISO 3200. However, images taken with the Samsung WB800F on a calibrated NEC MultiSyncPA271W monitor show that they look very blurry at ISO settings below 800.
At a high bitrate the camera can capture 1080p30 and 720p30 footage. The footage is crisp and detailed. The video quality on this camera is actually better than the AT&T model, and we believe that it's due to firmware differences. When we tested that camera we saw a jerky, stuttering effect in the footage—it's gone. The camera's focusing was also fast, and the white balance accuracy is excellent. Both are improvements over the older software.
Only a handful of ports are available, such as a micro USB connector that allows for charging and connectivity to computers and a headphone jack that can support headphones with built-in microphones. The 8GB internal memory is sufficient for most users. There is also a slot to store microSD cards. A 64GB card was no problem for the Galaxy Camera.
A very special type of photographer will love the Samsung Galaxy Camera. The Galaxy Camera is a great choice for photographers who love Instagram or other Android apps, but don't like the image quality and sensor on their smartphones.
The Galaxy Camera can capture images that look better than smartphones' tiny sensors and lenses, even though they aren't as good. The Verizon or AT&T versions of the Galaxy Camera are better if you need this feature and want to have always-on connectivity.
There are alternatives if you aren't satisfied with the Galaxy's lack of physical controls but still want a connected camera. Samsung NX300 produces images comparable to an SLR but allows you to push photos to Wi-Fi or social media sites.
Samsung has also announced the Galaxy NX—which is essentially the Galaxy Camera with an SLR-sized image sensor, the ability to change lenses, and Raw image capture. The Galaxy NX will not be available until late this year and the pricing is still unknown.
The Samsung WB800F is a great point-and shooter if you aren't too fussy about Wi-Fi. However, its image quality and high ISO performance lag behind the Galaxy Camera. Our Editors Choice Canon PowerShot X280HS is also available. Although it supports Android apps, it does not support Wi-Fi. Although the Galaxy Camera is an innovative idea, it remains at the cutting edge of technology.
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