Samsung Galaxy NX Camera: Hands On
by Anand Lal Shimpi on June 20, 2013 7:06 PM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- Samsung
- camera
- Mobile
When Samsung launched the Galaxy Camera, I remember Brian telling me that it might not be the best point and shoot, but it's absolutely the directions cameras need to go in. After playing with the Galaxy Camera, I couldn't agree more. Cameras need to be connected, as sharing is such an important part of the whole point of taking photos. At tonight's Premiere 2013 event in London, Samsung unveiled its next flagship connected camera: the Galaxy NX Camera.
The Galaxy NX Camera is the first Android camera to support interchangeable lenses. As its name implies, the Galaxy NX Camera is fully compatible with all currently available Samsung NX lenses. The Galaxy NX Camera features a 20.3MP APS-C sensor (Update: Brian tracked down the exact sensor).
Internally there's a 1.6GHz quad-core SoC with a dedicated ISP. The platform runs Android 4.2.2 and supports LTE as well.
The big thing for me? We finally have an Android device that exposes full manual controls. Shutter speed, aperture and ISO are all adjustable just like on a traditional camera. While the layout took some getting used to, the frustrating lack of control from most camera experiences on Android just wasn't there. The combination of software flexibility and the ability to use good lenses will make this yet another step in the right direction.
Taking photos was just as natural as on any other mirrorless camera. The 4.8" display looks good and there's even a live level indicator to help make sure your shots come out straight. Start-up/shutdown time are impacted by the simple fact that the whole thing runs Android. I can't wait to get one of these in Brian's hands to see what he thinks once review samples are available. Modern smartphones have done a tremendous job of pulling focus away from traditional PCs for mobile computing, it's very clear that the traditional camera market is set to be disrupted by these portable powerhouses even more going forward.
| Camera Emphasized Smartphone Comparison | ||||||||
| Samsung Galaxy Camera (EK-GC100) | Nikon Coolpix S800c | Nokia PureView 808 | Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom | Samsung Galaxy NX Camera | ||||
| CMOS Resolution | 16.3 MP | 16.0 MP | 41 MP | 16.3 MP | 20.3 MP | |||
| CMOS Format | 1/2.3", 1.34µm pixels | 1/2.3", 1.34µm pixels | 1/1.2", 1.4µm pixels | 1/2.3", 1.34µm pixels | APS-C, 4.25µm pixels | |||
| CMOS Size | 6.17mm x 4.55mm | 6.17mm x 4.55mm | 10.67mm x 8.00mm | 6.17mm x 4.55mm | 23.5mm x 15.7mm | |||
| Lens Details |
4.1 - 86mm (22 - 447 35mm equiv) F/2.8-5.9 OIS |
4.5 - 45.0mm (25-250 35mm equiv) F/3.2-5.8 |
8.02mm (28mm 35mm equiv) F/2.4 |
4.3 - 43mm (24-240 mm 35mm equiv) F/3.1-F/6.3 OIS |
NX Mount ILC, shown with 18-55mm F/3.5-5.6 | |||
| Display | 1280 x 720 (4.8" diagonal) | 854 x 480 (3.5" diagonal) | 640 x 360 (4.0" diagonal) | 960 x 540 (4.3-inch) | 1280 x 720 (4.8-inch) LCD | |||
| SoC | Exynos 4412 (Cortex-A9MP4 at 1.4 GHz with Mali-400 MP4) | ARM Cortex A5(?) | 1.3 GHz ARM11 | 1.5 GHz Exynos 4212 | 1.6 GHz Quad Core (Exynos 4412?) | |||
| Storage | 8 GB + microSDXC | 1.7 GB + microSDHC | 16 GB + microSDHC | 8 GB + microSDHC | 16 GB + microSDXC | |||
| Video Recording | 1080p30, 480p120 | 1080p30 | 1080p30 | 1080p30 | 1080p25 | |||
| OS | Android 4.1 | Android 2.3.6 | Symbian Belle | Android 4.2 | Android 4.2.2 | |||
| Connectivity |
Quad band WCDMA 21.1, 4G, 802.11a/b/g/n with 40 MHz channels, BT 4.0, GNSS |
No cellular, WiFi 802.11b/g/n(?), GPS | Pentaband WCDMA 14.4, 802.11b/g/n, BT 3.0, GPS | Quad band WCDMA 21.1, 4G LTE SKUs, 802.11a/b/g/n with 40 MHz channels, BT 4.0, GNSS |
Quad band WCDMA 42 4G LTE SKUs, 802.11a/b/g/n, BT 4.0, GNSS |
|||
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relentlessfocus - Friday, June 21, 2013 - link
You don't want to take a camera away from viewing through the viewfinder and have to tap, tap tap on the screen just to change the aperture or shutter speed let alone things like exposure comp, ISO or turn on or off the flash. This camera is a joke to anyone who works seriously with cameras.Dropbox integration? From your camera you want to upload 8, 16 or 32gb of data? If only Anand had the photography expertise that he has on CPUs he'd be singing a different tune. Check here. http://www.sansmirror.com/newsviews/android-mirror...
kkwst2 - Saturday, June 22, 2013 - link
Well, I currrently do that with my Panasonic GH2 and an Eye-fi card connected to my Galaxy Nexus through a hotspot. So yes, I would do that. I don't usually shoot 16 GB at a time, but have uploaded probably 6 GB in a day with it. I agree I don't need the wireless data capability, but the Wifi is certainly useful and is being integrated by Panasonic in their new cameras.And I doubt this camera is geared toward professionals. Did anyone say it was? But for a high end consumer / gadget person I think this could have a market. Early adopters often get half baked products but that doesn't mean that having android on the camera could not be useful for some people.
theduckofdeath - Sunday, July 7, 2013 - link
The points he's making at sansmirror are really just the points a non-techie would make about anything technical.You're not forced to use the 3G, if you don't want to use it there is WiFi. This sentence really makes no sense at all: "The problem that needs to be solved is how do you retain photographer control during shooting while hooking seamlessly into a wireless digital workflow that flows through the cloud". What does he mean? He hates seamless automated features and insists to click through annoying sub menus on a werid dial control to backup images one by one?
The guy at sansmirror is a dinosaur. :)
matty-marketing - Friday, June 21, 2013 - link
WiFi & ANDROID system rocks! but let's see its other features & a full review of Samsung Galaxy NX @ here :http://t.co/cC75eZ01pc
Daniel Egger - Friday, June 21, 2013 - link
"but it's absolutely the directions cameras need to go in"I couldn't disagree more. The last thing this world needs is a higher magnitude of crappy pictures that are pushed to the internets directly from the camera "just because we can" . Forcing people to at least glance at the shots they took on a big screen before posting them at least ensures that some consider not posting every blurry crap shot they took.
Spunjji - Friday, June 21, 2013 - link
Technology has already taken us way, way past that point.Daniel Egger - Friday, June 21, 2013 - link
Not really, with phone pictures everyone expects them to be crappy and also the process taking them and posting them is still quite slow. It's common knowledge that DSLRs/DMLCs automatically produce good images under every condition of every subject, right? And they also produce those fine images with >=4 fps in 20 MPix and RAW format and have far shorter focus and shutter release delays...evonitzer - Sunday, June 23, 2013 - link
What are you talking about? This camera will produce photos near DSLR in quality, so there won't be a glut of crappy photos coming from it. Unless the photographer is totally incompetent. But you don't have to auto-post. It would be an option. Instead of having to go home, transfer to computer, and then share. I would love it. I dislike sharing terrible photos from my phone, but if I could do it from my DSLR? Great.Also, you can check photos on the camera. It's not all that difficult to zoom in, verify focus and exposure, and then share.
theduckofdeath - Sunday, July 7, 2013 - link
Auto backup and auto post are two completely different things. You don't auto post everything from your smartphone, do you? But I am sure your phone automatically back up all your photos automatically to at least one cloud service.nathanddrews - Friday, June 21, 2013 - link
One question: will it come in a wifi-only version? Uploading RAW images over mobile data doesn't interest me, but an ad hoc wifi connection for immediate transfer to my laptop workstation for editing and backup sure does.I'm very happy that they pushed the viewfinder out from the screen. Good thinking! I wonder if the screen automatically turns off when it sense your face to the viewfinder - much like holding a phone to your ear.