Review Date: February 4, 2013
Category: Point-and-Shoot
Photoxels Silver Award – Social Network Camera
USER’S EXPERIENCE
Thursday, January 9, 2013 – Here’s what I receive in the box:
- Samsung GALAXY Camera (white)
- No memory card
- Li-ion Battery 3.7V 740mAh 6.11Wh
- AC Adapter (which uses the USB cable to recharge the battery in camera)
- USB Cable
- Wrist strap
- Documentation: Quick Start Guide. [Easy Guide for Beginners can be downloaded.]
- Software CD: n/a
Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS. The Samsung GALAXY Camera looks stylish and sleek. Looking at it from the back, you may be forgiven to think that it is a smartphone with its gargantuan 4.77-in. screen. But the Samsung GALAXY Camera is not a smartphone; Samsung has SMARTly [pun intended] merged its technological expertise in both smartphones and digital cameras and, voilà, a digital camera with the smarts of a cellphone. However not just a camera with Android OS but a super zoom digital camera with PASM modes and fully integrated intuitive smartphone controls. Note that the camera controls are not the same as on Android smartphones, but new ones that are quite intuitive and conducive to operating a digital camera with long zoom and PASM shooting modes.
The touch screen panel is huge, bright and the graphics are simply gorgeous. The touch panel is responsive to a tap, flick, swipe, pinch and other multi gestures and makes it fun. Samsung has successfully incorporated camera functions that are intuitive and makes sense. The only caveat is that you must be careful not to inadvertently touch the screen because something will trigger. Since the camera icon is strategically placed on screen where your thumb will naturally rest, I found myself taking lots of pictures of the table or the ground everytime I picked up the camera when it was ON.
As far as external controls go, there are the Power button, Shutter Release button and Zoom lever around it, and the popup flash release. Otherwise it’s all screen controls. The virtual camera controls have been thoughtfully designed and they just feel right for operating the camera.
Those who regularly use PASM modes on digital cameras will appreciate the intuitiveness of the virtual controls to set and control exposure on the GALAXY Camera.
In actual use, I have no complaints with the GALAXY Camera, as long as you remember it is targeted to the smartphone camera user crowd who want to shoot and upload to social sites with the minimum fuss. It can handle difficult exposure situations with the availability of PASM shooting modes (but no Program Shift). There are no RAW files.
There is no software included on a CD, in fact there is no CD. The idea is that you want to upload to social sites and the Cloud, not to your desktop PC or laptop. I simply drag-and-dropped the images from the camera [acting as an external drive] to my PC.
The GALAXY uses the tiny microSD/microSDHC memory card. MicroSD cards are fiddly to handle so I’d suggest buying the largest capacity you can afford and just leave it in the camera.
The camera can stand flat but it tilts forward as soon as you turn it on and the lens extends. Push it back and it will gingerly balance upright. Thankfully, you don’t need to worry about a lens cover because the lens retracts into the lens barrel and an integrated cover protects it.
Though the leather strap is very nice looking, I found it got in the way, being way too thick. It’s also quite difficult to thread the wrist strap into the deeply recessed strap lug.
The USB Cable is ridiculously short and, if you need to plug in the travel adapter to an electrical outlet on the floor, then you need to inconveniently (not to mention, dangerously) rest the camera on the floor. The adapter/USB Cable used to recharge the battery seem to be standard with those of many smartphones; I mistakenly used them to recharge my smartphone.
Note that if you connect the camera to automatically upload to, say, Facebook, each shot will get uploaded and displayed for all to see. If you then take a picture of yourself in a, let’s say, somewhat compromising situation (as some celebreties too often do), all your Facebook friends — and the whole world — will see those pictures. So, do yourself a favor and set up a private album to receive those automatically uploaded pictures; then select the ones you do want your friends to see. [There is no real privacy on the Internet or social sites. Never assume that no one will ever see your personal and private photos on a social network or saved in the Cloud. Someone will probably at some time have to take a peek at all those private albums, not necessarily to snoop, but if only to ensure that you are adhering to their terms of service.]
The touch screen is responsive though, like on your smartphone, there are the odds times when nothing seems to respond and a restart is necessary. If your fingers are wet, the screen may not respond properly.
TIP: If you use a SIM card, it’s easier to insert and remove it if the battery is not in there.
TIP: Remember that, like smartphones, any apps that you leave open will drain your battery. It’s also smart to set Auto Power Off because just pressing the Power button only puts the camera to sleep. To turn it off completely, press and hold for about 2 seconds, then tap Power Off – Yes. Like with your smartphone, it’s a wise move to recharge the GALAXY Camera everyday.
TIP: Need to disable all wireless features in a hurry (as when on an airplane or in a hospital where the use of wireless devices are restricted)? Press and hold the Power button, then tap Flight Mode.
TIP: Need the camera to operate silently (for example, in a museum)? Press and hold the Power button, then tap the Mute icon.
There is an Easy Guide for Beginners which is printed on high grade paper, in full color, and richly illustrated. It’s easy to read with none of the techno mumbo-jumbo you’re used to seeing in user manuals, but rife with topics such as “Capture your children’s bright smiles at the theme park, even from afar.” The text that accompanies this later topic simply says to zoom in. Um, that’s a bit disingenious. Other topics helpfully explains what Scene Modes to use for what you’re trying to capture. Note that the Easy Guide for Beginners for the Samsung GALAXY Camera is not included in the box but can be downloaded online.
The GALAXY is loaded with 13 fun filter effects:
 Sepia |
 Black and white |
 Negative |
|
 Sunshine |
 Vintage |
 Retro |
 Faded colors |
 Nostalgia |
 Comic |
 Pastel sketch |
 Gothic noir |
 Impressionist |
The camera’s virtual controls are quite well designed, pretty looking and, more importantly, intuitive and responsive. The camera sound effects are very good, whether they are the turning clicks of a virtual aperture ring or the mechanical clunk of the virtual shutter.
One of the features missing on the GALAXY Camera is, of course, full cellphone capabilities. Samsung product developers no doubt battled behind closed doors to decide which features to put or leave out of the GALAXY Camera. It would look funny to bring a camera to your ears but including a Bluetooth earphone as standard accessory would have elegantly solved this problem. Also, I suggest reducing the zoom to make the camera pocketable.
What I like about the GALAXY:
- Good image quality at ISO 100. For its intended use on social networks, images up to ISO 800 are good enough.
- Intuitive camera touch controls.
- Love the wide-angle 23mm equivalent and F2.8 at wide-angle.
- Fast and precise AF, even in low light.
- Lots of filter effects.
- Android OS means apps, Internet access, maps, email, social networks, and more.
No review is complete without a couple of improvement suggestions:
- Reduce the zoom power and make the camera pocketable.
- Provide software for those who want to upload to PC.
- Provide a longer USB cable.
- Supply a more comfortable wrist strap and make it easier to attach.
You can think of the GALAXY Camera either as the GALAXY smartphone successfully paired to a superzoom or as a superzoom successfully driven by the Android OS. Those who will appreciate the GALAXY Camera the most are those who can make the most of the exposure flexibility of the camera. Either way, it’s a successful implementation that allows you to share photos instantly to your social networks with minimum fuss, just like on your smartphone.
The Samsung GALAXY Camera is an easy-to-use and fun digital camera for the social crowd. It takes good pictures at the low ISOs in good lighting. If you want a digital camera that shoots better than your smartphone but works like one and is as intuitive and fun to use, then the GALAXY Camera is Recommended.
