Samsung Galaxy Camera

[Black Pearl]

Had to happen eventually.

http://www.samsung.com/uk/promotions/galaxycamera/

Essentially its a galaxy class phone (that can't make calls) with a full blown Samsung camera welded to the front.

You get the 21x zoom, decent sensor, great AF and all usually stuff that comes on a super-zoom compact these days.....as well as.....a full Jelly Bean Android OS with Wi-Fi and 3G. You can run the usual mobile apps like Instagram and FaceBook etc but all on a camera.

Oh.........and did I mention that samsung are giving me one completely free of charge through work.

Think I've found my Christmas gadget Hit.

[Heather]

you jammy bugga !!

those look fun

[Barbara]

What Heather Says only twice over

[NannyFerret]

I bet they cost a pretty penny too :money:

Edited October 25, 2012 by NannyFerret

[Phil]

Child!

[Kobione]

Can see you're going to have some fun, BP!

[Black Pearl]

Don't have mine yet, it needs to be handed over by an account manager and comes with all sorts of dire warnings that I have to sign in case I try to sell it straight away on eBay.

but

I have had a play with one and it is completely fascinating. Very weird product - as near as makes no difference its a Galaxy S3 at the back running Jelly Bean. You can't make a normal phone call but you could install Skype or similar and use a headset to use it as a telephone then at the front its a WB series Samsung camera. The lens seems excellent, the controls are amazing with big 'virtual' dials on the screen for shutter speeds, apertures, ISO etc. Samsung have loaded it with their own editing tools but as far as I can see its a full Droid OS so you can install any app you like. The one I tried had Instagram on so watch out for some new images when I get mine. The web browsing and FB integration is standard Android as is the overall user experience - as I say - weird.

Not sure I like Android as I'm so used to iOS devices but I'm sure I'll get used to it. I have checked and I can link it to the iPhone and use the data connection so the 'Camera' will be net connected all the time but I could pop the sim out of the iPad into it too and use it as a stand alone product if I'm on a day out.

I don't actually own a decent Point n Shoot camera so I'm really looking forward to giving this a good trial and I can't remember the last time I was this excited about a new camera - I have to take my hat off to Samsung and say "Well done"

[colinb]

not sure what to make of that (apart from you being a lucky boy) ??? Sounds to a bit like carrying a phone around with you but one that doesn't 'phone', which means you will still have to carry your 'proper' phone which if you like Facebook etc will already have that so why do you need it on a camera that isn't a camera ??? Price wise how will it compare to the current hybrid range of slrs?

[jeremy rundle]

I laugh when I see people drop their phones on the pavement out of a case, can't wait to see the results now

[Black Pearl]

Colin - think of it not as a phone that doesn't phone but as a camera that is web connected, then it makes sense. I always have my iPhone with me so I don't need a camera to make a phone call but I can't easily get images from my current cameras to my iPhone when I'm out and about so a decent compact that is 'web connected' is a cool idea.

Take a picture, edit it with any Droid app you fancy, host it and then post it - here for example - all from your camera.

I not only get the whole point I am really looking forward to having that sort of capability from a day-to-day point-n-shooter.

[Guest Salvatore]

???????

Don't get it at all.....sorry.

I want to post instant pics on the net I have my phone.

I want to get a little more serious I use a camera.

Is there really a need for this product.......I think not.

Pure gimmick that may make a few Xmas sales and then die a sudden death I think.

[Black Pearl]

Gimmick?

Nope - it's the way compact cameras will end up going and so its the first of many - get it or not this sort of product is the future.

To be honest I thought someone (Sony/Samsung) would have put a zoom into a phone by now but it seems they still want to keep a fixed lens.

Whichever route manufacturers go the end product will be the same.......a camera/phone - phone/camera......is what we will end up with and it is what the majority of people who take picture want.

If I want to post an instant picture on the net I might use my iPhone, I may also shove an image through the iPad from any of my other camera types and post it. If I want to get a little more serious I may still use my iPhone, it is a serious camera, or I may use a more traditional camera type and still end up processing the image on a mobile device. I don't think the lines are set in stone anymore. I have Photoshop on the Mac at home but I also have it on the iPad - the vast majority of the major controls are available on both - so I don't see why either is a more serious way to take and deal with images. A camera that has Photoshop built in (well has an app in any case) is the logical next step. That it also has sharing sites like Flickr and Instagram on it as well as Facebook and Twitter just makes it a more rounded device.

The two latest top-end DSLR's from Nikon and Canon can be made to be 'net connected' because professionals photographers want them to be.

It is the way photography will go.

[Guest Salvatore]

We'll have to agree to disagree as I still say gimmick.

Shops will have to say this is the future and way to go etc,etc as it's their living at the end of the day.

Same as financial advisers that sold us PPI ......lol.

Kodak tried to sell us a similar product with easyshare.......and see what happened to them

Only time will tell but I see the future consumer as being better informed than those of a bygone era so it's not going to be an easy sell.

[Black Pearl]

Agree or disagree - its kind of irrelevant.

I grew up in a world where we took pictures on film, couldn't see them on the camera, sent them to TruePrint and in a week or so's time we got a set of 36 prints back that went into little plastic pockets and were forced upon anyone who came near the house. Auto focus came along and was confronted as the Devils work, auto wind was for people who couldn't get a shot in one and auto load......Hell.....auto load was for amateurs. Digital - Good God Almighty - rubbish - poor quality - not for real photographers - a dead end that only a few would play with..........how many of us still use film? I do for the novelty but I wouldn't use it for anything serious.

Things change but amateur photographers as a whole are very reluctant to embrace the latest advances. I have never understood why but it has been a constant in the 24 years I've been involved in selling cameras. In the end the vast majority of these 'new fangled' advances have become the norm and we would struggle to cope without them.

Consumers tend to buy into what is the most suitable to their needs. Today that doesn't involve a wait of several days, a bit of paper and an album. It is Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Instagram and a host of other social media sites. Consumers want to take a picture, if they're photographically minded add a bit of filtering and processing, then share it instantly with friends. If their phone is good enough then that is what will be used - I do this every day - but for others a camera is still a camera and the advantages are worth the extra weight and hassle........except if that camera could connect to their friends and be a total solution it will replace their gear.

I love my pro Nikon kit, I love the feel, the weight, the power and the performance. I love that I can add any accessory I wish and can take a picture in just about any circumstance a camera can take a picture. What I wish it had was a capacitance screen, an app style interface and the ability to seamlessly connect to the rest of my wire free life.

[Guest Salvatore]

Still not selling it to me.....lol

I'll always embrace new tech.....that's if it is worth the effort.

Cars , motorcycles , trucks.......WOW.....such progress over the years.

Thing is though a wheel will always be a wheel no matter how you dress it up......as will gimmicks always be

Sorry if you're not sold on my opinion but salesmen always rattle my cage

LOL

[FUJI]

It doesn't seem very long ago at all since Jokingly suggested to BP that I would love a smartphone/compact camera combination........imagine my surprise to discover it is almost here..................but, not quite.......yet.

Why on earth have Samsung left the phone out of this one?...........

.........New tech?.........LOVE IT!

FUJI

( Once a lad who's latest technology was a torch)

[Guest Salvatore]

.........New tech?.........LOVE IT!

As do we all......

Being ripped off and suckered I think not.

125% I'm on it with this one

A brief moment maybe where sales might prove me wrong untill the novelty and ignorance wears off....

Then I'll smile and hold back the 'I told you so'

[FUJI]

As do we all......

Being ripped off and suckered I think not.

125% I'm on it with this one

A brief moment maybe where sales might prove me wrong untill the novelty and ignorance wears off....

Then I'll smile and hold back the 'I told you so'

They said that about the wheel ;-)

FUJI

[Guest Salvatore]

I doubt it.........LOL

[jeremy rundle]

The more they add to phones the less I want one.

When I go out my phone stays in the car, who on earth wants their day spoilt by countless texts etc.

When I go away, no tv, no computer, just me, my sons, and the outdoors.

[colinb]

well I've given all this some thought and can actually see a point to this camera.

Because of the improvement in camera phones over the last few years small compacts are taking a hit and they need to evolve or they will no longer have much of a market. Most smart phones can take a pretty decent picture and let you edit it with a suitable 'app' and then post it on-line and because, as BP has said, sadly very few people print their photos but many post on-line this Samsung type hybrid may be the future of the compact.

I'm not sure I would wish to be an early adaptor and I'm not convince this will not go the way of Betamax or Sonys mini disc. I'm sure there will be many who will buy into this and then find technology moves on very quickly but I do think the compact market does need to compete with the new smart phones/ tablet cameras.

[Guest Salvatore]

Hmmmm.........takes a deep breath before jumping in at the deep end

With age brings knowledge and wisdom.

Me thinks compacts have been dead for some time but the market will milk it for all its worth right to the very end.

Mobile phones replaced the compact ages ago and it has simply been a question of megapixel wars deciding our future.

Sensor size only becomes an issue with those wishing to print........real photographers then

The hybrids will find a market amongst the unenlightened but.....

It's gonna be phone and a new generation none- slr digital world that will document our future.....

[Black Pearl]

And in the none-DSLR world.....

Sony NEX-5R Wi-Fi - http://www.sony.co.uk/product/nex-5/nex-5rk

Get more from your camera

With Wi-Fi built-in to the NEX-5R you can connect to devices like a smartphone, tablet and more.

You can upload photos to Facebook right from your camera.

Plus, you can download apps like a remote control app that lets you shoot from your smartphone and see the picture.

Nikon Coolpix S800c - http://www.dpreview.com/articles/3638044195/nikon-coolpix-s800c-android-camera-first-look

The power of Android OS: download any application from Google Play straight to your camera.

Take advantage of photo apps, social media apps, games and much more.

Share your world: easily connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi. Upload photos and movies to social media and photo sites, or transfer images directly to your smartphone or tablet.

Samsung Smart Cameras - http://www.samsung.com/uk/consumer/camera-camcorder/smart-cameras/viewall

One-touch wireless sharing

Wi-Fi Connectivity

Built-in Wi-Fi lets you instantly share special moments with friends and family, even when you’re on the move.

A dedicated SMART LINK makes it easy to save photos you just took to any compatible smartphone, opening up even more sharing possibilities.

The hybrids will find a market amongst the unenlightened but.....

You couldn't be further from what is happening in the camera market. More and more DSLR users are buying in the Mirrorless Camera Systems as either a day-to-day lighter option or even as a complete replacement. They can have the exact same sensor performance but are significantly lighter and very often offer better specifications for a given outlay. Compact camera are still a million miles away from being a dead market. At the lower end the camera phone is taking over but at the higher end there are more and more quite simply amazing products coming out that again your 'real photographers' are buying into them. Sensor size actually only matters for those who either need very high ISO performance or want the ability to control depth of field - printing actually removes many of the problems that can been seen in small sensors when you pixel peep them on a screen.