The Galaxy Camera is a device Samsung hopes will usher in a new era of smart point-and-shoot cameras. With a 16MP sensor, a 23mm lens with 21X optical zoom capability and optical image stabilization, it's far beyond what you'll find on the average smartphone. And yet it's powered by Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, and backed up by the latest mobile internals from Samsung -- a quad-core Exynos chip and 1GB of RAM.
We've spent the past few days getting to know the Galaxy Camera, shooting a vast quantity of photos and video along the way. Our first impressions are that it unsurprisingly trounces every smartphone out there in terms of image quality, and compares favorably to current high-end point-and-shoot cameras. But it also carries a hefty price tag -- $500 in the U.S., and upwards of €500 in the eurozone. So if you were to judge the Galaxy Camera solely on image quality, you might come to the conclusion that you're paying over the odds. But we'll save the argument for our full review, coming in the days ahead -- this post is all about the end results.
What we're presenting here is an 70-photo-strong gallery to give you an example of the kind of shots we've been able to produce during our first few days with the Galaxy Camera. Most of the outdoor daylight pictures are taken in automatic mode, while some indoor and close-up images (particularly device shots) were taken in "smart" and "expert" modes. Smart presents users with a list of presets to fit particular circumstances -- for example, macro, night mode, panorama. Conversely, expert mode gives you full access to S/A/P/M toggles, allowing you to tweak program modes, apertures, exposure, ISO and shutter times to your heart's content.
On the whole, we're pretty pleased with the photos and video we've been able to produce using the Galaxy Camera. It's not going to replace your DSLR, but it's surprising how much of a difference the Android-plus-TouchWiz combo makes to the usability -- and enjoyability -- of a point-and-shoot camera. And that point is reinforced when you go back to using a clunky traditional camera UI.
Check past the break for our extensive photo gallery and sample video reel. We'll have more for you in the full review later in the week.
Click an image in the list to view it. Click the expanded view to show the full-sized shot.
We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.
Samsung's foldable Galaxy Z Flip fully revealed in high-quality renders
Samsung's second folding phone — the Galaxy Z Flip — has been showcased in a bunch of new renders. We now have a clear vision of what the gadget looks like, and what features it'll bring to the table.
Everything you need to know about the upcoming Moto G8 family
Motorola's budget smartphone offerings for 2020 are shaping up to be quite impressive. Here's everything you need to know about the already-released Moto G8 Plus and G8 Play, along with what we know so far about the upcoming G8 and G8 Power.
Off-Facebook Activity rolling out to all users in the coming months
Facebook has announced that its new "Off-Facebook Activity" feature is now rolling out to all users.
The best photography accessories for the Pixel 3
The Pixel 3 already has one of the best cameras in mobile, but it can get even better with some added accessories.
