Samsung Introduces Interchangeable Lens Camera with Android and LTE Connectivity
The Samsung Galaxy NX mirrorless interchangeable lens digital camera.
The new Samsung interchangeable lens digital camera known as Galaxy NX is built to combine DSLR class image quality with smartphone-class connectivity while delivering new photographic experience to both amateurs and advance photographers. Samsung has kindly confirmed this new product entry a week ago when we reported news of its existence on 14th June. Today, we're at Samsung's official launch event to bring you more juicy details of what you can expect out of the upcoming Galaxy NX camera.
Camera System and Processing Platform
The camera itself comes equipped with a large 20.3-megapixel APS-C CMOS image sensor which Samsung claims is able to give brighter and more detailed images due to its size and better low light performance. And like any other digital camera, it comes with its own digital signal processor (DSP) that's suitably equipped for the job to not only post processes images but gives the photographer the speed and accuracy they require. In the case of the Galaxy NX camera, it uses a very recently introducedDRIMe IV DSP that was first introduced in the Samsung NX300 mirrorless camera, and like it, the Samsung Galaxy NX is also built with the capability to support 3D lenses.
The 20.3 megapixel APS-C CMOS image sensor within the Samsung Galaxy NX mirrorless interchangeable lens system camera.
With an Advanced Hybrid Auto Focus (AF) system that takes advantage of a 105-point phase detection AF and a 247-point contrast detection AF, Samsung claims that the Galaxy NX is able to produce fast and accurate focuses, with objects taking as little as 8ms to focus. The camera's performance is also rather impressive, with claims of up to 8.6 frames per second as well as top shutter speed of up to 1/6000th second. ISO performance of the new Galaxy NX is also pretty dandy at up to 25,600 although it's hard to tell when noise would start to set in. However, specifications-wise, the Galaxy NX does seem to look rather promising.
Like all interchangeable lens cameras in the Samsung NX series, the Samsung Galaxy NX will be able to take advantage of its growing range of 13 NX lenses.
You'll find the micro-HDMI and micro-USB ports located on the left side of the camera.
Shooting parameters are conveniently set using either the top dial or on-screen with the graphical dials. Shown here is the shutter speed setting at the maximum 1/6000th sec.
The Samsung Galaxy NX doesn't come with an awful lot of buttons as settings can be easily controlled using the on-screen interface.
Smartphone-like Capabilities
Apart from the DRIMe IV processor, you'll find another brain within the camera and that's the quad-core Pega-Q 1.6GHz processor that runs the Android 4.2 Jelly Bean operating system. This is the part of the camera that gives you the ability to install/run apps, connect to the internet and share/upload images. Basically, it's like a phone built right into a digital camera. And it's not a shabby telecommunication device either, it comes with multi-band 4G LTE support that lets you access and upload your photos at even greater speeds. However, unlike a smartphone, you cannot make calls through the Galaxy NX. This aspect has remained the same since the debut of the Samsung Galaxy Camera.
Part of the reason to integrate an Android system into the camera was to provide users with new experiences and Samsung has added features that aim to help users capture the scene and mood of every hotspot they visit. Location based app like Photo Suggest helps by recommending popular photography spots, sourced from a huge library of images (such as TourWrist, Panoramio, TripAdvisor) taken by fellow photographers across the world. With GPS location awareness, the camera can even tell you which is the best spot for taking that scenic shot.
On the other hand, apps like Story Album lets users enjoy timeless memories by displaying special moments on one timeline, reframing and resizing them to create digital photo books which can be viewed and shared on other devices.
The familiar Android screen lets you download and run all sorts of apps from the Google Play store.
Photo Suggest feature recommends places to visit by scouring matching interesting locations with coordinates returned from the in-built GPS.
The battery compartment is where the microSD and micro-SIM card slots are located.
User Friendly Functions
Other features found on the Galaxy NX include Smart Mode which lets users choose the optimum settings for the environment they are capturing, as well as create fresh, artistic images. Included in the camera are up to 30 different modes which they can choose. Modes like ‘Multi Exposure’ merges two different shots together to produce one distinctive image, while ‘Animated Photo’ connects continuous shots of up to five seconds, creating a moving GIF file (perfect for Tumblr fans!). For even more fun, ‘Sound & Shot’ mode stores sound and voice together as the picture is taken, so moments are captured exactly as they happen. Although there are a lot of Smart Modes to choose from, Samsung says that they've made it even easier for users who do not know which to pick. This is because Smart Mode can suggest three different modes to choose based on the camera's analysis of the scene.
Smart Mode setting gives you up to 30 different preset modes. Comes with colorful icons to help users understand what each setting means.
For even more personalization, Samsung created a useful widget known as Camera Studio that simply allows users to easily customize settings with their most frequently used applications or camera modes, making sure their photos are captured exactly as desired every time. This would allow users to quickly respond to situations, ensuring precious moments are not lost.
Specifications listed below may change when the Galaxy NX launches in the third quarter of 2013.
| Image Sensor |
|
|---|---|
| Image Stabilization (IS) |
|
| Display |
|
| ISO |
Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400, 12800, 25600
|
| Network Support |
|
| AP |
|
| OS |
|
| Image |
|
| Video |
|
| Audio |
|
| Additional Features |
|
| Google Mobile Services |
Chrome, Downloads, Google Maps, Gmail, Google Search, Google Settings, Google Plus, Google Local, Google Play Store, Google Messenger, Google Navigation, Youtube, Google Talk, Voice Search, Google Play Movie & TV, Google Play books, Google Play Music, Google Play Magazine
|
| Connectivity |
|
| Sensor |
|
| Memory |
|
| Bundled Software |
|
| Dimension (WxHxD) + Weight |
|
| Battery Capacity |
|
