Samsung Unveils Windows Phone 8 Device and Android-Based Camera

MrSeb writes "Today Samsung joined Nikon in announcing an Android-powered camera. The Samsung Galaxy Camera weighs 305g, features a 16-megapixel CMOS sensor, 21x super zoom lens, a quad-core 1.4GHz SoC (probably Exynos 4), 8GB of internal storage, and runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. This compares with the Nikon S800c which also has a 16MP CMOS sensor, along with a 7x zoom f/2 lens and runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Since neither unit has shipped, we don't know anything yet about how good they are as cameras, but we do know that the companies are trying to regain some of the ground they've lost to smartphones by integrating sharing right into their cameras. For photographers, there are a couple of critical questions about these new models: First is whether these cameras will have enough additional functionality to justify the added cost and weight when most people already have a serviceable camera in their phone. Second, and more importantly, there is still a big question mark hanging over Nikon and Samsung's long-term intentions for Android. If Android cameras are just standard point-and-shoots with a smartphone OS bolted on for sharing, that'll be a wasted opportunity. It would have been easier to create a camera that instantly tethered to a smartphone instead, and let the phone do all the work. There is an exciting possibility, if Nikon and Samsung do this correctly and allow low-level access to the camera functions via Android, to really unleash the power of Android to enable new photographic solutions." Samsung has also taken the wraps off the ATIV S, the first smartphone running Windows Phone 8. It has a 4.8" screen, NFC support, and a microSD card slot. Samsung plans to start shipping them in Q4.

Re:DSLR

[RazzleFrog]

I have the eye-fi card and never use it. Far too slow to be of real benefit during a shoot. If the demo you saw did it straight away they were likely shooting at some unbearably low resolution. Makes much more sense to shoot tethered.

Re:DSLR

[batkiwi]

- Touch screen vs ridiculous amounts of buttons.

I understand that moms and pops buy DSLRs, but for their primary audience this is a bad thing. It's a feature that the more expensive cameras have more buttons. I started out an ameteur, and the 2 reasons I chose a canon 60d over a canon 550d were the size (the 60d is bigger, fits better in your hand) and that it had an extra wheel and about 5 more buttons.

Buttons/sliders I need to have available without looking:
-ISO
-focus (seperate from taking photo)
-meter/take photo
-choose focus point quickly
-choose full autofocus quickly (so seperate from choosing a single point)
-aperture
-shutter
-metering mode

- Easier ways to change settings that aren't changed frequently but are now buried in crazy hierarchical menus.
- Time lapse photography (most DSLRs require an Intervalometer)
- More complex control over slave flashes

I agree with all 3 of these 100%. It could also possibly give the ability for "better" or more customisable in-viewfinder UIs.

Time lapse is one that always comes up, and "magic lantern" supplies.