Posted on 20 Jun 2013 at 22:30, by Tom Morgan
Samsung has expanded its Android-powered digital camera range with the Galaxy NX, the world's first interchangeable lens camera to run Google's mobile OS with integrated LTE connectivity. We had a brief hands-on demo with the CSC at the company's London Premiere event.
With a body styled like a professional digital SLR, the Galaxy NX has a comfortable moulded grip that helps photographers hold the camera naturally when composing shots. The shutter button and mode dial are both within easy reach at the top of the device, with almost all the other features controlled using the massive 4.8in touchscreen display on the rear.
Inside, the 20.3-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor carries over the hybrid autofocus system from Samsung's high-end cameras like the NX300, and is good for ISO sensitivity up to 25,600 and Full HD 1080p video recording. It can also take 1/6000 stills at up to 8.6 shots per second, making it ideal for capturing fast motion.
Unlike the Galaxy Camera, which has a fixed lens, the SLR-styled Galaxy NX will support all of Samsung's NX-mount lenses. The bundled kit lens is an 18-55mm model with optical image stabilisation (OIS), but you'll be able to swap it out for any of the 11 models currently in the range.
The real story is what's powering the camera the Galaxy NX is an Android device, running the latest 4.2.2 Jelly Bean version of Google's mobile operating system. This means that budding photographers will be able to use their favourite smartphone photography apps like Instagram, but get higher quality results thanks to an optical zoom and the APS-C sensor.
Despite carrying the Galaxy name, the NX doesn't use the TouchWiz user interface like the rest of the range. Instead, it has a custom UI designed specifically for the camera, which carries over the icons and overall theme of TouchWiz without many of the superfluous features. The Camera app has been completely overhauled to suit the NX layout, with a revolving dial on the right side of the screen for controlling picture modes and image settings.
With performance provided by a 1.6GHz quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM, the Galaxy NX felt just as fast as any high-end smartphone we've used recently. You'll be able to squeeze in a game of Angry birds between photo shoots, as the NX includes full access to the Google Play store.
The 4.8in touchscreen uses LCD technology, rather than the AMOLED panels Samsung favours for its high-end smartphones. This may mean blacks that aren't quite as deep as they look on the Galaxy S4, but the HD resolution screen still looked incredibly vibrant during our time with the camera.
Unfortunately we aren't able to bring you any test shots from the Galaxy NX, but we're hoping to get a better idea of its image quality closer to an official launch. We're also still waiting to find out how much the Galaxy NX will cost, but we don't imagine it will be cheap the NX300 costs around $600, which has the same camera technology but none of the Android internals. Whatever the price, you'll be able to pick one up in the coming months.
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