Samsung Galaxy Camera GC100 Review

Once I asked my Computer teacher whether we can make a camera which acts as a phone and do many other things. She told me that I got a loose screw and it is time to tighten it up. I asked why not, she answered that it is impossible. Unfortunately Samsung has proved you wrong ma’am. Well now you know what I’m talking about. Yes! It’s Samsung Galaxy Camera GC100. The first camera/phone (sometimes I get confused) with the Android OS 4.1 Jelly Bean, well yes the Nikon CoolPix 800c was the first one to run on android but this is the first to run on Jelly Bean, and the first from a manufacturer that's at the forefront of Android on mobile phones.

Looking at the layout and capabilities the Camera is no different than a smartphone, you can browse the web, connect to your favourite social networks like Google+ and Facebook, check emails, browse and many other cool stuff. The WiFi network and 3G connection ensures that you are connected always, with your friends. Unfortunately you are not able to make calls, which was something worthwhile. Samsung has its own collection of widgets and shortcuts which is really soothing; with that it has a handy camera widget which makes photos more vivid and powerful by almost doing nothing. You can choose from an occasionally bizarrely named selection of Best Photo, Best Face, Landscape, Dawn, Snow, Macro, Food, Indoor, Action Freeze, Rich Tone, Panorama, Waterfall , Silhouette, Sunset, Night, Fireworks, Night Trace and Beauty Face.

The Galaxy Camera is packed with a 1.4GHz quad-core processor which makes it faster than the wind but only quieter.  But there is a small delay while loading and a time lag is present between shots, making it not so handy for quick snaps. No need to buy an SD card when 8GB of built-in memory is available.  The Galaxy Camera has tricks up to its sleeves (Wait! how is that possible?) unlike any other camphones. The screen is 4.8” 1280×720 pixels (too bad wasn’t 1080p) which gives the best viewing experience. Tap and brush on the Camera’s touch screen and find your way around and operate the settings, with touch controls over on the right-hand side. The basic set-up features camera and video icons, plus a mode button, which takes you to another three icons: Auto (just point and shoot), Smart (The Camera thinks Like That) and Expert (For the nerds and nerds only).

Wait! What about the camera with its 16 MP of photographic goodness? Well, it has a black-illuminated CMOS sensor capable of delivering 4,608×3, 456 pixel images which is quite impressive. The aperture stretches from f/2.8 to f/5.9 when the zoom is at full and the shutter speed is variable and stretches from 16-1/2,000 of a second.  What else it comes with a 21× optical zoom which is no toy either.

The picture quality is perfect and reduces the difference in reality.

 But the camera’s lens is not that sharp but even though it doesn't destroy the picture’s beauty at all. The voice control is something which makes photography much easier. Just say “Smile”, “Shoot” or “Capture” and you have an epic pic right in front of you.

Now we have an idea on how it works; now how does it look? When I saw the picture in the net for the first time I thought it was the same like any digital camera, but in reality it is so big (129x71x19mm) and quite heavy (300g), which arises the question on the portability of the cam. When you are zooming the sound of the motor can be heard which is clearly seen when you take a video and zoom the camera, which is quite disappointing.  

Well I would say that the Camera is a Godzilla, both in size and features, but it is something unique. It's not really a phone or tablet replacement, but has a good quality camera with user-friendly interface, well-developed software for connecting, sharing and editing on the fly, as well as finding your way around and taking notes on the go; it's quite a good effort. It is something which makes photography easy and really has some similarity to a DSLR. So I would suggest you buy the Samsung Galaxy Camera GC100 which is fun to use.