If you’re tired of carrying both a phone and a camera, the new Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom camera phone has been announced (dpreview.com). They glued an Android phone to the back of a basic compact camera. I’ve been wanting something like this for years, but probably not this particular device unfortunately. The sensor is 1/2.3″ or about 6.1×4.5mm in size. This is tiny compared to the sensor in everyone’s favorite point and shoot camera, the Sony DSC-RX100
The optical image stabilizer will arguably allow for using lower ISO settings indoors. And of course the camera will perform much better when zoomed in since it is an optical rather than a digital zoom.
See http://www.gizmag.com/camera-sensor-size-guide/26684/ for some good comparisons of sensor size.
Is anyone out there excited by this device? Due to the small screen it would seem to be a much less useful phone than the standard Android phones today. Due to the small sensor it would seem to be a much less useful camera than the point and shoots that photography enthusiasts generally buy. So it would seem that the device won’t make phone nerds or camera nerds happy.
When I see a hybrid device, I am reminded that it may never do all features at “expert” level. While the features are nice to have and handy, I realize they will not provide the quality that their individual counterpart could achieve.
When I went to purchase a phone, my requirements included the ability to make and receive calls. My phone makes and receives calls better than the ancillary features built into it, I.E, take pictures.
When I went to purchase a camera, my requirements included the ability to take “quality” photos. The Canon cameras I have purchased do that very well. I have never picked up a camera and said “it takes photos really well, maybe they could add a phone part that could make “OK” phone calls.”
On a side note, when I see these “hybrid” products, I get concerned for the “hopeful” success of a firm like Terrafugia. In that situation, the car and the plane both need to perform at “expert” level. If too many consumers think like me, then this does not bode well for the success of their product.
My first inclination would not be to rush to the store to acquire this Samsung model. Until one feature on the device is the “expert” component, I will stick with acquiring devices that meet my initial requirements.
JJD -one trick pony
Let me preface this by saying that I am a loyal apple fan/consumer and it would take something pretty drastic to make me switch to Android.
That being said, this s4 zoom phone is the first product that Samsung has made that will actually make me contemplate making the switch. The fact that they were able to combine the phone with a camera, and make that camera just as good (or very close) as any camera that’s on the market, will make my life easier and my pockets lighter.
I’m what you may consider an extremely novice photgrapher, and definitely a smart phone addict. Of all of the features on smartphones today, the camera is the one i most frequently use (aside from calling/texting/emailing). If Samsung really figured out a way to improve the cameras, and give them an incredible zoom quality, while not taking away from the basic phone features, I will truly start to consider making the change.
I think that if this model is successful for them, they will continue with this style and add it to the Note series. If that’s the case, I’m in! I’m actually excited to see the progression of these Samsung models … just don’t tell Apple 🙂