Samsung today announced the 20-megapixel Samsung Galaxy NX, which is the first mirrorless (a.k.a. SLR-like) camera with 3G/4G connectivity, the same wireless networking system found on smart phones. It allows you the versatility of an advanced camera along with near-instant, easy uploading of photos to social networks and photo-based websites. See our video below to see how this works.
Samsung was the first camera maker to create a wireless point-and-shoot camera with 3G/4G connectivity last year, with the Samsung Galaxy EK-GC100.
The other specs on this camera are impressive: First, it features a very large 4.8-inch HD LCD touchscreen, the largest of any advanced camera. And it has an SVGA Electronic Viewfinder (EVF), so composing your images should be easy, even in bright light. The camera's operating system is Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean), so you can download lots of apps from Google Play to further customize the camera. And it has the ability to fire around 8 frames per second in burst mode. It will ship with an 18-55mm kits lens.
Earlier today, I was able to try out a preliminary pre-production model of the Galaxy NX. Here's what I found:
- The camera body is slim, lightweight, and fairly easy to use—although, for some, Android may be a little confusing. However, an easy-to-follow guide points out the camera's major features. The body felt pretty well constructed.
- The Galaxy NX includes dozens of scene modes, including ones that make use of wireless and GPS technology. For example, when you turn on the camera's GPS mode, a target icon appears on your screen when you are shooting in certain locations. If you click on this icon, a map appears with thumbnails, showing photos shot by other photographers of important monuments, locations, and tourist attractions near where you're shooting.
- It was very easy to use manual settings in the camera's expert mode, including shutter speed, aperture, and ISO.
- Although the camera features a large LCD, it doesn't solely rely on menu settings. There are several physical controls and knobs for quick access to features.
- The camera includes other wireless technologies, such as NFC (near field communication), and it's DLNA compliant—so you can wirelessly beam images from your camera to a DLNA-compliant HDTV.
Samsung didn't announce pricing or availability, but says the Galaxy NX will arrive in stores in the second half of this year. Also, there was no information on which carriers would offer wireless plans for the cameras or where the camera would be sold. However, Samsung told us the Galaxy NX would most likely appear in photo specialty stores.
