Social Android Imaging: Samsung's Galaxy Camera

The first thing you're likely to notice when you pick up the Galaxy Camera is the large lens on the front. With the exception of the protruding, round lens and the curved grip on the right side of the unit, the Galaxy Camera has a boxy design with slightly rounded edges. Verizon Wireless offers the Galaxy Camera with a white or a black body. We are testing the white model here (obviously).

Compared to other ultra-compact point and shoot cameras, the Galaxy Camera feels much larger. It measures 2.79 x 5.07 x 0.75 inches and weighs 10.76 ounces. The Galaxy Camera will feel a bit large in your pocket but if you're willing to carry it in a camera case, laptop bag, or purse, the size is less of an issue.

With the trade off in size from an ultra-compact point and shoot camera, you'll get a gigantic 4.8-inch HD Super Clear LCD Screen that supports a resolution of 1280 x 720. You also get a 21x lens that can zoom from 23mm to 483mm.

Samsung has taken advantage of the Galaxy Camera's large touchscreen for controls, thereby eliminating many hardware buttons. On the left edge of the camera, you'll find a button that will pop up the flash and a speaker. The top of the camera houses this flash along with a power button, shutter button, and zoom slider. The flash is located near the left edge of the camera. Since the flash is so close to the edge of the camera, we had to make a conscious effort to move our finger and hold the camera differently while the flash was in use. Speaking of the flash, it looks and feels a bit like something you might find on a lesser product—it’s small and feels a bit fragile. Regardless, it did the job just fine.

On the right edge of the Galaxy Camera, you'll find the headset jack, microUSB port, and wrist strap port. The base of the camera houses a tripod mount, micro HDMI port, and a door that opens to reveal the battery, microSD card slot, and SIM slot. You can also access the micro HDMI port when the battery cover is open.