Mash two gadgets together, and under normal circumstances all you'd get is broken tech and shards of silicon under your fingernails. Samsung's playing Frankenstein however, and has created the Galaxy Camera -- an Android-powered smart phone-snapper hybrid... thing.
Click play on the video above to see some hands-on footage of the Galaxy Camera, as well as a run-down of all its tempting specs and features.
Powered by a 1.4GHz quad-core chip, this camera is more powerful than most phones, and with 3G, Wi-Fi and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean on board, plus a 4.8-inch display, it would actually make a seriously tempting smart phone.
However, clamped onto the front there's a whopping great camera lens competent enough to compete with many superzoom snappers. The camera's hardware includes a 23mm aperture lens and a distance-defying 21x optical zoom which should make photographing your neighbours birdwatching a breeze.
The theory is that by sticking Android and a big screen onto a camera, you give photographers access to tonnes of apps, which can be used to edit and share photos. The thought of taking a decent-quality snap, then tinkering with it in an editing app and uploading it straight to Facebook -- all from your camera -- is an appealing one.
The downside? I'd wager this snapper will cost more than your average compact, so best start saving your pennies. During my hands-on time I noticed some software glitches and a sluggish zoom, though it's possible that these will be fixed before it goes on sale.
Check out the video above and let me know what you think. Is the Galaxy Camera a perfect blend of tech, or more like a gone-wrong science experiment? Stick your opinions in the comments or on our Facebook wall.
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Choccie Milk 30 August, 2012 17:35
While this doesn't interest me I can't help but feel they should have taken it a step further and actually made it a phone I mean if it has 3G then it can't be too much bother to make it able to text and make phone calls (obviously you could use Skype or something but it's no where near as easy as it actually being a phone).
anonymous 30 August, 2012 18:20
I want something like this, just less extreme, a camera hybrid in a slimmer body and not so much zoom (running Android). I would buy it.
Dean Shepherd 30 August, 2012 22:14
I think if its to compete against a compact then big question.....can the battery be removed to be hot replaced with a spare?
I ALWAYS carried a second battery pack for an SLR or even spare AA's for a compact if I was out taking snaps...I feel that if its going to be a fixed battery then it better be a good one for a long shoot session otherwise its going to miss out sadly.
anonymous 2 September, 2012 08:32
Can you please send a reporter who can report about cameras next time round? I couldn't care less about "artistic photos" using Samsung's presets, and this is the first time I've ever seen someone refer to a 23mm aperture lens? What is that supposed to mean? It's the kind of mashup I expect from someone who's never held a camera in his hands before.
If you mean it's got a focal length which is the equivalent of a 23mm lens at its widest, then please say so. If you know it's widest aperture, then please share it with us. Give us more information about the camera, about the lens, about the processing available. Tell me about the built-in flash and about whether the sensor is any good in low light. Give me the sensor size too.
I would not have expected this pea-brained excuse for journalism from Cnet. This feels like a teenagers awkward first attempt at blogging.
Richard Muscat Azzopardi 2 September, 2012 08:36
Apologies - I did not mean to post that comment anonymously, it would have been a pretty cowardly thing to do. I'm the one complaining :)