This is Cool: Samsung Announces First Interchangeable Lens Camera with 3G/4G

This is Cool: Samsung Announces First Interchangeable Lens Camera with 3G/4G

Samsung just announced what looks to be a really great new ILC: The Galaxy NX, a camera enabled with 3G/4G capabilities. It's not a phone, but a camera that can always be connected to the internet. I may have been hard on Samsung in a recent article on their Galaxy S4 Zoom, but this new product is one I can really get behind.

The new camera is equipped with a 20.3MP APS-C sensor which, if it is like the other Samsung cameras I have experienced, has been excellent and amazingly fast when it comes to auto focus. That's thanks to an Advanced Hybrid Auto Focus (AF) System ensures accurate phase and contrast detection while also sporting a 1/6000 sec shutter speed and 8.6fps shooting


Samsung Galaxy NX Specs

 
If you care about 3D, True 3D Creator also brings an added element of realism to the GALAXY NX results, allowing users to shoot images and movies in 3D with Samsung's 45mm 2D/3D lens.

As the camera runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean (on a 1.6 GHz Quad-core processor), the functionality of a smartphone is built in and utilized to improve the photographic experience. Users can choose from an entire universe of Android apps to help personalize their GALAXY NX and do more than just shoot amazing photographs and video, from editing images to adding special effects to sharing at a moment's notice. This seems like finally a great application of photo quality and the plethora of mobile apps.

GALAXY NX (1)

GALAXY NX (2)

GALAXY NX (3)

GALAXY NX (4)

GALAXY NX (6)

GALAXY NX (7)
 

What do you think? Interested? I certainly am. I like the idea of a great camera (and Samsung keeps making better ones) with added mobile functionality. It's better than a shoehorned Frankenstein of camera and phone, and mixes the benefits of both areas fantastically.

Below is an upcoming ad for the camera:

GALAXY NX (9) Keyvisual

Jaron Schneider's picture

Jaron Schneider is an Fstoppers Contributor and an internationally published writer and cinematographer from San Francisco, California. His clients include Maurice Lacroix, HD Supply, SmugMug, the USAF Thunderbirds and a host of industry professionals.

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42 Comments

I love it. Thus is what I've been waiting for for an epic travel camera. I love my Galaxy Note and have been lusting after the OM-D, so this looks like a cool setup to me. Cant wait to check it out!

Me too! I'm actually very very excited to try this out.

This is a terrible combination...Android and mirrorless. *facepalm*

"The equipment shouldn't matter. The final image is what's important" - Brandon Bandy

yes, i did say that. but some equipment should never be made. this is a good example. the original galaxy camera is ~$5-700. thats the price of a t3i body with a kit lens. i can only assume this will be much more. for the money it just doesn't make sense

Someone had to make the leap and I'm glad someone has, It will only be a matter of time before Nikon and Canon do the same.

just one more device for the government to tap and one more for phone companies to charge an arm and a leg for.

Just use the WiFi then tight a*se

Not what the NSA wants to hear, my friend. Have a better attitude about it all. Be cheery.

I would like this as a camera to carry around every day and use for practice. this is hoping that it is light and relatively cheap.

Uh... does this mean i can finally Instagram all my dslr photos! Finally i can go pro... lol

I would have liked to see the reasoning behind choosing this over a skin/ accessory to the galaxy line. It seems like it is just a phone in a camera. Why not allow a user to slide the phone into the back (like Asus tablet/phone combo)... it's not far off.

If this thing can take EF-S or especially EF lenses from Canon (via an adapter of some sort) then I'll DEFINITELY get one! This would make a great travel camera as well as any time you want to document what you're doing on-the-spot... I could think of some business reasons for this too! :P

That was my exact thought. If my canon lenses fit, then this is pretty legit. And I end up posting my dslr photos on instagram, so being able to do that almost instantaneously would be sick.

With respect to my previous experience with NX system, unless Samsung starts to produce some really good lenses this camera would be only cool gadget in your bag. Most tragic thing is that even Rokinon can make better lens for NX than Samsung does (speaking about 85mm f/1.4).

This is going to revolutionize the speed of Uncle Bob at weddings to get his photos to Facebook.

Is it weird that I actually have an Uncle Bob?

yes :)

I have one too, and he has a Nikon

seriously?? you rant about the s4 zoom and love this??? why? why do i need a camera that is connected to the internet? if this function would give me the chance to instantly upload the files to an remote server (dropbox....) to get an backup, it would be cool. but the files are way to big for that. so why do i need a camera connected to the net. to get better instagramm pics? to upload a new facebook profil image right after i took it (one of those "in the mirror", bathroom self portraits)?

Its All about Instagram,Path,Facebook,Twitter for camera with internet connection.

Photojournalism ever cross your mind, only a matter of time before the other jump on board

Nope, it hasn't not with THIS camera. And not with the Internet connection currently available for a mobile phone.

Have you ever had a memory card die on you? That is a truly heartbreaking experience which this should reduce. As for dropbox's limited size, use ubuntu one instead, you get twice as much space free and you can get 40gb blocks for an additional $40 a year each.

I would get your point. If you had an internet connection at your phone, that could transmit 6-10 megabyte per second, that would be a cool, option. but think about it for a second. the files will be around 10mb at least. that means you need a seriously fast connection to upload all your images.oh and about the memory card dying part, nope. never had a bad cf-card. or sd card for that matter (in the backup camera).
it is a nice tool to upload an image here and there, but it's not groundbreaking in that it is a nice fb tool, but no tool for an on-the-fly upload/backup of the images on to the net.

I still want it to be a phone, I've always wanted to talk to my DSLR.

$ for the camera, $ for the lenses, $ for the LTE service, why would I pay a monthly fee to use a camera I own? A camera on a phone is very different because of the other fetures that go into having a phone. This seems like a great idea for the people who buy trendy things, but this does not seem very practical for photographers. How much better could an instagram pic be even with a better sensor and real glass. lol

I definitely agree. it's redundant, and almost wasteful. however. I am admittedly one of those instagram snobs haha, I love snapping a cool pic and running it through vsco or afterlight and neat stuff you can do with it (all in good taste of course). and the difference between, even a really nicely edited, iphone shot and a raw picture taken on my 5d and edited in LR is a really big difference. so perhaps the niche market they made this camera for is the social-networking-obsessed-instagram-snob-but-still-too-lazy-to-transfer-photos crowd. haha :D

Samsung what are you doing??? Samsung STAHP!!!

Awesome ... a gadget that combines 2 features that have nothing in common. How about a fridge with a built-in photo-copier ? So I can make a photo-copy of my favorite vegetable.

then i can install 3rd party camera apps with this!!!

then facebook, istrgm, twitter direct upload... PSlite too.

yeah it's nice and all but who will buy a completely set of new lenses for a brand new system which may or may not be around in a few years when they've already invested thousands of dollars in Nikon or Canon?

I don't think many of us would have been this critical if this was from Canon or Nikon. I find this camera interesting and there will be a market for this. This is just first of the many [improved] ones to come... Cheers

But we already own Nikon and Canon lenses. This is new so it has to prove itself.

I tried this camera last night. The screen is crazy. Because it's so big and the video quality is so good, it's like watching HD video when you point it at a scene. I didn't really try the EVF. Big downside is that it's awkward to change settings and at times, the touchscreen is a pain because you have to change the way you hold the camera to change settings, unlike a traditional camera where it's easy to change settings without taking your eye out of the viewfinder or really moving your hands.

maybe this will bring more high end photo editing apps to android...

+1 that. Once the battery life and processing power catches up we will have raw file editors right on the camera.

That is where the game begins. This advance moves the ball along though.

Seems kinda cool. Too bad it doesn't have an articulating screen.

to bad samsung didn't make the back screen area an actual mounting bay for your samsung phone.
Woulda been neat to just slide your phone in and use it as the screen etc..

It'd be good for vacationing and events. Take a pic of a friend, instantly email it to them. Only problem will be that it is likely to be over priced and won't use established lenses. If I had extra money, and this only cost $450 + $50 for a canon adapter, I'd buy one for vacationing and leisure in a heartbeat.

I like the idea of live backup and posting. This technology ensures that every shot is securely stored on the cloud. Anyone who has ever had a memory card die on them should appreciate this. I can see this being useful with Carnival parades, in this case the first photographer to post their material online gets the most views and the most traffic on their page which is always an advantage for advertising.

Adding Android to DSLRs takes it to next level but what other advantage does it have on Canon or Nikon in case of Photography? Will Professional Photographers go for it for the sake of just apps?