[Hands on] with the Samsung S4 Zoom, it is a Camera or a Phone?


ortega

Moderator
Nov 2, 2004
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Singapore, Singapore, Singapor
I have had the pleasure of shooting with the Samsung S4 Zoom daily, at first I wondered if it was a camera or a phone?
on one side it looks like a point and shoot compact camera and from the other side a Smartphone.

Lets have a look at what this mobile device can do.

img_zoom_product_7.jpg

First the official specs

Display 4.3” qHD sAMOLED


Chipset Pega-Dual +XMM6262


Bearer HSPA+ 21/5.76 850/900/1900/2100 EDGE/GPRS 850/900/1800/1900


Memory 1.5GB(RAM)+ 8GB(eMMC) MicroSD up to 64GB


Camera / Flash 16MP BSI CMOS w/ Flash


Connectors microUSB, USB 2.0, 3.5pi earjack


Wireless Connectivity BT 4.0, WiFi a/b/g/n 2.4G/5GHz, NFC


GPS A-GPS + GLONASS


Dimension 63.3x125.3x15.25mm (TBD)


Battery capacity 2330mAh


OS / Upgrade Android JB MR1 (v4.2)


Messaging & SNS ChatON, Gtalk, Google +


Augmented Reality D/L from Play Store


LBS Google Maps (Turn-by-turn Navi.)


Other Services & Applications Trouwrist, Trip Advisor, Photo Suggest (TBD)


PC Applications Kies (Windows & Mac), AllShare


UI / Web Browser TouchWiz for Android / Chrome


Radio N/A


Audio MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WAV, AMR-NB, MIDI, OGG, IMY, XMF, WMA


Video MPEG4, H.263, H.264, VP6/8, WMV9 Recording/Playback: 1080@30fps
 



On one side it looks just like a Samsung Smartphone



and on the other side, it looks just like a P&S Camera
 

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with a 10X optical zoom lens offering a focal range equivalent to 24-240mm, complete with optical image stabilisation. You set the zoom range via the touch screen or the ring around the lens. You can even use your voice to command.



the removable battery is behind the door located at the grip. The micro SIM card is also inserted here.
 



Photography specific features are a dedicated shutter, hand grip, zoom ring and even a tripod socket. Really useful for low light photography and group shots that you want to be in.
You can expand the memory capacity by adding a MicroSD card (up to 64GB).

I have set the camera to do automatic backup when it is connected to WIFI while i charge it, so no worries of ever running out of space.
 

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I have realised that the Phone part of the smartphone is no longer important as the calls that i make are getting lesser.
But what i really need/want is a connected camera to snap photos and share.

So lets see what this camera that makes phone calls can do

do note that the default screen settings are too vibrant, I was really disturbed by this and had to tone down the saturation of all my pictures.
but after some digging around (my previous smartphones were all iOS devices) i was glad to know that i could actually select a "Professional photo" screen mode


Screen Mode setting

So if you are coming from an iOS background, do note that are many things that you can change on an android device, you just need to explore.
 

The main subject that i shoot with my mobile device is food, glorious food.
The ability to change focal length is a real godsend as i am able to reduce the angle of view and reduce the amount of background in my shot
most smartphones are fixed focal length normally at 28 or 35mm equivalent.





 



the ability to go full manual mode also allowed me to control the shot
especially white balance, iso speed and exposure. The tripod socket really came in handy



especially at night.
 

I love the Samsung's Android-based Galaxy Camera series. I would get this S4 Zoom if I didn't already have the Galaxy Camera and the Galaxy NX especially now that the price has dropped below $600. Samsung digital cameras are seriously under-rated as they produce extremely good lenses and images that can match if not surpass those of any of the more famous brands in image quality.
 

Low light is the bane of small sensors and mobile phones, why do people still shoot with mobile phones in low light?
I decided to bite the bullet and see if this mobile device is different.









Concert photos! with a mobile phone? the 10X zoom came in handy
 

That's one good use of this camera-phone ! Can bring into a performance venue where cameras are banned since it is a phone. Can take and immediately upload to the cloud servers for safe keeping. Can upload to Dropbox I presume. Takes really good concert photos too. Maybe I should get one just for this purpose. :think:
 

That's one good use of this camera-phone ! Can bring into a performance venue where cameras are banned since it is a phone. Can take and immediately upload to the cloud servers for safe keeping. Can upload to Dropbox I presume. Takes really good concert photos too. Maybe I should get one just for this purpose. :think:

yes you can set it to auto upload to dropbox/google+/facebook/flickr
there may be more
 



There are many modes that you can shoot with, you can control the ISO speed, aperture, shutter speed and even exposure.
As with other smartphones you also have lots and lots of apps to try.

the technology is always changing.



there is always something new to learn and play with, what you cannot do yesterday you just might be able to do today.

 

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I brought the camera along with me to Kansai, Japan



Shot with Auto mode and edited with snapseed







Waterfall scene mode, sometimes the scene modes uses technology to achieve the effects with multiple shots, no ND filter used.
 



Waterfall scene mode, sometimes the scene modes uses technology to achieve the effects with multiple shots, no ND filter used.

ooh... nice. :thumbsup:
Must try out this mode on my Galaxy NX !
 

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superb shots, clever use of multiple exposure!
 

speaking about nightshots and the importance of having a tripod mount

Beautiful ! :thumbsup:
You mean this shot is taken with the camera mounted on a tripod?
Can it not be taken handheld like with Sony cameras in similar modes?
How about those concert shots... are they taken handheld or on tripod?
 

Beautiful ! :thumbsup:
You mean this shot is taken with the camera mounted on a tripod?
Can it not be taken handheld like with Sony cameras in similar modes?
How about those concert shots... are they taken handheld or on tripod?

concert shots were taken handheld, I am old school and will bring along a small tablepod
it is always better to have a tripod, even with the latest hi iso cameras
 

I don't normally like to shoot food but this is my test shot with this camera-phone.:)

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