Friday, June 21, 2013

Samsung Galaxy NX Hands-On: I Can't Take My Eyes Off You (Should I?)

Source: http://gizmodo.com/samsung-galaxy-nx-hands-on-i-cant-take-my-eyes-off-yo-521312331

The first thing that strikes you about Samsung's new Android-powered interchangeable-lens camera is how big that 4.8-inch AMOLED screen looks on the back of a camera. Even when it's turned off, the blackness stares back at you like an enrapturing abyss.

Samsung Galaxy NX Hands-On: I Can't Take My Eyes Off You (Should I?)

Then, when you flip the camera on, the TouchWiz Android UI is right there in front of you, showing a special camera widget. Hold down the shutter, and the camera interface we saw on the Galaxy camera pops up. From there, there's an unlabeled click wheel where a mode dial would be on a DSLR. Give it a spin and it'll alternate between basic shooting modes and some of the camere's features.

Samsung Galaxy NX Hands-On: I Can't Take My Eyes Off You (Should I?)

It's all very speedy. Our only complaint is that Samsung didn't make a prettier GUI for the deep menu structure that's native to the NX series. Shooting photos feels like you're using a smartphone camera, but going in to tweak deep camera settings, feels like you're still trapped in the past.

Samsung Galaxy NX Hands-On: I Can't Take My Eyes Off You (Should I?)

This is all very modern stuff applied to the old concept of interchangeable lenses. Yup, the whole time you're using this thing, you're staring at the screen like it's a phone, so much you'll almost forget that this thing has a viewfinder you can put your eye up to. You might also forget that the APS-C guts and refined interchangeable optics you're using are so good that it might even be worth sticking you eye into that peep-hole see if you can't make the most of them.

We'l have to wait until we've taken the Galaxy NX into the real world to find out if all the newness is useful, or just a distraction. No word on what this camera will cost when we'll actually get this camera in America—if we get it at all. For more info on specs and the like, check out our announcement post.