A camera comes a-calling

A hybrid smartphone and camera that’s designed for the “now” generation, the new Samsung Galaxy K zoom allows you to take good quality photos and instantaneously share them on social networks. 

As a camera, it features a 20.- megapixel BSI (backside-illuminated ) CMOS sensor and 10x optical zoom lens with 24mm to 240 mm focal length.

As a smart phone, Galaxy K zoom runs on Android’s version 4.4.2, is powered by Samsung Exynos 5 Hexa-core processor running at 1.7GHz and 1.3GHz and has 2 gigabytes of RAM or active memory and 8 GB of internal storage, which is expandable with a microSD card up to 64GB.

The 4.8-inch screen, which uses Super AMOLED display with vibrant colours in 720 x 1280-pixel resolution, is great for framing photos whether indoors or out in the sunshine.

The size of the screen also makes it good for reading mails and web pages and the phone supports 3G in 2,100 MHz, 1,900 MHz, 850 MHz and 900 MHz.

Think of it as just a phone and you’ll find it bulky though the 20mm thickness is acceptable for a camera.

Despite the thickness, K zoom is comfortable to grip and comes with a rounded back that takes it cue from the curves of pebbles.

I was impressed with the performance of the smartphone, finding both touch screen and menus responsive and the scrolling of pages smooth and fast. Applications ran well too.

It downloaded and installed apps fast when used with TrueMove H’s 3G 850MHz system. Mail checking and updating Facebook was quick and I checked locations on the Foursquare app without problem. I was able to take photos and upload them instantly to Facebook and Instagram page too.

K zoom transforms from phone to camera in about 0.3 seconds. Lock the screen then press the volume and shutter buttons concurrently or simply slide the camera icon onto the locked screen.

Like any camera, it comes with plenty of fun shooting modes and it’s easy to learn how to adjust shooting parameters allowing you to switch between manual and auto modes.

You can use your fingers or the volume buttons to zoom in on your subject or impress your friends with your selfies by using the Selfie alarm mode. This allows you to compose your portrait shot without having to look at the screen or even press the shutter button.

Simply drag the composing frame to set the detection area then you can compose your shot with the lens facing you. Remember to listen to the beeps as you adjust the composition – the more your face fits inside the detection area, the faster the beeps – as well as the warning tone that sounds just before the camera takes five shots.

As usual, The Nation’s female staff particularly liked the Beauty face mode, which smoothes and lightens the skin, making the subject look younger.

The males on the other hand liked the fact that you can separate your Auto Focus and Auto Exposure to deal with tricky backlit scenes. It’s easy to do as well: simply touch the spot on you want to focus then drag the exposure frame to where you want the camera to measure the light. This brightens or darkens the shot in line with the separate AE control. You can also even lock the AE and AF separately by tapping and holding the frames.

The Manage modes function allows you to select the most commonly used ones, which include Pro suggest, Panorama, Landscape, Dawn, Silhouette, Sunset, Light trace and Macro.

Pro suggest is the best and the easiest, giving you a list of scene modes that you should choose for shooting that particular scene.]

You can also download more settings – Samsung calls them “films” – from the Pro Suggest Market to jazz up your shots. All in all, there are 80 “films’ for you to download and install on your K zoom including Gorgeous night, Beautiful sunset, Cinematic, Sunny day, Strong colours, Vivid landscape, Twilight, Rainy day, Charisma, Warm morning, Retro, Cloudy day and Sunset silhouette.

I’ve always enjoyed taking landscape shots and found that on a sunny day, the Vivid landscape mode captured very bright and colourful shots. I also tried the Strong colours mode, the results of which were impressive while the Beautiful sunset mode allowed me to capture a very orange sky.

Samsung Galaxy K zoom is available in three colours – for Bt15,900.   

 

Key specifications

 

Network: 3G 5-band HSPA+ 42Mbps HSPA+ 850/900/1900/2100MHz

Display: 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED Display (1280x720)

Application Processor: Hexa core: 1.3GHz Quad-Core + 1.7GHz Dual-Core Processor

OS: Android 4.4 (Kitkat)

Camera: Main (Rear): 20.7 Mega pixel 1/2.3 BSI CMOS Sensor, 10x Optical Zoom, OIS, 24-240mm, F3.1-6.3, AF Assist LED; Sub (Front): 2.0 Mega pixel

ISO: Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200 

Video: Recording & Playback: Full HD (1920x1080 /60p); supported codec: H.263, H.264 (AVC), MPEG4, VC-1, Sorenson Spark, MP43, WMV7, WMV8, VP8 

Connectivity: Wi-Fi: 802.11 a/b/g/n 2.4+5GHz, HT40, Bluetooth: 4.0 BLE; USB 2.0; NFC; A-GPS + GLONASS 

Sensor: Accelerometer, Gyro Sensor, Proximity Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Light Sensor

Memory: 2GB RAM

Internal storage: 8GB, expandable with microSD card up to 64GB 

Battery: 2,430mAh

Dimension: 137.5X70.8X16.6(20.2)mm

Weight: 200g