Samsung Galaxy Camera 2 review

The big-screened, Android-powered compact zoom camera makes a comeback

Samsung Galaxy 2 camera
Is it a camera that thinks it's a smartphone?

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Native aspect

The camera's native shooting aspect is 16:9, but you can also shoot in 4:3 and 3:2. Click here to see the full resolution image.

Fine detail

The Galaxy Camera 2 is capable of resolving reasonably fine detail at lower sensitivities. If you zoom in close, you'll see some loss of detail, but it's nothing too out of the ordinary for a compact camera. Click here to see the full resolution image.

Higher sensitivities

At higher sensitivities, such as ISO 800, detail is softened and the overall effect is less impressive. Automatic white balance has coped well here though. Click here to see the full resolution image.

AF Point

Setting the AF point is easy, but it will jump back to the centre after you've taken a shot – a little annoying if you want to take two photos in reasonably quick succession, such as during a portrait shoot. Click here to see the full resolution image.

Loss of detail

Here we can see how badly the loss of detail affects an image that features fine detail. Taken at ISO 800, a very clear painterly effect can be seen in the top right hand corner, even when viewing at normal web sizes. Click here to see the full resolution image.

Colours

Colours are bright and punchy straight from the camera, especially in good, bright light. Click here to see the full resolution image.

Lens flare

Lens flare is inevitable when shooting directly into the sun, but the Galaxy Camera 2 has actually coped pretty well in this shot. Click here to see the full resolution image.

Good light

The Galaxy Camera 2 is capable of taking some great pictures in good light – but the same can be said of mobile phone cameras too. Click here to see the full resolution image.

Shallow depth of field

Attractive shallow depth of field effects can be achieved with the Samsung Galaxy Camera 2. Click here to see the full resolution image.

Wide point

At the widest point of the telephoto optic, the Galaxy Camera 2's lens is capable of taking in a wide view of the scene. Click here to see the full resolution image.

Optical zoom

The Galaxy Camera 2's 21x optical zoom is great for flexibility, but we can see that the images taken at its far reach suffer from loss of detail. Click here to see the full resolution image.

Amy Davies

Amy has been writing about cameras, photography and associated tech since 2009. Amy was once part of the photography testing team for Future Publishing working across TechRadar, Digital Camera, PhotoPlus, N Photo and Photography Week. For her photography, she has won awards and has been exhibited. She often partakes in unusual projects - including one intense year where she used a different camera every single day. Amy is currently the Features Editor at Amateur Photographer magazine, and in her increasingly little spare time works across a number of high-profile publications including Wired, Stuff, Digital Camera World, Expert Reviews, and just a little off-tangent, PetsRadar.