Review of Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom

We met some detail with the design of the hybrid smartphone and camera Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom: repeat the description does not make sense. If you want to refresh your memories - the material from the series ”On the surface” can be read here . In edition there was ”boxed” version, which we will test.

Let’s start with the kit. Galaxy S4 Zoom is sold in a small box, decorated ”under the tree.”

The inscription proudly states that the packaging material can be recycled without reserve, and the board is made of recyclable material.

The theme of the struggle for the environment continues to five small booklets - warranty card, and Quick Reference Guide (Reference Mode and automatically adjusts camera settings), and Quick Start Guide (by using your smartphone as a whole). They are printed on brown - recyclable material - paper.

The box contains a miniature battery charger with access to USB, Cable USB-Micro USB, headset with three sets of interchangeable inserts and cloth for the care of the screen and the case.

The charger operates in a voltage range of 100 to 240 volts and provides a current of up to 1 Amp at a voltage of 5 volts. The nest is located on the narrow side of his body, so it is desirable to connect the cable before the memory is inserted into the socket. Plug with thin pin, it easily enters the antique ”Soviet” sockets.

Headset with Remote Control (three buttons) on the wire of medium length - it’s enough to carry in a backpack and a smartphone, and in the pocket of jeans. Includes three pairs of nozzles of different diameter – you can find comfortable. The design of the vacuum, the amateur.

The sound quality – for complete sets – good: lots of bass, but they lack the speed and clarity, mid legible, leaders do not itch. The volume is adequate, but do not forget that listening to loud music for a long injurious to health.

Went on sale version looks a little different from the sample described above. The most notable – the battery, the capacity of which corresponds to the specs.

By the way, about the battery. 2330 mAh battery is enough for the day of active use. 100 frames with viewing the footage, edited some photos, Instagram-session card via Wi-Fi, reading mail – and there are still about 20% for calls.

During the trial operation of the white plastic housing did his best. In the normal (in the sense – not a greenhouse, without the cover, but in a separate pocket, without the keys and stuff) address, he does not get dirty or scratched.

PhotoChances

The optical zoom is operated in the jog mode. Odds powered zoom 1-1,2-1,4-1,6-1,8-2,2-3,1-4,2-5,6-7,9-10. In telephoto sometimes a necessity to change the frame boundaries, but it is solved cutting the editor – 16 megapixel sensor ensures a good supply for a reasonable crop.

Images taken from the same point. Left – the focal length of 240 mm, right – 24 mm. Pictures are given without additional framing.

At the firmware controlling the camera are three main types of work: a fully automatic, Smart and Manual.

Smart-mode – sets of algorithms automatically set exposure and processing of survey results. In Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom such regimes 25.

“Macro”
“Snow”
‘Breaking Dawn’
“Landscape”
“The picture of children”
“Best Shot”
“Continuous”
“Best photo”
“Retouch”
“Offering a smart mode”
“Paths of Light”
“Fireworks”
“Night”
“Sunset”
“Silhouette”
“Photo with sound”
“Eraser”
“Picture motion”
“Animated picture”
“Waterfall”
“Panorama”
“Saturated colors”
“Freeze Frame”
“Premises”
“Food”

Many natural question arises: why do they need?

All Smart-modes can be divided into three groups: entertainment, simplifying the granting of any effects (for beginners) and “computer.”

For example, “animated picture” – creating an animated GIF-file in which some of the objects are moving against a stationary background (or vice versa). For entertainment modes can be attributed “Photo with sound.”

Modes “Waterfall”, “Paths of Light”, “Macro”, “silhouette”, “Freeze”, “Fireworks” allow fans of “one-touch button” to implement the classic creative techniques. By controlling the settings manually by an experienced photographer to easily make a shot, but it requires a minimum initial photoeducation.

Much more interesting “computing» Smart-modes. These include the “Sunset”, “Eraser”, “Night”, “Landscape”, “Dawn”, “Retouch”, “Photo movement.” Replicate the results of their application can only be in a graphics editor, often only on the “big” computer. But the guarantee of a better quality of editing does not, in fact, the camera records a JPEG-files.

The idea is this: a certain way given parameters is one or a series of pictures, and then, to save the final version, the data is processed, has not yet been subjected to lossy compression.

In modes “Dawn”, “Sunset”, “Landscape” enhanced saturation respectively blue, yellow and orange and green / blue.

Here’s how it looks to the example of “Dusk” – left frame is made with an automatic white balance right – in the Smart-mode.

“Night” – a very useful mode for shooting in low-light conditions. It is set high enough sensitivity and made a few shots, which are then superimposed on each other to reduce the noise.

This example also illustrates the good and the possibility of an optical stabilizer. Frame is made at the maximum focal length 240 mm and exposure 1/15 seconds from the hands, without additional support. The object was at a considerable distance from the camera.

Refer vykadrovka of JPEG-file, previously in a graphics editor halved (50% scale). The size of the width – 900 pixels, not to see the interpolated output, look at the bigger version. The ISO setting when shooting – 1600.

“Saturated colors” – a variation on the theme of extending the dynamic range. Works even without a tripod, although the moving objects in the frame bifurcate. The result of shooting in this mode looks very natural, not a cartoon drama. You may want to consider halos, but they do not catch the eye. Save from extinction bright sky, adds details in dark shadows.

Right – photo in program mode, the left – in the Smart-mode “tint”.

Since the Galaxy S4 Zoom has an operating system and the ability to install a variety of applications familiar to users of compact cameras filter is not here. If you want, for example, to simulate the photo taken on a film of average quality in the 50′s of last century, it would require third-party program. This is – at first glance – a disadvantage actually provides a very broad horizons for creative experimentation.

That regime, which developers called tame, actually includes classic program sequencer – set shutter speed and aperture on the basis of information about the scene illumination and set photographer sensitivity and exposure compensation as well as this manual mode and “Master of Flowers” with a number of settings, the nature of the image.

“Master of Flowers”, although this is not the name but the image rendering, one of the selected colors (simulated shooting through a color filter) allows you to change a number of parameters of the internal data processing.

Regulated by the saturation degree of sharpening (in the negative zone even get a light blur effect) and contrast.

However, you can change the nature of the treatment and for other manual modes – this is done via the OSD menu. Naturally, the adjustment will not work in the Smart-modes.

The “Camera” offers three options for light-measuring – spot, center-weighted, and matrix.

Available as individual frames of shooting and continuous shooting and Exposure Bracketing (sorry, that can not be changed through the menu options forks, but for specific types of pictures you can download additional applications from the Play Market).

Let us turn to the evaluation of results. The files from the camera are available for download and self-scrutiny.

At Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom good implementation of the white balance. In addition to automatic detection, there are five presets (sunny, cloudy, incandescent and fluorescent lamps, two versions), as well as the ability to enter the color temperature in degrees Kelvin.

When shooting in a studio still life illuminated by incandescent lamps. In automatic mode, the camera tried to make the picture neutral (thankfully not overdone), and with preset “bulb” is very realistic renders colors.

Happy in nature and given the right amount of light in the room photo module provides suitable both for on-screen viewing and printing files.

In dark automation does not set the shutter speed slower than 1 second, so you should switch to manual mode, where the maximum shutter speed – 16 seconds.

Noise reduction system works quite aggressively. In the normal operating range covering ISO – up to and including 800, 1600 should stand only if the plot is really worthy to be pictured in a scene or can ignore small details, especially in low-contrast textures.

The dynamic range is narrowed with increasing sensitivity, already with ISO 400. However, it is wide enough (especially if you use the Smart-mode “tint”), and even at ISO 1600 is acceptable.

Without interpolation matrix gives an image that is theoretically possible to print on 30×40 cm format of course, this is not worth it. Instead, 13×18 cm, provided a reasonable crop in home photo album looks great.

Video capabilities

Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom recording Full HD-video at up to 30 frames / sec. Since the smartphone is equipped with a motorized zoom lens, the focal length can be changed during shooting.

Zooming is smooth, especially if you do not use the control dial and soft keys. Focusing is sometimes late, but the overall speed and accuracy in the normal range.

During recording, you can take photos, the buffer is limited to six shots in the movie, the image size 2304 x 1728 (4 megapisela).

The “camera” is also able to shoot at a speed of 120 k / s, the image size is reduced to 768h512 pixels. When playing at normal speed is obtained by “time dilation”. The choice of odds from 2 to 8 (the latter is implemented with interpolation, a marked decrease in the frequency of the video frames in the final).

As for the photo, Galaxy S4 Zoom allows you to install third-party applications for video shooting.

Impressions

The presence of the optical zoom sets straight Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom from the slender ranks of numerous competitors. No other smartphone on the market does not allow for such staff as S4 Zoom.

Standard tripod socket makes it easy to take pictures at slow shutter speeds – competitors tripod mount requires special cases or other devices, is almost not represented at the Ukrainian market.

Super AMOLED-display with a diagonal of 4.3 “and an image size of 540×960 pixels (256 ppi) – envy and owners of compact and professional cameras – it is better established only in Samsung Galaxy Camera and NX. Intrachamber editing capabilities for all other cameras on the market seem to be ridiculous compared with Android-chambers.

All of this uniquely characterizes the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom. If you need a smartphone with the most extensive photo / video capabilities, the alternatives on the Ukrainian market yet.

However, the advantages of the device translate into its main flaw size. In size it is only a little more than a normal compact camera (due to the screen), but the owners of smartphones have become accustomed to a slim body and protruding lens may confuse some potential buyers.

For 

+ Android 4.2 allows you to install third-party applications 
+ 10x optical zoom lens with 24mm wide-angle 
+ 16-megapixel sensor and provides the ability to crop, and print

Against 

- When the ISO higher than 800 artifacts are noticeable even with a decrease 
- The battery capacity is too small for the simultaneous intensive use of communications, entertainment and photo / video functions 
- The design will not please everyone.

Review of Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom