Samsung Galaxy Camera

With a 4.8-inch great HD Clear LCD touchscreen, the Samsung Galaxy Camera isn't likely to be the smallest compact camera you'll ever see, but it feels very adequately put together and is both responsive and instinctive.

Even good news for many is that the 16 million pixel CMOS sensor within the camera is a 1/2.3-inch device, the same size as in many compact cameras and considerably larger than those in the average handset This should mean that the Samsung Galaxy Camera is capable of recording a respectable level of detail with reasonably well controlled sound.

The feeler is coupled with a 4.1-86.1 mm f/2.8-5.9 lens, which gives the focal length equivalent of a 23-483mm lens in 35mm terms. This makes it a very adaptable optic, suitable for shooting wide landscapes or cramped interiors, as well as picking out distant details.

It could make the camera a accepted option for travellers, especially those who want to be able to share their images with the rest of the world via the camera's Wi-Fi connectivity.

We were only able to spend a comparatively short time playing with it at Samsung's Mobile Unpacking event prior to the opening of IFA 2012, but it was enough to induce us that this is a camera that will attract a lot of interest.

There's little in the mode of physical controls on the camera as most operations are carried out via the touchscreen, which is very responsive. On the top, however, there is a shutter release button surrounded by the zoom switch and the power button as well as a pop-up flash. That's it, and as a result the Galaxy Camera has a very spotless look.

Those who terror that relying on a screen to make settings selections will mean scrolling through endless menu options can relax - Samsung has done an excellent job with the edge, and we got to grips with it very rapidly. It has had plenty of UI design practice with its other Galaxy products, such as the Samsung Galaxy S3 and Samsung Galaxy Note 2 smartphones and Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 tablet.

With a 4.8-inch Super HD Clear LCD touchscreen, the Samsung Galaxy Camera isn't likely to be the smallest compact camera you'll ever see, but it feels very nicely put together and is both receptive and instinctive.

We haven't been clever to use the Samsung Galaxy Camera properly or examine any images yet, but we're pretty eager about it. It has a high-quality feel and although it has lots of options and some beautiful advanced controls, it's very easy to use.

The Samsung Galaxy Camera will have a full price of around £399 (around $630) in UK, and will be available from around mid-October.

The 16 million pixel, 1/2.3 inch CMOS sensor should be able of capturing images that are on a par with other dense cameras and significantly better than those from the average smartphone. However, the lens has a wide zoom range (21x) and it will be interesting to see if this compromises the image quality at all.

We're really looking onward to receiving a full-production sample for our full Samsung Galaxy Camera review. As well as trying the customary photographic aspects, looking at sharpness, active range and the like, we'll try out a few apps and share images via the Wi-Fi connectivity.