Why wait until the Consumer Electronics
Show to launch new products when you can
get plenty of uncontested media exposure
in the days leading up to the event? That
must be what Samsung is thinking as
they’verevealed two new shooters ahead of
next week's massive tech conference: the
Galaxy Camera 2 and the NX30.
The Galaxy Camera 2 is still powered by
Android and relies on the same 16-
megapixel sensor, 21x zoom lens and 4.8-
inch LCD as themodel before. Samsung has
beefed up the battery to a 2,000mAh unit,
however, while at the same time managing
to drop the weight down to 9.2 ounces.
Inside is a new quad-core 1.6GHz processor
with 2GB of RAM as well as an OS refresher
up to Android 4.3. These changes now allow
for 120fps slow-motion video capture as
well as independent autoexposure and
autofocus controls.
The mirrorless NX30, on the other hand,
receives a new 20.3-megapixel image
sensor that is more light-sensitive and a
speedy hybrid autofocus system that can
lock onto a target in just 80ms. Around back
is a Super AMOLED-based touchscreen that is
brighter than before. What’s more, the
display can now tilt in addition to swivel for
a bit more flexibility when shooting.
The camera will launch with a pair of new
lens as well: a quiet f/2-2.8 unit and a
powered f/3.5-5.6 that’s said to be adequate
for capturing video.
No word yet on pricing or availability for
either model but with any luck, that
information will come down the pipeline
sometime during CES next week.