Samsung Galaxy Camera

It's only logical that Samsung would combine one of its cameras and smartphones into one device. What you get is the 16-megapixel Samsung Galaxy Camera It's a bit of a Frankenstein device—it's very large for a camera, and thick when compared to a phone. It offers 3G and 4G connectivity—although you'll have to pay a monthly fee for that privilege.

Samsung is ahead of the curve when it comes to connected cameras. The company built an excellent Wi-Fi implementation into both point-and-shoots like its WB850F and advanced interchangeable lens cameras like the NX1000.

Physical controls are nonexistent—this is not a device that is well-suited for serious shutterbugs who demand quick control over shooting settings. There's a zoom rocker built into the shutter control, a Power button, and a button to raise the flash (to lower it, simply push it down into the body).

The main reason for the size of the Galaxy is the huge 4.8-inch display. Most rear LCDs top out at 3-inches—although they do so with a 4:3 aspect ratio, the Galaxy's is wider at 16:9—and it's astounding how much different this makes using the camera as compared with a run-of-the-mill point-and-shoot.

The Galaxy Camera is big. It's bigger than any compact superzoom with which I've shot, and it's bigger than an interchangeable lens camera like the Olympus PEN Lite E-PL5. Its actual measurements 2.8 by 5.1 by 0.75 inches (HWD), and it's no featherweight at 11 ounces.

The default camera app gives you full control over the 21x (23-483mm equivalent) zoom lens. Having such a powerful zoom is one of the biggest advantages that the camera holds over smartphone cameras.

This Instagram shot was captured using the Galaxy Camera.

We took a photo of our standard test scene using the Galaxy Camera at its lowest ISO and widest focal length.

This 100 percent crop of the previous shot shows you the level of detail that the camera's 16-megapixel sensor can capture.