[Samsung Galaxy S 4 Zoom] apprentice:
My review (as posted on Galaxy Camera Section)

So, I got the Galaxy K Zoom on launch day and my first impressions are WOW! It has far exceeded my expectations in many ways.

The build quality is really good, it feels solid and it looks really nice (I have the black one). I thought the screen might be sub standard being only 720p but it really is sharp and bright and although super AMOLED the colours are not saturated at all. They have got the balance right in my opinion and the size is right too. It doesn't feel particularly bulky or heavy and the casing is grippy.

I didn't have a lot of time but I did a quick comparison test with photographs taken from it in the same spot with my Galaxy S4 Zoom and the Galaxy Camera. I have to say the shots on the K Zoom at 10x optical were on a par with the Galaxy Camera and better than the S4 Zoom. I also tried 20x zoom that's 10 optical +10x digital and the results were far better than I expected, actually they were great. Low light level shots came out better than the Galaxy Camera as did the video recording.

There are tons of scene modes and not forgetting the excellent AF/AE mode – This lets you choose separate parts of the picture to act as exposure metering and focus points. The only thing missing oddly enough is the tilt shift (or selective focus) as seen on the S5, I am not sure why that wasn't included. I also thought there was mean't to be an LED flash in addition to the Xenon, for video use but that's missing and there's no notification LED. But no great loss.

But overall, it a massive improvement over the S4 Zoom and it's definitely good enough to replace my Galaxy Camera. It's pocketable, has full mobile phone function, better screen, battery life, interface and Android Kit-Kat on board. Missing only a tripod mount (I bought a smartphone tripod mount accessory to solve this) and that extra 10x zoom if we're talking Galaxy Camera comparison.

I have only been using it for a day but I am bowled over. I have no regrets replacing the Galaxy Camera with this baby.

---------- Post added at 03:42 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:11 PM ----------

I tried to leave a comment on your review on your blog, but it just boots me off. So I cut and paste it here:

Whilst this is an excellent in depth review, and I love the sample pics you have posted by the way! I thought I would add my findings. As I have also included a mini review above obviously I have a K Zoom and I have not experienced any crashes at all. Maybe you have a memory card issue? Also I didn't think the sound was bad at all. It's subjective granted but I have heard much worse. "Story Album" works perfect for me too, so I am wondering if you have some 3rd party app conflict. I also have no reception problems.

My biggest criticism of your review is I don't think it's fair to compare it to an S5 or HTC One M8. The K Zoom isn't a flagship top end device like the S5. So the missing features you complain of are a cost cutter and as long as the camera side performs well (which it does) then I am happy I bought it for that reason. At £360 (pre order cost) I think it's an absolute bargain. You're not going to get an S5 with an optical zoom camera for that price.