My Samsung K-Zoom

My Old Samsung Phone

It took me a while before I shifted into a smart phone. For me the short battery life was the deal breaker. Maybe I am just lazy, but I do not like charging all the time. Second was the price. I do not like spending for expensive items that depreciates quickly in terms of value.

But one day, technology caught up with me. Smart phones became an essential part of my daily life because of Viber and other disruptive applications. SMS and calls are no longer enough to communicate and do business with other people.

And since I had no choice but to buy one, I made sure that I would be happy and contented with it, for a long time. I do not need top of the line high end phones that just came out. I just need a phone that will run the applications that I need. And a very good camera because I like taking pictures.

Samsung S4 Zoom

2013 was the year Samsung first came out with a hybrid smartphone and camera. It was then called Samsung S4-Zoom. I saw this at a mall once and was very impressed with the picture quality, manual zoom, and of course the phone capabilities.

When I was looking for a phone last December 2015, I wondered if it was still available. Luckily that time there was already a third generation called Samsung K-Zoom. This model is now a lot slimmer compared to its bulky predecessor. And since it is no longer being offered as brand new, I was able to buy a slightly used one for around $150.

Samsung K Zoom 2

Essential features that you need to know about this phone are the following: It has 4.8 inches screen size and a resolution of 720 x 1280, Single SIM slot, Android 4.4.2 KitKat which cannot be upgraded, Hexa-core CPU, Internal 8GB Ram Storage, 2GB Ram Memory, Micro SD Upto 64 GB, Back Camera 20.7 MP 10x Manual Zoom + 10x Digital, and front cam with 2MP. Other technical features you can browse at GSM Arena.

For me it was quite fast at first, but after a while it became sluggish, specially the SMS messages. Most of the time it heats up big time and causes the phone to restart. Big bummer when you are lost and currently using Waze or Google Maps. For me it’s not a very good phone if you are heavy user, but if you just need one and love to take pictures, then I can recommend this. Just always keep a power bank handy.

What I loved about it is the camera. Especially on how people react with amazement when they see the zoom lens come out of the thin casing. Manual zoom is always good compared to digital ones because you get clearer images. I did my share of bird watching and I got some pretty decent shots with it.

The first time I bought it, I tried the zoom capability on the screw I saw on the floor and I immediately loved it.

Aside from the built-in modes, you can also play around with the manual settings of the camera. I am not a professional photographer so what I did was just to adjust the settings and took a lot of shots.

Date Taken	11/16/2016 22:10		Date Taken	11/16/2016 22:17
Dimension	5184 x 3888		Dimension	5184 x 3888
Size	706 KB		Size	698 KB
Camera Maker	SAMSUNG		Camera Maker	SAMSUNG
Camera Model	SM-C115L		Camera Model	SM-C115L
F-Stop	f/18.4		F-Stop	f/6.3
Exposure Time	1/45 sec.		Exposure Time	1/180 sec.
ISO Speed	ISO 400		ISO Speed	ISO-200
Exposure Bias	+1 step		Exposure Bias	-1 step
Focal Length	44 mm		Focal Length	44 mm
Max Aperture	3.26		Max Aperture	3.26
Metering Mode	Average		Metering Mode	Average
Flash Mode	No Flash		Flash Mode	No flash
35mm Focal Length	245		35mm Focal Length	245

Aside from zooming in, I also love close up shots, especially if is is food. Yum!

Last but not the least, what I love about this phone is how easy you can capture jump shots. With other phones or cameras you have to be quick and get the perfect timing, which can take a while and a lot of blurred or imperfect shots.

With the camera app on this phone, you just have to touch and hold the screen then release your finger at the moment you want to capture the shot. Perfect jump shots every time.

I had this phone for almost two years now, and I hope Samsung will release a new model, or if not, I hope the next smartphone I buy will also give me the same or better experience than my Samsung K Zoom.

Hashtags: #SamsungPhone #SmartphoneExperience #CameraPhone #SamsungKZoom #HybridPhone #PhoneFeatures #ZoomLens #CameraCapabilities #PhonePhotography #JumpShots