Samsung shows it’s not just re-branding Pentax DSLRs any more
If you think Samsung DSLRs are re-badged Pentaxes, Samsung would like to say that your old assumptions are getting out of date. There is no denying that the new Pentax K20D and the Samsung GX20 share a lot of common DNA, but they also exhibit some features unique to their respective brands. And Samsung has taken a big step in balancing up the sourcing of key components. Instead of using Sony off the shelf CCD sensors from Sony like, as Pentax and Samsung have done in the past, Samsung has produced a brand new 14 megapixel CMOS sensor, featuring live view, co-designed with Pentax, for the GX20 and K20D.
Samsung’s prototype wireless connection grip communicates with the camera body via a short USB lead.
Samsung also showed a prototype of its forthcoming wireless grip. I understand that this, and the standard Samsung power grip, won’t be compatible with the Pentax K20D. Apparently there are small, but important, differences in the mechanical fit of the two versions of the camera.
Proof if need be, the Samsung GX-20 in the hand has just wirelessly transmitted the image being displayed in the big screen in the background.
Innovations like the wireless grip from Samsung are indicative of the company’s core focus on flat panel TVs, which has also driven the provision of HDMI connectivity so you can display your pictures in all their High Definition glory on compatible HD TVs.
The production version of the wireless grip will be re-styled, but Samsung doesn’t apparently have an answer for the problem of the connection port flap which is open and vulnerable to damage when the grip is installed.
Pentax and Samsung continue to cooperate very closely at the technical level, but they will also be differentiating their DSLR products further. Meanwhile, some big differences in the commercial imperatives of the two companies are making the headline, as Samsung has chosen to price the GX20 considerably cheaper than the Pentax K20D. We’ll be keeping an eye on this.
