Samsung goes for the super compact mirrorless system camera market

Samsung has unveiled a brand new mirrorless interchangeable lens system camera, or compact system camera, with the emphasis on 'compact'. Called the Samsung NX Mini, Samsung appears to be following in the wake of Nikon 1 and Pentax Q, both of whom have chosen to pursue the route of mirrorless system cameras sporting much smaller sensors than anyone else. With a smaller sensor you can build a really small camera with tiny lenses. Samsung has opted to go for the 1 inch sensor, which is the same size used by Nikon in the Nikon 1 system. This has a cropping factor of 2.7, so a lens of say, 50mm focal length on a standard full frame 135 format camera will have the same field of view as an 18.5mm NX Mini lens.

Three NX M mount lenses have been introduced to start with; a 9mm f/3.5 ED (24mm wide angle equivalent), 9-27mm f/3.5-5.6 ED OIS (24-72mm), and a 17mm f/1.8 ED (46mm). The sensor at the heart of the MX Mini is a 20.5 megapixel back-side illuminated (BSI) device. We're pretty sure the NX Mini uses an on-sensor electronic shutter and the fastest shutter speed is an impressive 1/16000th second. The camera is also able to shoot sequentially at 6 frames per second.

Connectivity is high on the list of priorities for the NX Mini with support for NFC Wi-Fi pairing and the camera is supported by a smartphone app for remote shooting and image sharing. As with earlier Samsung compacts you need to use smartphone-style microSD cards instead of the more usual larger SD/SDHC cards. While the design of the NX Mini appears to be aimed at the fashion-conscious, Samsung sees the camera as a serious photographic tool and is bundling a copy of Adobe Lightroom 5 with each camera.

Below is a series of product photos supplied by Samsung and we hope to bring more information and a hands-on report in the near future. Page 2 of this article contains the Samsung press release and some technical specifications.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Samsung NX Mini press release and specifications

Samsung press release:

Shoot outstanding images in style with stylish interchangeable-lens camera

London, UK - March 19, 2014 – Samsung Electronics announced today the launch of the NX mini, a slim and light interchangeable-lens camera. The portable and stylish design of the NX mini combined with its image quality means you can capture special moments in stunning detail. With NFC and Wi-Fi capabilities, you can take impressive shots that you can then share quickly and easily with your friends straight away. 

With its slim and light interchangeable-lens, the NX mini is the ultimate way to capture life on the go. Weighing only 158g (body only) and sporting an ultra slim (22.5mm) design, the NX mini can easily slip into almost any pocket or bag, yet still provide the results passionate photographers demand. The camera features a solid premium metal body with a luxurious leather finish, making the camera the natural choice for style-conscious shooters looking to make a statement. Available in three different colours (white, mint green and black) you can choose the colour that best suits your style.

The 'selfie' has found a permanent place in vocabularies across the world in recent years and its popularity shows no sign of stopping. Reflecting this recent consumer trend, the NX mini has a range of exclusive features which make taking amazing selfies effortless. With a 75.2mm (3.0-inch) Flip up and Touch Display that rotates 180-degrees, you can frame images perfectly. The NX mini's powerful optical performance provides crisp, clear, quality images, to ensure that whoever is being photographed always looks their best. With the ultra-slim 9mm wide angle lens, the NX mini can capture group shots from an arm's length away, so you can easily frame groups.

Maintaining a flattering pose while also attempting to press the shutter release button when self-shooting can be tricky, but the NX mini's Wink shot feature makes it the perfect hands-free way to capture the real you. You simply have to set up the shot and then wink at the camera to capture the image. Once a wink is detected, the NX mini takes a shot automatically after two seconds, without having to press any buttons. 

Despite its slim appearance, the NX mini packs a big performance. It has a large 1-inch type 20.5MP BSI CMOS Sensor which enables you to take high quality images, ensuring no details are missed. With the highest resolution in its class, pictures captured with the NX mini burst with vivid colour.

The NX mini's impressively fast 6fps Continuous Shot mode allows you to take continuous shots, so every detail can be captured and no moments are missed. The fast 1/16000 sec Shutter Speed freezes fast moving scenes, allowing for the dramatic capture of motion in crisp detail, without blurring.

Paul Scott, Head of Product Marketing DI & Accessories, Samsung Electronics UK and Ireland said: "The NX range is all about innovation and our latest addition, the NX mini, gives our customers an amazing set of new features to enjoy within a fantastically designed device. Whilst features such as the 'Wink' shot will appeal to a broad consumer base, others including the interchangeable lens and 20.5MP BSI CMOS Sensor means there's also something for professional photographers too."

Tag & Go, Simply Tap to Share Memories

As with all of Samsung's 2014 SMART cameras, the NX mini features advanced Wi-Fi and NFC integration that makes it seamless to share images. Exclusive to Samsung, Tag & Go connectivity allows the NX mini to pair with NFC-enabled devices, such as smartphones or tablets, simply by touching the two together. Once paired, you can:
·         Select and transfer multiple images to the paired mobile devices through Mobile Link;
·         Send images on up to four devices with Group Share, eliminating the time-consuming and repetitive process of sending pictures to multiple friends;
·         Control the NX mini via a smartphone with Remote View finder Pro;
·         Use the camera as a Baby Monitor. When noise is detected, the paired smartphone is activated via an app, allowing parents to see if they need to attend to their child.

Additionally, extensive storage options are integrated into the NX mini and images can be uploaded directly from the camera to the cloud for an easy storage solution. You can upload pictures directly from the NX mini to both Dropbox and Flickr. Dropbox provides 2GB of free storage to new users, accessible from just about any device and with Flickr you can upload up to a terabyte of images. With all the storage and sharing technology built into the NX mini, it's easier than ever to share and store beautiful images.

Specialised NX-M Lenses for NX mini

Samsung has introduced three NX mini lenses (NX-M) which are optimised for use with the NX mini body, providing a variety of options to meet individual shooting preferences.

·          The NX-M 9mm F3.5 ED lens has an ultra-slim design and its wide angle makes it the ideal choice for those capturing landscapes and self-portraits. This lens also provides the optimum angle for taking selfies, ensuring the camera becomes the go-to choice for those looking to share the best of themselves.
·          The NX-M 9-27mm F3.5-5.6 ED OIS lens is a micro-compact zoom lens with a stylish design and is small enough to comfortably fit in pockets and bags. This compact-sized standard zoom lens offers a variety of shooting options from wide-angle to telephoto shots, with optical image stabilisation for sharp results.
·          With the NX-M 17mm F1.8 OIS lens, photographers can enjoy a beautiful bokeh effect which makes the highly detailed subject stand out from the surroundings.

You will also be able to use fifteen NX lenses with the device by using a specialised NX-M Mount Adapter (ED-MA4NXM). These lenses are sold separately.
-ENDS-

Note to Editors

Samsung NX mini Product Specifications:

Image Sensor	20.5 effective megapixel BSI CMOS sensor
Display	75.2mm (3.0-inch) Flip up and Touch LCD Screen HVGA(320x480) 460.8k dots
View finder	N/A
Flash	Built-in Flash: Guide Number 4.9 (at ISO160, 24mm), Guide Number 4 (at ISO100, 24mm)
	[Optional] External Flash / SEF7A: Guide Number 8 (at ISO160, 24mm), Guide Number 7 (at ISO100, 24mm)
ISO	Auto, 160, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400, 12800 * Extended Range 100-25600
Image	JPEG (3:2): 20.0M (5472x3648), 10.1M (3888x2592), 5.9M (2976x1984), 2.0M (1728x1152), JPEG (16:9): 16.9M (5472x3080), 7.8M (3712x2088), 4.9M (2944x1656), 2.1M (1920x1080) JPEG (1:1：13.3M (3648x3648), 7.0M (2640x2640), 4.0M (2000x2000), 1.1M (1024x1024) 5.0M Burst mode only
	JPEG Burst mode: 5.0M (2736x1824)
	RAW: 20.0M (5472x3648)
Video	MP4 (H.264, Audio AAC): Full HD 1920x1080/30p, 1280x720/30p, 640x480/30p, 320x240/30p
Video Output	HDMI 1.3a
Value-added Features	Tag & Go (NFC/Wi-Fi)
	SMART Mode: Beauty Face, Best Face, Landscape, Macro, Action Freeze, Rich Tone, Panorama, Waterfall, Silhouette, Sunset, Night, Firework, Light Trace, Continuous Shot, Kids Shot, Food, Parties and Indoors
	Image SMART Filter: Miniature, Vignetting, Soft Focus, Sketch, Fish Eye, Classic, Retro, Oil Paint, Cartoon, Ink Painting, Cross Filter, Zooming Shot
	Video SMART Filter: Miniature, Vignetting, Sketch, Fish Eye
Wi-Fi Connectivity	IEEE 802.11b/g/n support (Smart Camera 3.0)   . AutoShare   . SNS & Cloud   . Email   . Auto Backup   . Remote View finder Pro   . Mobile Link   . Samsung Link   . Group Share   . Photo Beam   . Baby Monitor
NFC	Advanced Passive NFC(Wired NFC)
Bundle PC software	Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom® 5, i-Launcher
Storage	MicroSD, MicroSDHC, MicroSDXC, UHS-I MicroSD Support
Battery	B740AE/B740AC/B740AU/B740AK (3.8V/ 2330mAh) * The battery specifications or model may differ by region B740AE(Global-2330mAh) B740AK(Korea) B740AU(USA) B740AC(China)
Dimension (WxHxD)	110.4 x 61.9 x 22.5mm (excluding projections)
Weight	158g excluding battery, (196g with battery)

 

Samsung NX-M 9mm F3.5 ED Lens Specifications

Focal Length	9mm (equivalent to 24.3mm in 35mm format)
Elements in Groups	6 elements in 5 groups (1 Aspherical lens, 1 Extra-low Dispersion lens, 1 Xtreme High Refractive lens)
Angle of View	83.4°
Aperture	F3.5 (Min. F13), (Number of Blades : 5 , Circular Aperture Diaphragm)
Minimum Focus Distance	0.11m
Maximum Magnification	Approx. 0.11x
Mount Type	NX M  Mount
Dimension (DxL)	50.0 x 12.5mm
Weight	31g

 

Samsung NX-M 9-27mm F3.5-5.6 ED OIS Lens Specifications

Focal Length	9-27mm (equivalent to 24.3-72.9mm in 35mm format)
Elements in Groups	9 elements in 8 groups (2 Aspherical lens, 1 Extra-low Dispersion lens)
Angle of View	83.4° - 33.1°
Aperture	F3.5 - 5.6 (Min. F11), (Number of Blades : 7 , Circular Aperture Diaphragm)
Optical Image Stabilizer	Yes
Minimum Focus Distance	Wide 0.14m, Tele 0.2m
Maximum Magnification	Approx. 0.1x (Wide), 0.18x (Tele)
Filter Size	Ø39
Mount Type	NX M  Mount
Dimension (DxL)	50.0 x 29.5mm
Weight	73g

 

Samsung NX-M 17mm F1.8 OIS Lens Specifications

Focal Length	17mm (equivalent to 45.9mm in 35mm format)
Elements in Groups	8 elements in 5 groups (2 Aspherical lens, 1 Xtreme High Refractive lens)
Angle of View	50.5°
Aperture	F1.8 (Min. F11), (Number of Blades : 5 , Circular Aperture Diaphragm)
Optical Image Stabilizer	Yes
Minimum Focus Distance	0.18m
Maximum Magnification	0.11x
Filter Size	Ø39
Mount Type	NX M  Mount
Dimension (DxL)	50.0 x 27.5mm

*All functionality, features, specifications and other product information provided in this document including, but not limited to, the benefits, design, pricing, components, performance, availability, and capabilities of the product are subject to change without notice or obligation.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in technology, opening new possibilities for people everywhere. Through relentless innovation and discovery, we are transforming the worlds of TVs, smartphones, tablets, PCs, cameras, home appliances, printers, LTE systems, medical devices, semiconductors and LED solutions. We employ 286,000 people across 80 countries with annual sales of US$216.7 billion. To discover more, please visit www.samsung.com.