Our hands-on preview of Samsung's new NX10 hybrid system camera

[DPNow]

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In less than a year since announcing its intention to develop a mirror-less interchangeable lens hybrid camera system, Samsung has announced the NX10, and it will ship later this month. We have no less than 35 unique images of the NX10, and its three companion lenses. Read our first impressions of the Samsung NX10.

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[Ian]

So Samsung has joined the digital camera jet-set with its new NX hybrid mirror-less interchangeable camera system.

I've been fortunate to have spent a couple of sessions handling a pre-production NX10, and the three lenses that the system will rely on to start with. I'm impressed by the EVF, even though it's lower resolution than that of Panasonic Lumix (on the G1 and GH1) and Olympus (Pen E-P2).

I've not yet been able to make a side by side comparison with the NX10 and any other cameras so far, but it certainly appears to be smaller and lighter than the smallest DSLRs, but its DSLR styling (with the 'pentaprism' hump), lenses make it feel larger than the most obvious comparison, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1. This could be legacy of the larger APS-C sensor that Samsung has elected to use.

What does impress me is the EVF, which worked very well in low light, and the AMOLED screen - very crisp, and offering fantastic viewing angles.

As I believe I have said before - we're in a golden age of camera evolution at the moment. I don't think Samsung will be the last to launch a hybrid system either...

Ian

[Bob Ross]

Hi Ian,
It looks like we have another stepping stone down the "NoFlex"path with some new inovations and component evolutions.
I thought the inclusion of the AMOLED screen was the high point in the design, but hoped for AMOLED in the EVF, too. Another review doesn't rank the EVF as high as you do, so there may be some subjective element to the EVF experience and it may be a "see for yourself" feature during the maturing of the designs.
At the moment, I get the feeling that the participants are trying to make the perfect "Digital Chicken Noodle Soup" and no one has Granny's original recipe. Eventually they will "get it" and it will smell good, look good, taste good, have the mouth feel and you'll want a second bowl full......
Bob

[Ian]

This news has not generated as much interest as I was expecting. Maybe it's to do with the timing - the first day back at work after the Christmas and New Year break?

The NX10 has a number of interesting new features (AMOLED screen, to start with) and claims better sensor performance than the current Panasonic sensor-quipped MFTs. We don't know price yet of course. I was a little disappointed that the Pentax K mount adapter won't have any electronic connections, so it's a completely manual affair.

Ian

[Bob Ross]

Hi Ian,
It may have to wait until some units are actually in knowledgeable hands to see what the Samsung delivers. The camera, itself, could be a base unit that could be modified by other mfrs. Pentax is the obvious candidate to make one that would be able to use legacy lenses and even Leica could use this for their proposed "Solution" for R users. If it proves that the APS sensor can be viable for shorter lens registers, without off-set microlenses, then we have a valid evolutionary step.
The mFT system came to the board with a huge lens (with adapters) inventory. The Live View making legacy manual lenses easier to use gave it appeal to a wide group of users, other than the targeted consumer of P&Ss. This gave the mFT a cheap advertising advantage of people asking advanced potogs, what should they move up to and being handed a mFT to try. The Samsung may be confined by a proprietory lens system. That was a concern about the FT system but look at us now going on seven years. Do we have a slow start?
Bob

[Ian]

Samsung UK announced the rest of their new cameras, including compacts, and formally presented the NX10 to the UK press in London yesterday afternoon.

Things I learned: the price, with kit lens will almost certainly be £599, which is about the same price as an Olympus Pen E-P1 or Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 with a standard zoom. Or, in DSLR currency, about the same price of a Canon EOS-500D (EOS Rebel T1i), with standard zoom.

The dedicated flash system for the NX10 is not compatible with flash units for the GX10/20 DSLRs.

Samsung UK revealed that in 2009 the UK hybrid market was worth £15 million and saw sales of 26,000 units. They also predicted that 2010 would see the market value rise to £45 million, and 100,000 hybrid cameras would be sold. Samsung has shifted over a million cameras a year in the UK (compacts and DSLRs) for the last three years.

Ian