Jan 5, 2010, 17:55
Here's an attempt by one manufacturer to push the boundaries of innovation - Samsung has announced the new NX series of mirrorless, interchangeable lens "DSLR" cameras - not sure if you can call it a true DSLR since the "R" stands for the Reflex mirror which projects the image up to the optical viewfinder in a traditional DSLR. Anyway, the NX10 features a 14.6 megapixel APS-C sized sensor and a kicker - a VGA electronic viewfinder since it doesn't have a reflex mirror. It also has a 3.0 inch AMOLED screen at the back, which is supposed to be much superior to traditional LCD screens in terms of refresh rate, viewing angles, power consumption and visibility in sunlight.
http://www.dpreview.com/news/1001/10010402samsungnx.asp
It sounds like a very interesting concept to me, and would certainly like to see how well it succeeds in the marketplace. Major advantages to the design are definitely a more compact size due to not having to house mirrors and a optical viewfinder mechanism, and also with an EVF there is flexibility in what is displayed - different information overlays, viewing exactly what is seen by the sensor, etc.
However, the two major downsides to this design I can see is (1) the EVF and (2) the completely new mount system. My experience with EVFs in the past are range from "adequate" to "barely usable" due to refresh rate (you can literally wave your hand in front and see the lag in the viewfinder updating) and also the poor resolution which will never give as good or clear an image as an optical viewfinder. On this front, I think the VGA (300K pixel count) is not going to help much - with my previous camera with an 300K pixel EVF, you could literally see the pixels - it's almost like staring at a mini LCD monitor up close.
Also, the Samsung GX lineup was based on a Pentax design and as a result, (correct me if I'm wrong) users could also use a subset of Pentax lenses and were not restricted to Samsung only branded lenses. This new camera has a new lens system which will definitely limit lens choice (at launch they will only offer a standard zoom, tele zoom and a pancake 30mm).
Interesting times indeed - I certainly applaud Samsung for their innovation. Again, this is blurring the lines between the compact realm and the traditional DSLR - it borrows the sensor and lens system from a DSLR but essentially houses them body with features more akin to a compact digital camera. This formula could definitely work although I have a feeling it might be more of a niche market like the Panasonic GF1 or the Pentax EP-1 / EP-2.
Thoughts?
http://www.dpreview.com/news/1001/10010402samsungnx.asp
It sounds like a very interesting concept to me, and would certainly like to see how well it succeeds in the marketplace. Major advantages to the design are definitely a more compact size due to not having to house mirrors and a optical viewfinder mechanism, and also with an EVF there is flexibility in what is displayed - different information overlays, viewing exactly what is seen by the sensor, etc.
However, the two major downsides to this design I can see is (1) the EVF and (2) the completely new mount system. My experience with EVFs in the past are range from "adequate" to "barely usable" due to refresh rate (you can literally wave your hand in front and see the lag in the viewfinder updating) and also the poor resolution which will never give as good or clear an image as an optical viewfinder. On this front, I think the VGA (300K pixel count) is not going to help much - with my previous camera with an 300K pixel EVF, you could literally see the pixels - it's almost like staring at a mini LCD monitor up close.
Also, the Samsung GX lineup was based on a Pentax design and as a result, (correct me if I'm wrong) users could also use a subset of Pentax lenses and were not restricted to Samsung only branded lenses. This new camera has a new lens system which will definitely limit lens choice (at launch they will only offer a standard zoom, tele zoom and a pancake 30mm).
Interesting times indeed - I certainly applaud Samsung for their innovation. Again, this is blurring the lines between the compact realm and the traditional DSLR - it borrows the sensor and lens system from a DSLR but essentially houses them body with features more akin to a compact digital camera. This formula could definitely work although I have a feeling it might be more of a niche market like the Panasonic GF1 or the Pentax EP-1 / EP-2.
Thoughts?