Samsung's hybrid NX Series camera: point-and-shoot with DSLR-like image sensor
By Darren Murph 
posted Mar 2nd 2009 8:00AM
posted Mar 2nd 2009 8:00AM
Update: It looks like the NX-series does have interchangeable lenses -- a press shot we just received shows what look to be a couple different zooms.
SAMSUNG'S NX SERIES, HYBRID DIGITAL CAMERAS MAKE GLOBAL DEBUT AT PMA 2009
NX Series Offers APS-C Image Sensor, Bridges Gap Between Compact Digital Cameras and DSLRs
SEOUL, KOREA – March 2, 2009 – Samsung Digital Imaging Co., Ltd. used PMA 2009 as the global launching pad for the NX Series, the company's revolutionary new family of hybrid digital cameras. A new concept digital camera, the NX Series offers the performance and image quality of a DSLR and the portability and convenience of a compact point-and-shoot. With the NX Series, Samsung will become a global leader in the new hybrid market.
Samsung's new NX Series bridges the gap between a DSLR and compact point-and-shoot digital camera by combining the benefits of both in one new model. Like conventional DSLRs, the NX Series utilizes an APS-C sized image sensor providing a much larger surface area to gather light and produce higher-quality images than comparable digital camera systems. Unlike a DSLR, the NX Series does not feature a mirror box and employs an ultra-precise Electronic Viewfinder (EVF). The use of an EVF has allowed Samsung engineers to significantly reduce the size and weight of the new camera system by decreasing the distance between the lens and image sensor (flange back) by approximately 60% compared to traditional DSLRs. In addition to utilizing the EVF, consumers can also take advantage of the camera's Live View functionality to frame their shots on the NX Series' high-resolution screen.
Samsung has recently intensified its focus on the digital imaging market and established a separate company dedicated exclusively to digital imaging in Samsung Digital Imaging Company. The new company was formed to focus on the development of its digital still cameras around world's first and best in class features, design, and easy-to-use interfaces, and will work towards achieving the company's stated goal of becoming the world's leading digital imaging company.
"We estimate that the hybrid digital camera market will be over 20% of the global digital still camera market by 2012," said Sang-jin Park, CEO of Samsung Digital Imaging Company. "With the release of the NX Series, a digital camera that combines the strengths of a DSLR and compact digital camera, Samsung Digital Imaging will become a global leader in the new hybrid digital camera market and achieve the company's goal to become the global leader in the digital camera market by 2012."
Samsung Digital Imaging Company also creates a much more efficient vertical alignment between related Samsung affiliate business units including semiconductor, LCD panel and consumer electronics. This new vertical alignment will create competitive advantages for Samsung by fostering greater collaboration between Samsung affiliate business units and allowing the company to develop and deliver highly-innovative digital imaging products that set the standard for the industry, including the newly unveiled NX Series.
The first model of NX Series will be available in the second-half of 2009.
you do realize that the canon sx1 has bridged this gap already being the first point and shoot to have a real CMOS sensor.
The Canon has a cute little 1/2" sensor, while this one has an APS-C sensor. Check out the difference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:SensorSizes.svg
it's the size that is amazing not the fact that it is or is not cmos ...
APS-C is way bigger, so less noise ...
Bridging the gap is not about sensor technology (CCD vs CMOS) but about sensor size. DSLR don’t have a better image quality than Non-DSLRs because of their CMOS sensor but because their sensors are much bigger. The SX1’s image quality is not better – maybe even a little worse – than that of its CCD equivalent, the SX10. A CMOS sensor was used because that way you get speed advantages (4 fps vs 1.4 fps). So don’t buy the SX1 if you want better image quality than with the SX10. And for the love of cute kittens, don’t expect DSLR-like image quality from either the SX1 or the SX10
actually you gotta do a little research. the wiki page you gave doesn't even have the sensor that is in the sx1 as it is huge (58.4mm)
@ Canon,
I try not to be misleading when I make a post that contributes to one's understanding on how things work, so I was concerned when you said I need to do my research. I dd. The Canon SX1 has a pathetic, small sensor that is less than 1/2". It is not huge. The sensor in this camera has ten times the surface area of the Canon SX1.
You can't bridge that gap with an EVF. EVFs are terrible.
Supposedly the EVF used in the Panasonic G1 (micro four thirds) is great. That sets a good standard for these types of cameras.
Personally I wouldn't like to use an EVF either, but this sensor class in a P&S camera is a major step forward.
That may have been the case on older bridge cameras, but the Panasonic G1 has changed the game on that front. Its EVF is both larger and easier to use then any of the entry level DSLR's.
The EVF in the Panasonic G1, the micro-fourthirds system that's a rival to this, does 180fps at 1440000 dots. 60fps each for R, G, and B.
It's an excellent EVF. One advantage this EVF has over OVF is that its much much brighter then a normal optical system. This is because it doesn't rely on the light reflected from within the lens to illuminate the viewfinder.
There's still lag and low light noise on the EVF. Which makes them bad for action and low light photography.
Give me mirrors or give me death.
*Gives ehisforadam death.*
And so are the viewing tunnels of the Nikon D40 & Co. Compared to those I would probably prefer a EVF. Also, this Samsung won't be as loud as a DSLR (my Pentax DSLR makes peoples heads turn... it's much louder than most built in camera sounds!). I really hope they use a non crippled Pentax lens mount, and when doing MF the center has to be magnified, including showing in what direction one should focus. When the UI is well done, it has the right controls and accepts all my lenses, I can see this sort of camera replacing a DSLR for me.
"we love lens selection, so sue us" Well it certainly looks to me like this things has a detachable lens, what with that big honking lens release button on the left side. As for Four Thirds, they has the poorest selection of any system.
You took the words out of my mouth, engadget, hire someone who know's what he's talking about.
My Canon S2IS from 2006 has a big button on the side of the lens, but it's not to change lenses, but to release adapters for filters on the end of the lens, like where the threaded ring is on an SLR lens.
You'll notice that this Samsung has 2 buttons beside the lens, like a lot of DSLRs, normally one for lens release and the other for DOF preview. In other words, it isn't a S2IS.
The SX1 has a CMOS sensor, but doesn't have dSLR like noise level though. As good as it is though, reviews seems to suggest the CMOS sensor is not a whole lot better then its non-HD video, non-16:9 CCD brother SX10 in the noise department. But yes, this form factor is pretty much a SX1.
I wonder what are the two buttons at the front of this samsung concept? Lense release and DOF preview? May be just a prototype dummy.
Yes, EVFs are usually terrible, but the Lumix G1's EVF (micro four-thirds) has actually been praised to be very close to a real Dslr, as in way, way better than a normal EVF, and extremely usable. If Samsung can make something similar, then it will be very attractive.
The button next to the lens looks like a lens detach button, so I guess this means interchangeable lenses. But what mount? That would be the decision-maker/breaker for many.
And you do realize that the Canon SX1 is not the first P&S/compact with a CMOS sensor. Also, from test results, the CMOS sensor on the SX1 doesn't produce images that are comparable to DSLRs, as in not much different from its cheaper cousin, the SX10. Just CMOS does not a good camera make.
Obviously it will need to be a new mount. Since you can't just take a SLR mount and make it shorter. Though Samsung is pretty close to Pentax, so maybe they'll offer a k-mount pass-through/adapter.
Man, that's one ugly looking camera.
And what makes it so ugly?
Does this finally mean we get nice shallow DOFs through a wee point-and-shoot?!
Tonicboy: "As for Four Thirds, they has the poorest selection of any system"
Poor has a few meanings. I'm a Canon guy but saying that is having little clue of what Olympus can offer you either in legacy or actual lens selection. they can use leica, panasonic, OM lens, Zuico... I guess there is more choice you would expect.
After this fact you might want to check what the lens choice is for the 4/3s
Very true, 4/3 has a decent selection...
But a lot of their glass is quite expensive for some of it....very exotic and cool, but quite expensive (Their 70-200 f/2.8 competetor is about twice the IS Canon or VR Nikkor....amazing piece of glass but rediculously expensive)
And 3rd party selection is very ho-hum due to the 2x FOVCF
Using old lenses will be quite useless though. The 2x crop will render almost every old lens into a tele...
looks uncomfortable to me with that tiny little grip..
Not even getting into the fact that if its an EVF its going to suck
Anyways whats with the button on the left of the lens, does it have interchangeable lenses? I just cant see Pentax investing into a second lens system, and since Samsung uses their lenses on their pretty horrd little DSLR thats my most logical guess at what mount it is
And i think it looks VERY similar to that "leaked" Pentax bridge camera...
http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/01/pentax-bridge-digital-camera-image-leaked-ahead-of-pma/
I think Micro-Four Thirds and any system like it are FADS that are going to die quickly, sorry..
Oh and the Sigma DP1 beat them to it
"looks uncomfortable to me with that tiny little grip.."
"Not even getting into the fact that if its an EVF its going to suck"
Both of these claims are unsubstantiated. Cameras with "tiny little grips" have existed for decades. Leica, for instance, has no grip at all. And regarding the EVF, I hear very good things about the Panasonic G1 EVF, and I doubt Samsung is going to allow themselves to be outclassed that easily.
Hybrid eh.. well engadget you neglected to tell us how many MP-PG it gets.
DSLR-like image sensor does NOT mean the camera should look like, feel like and be as big as DSLR is. They aren't that big because they want to, they have construction limitations, can't be made much smaller without sacrificing mirror.
So basically I want DSLR-like quality in point-and-shoot size.
Samsung did the exactly opposite thing - they put 'something' into a DSLR-like body and think its 'better'.
Should have used micro 4/3 (four thirds) standard and made a compact cam with compact body and changeable lens instead.
IMO. Because I don't care if my camera looks like "professional", I don't care if I look like a "professional" with it. I care if its big and if the quality of the shots are good. The higher their quality with camera size not being changed, the better.
It looks like they forgot one of the biggest advantages of a DSLR: the large optics. It looks like the glass on the front of this camera has a diameter no greater than 1 inch; the rest of it is just ugly plastic.
It's a pancake lens. Looks very similar to the Pentax 40mm f/2.8, minus graphics and distance scale (and must be optically different for the shorter lens-focal plane distance). That would be a very nice standard lens, faster than all but the most expensive zooms, decent optical quality, and very light and small in keeping with the overall design.
As various people have mentioned above this clearly has interchangeable lenses, and an APS-C sensor which is larger than the four-thirds sensor, so every chance that it could perform even better in terms of signal to noise than the micro four-thirds.
The large optics isn't necessarily an advantage. More a side effect of having a larger sensor.
This however is obviously a pancake prime lens. Pentax makes a few of these for the K-mount. And even Olympus has one for 4:3. The advantage with a Pancake is the obvious size and weight. Traditionally the disadvantage though is that they tend to be a bit on the slow end optically... at least when compared to other primes. However the shorter mounting distance could help matters here.
Hang on, you're calling this a pocket cam?
This isn't the first point-and-shoot that has a APS-C sensor. Whoever wrote this has apparently never heard of the Sigma DP1 (and its successor the Sigma DP2). Although the DP1 isn't without flaws, it's been out for a bit over a year now. There's nothing innovative about this, aside from the fact that it is Samsung's foray into this field. Hopefully they'll deliver a better product than Sigma.
It seems that this device is aimed at the same customers as the micro 4/3 cameras. I'm wondering why they didn't mention that you can exchange lenses on this one too. I hope that:
- this will be more affordable than Lumix G1 which was way to expensive to compete with the regular ultra zoom cameras
- Nikon and Canon will come up with similiar designs and all those cameras will use lenses that are currently sold on the market.
It's nice to see some movement towards larger sensors in P&S cameras, but this just isn't small enough. At this size, you'd be better off buying a Nikon D60 or the new Olympus 620, which I'm guessing are only slightly larger and give you the advantage of interchangeable lenses, etc. I would make the same argument with the Panasonic G1. Just not small enough. Right now the only camera that really fits the bill as pocketable with DSLR image quality is the Sigma DP1.
This has interchangeable lenses. Not only that, but the shorter mounting distance means that wide angle lenses can be made significantly smaller and [potentially] cheaper.
This is why I'm hoping sometime this year we'll see replacements for the one (or all) of the following cameras with Micro 4/3 sensors:
-Canon G11 (replacing the current G10)
-Nikon P7000 (replacing the current P6000)
-Panasonic LX2 (replacing thecurrent LX1)
I'd like to see this class of cameras with bigger sensors. The pixel war has got to stop: cramming more pixels on small chips isn't going to do any good.
Umm... I just bought the Panasonic LX3.
Its strange no one has mentioned that in here. According to reviews and whatnot it is basically the best pocketable dslr-like camera out right now.
Oh, and I totally agree about the pixel wars needing to stop. Thats another reason I went with panasonic, they didn't increase the pixels for the LX3. I totally would have gotten the G10 but apparently the noise is horrendous at ISO 400 and up.
Changeable lenses anyone?
http://images.gfx.no/587/587509/NX_2.JPG.jpg
It does have an interchangeable lens. A thirty-second phone call to Samsung would have told you that.
"Looking pretty Boss"
I didn't realise that we're living in the 1990's
and we live in Newcastle.
Don't mind me pet, i'm jus gan doon the toon!
They should've just went with the Micro 4/3 system. This way you can buy lenses from other companies as well as Samsung and have the compatibility between all the systems. But it's still nice to see.
The problem with µ4:3 is that they use 4/3" sensors. At this size, the sensors have a low-light/high ISO advantage over most compacts, but a slight disadvantage over most brands of dSLR. Also it means that adapted lenses (which is one strong advantage of a short mounting distance) are cropped by a factor of 2x. With this camera they're only cropped by a factor of 1.5x.
They also probably would have had to pay to be allowed to use the Micro 4/3 system.
um... the largest advantage of a dslr over a point and shoot is the large sensor size, which they (kinda) got right with an APS-C sized sensor. the other largest advantage is interchangeable lenses (which they may or may not have? come on engadget, do some research!)
The lens is absolutely interchangeable.