Samsung's NX camera due for late 2009 or early 2010, uses proprietary lens system
By Paul Miller 
posted September 6th 2009 9:09AM
posted September 6th 2009 9:09AM
posted September 6th 2009 9:09AM
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it's nice to see them making smaller bodies just so they can stick massive lenses on them.
Fantastic.
Just what we need. Another consumer electronics giant getting in on the current craze.
I'm just trying figure out how they will purport that their optics will be that much better than any of the established players to deserve it's very own system and mount (with no legacy).
I'm guessing they're hoping to recruit other manufacturers to their cause. That said, I can't help thinking this is going nowhere fast. They have very tough competition in this space: Micro Four-Thirds.
Good Luck launching new lens system.
Though personally, having held in my hands Canon 1000D, I fail too see what/how can be improved without making sensor (consequently - and most importantly - lenses) smaller.
I wish they'd simply joined FourThirds. The sensor quality gap is closing pretty fast, having made most of counter arguments already irrelevant. Especially considering that the Sammy's new system isn't targeted at professional photography.
Or let me put it other way.
Unless Samsung wouldn't manage to bring 2-3 other major companies aboard the new system (at least one lens OEM (e.g. Tamron or Sigma) and one body/sensor OEM (Canon or Sony)), I think we are all to witness another slow motion soap opera, similar to that featuring Feveon and Sigma.
By removing the mirror box, as they have here, you can place the rear element of the lens closer to the sensor. This allows for wideangle to normal range lenses with little to no retrofocusing.
DSLR? Now, dear Engadget, can you show me where's the mirror in this camera?
Oh yeah.... It's E.V.I.L. camera: Electronic Viewfinder, Interchangeable Lens
P.S. Evil wikimedia killed the article. Only reference remained is here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evil_%28disambiguation%29
That snub where the pop-up lens sleeps, looks a lot like it holds a pentaprism.
I'd call it a DSLR too if I only saw it through glass.
My guess:
Pentax is making the lenses (I doubt they will differ glass-wise).
Most of the work would be in the body and electronics of the lenses. I doubt new glass will be made for a whole new line-up, Olympus-style.
Seems there's enough similar here (sensor size being the biggie) to make electronics changes and mechanical mount changes to use existing glass under the NX banner. Still, it's some work that needs to be done but not half as much risk and work as Olympus did getting Four Thirds off the ground and fleshed-out to where it is today (their decisions and market acceptance can be debated, too, I'm sure).
The distance the sensor is from the mount flange is much more important than the sensor size.
They could use any size or shape sensor they want but to use existing lenses, the sensor plane needs to be where the optics are designed for it to be. The sensor couldn't be bigger than the lens allows without fall off. It could be smaller. It could also be smaller and dithering away to give a crop factor.
However, the greater the crop factor, the higher performing the lens would have to be so as motto show flaws.
I still want the Panasonic GF1.
I may consider buying this Samsung if it's priced under the 200 $ mark, but since I stopped beliving in Santa long ago I'm still gonna save my pennies for the GF1
You're delusional if you think there will be a camera like this under 200 $ mark.
The sensor gap is actually showing more now than before with cheaper Fullframe bodies. (Micro-)fourthird has its niche, but for quality it will never be one of the better choices.
A 1000d is as basic as a dslr ever should be, improvements on it as numberous. in fact, I wouldnt suggest the 1000d to anybody.
It's the same quality as APS-C and APS-C has the overwhelming majority of the dSLR market. So how can you call the quality insufficient?
One of the biggest questions I haven't seen raised is whether their autofocus performance will be up to snuff. With no mirror and prism mechanism and thus no Phase Detect AF, they'll have to rely on Contrast Detect, which, from what I've been told gets harder as the sensors size grows. Panasonic has this licked as seen on their M43rds cameras. The E-P1 serves as an example on the other end of the performance range. Take a look at Live View AF performance on other APS-C cameras to see how bad it can get.
If I didn't misread, It looks like Samsung NX will use Samsung's own mount.
It's CRAZY thing.
Give up K mount? lol.
Rest in peace, NX.
The K-mount's [~45mm] flange distance is far too long to be used on this style of camera. It would defeat the benefit of removing the mirror, which is to bring the lens closer to the sensor and thus reducing demand for retrofocus designs (and no, you can't just put the existing mount closer).
Plothole, but what about the angle of incoming light? My understanding of technology was that unlike film sensors are not very good at collecting light falling at shallow angles.
@Dummy00001
Though this is a potential issue, microlenses have improved matters considerably compared to earlier sensors. Basically you can get away with less extreme retrofocus designs than would be needed for the longer dSLR mount. Especially at slower apertures.
You have GOT to be shitting me. Yet another wannabe-DSLR model. This won't make it out of R&D. Mark my words.
You have no idea what you're talking about.
This is no DSLR. However it does still have interchangeable lenses and a large sensor. What's missing is the mirror box. Taking that out allows for both a smaller camera and (at least in the wideangle to normal range) smaller lenses. It also makes things like video recording more practical.
@Plothole. Son, I have EVERY idea of what I'm talking about. I'm not going to go on and on, bragging about my qualifications, like most do on here. But lets just say I know more than you. K? Have a nice week.
If you know what you're talking about, instead of making ridiculously elitist remarks how about you try and prove it?
@Plothole...again: LOL. Prove it? What are you 12? Run along now kid, before your parents catch you on the computer past your bed time.
Tom Servo, you look like the child here.
How about you stop hiding your ignorance behind insults?
You've probably never seen a product that's still in R&D.
They're usually shaped a like a small stick and have a glowing ball at the top.
Then the designers and engineers step in to make it usable and good looking. Which this camera definitely is.
Seriously considering this as my next cam if there is a good selection of bright primes. I want an EVIL camera, but the 4/3 system doesn't do it for me since the small sensor + lack of bright prime lenses doesn't give depth of field that is shallow enough. Also, Oly and Panny really try to milk your wallet with the prices of their lenses.
Well Panasonic is releasing the 20mm f/1.7 with the GF1. Plus you can always adapt M-mount lenses like the Voigtlander 40mm f/1.4 (giving its longer flange distance, this probably won't be possible on the NX mount).
It's also $400, which would get you a f/1.4 lens in 35mm format. To get a similar DOF with 4/3s, you'll need around a f/1.0 lens.