First shots of Samsung's NX10 'hybrid' DSLR surface
By Donald Melanson 
posted December 21st 2009 2:21PM
posted December 21st 2009 2:21PM
Update: Here's the official line on the NX10 from Samsung:
This information was not supplied by Samsung and does not represent an official announcement of the NX10. Final technical specifications and details regarding the camera system will be made available by authorized Samsung representatives at a later date, with the official launch of the product.
if it has similar specs to canon 450d aswell as 1080p 24/25/30fps, external microphone input then it could sell like hot cakes.
canon and nikon need some competition, a 2 horse race isn't good for us consumers:(
Well there is sort of Sony in the frame.
But i do think the DSLR market needs some more players - prices are far too high especially as there is demand and also because the tech moves on as quickly as it does....
@(Unverified)
Canon and Nikon are tops for a reason, but they do not lack competition. Olympus, Pentax, and Minolta-cum-Sony all provide alternatives. Panasonic is already deep into this "sort of a DSLR" role. The issue is that this Samsung seems to ride the line between both. I am not sure I get the value proposition.
@hongkongphooey
I don't disagree that more players are welcome. I also will not complain that prices could come down more. But keep in mind that price of entry to the DSLR world has drastically come down over the last 4 to 5 years and you can get a great camera for 400-500 USD.
@Curious G
Don't forget Fujifilm. Not sure where they rank in popularity compared to the others, but they also provide some serious alternatives to Canon and Nikon, especially if you want to shoot in IR and UV.
But we don't need yet another format. Who is clamoring for something "between" Micro 4/3 and APS-sized sensors? No one.
They should have made a Micro 4/3 camera and enjoyed the existing collection of lenses and accessories right off the bat.
Dumb.
Same sensor family as the K20D/K-7... interesting.
hey engadget, maybe you can help a fella out. i remember pentax and samsung being in bed together for DSLR's of the past. will this be a co-produced camera? any chance it will be released under the pentax name as well.
importantly, will the optics be done by pentax?
i figure if anyone could tell me where to get some tang scratch that, camera, info, it would be you.
@windzilla Unlikely... it's not using a K-mount, and I don't see Pentax releasing a camera with any other mount aside from the 645D.
I'm seriously thinking about upgrading to this from my *ist DS. The lack of a mirror and the Samsung sensor is enough to make me start investing in a new lens platform. Does anyone want some K-mount prime lenses?
@bigcow05 Sure... what you got?
That doesn't make any sense, a micro 4/3 camera is the compromise from a DSLR. How could you have anything in between there.
Ryan Smith
http://www.myrtlebeachphotography.org
@rsmith4321
Maybe a bigger sensor but still no shutter? I agree, it's like saying you are coming out with a vehicle that is a cross between a gas electric hybrid and a conventional gas automobile.
@chispito You mean no roof prism. Micro 4/3rds has a shutter. It just doesn't have an optical path through the lens to the eye. And that's what appears to be the case here too. It's a 35mm non-SLR with live view.
@spin cycle Oops, that's what I meant. No mirror/prism.
why do i feel like frowning when i look at it.. weird..
The cross between a (full size) DSLR sensor and a 4/3 sensor is APS-C (23.4mm x 15.6mm).
@fordbailey
read "full frame" rather than "full size"...
Its looks so..... Mean.
i'm still using my gx10 (samsung's k10d counterpart).
you're right about having more players in the market. hopefully samsung will bridge the gaps and provide some better cameras for the money.
a lot of is also limited to lens offerings.. so MORE LENSES SAMSUNG (PENTAX)
Dear God thats thin, sign me up!
@Jeff
It's thin until you put a lens on it. Then it's bulky like a normal DSLR. You're still gonna carry it around your neck with a neck strap... it's far from pocketable.
@Michael Scrip
Thats not the point.
@Jeff
What is the point? They removed the mirror assembly to make it thinner.
Some would argue that a mirror/prism and the ability to optically look through the lens is the best part of a DSLR.
Interchangeable lenses, good... electronic viewfinder, bad.
@Michael Scrip
The lack of a mirror allows lenses to have a shorter flange distance, thereby allowing wide-angle lenses to be much smaller as they won't have to adopt a retrofocal design. Therefore, these lenses will use less material, which mean that they can be cheaper and of higher quality. There is no advantage in this design for tele lenses.
The good thing about the 4/3rd's is that the form factor looks like a pocket camera. It is easy to carry around. If you are going to go to a DSLR, I'm not sure many people would choose this camera compared with the others out there.
I'm interested in seeing how this turns out. It's Samsung, they know what they are doing. If this was some unheard of company i wouldn't of looked twice, but samsung has been doing good lately.
Getting rid of the flopping mirror is the essence of Micro Four Thirds, so functionally this new offering occupies the same niche even if the actual sensor size is APS-C rather than 4/3.
Which is great... I'm eager for more options in this niche, and the MFT cameras have so far notably *failed* to have prices between compacts and full DSLRs, which is where their niche is 'supposed' to be.
No mirror (or mirror box) is the main point, it means the camera is thinner and quieter. But it also should end up cheaper than a dSLR and so far this has not really been the case.
I don't see this happening until Nikon or whoever comes out with a much smaller sensor camera, the 1" type, that really does sit between the APS-C or 4/3 and compacts. dSLRs have sales volume and trickle down working for them with the result that they will always be cheaper for the same sensor size. Plus they are subsidized to an extent because Nikon wants you go buy into their system so you spend money later on lenses etc...
Two reasons not to buy the NX-10
1. No optical viewfinder dognabbit!
2. Lenses in yet another lens mount, with rather doubtful long term support.
Memo to Samsung:
Panasonic started off with a "dSLR" styled G1, quickly realized that was a stupid idea, and turned around and gave us the much more sensible brick-shaped GF1.
It's not a dSLR and there is no earthly reason to insist it looks like one.. that was run over by a truck.
I have tried NX10 in Korea and seen a lot of samples of this camera.
Grip is so great with my big hand. Color and image quality is so excellent. Most of all, this camera have NO FOCUS ISSUE thanks to its contrast-AF mechanism so that all the images are so sharp and great even with the bundle lenses. If anyone experienced focus problem in DSLR, he will know what this means!