Samsung Unveils NX10

January 4, 2010: Samsung’s USA website has just released details of a new mirrorless, interchangeable-lens camera that claims to contain ‘the heart of a DSLR’ embedded in a compact camera body.
Available in two colours, Noble Black and Titan Silver, the NX10 boasts an APS-C-sized CMOS with an effective resolution of 14.6 mega pixels. Samsung’s latest innovation, the DRIMe II Pro engine and advanced AF algorithm, provides ultra-fast auto focusing at up to 200 milliseconds with the higher precision of contrast AF. Movie capture is supported at 1280 x 720 pixels, using the H.264 compression and MP4 codec. The new camera will also include built-in sensor-shift dust reduction using ultrasonic vibration.

Front view of the Samsung NX10 with the 30mm prime kit lens. (Source: Samsung.)
The NX10 comes with a VGA quality, Active Matrix OLED (AMOLED) monitor plus a high-resolution electronic viewfinder that has approximately 920,000 pixels. This category-leading screen also provides 10,000 times faster response rate than conventional LCDs, has a far lower power consumption, meaning longer battery life and higher contrast ratio of10,000:1 vs. 500:1. An eye-start sensor detects when the user looks through the viewfinder and puts the AMOLED screen on standby to conserve power.

Rear view of the Samsung NX10 showing the VGA monitor and control layout. (Source: Samsung.)
Features of the new camera include an ISO range of 100 to 3200 and a Smart Range dynamic range control function. Exposure bracketing of +/- 3EV is selectable in 1/3EV steps. Shutter speeds range from 30 to 1/4000 second and Bulb exposures are supported via an optional remote trigger. Shooting modes include the expected Auto, P, A, S and M settings plus 10 Scene pre-sets. A Supersonic Dust Reduction system keeps the sensor dust-free when lenses are changed.
With a body weighing only 340 grams and measuring 123 x 87 x 39 mm, the NX10 features a totally new lens mount that is incompatible with exiting systems. However, a Pentax K-mount adapter will be offered, although users will lose AE capability. The NX10 will also be released in a ‘light’ version without built-in dust reduction and with a lower-resolution monitor and non-stabilised lenses. Complementing the NX10 is a range of high quality detachable lenses that are lighter and smaller than traditional lenses
plus accessories like an interchangeable flash unit.

The Samsung NX10 shown with interchangeable flash unit. (Source: Samsung.)
The initial release, which is scheduled for February, will see the camera offered with three lenses: a standard 18-55mm zoom lens that weighs only 198 grams, a 50-200mm telephoto zoom and a 30mm f/2 prime lens with a ‘pancake’ design. Other lenses scheduled for release in the near future include an 18-200mm stabilised zoom, a 60mm macro lens and a 20-50mm standard zoom lens.

Image sensor: 23.4 x 15.6mm CMOS sensor with15.1 million photosites (14.6 megapixels effective)
A/D processing: 12-bit
Lens mount: Samsung NX
Focal length crop factor: 1.5x
Image formats: Stills – JPEG (3 compression levels), RAW (sRW), RAW+JPEG; Movies – H.264 HD (720p), MP4, monaural audio
Image Sizes: Stills – 3:2 aspect ratio 4592 x 3056, 3872 x 2592, 3008 x 2000, 1920 x 1280, 1472 x 976; 16:9 aspect ratio 4592 x 2584, 3872 x 2176, 3008 x 1688, 1920 x 1080; Movies – 1280 x 720, 640 x 480, 320 x 240 at 30 fps
Image Stabilisation: Lens-based
Dust removal: Supersonic vibration of low-pass filter
Shutter speed range: 30 to 1/4000 second plus Bulb; X-synch at 1/180 sec.
Exposure Compensation: +/- 3 EV in 1/3 or 1/2 EV steps
Exposure bracketing: +/- 3 EV in 1/3 or 1/2 EV steps
Self-timer: Selectable from 2 to 30 seconds in 1-second increments
Focus system: Contrast Autofocus with 16 AF areas, Face Detect (up to 10 faces), single AF point selection
Focus modes: Single and continuous AF, manual focus
Exposure metering: Multi-pattern, Centre-weighted average, Partial, Spot metering
Shooting modes: Auto, P, A, S, M plus Night, Portrait, Landscape, Scene (Beauty Shot, Children, Close-up, Text, Sunset, Dawn, Backlight, Fireworks, Beach & Snow), Movie
Picture Wizard settings: Standard, Vivid, Portrait, Landscape, Forest, Retro, Cool, Calm, Classic, Custom (x3); adjustable in contrast, sharpness, saturation, colour tone, and noise reduction; bracketing over 3 modes available
Colour space options: sRGB, Adobe RGB
ISO range: Auto, ISO 100-3200
White balance: Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent (x3), Tungsten, Flash, Custom, Kelvin plus fine tuning over 7 steps in magenta/green and blue/amber dimensions; WB bracketing over 3 shots in +/- 1 to +/-3 steps
Flash: Auto pop-up flash; GN 11; hot-shoe provided for accessory flash units
Flash exposure adjustment: +/- 2 EV in 1/2EV steps
Sequence shooting: Up to 3 fps for 3 raw images or 10 JPEGs
Storage Media: SD/SDHC memory cards
Viewfinder: Electronic viewfinder with approx. 921,000 dots; 100% FOV coverage, 0.86x magnification; 20.2mm eyepoint
LCD monitor: 3.0-inch Active Matrix OLED screen with 614,000 dots (VGA resolution) and wide viewing angle
Video Capture: Yes, 720p HD (MP4. H.264)
Data LCD: No
Playback functions: Single frame, playback zoom, index (3, 9 or 20 thumbnails), rotate, resize, red-eye fix, slideshow, face retouch, photo style editor, backlight compensation; highlight alert available
Interface terminals: USB 2.0 Hi-Speed, HDMI (Anynet +)
Power supply: BP1310 rechargeable lithium-ion battery
Dimensions (wxhxd): 123 x 87 x 39.8 mm (body only, excluding projections)
Weight: 353 grams (body only)