The Samsung NX10, which was supposed to be the start of Samsung’s plan to dominate the mirrorless camera market, was an ok camera. The updates to the NX system have been sparse – with the NX100 and its iFunction lenses adding a bit of “compact” option for mirrorless camera shoppers. And the iFunction was a surprisingly enjoyable feature to use.
Then the Samsung NX11 was announced. Then it was quietly delayed. Now, the US will only get a very limited release (if any). And, frankly, that’s just fine because the camera sat in an awkward not-a-real-upgrade category.
Instead of the NX11, it looks like the NX20 and NX200 will be released this Summer as proper replacements to the NX10 and NX100. According the the leaky rumor mill, they will feature sensors with even higher resolutions than the existing NX models’ 14.6MP sensors.
If Samsung wants to grab half of the mirrorless camera market, the NX20 and NX200 had better be pretty darn special because Panasonic, Sony and Olympus are off to a much stronger start…
[h/t Photo Rumors & 1001NC]
Phiroze B. Javeri says
The race will essentially be decided by the performance of the smaller micro four-third as compared with the well established APS-C sensors. If Panasonic and its allies can deliver as good results as the others, then the Micro Four-third will offer greater advantages by way of smaller lenses, cheaper lenses, and lenses with larger zoom range. Let’s not forget that the 35 mm format did win over the 6 x 6 cm.
dman says
let’s not compare 35mm to 6×6, that’s like comparing an apple to a grape. as far as m43 lenses being cheaper…uh, have you checked the prices lately? a top range lens can go for over a grand. whos gonna buy a oly or panny lens for a grand when they can get a better lens at the same price from canon or nikon? years from now, the best m43 sensors will never beat the best full frame or aps c sensors, its just a scientific fact. and even if the m43 sensors can outdo the sammys sensor now, look at how much of a head start oly and panny has over sammy. for a company who just released their first 2 csc cameras..it’s a pretty darn good accomplishment. as for m43 cameras being smaller, how then is it that sonys nex5 is a smaller camera yet in it has a bigger sensor, shooting 7 frames a second? the world does not need smaller cameras then lets say the size of a leica m6 rangefinder. the last time i checked, human hands have gotten bigger in the world, not smaller. no matter how you slice it, when it comes to sensors, science dictates that bigger image sensors are always going to have better IQ than a smaller one. if you take the best full frame sensor in the world, then cut down its size to apsc, then to m43, the to 2/3 etc..the more you cut it down in size the more the IQ quality drops..its a fact, its science. i dont understand why so many people keep on touting the teeny m43 sesnors. nikon or canon never bought into that m43 marketing BS.
Peter says
The article seems to have forgotton that the market is pretty fired up at the moment about the X100 compact offering from Fuji as well as commonly using Leica’s compact offerings as a benchmark for the top end compact cameras.
The Sony NEX series has missed the boat with it’s lenses in my opinion , their kit zoom and 16mm pancake just don’t cut it when it comes to resolution near frame edge and are even surpassed in several performance areas by some of the equivalent Samsung NX series of lenses.
I’m confident that Samsung will stay in for the long hall and that their next NX models will have a substantial sensor and software upgrade to take them to a level commenserate with their extensive and growing lens range.
dman says
Sony missed the mark with their csc nex camera imo is because they didnt think about their lens line and focus on the future, instead they thought about making something gimmicky for the simple snapshooter. they only have 3 lenses so far, a kit zoom, an average budget 16mm and a honking huge expensive megazoom lens which makes the camera look like lens rear end cap. there is no mode dial, so it’s all menu surfing for photogs. 7 frames second is nice, but the users who buy that camera are not sports photographers.The new rumored nc3 is even smaller than the nex3 or 5. So what’s going to happen when they keep shrinking the camera, is it someday going to be the size of a cracker? It seems just by looking at the samsung nx camera and their lens line, you can clearly see that the makers and designers are photography and camera lovers. Small cameras with small affordable lenses. When i look at the sony nex i think of gimmicks and cameras for women’s purses and big fat honking lenses for male bravado. It seems like sony is being driven to the ground of eventual failure by Minolta just like Minolta use to do to itself years ago. When i go to my local camera stores and big box stores, the only sony dslr they have is either the a33 or a55, and maybe the a390. that is it. SonyMinolta better wake up soon or else they will be done. No one even knows if they will keep making full frame dslrs let alone dslr’s. It’s taken them [ what feels like a decade] to even announce the a77.
Going back to the samsung nx line..are the cameras perfect? NO. But they are not terrible either, and Samsung i believe will get better and better. Right now, they are the only apsc csc makers aside from Sony. Only time will tell if Samsung can stay for the long run in the bigger camera business, but if their csc cameras gain consumer confidence like their TVs do, then the future will be a bright one for the NX line.