CES: Hands-On With Samsung’s Nifty NX10 Compact DSLR

LAS VEGAS — Camera snobs are up in arms about Samsung’s brand new NX10 compact DSLR, which is built on a proprietary lens format, making it incompatible with thousands of lenses out there.

But the NX10 isn’t aimed at lens junkies. It’s meant for soccer moms looking to step up from point-and-shoots, who could give two-hoots that the NX10 is incompatible with other cameras’ lenses.

A quick hands-on at CES gives the impression that Samsung hit the sweet spot. Wifey and I have 30,000 digital pictures of the kids, most of them terrible because they were taken with point-and-shoots. The NX10 is the kind of camera we might like: easy to use, easy to carry around and capable of taking damn fine pictures.

Playing around with it, I can say the NX10 is a well-built, fast and responsive camera that promises the quality pictures of a DSLR without the bulk or complexity.

Built around a 14.6 MPixel CMOS processor, the NX10 promises DSLR-quality pictures. But because there were no computers handy at CES, it wasn’t possible to check this on a bigger screen. We’ll just have to take Samsung’s word for it, for now.

“The bigger the chip, the better the pictures, simple as that,” said Jason Ledder, a Samsung spokesman.

The CMOS sensor is 50 percent bigger than Micro Four Thirds cameras on the market, which like the NX10, dispense with the single-lens reflex system, making them much more compact.

The NX10 has an electronic viewfinder that’s actually quite pleasant to use. It’s fast and looks good, and covers the full camera field. The big, bright 3-inch AMOLED screen on the back also looked great, but the CES show lights aren’t optimum viewing conditions.

The autofocus is fast and decisive. I played around with a couple of the auto shoot modes, and found the UI is pretty easy and logical. The Smart Auto function seemed to do a fine job snapping pictures on the relatively dim, artificially-lit show floor.

The NX10 can record HD movies at 720p, up to 25 minutes max per take. It uses the H.264 codec, which should make it play nice with the Mac. However, there’s no external microphone jack.

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Though larger than most point-and-shoots, it’s possible to stuff the NX10 into a jacket posket. It makes a bulge, but its definitely easier to tote than a full-size DSLR.

When the camera ships in the spring, there’ll be three interchangeable lenses and a Pentax K-mount adapter, compatible with thousands of manual lenses.

It will cost between $600 and $700.

We’ve asked Samsung for review unit, so look for a full review shortly on CultofMac.com

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