Six or seven years ago if somebody had recommended I bought a Samsung product I probably would have laughed in their face. But in recent years the brand has become synonymous with a broad range of high quality electronics at surprisingly affordable prices. Check out any list of LCD/Plasma TV’s based on quality and you’ll find Samsung firmly in the top 3 brands.

I am currently in the market for an entry level DSLR camera and have been looking at what the Nikon D series, Canon EOS and Sony A series have on offer. It never even crossed my mind to consider Samsung as a legitimate source for cameras. So when Samsung offered me a trial of their NX10 DSLR camera, I obviously jumped at the chance.

The NX10 fills the gap between compact digital cameras and larger enthusiast DSLR models. That is to say it’s the ideal camera for those of us looking to take the plunge from a pocket sized point & click to the versatility and quality of a DSLR with several lens options without being intimidated by technical operation.
That’s not to say that the NX10 isn’t fully featured, because you can get as technical as you want with it, but for the DSLR beginner it can be set on ‘auto everything’ and produce some stunning pictures with minimal effort.

Innovatively designed without a mirror box and pentaprism, the Samsung NX10 is compact and lightweight with it’s plastic but sturdy construction. Capture fleeting moments with Samsung NX10's improved Fast AF speed AF function and easy portability. Super large image 14.6Megapixels, APS-C size Samsung CMOS sensor offers utmost image quality and rich natural colours.

The NX10 features a 3.0" AMOLED display so your view is incredibly clear even in bright sunlight. And with a response rate that's 3,000 times faster than an LCD display and a 1,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, you'll see sharp, clear images at any angle with outstanding colour reproduction.

Unlike optical viewfinder which only shows images reflected from the mirror with limited information, electronic viewfinder of Samsung NX10 can convey additional OSD information on screen. Since camera settings can be applied to the preview image instantly, what you see in the electronic viewfinder will be identical to the picture you take.

If you prefer still shots to movies but want to leave your options open (and leave your camcorder at home) the NX10 is right for you. You'll get 720p HD quality video and an H.264 advanced video compression format camera. The APS-C sized extra large CMOS sensor not only offers detailed and clear video clips, but also allows target objects to stand out of the picture like in a motion picture. And if you want to watch high resolution movies on your HDTV, the HDMI interface is perfect for transferring your digital data.

Exchangeable lens DSLR digital camera generates dust contamination due to friction occurring during their movement, and once dust lands on the image sensor's surface it often degrade the clarity of the images taken. Samsung NX10's supersonic dust removing function perfectly removes dust from the sensor by vibrating 60,000 times per second, no matter how often you exchange the lenses, it enables you to shoot crisp and clear images.

The NX10 has been released with three available lenses: Pancake, Standard Zoom and Tele Zoom which will be complemented by the introduction of a further five new lenses this year. This will mean that there will be a total of eight potential lenses designed specifically for the NX cameras system available this year.

Pancake Lens 30mm F2
Standard Zoom Lens 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 OIS
Tele Zoom Lens 50-200mm F4-5.6 OIS
Standard Zoom Lens 18-55mm F3.5-5.6, Non OIS
Compact Zoom Lens 20-50mm F3.5-5.6
Wide Pancake Lens 20mm F2.8
Super Zoom Lens 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 OIS
Macro Lens 60mm F2.8

Samsung NX10 kits are available for around the $1400 mark and are well worth considering for newcomers to the DSLR world who are upgrading from their pocket camera or for DSLR veterans who are looking for a more portable option to add to their kit.

As for me, I’m stoked with the shots I took with the NX10, but I think I’ll trial a couple of others for comparison before I take the plunge.