Photos: Hands-on with the Samsung GX-10
The Samsung GX-10 is a prosumer dSLR based on the Pentax K10D, which pairs respectable performance with a decent price and some tasty offers to get us Cravers excited
Ah, Christmas. A time of goodwill; a time of rejoicing in the simple pleasures of human company; a time of love. And a time of half-crazed shoppers who'll climb over your trampled body for a bargain. Fortunately, there are some bargains out there that don't require a life-threatening sortie into the retail danger zone. Thanks to some re-branding and a festive discount, the Samsung GX-10, a 10.2-megapixel prosumer dSLR camera, could well be one.
Whisper it, but the GX-10 is a re-badged Pentax K10D. That means you get a decent camera with more than a few pence wiped off the price, as Samsung is less established in the camera field. With the innovative NV series making our tummies go all wobbly here at Crave, that may be about to change.
CCD-shifting optical image stabilisation keeps things steady, while the sensor is protected by a two-stage dust-removal system. The elements are kept out by weatherproof seals, with even the SD card hatch sealed by a dinky little twist lock.
It shoots JPEGs and raw footage, with a dedicated raw button on the front for quick switching between formats. Surprisingly for a non-entry level camera, footage is written to SD memory card. You might want to invest in a wireless SD card or some SDHC cards.
Click through for more images of the GX-10.
Update: A full review is now available on the site. -Rich Trenholm
You don't get live view on the 64mm (2.5-inch) LCD screen, but with a viewfinder as classy as the bright pentaprism sported by the GX-10, we didn't miss it. You also get a handy separate status display at the top of the camera. The dioptre is a weird horizontal slider rather than the usual ridged wheel, which took some practice to get used to. The usual circular clickpad is surrounded by a collar wheel to select focus points.
Samsung claims the GX-10 will riff out 3 frames per second, thanks to high-speed DDR2 PC gaming-style memory. We'll put that to the test in our review, coming your way faster than you can say "11 auto focus points".
The Samsung GX-10 single lens kit includes an 18-55mm lens for less than £450. The dual lens kit also includes a 50-200mm lens and costs around £520. Even better, both kits follow the current SLR trend to net you £50 cashback if you buy before 31 January. As if that wasn't enough, buying any Samsung camera before 31 December 2007 will also get you a £250 Virgin holidays voucher. A Christmas present for yourself, perhaps?