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M 4/3rds alternative by Samsung

R

Ranger 9

Guest
Choice is good, but confusion in the marketplace isn't so good.

It seems that so far, other than Panasonic's "road map," things have been eerily quiet (SFX: crickets chirping) when it comes to manufacturers announcing lenses for Micro Four Thirds. That's too bad, because -- although lots of us are having fun (and making good pictures) with our adapted M-mount lenses, C-mount lenses, FD lenses, etc., -- the mainstream market is going to want such features as fast autofocus and image stabilization.

I'm assuming that nothing much has happened on the lens front so far because lens makers are waiting to see if Micro Four Thirds takes off and/or for some other lens manufacturer to jump in first.

Samsung's announcement of a conceptually-similar-but-competing format is going to add even more uncertainty and, I would guess, discourage manufacturers further.

Another wrinkle on the already wrinkly face of this rumorplex: Samsung and Pentax have been known in the past to introduce similar "badge-engineered" P&S cameras, and with the appearance of this leak, there's speculation that they might do likewise with Samsung's NX concept.

Having Pentax on the NX team would lend instant lens cred to the NX standard (whatever it is; Samsung still isn't giving firm details)... possibly more than Micro Four Thirds, since so far the only maker of Micro Four Thirds lenses is non-camera-name Panasonic (although given Panasonic's naming-rights relationship with Leica, Pana presumably could solve that problem with a stroke of the check-writing pen...)

Oh, ugh, it looks as if this could be shaping up to be Canon vs. Nikon all over again, which we really don't need in this economic climate!
 
Obviously interchangeable lenses (the first URL seems unsure about it, but look at the lens release button and the "pancaky" lens...). So, the big question: which mount?

Secondary questions: Will it accept Leica M lenses? Will it be easy to focus 3rd part lenses manually?

Unless these questions are answered satisfactorily, it would be dead-in-the-water... After all, the size difference between 4/3 and APS-C isn´t THAT huge...
 
R

Ranger 9

Guest
I just looked at the photos on DPReview, and my immediate reaction is that that LCD is going to be a nose-print magnet! And evidently no tilt/swivel... what was Samsung thinking?!?

 

Rawfa

Active member
If it's smaller than the G1 I really don't care about the LCD. Just give me a compact size with interchangeable lenses and I'm set.
 

jonoslack

Active member
Obviously interchangeable lenses (the first URL seems unsure about it, but look at the lens release button and the "pancaky" lens...). So, the big question: which mount?

Secondary questions: Will it accept Leica M lenses? Will it be easy to focus 3rd part lenses manually?

Unless these questions are answered satisfactorily, it would be dead-in-the-water... After all, the size difference between 4/3 and APS-C isn´t THAT huge...
HI Per
Well - it'll be a new mount - similar, presumably, to the Pentax/Samsung mount, but because of the registration difference change it has to be new (with new lenses)

As for taking M mount lenses - presumably so, if some third party person makes an adapter . . . BUT it doesn't mean that it'll perform as well as the G1.

As for dead-in-the-water. I wonder if this aspect (that we are all so interested in) is really very important to the overall success of these in between cameras - it'd be nice to think so, but I wonder.

Quite agree about the difference in sensor size - not as important as the quality of the sensor.

Interesting though
 

trisberg

New member
I'm pretty sure this camera was discussed around Photokina time 6 months ago. Found an article in Amateur Photographer.

I think these type of cameras will be successful if they can take market share from the entry level DSLRs. The enthusiasts using these with manual focus lenses is probably not enough to carry this segment.

Personally I would like to see more options for AF prime lenses. Right now the only options are two 25mm lenses for the MFT and maybe a macro lens (not sure it will AF though).

-Thomas
 

monza

Active member
"The use of an EVF has allowed Samsung engineers to significantly reduce the size and weight of the new camera system by decreasing the distance between the lens and image sensor (flange back) by approximately 60% compared to traditional DSLRs."

At first when I read this, I read it as 'flange back is 60% of a DSLR', but now I read it as '40% of a DSLR.'
 
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jonoslack

Active member
"The use of an EVF has allowed Samsung engineers to significantly reduce the size and weight of the new camera system by decreasing the distance between the lens and image sensor (flange back) by approximately 60% compared to traditional DSLRs."

At first when I read this, I read it as 'flange distance is 60% of a DSLR', but now I read it as '40% of a DSLR.'

If it's 40%, then it's in the same range as the micro 4/3 flange distance.
So, I guess the $1000 question for use of M lenses is whether the flange distance is less than that of M lenses (as it is in the G1)
 

Diane B

New member
Should I make a comment about the faux SLR pentaprism? :)
That gave me a chuckle.....

It couldn't last---others not getting into the game. Because the economy has affected us/me personally I can't be so free and easy about trying other cameras so, selfishly, I just hope Panasonic and Olympus get their act together and move the m4/3rds format along. OTOH, competition is good--just probably difficult for the smaller companies at this particular time.

Everytime I pick up my 5D, which I've shot with almost daily for over 3 years, I wonder why (or even either of my 1.6x bodies). I love the output, but at this point in my life I'm just not going to carry that weight any longer. Also--its just fun to shoot with the G1. I really don't want to shoot with a smaller camera than the G1--but I'm really trying to remind myself, lenswise, that I did buy the G1 for 'small'.

Diane

Diane
 
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monza

Active member
So, I guess the $1000 question for use of M lenses is whether the flange distance is less than that of M lenses (as it is in the G1)

My brain isn't working today. The quote references 'flange back' which really is useless information, it tells us nothing. Flange back can vary with each individual lens.

What we need is a reference to flange distance...
 
R

robertasumendi

Guest
Should I make a comment about the faux SLR pentaprism? :)
Haha... ergonomically this one does seem a little uninspired though, considering the bar's already been set. The buttons to dials/levers ratio seems really high here....
 
A

allan

Guest
Interesting alternative. No swivel LCD. However, there appears to be a movie mode on the dial. Will it have sensor-based image stabilization?
 
R

Ranger 9

Guest
if it's an aps sensor can it be a m4/3 camera?
Can't be and isn't. NX is Samsung's own proprietary specification. It just happens to seem to be aimed at exactly the same segment being targeted by Micro Four Thirds (compact electronic-viewfinder cameras with interchangeable lenses.)

Great, just what we need: thinner slices of an already-small pie.
 

Jorgen Udvang

Subscriber Member
Should I make a comment about the faux SLR pentaprism? :)
Well.... they had to place the viewfinder somewhere, and with an LCD almost as large as the camera, the only way was to extend the camera in one direction or the other. It would have looked awkward with the VF at the bottom, wouldn't it?
 
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