Digital Camera News

Samsung Beats the CES Rush, Reveals NX300 and 2D/3D Hybrid Lens

By TJ Donegan

 

Samsung has been coy about what they’re bringing to CES 2013 next week, but they’ve started to pull the curtain back by announcing the NX300 mirrorless system camera and a new 45mm f/1.8 2D/3D lens.

The Samsung NX300 will debut in black and white with a new retro-inspired design.

The latest additions to the NX family flesh out Samsung’s interchangeable-lens system, with the NX300 replacing last year’s NX210. The NX300 is a speedy, compact shooter that inherits the NX210’s wireless functionality, but comes with a new 20.3-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor and a hybrid (contrast and phase-detection) autofocus system. It’s a similar to the AF system found in Sony’s latest NEX cameras, as well as in mirrorless models from Canon and Nikon.

The NX300 (shown here with optional EVF) uses a familiar two-tone design.

The NX300 uses the new DRIMe IV processor, which allows for continuous capture at up to 9 frames per second and an ISO range that extends from 100-25600. It also sports a 3.31-inch articulating touchscreen AMOLED monitor, a slight spec bump over last year’s model.

Samsung has also announced a 2D/3D hybrid lens, capable of capturing a 3D image with a single lens.

Perhaps most interesting piece of the announcement is the 45mm f/1.8 lens, which can capture two distinct images in order to create a 3D parallax effect for both stills and videos. It will still offer the shallow depth-of-field of a f/1.8 lens, though in 3D mode the aperture will be limited to about f/3.5, according to Samsung. We’re not clear about whether it uses a polarized shutter for 3D shooting, but it is not a dual-lens solution, like we’ve seen from Panasonic in the Micro Four Thirds format.

The NX300 will inherit the direct link WiFi button from its predecessors.

The NX300 continues the recent trend of WiFi-capable cameras from Samsung, with a full suite of direct functionality. Samsung particularly highlights the ability to integrate the camera with smartphones, especially with the AutoShare feature. AutoShare will automatically send any photo you take with your NX300 directly to your smartphone wirelessly even while you’re still shooting, allowing for quick editing or uploading to a social network. In addition, the NX300 will include staple features like remote-viewfinder capability and cloud storage.
The NX300 will be compatible with the new 45mm f/1.8 lens, though it will be kitted with a standard 18-55mm OIS lens. Prices aren’t mentioned in the press release, but Samsung tells us that the standard kit will debut at $749.99, while the 45mm f/1.8 lens will be available for $499.99. Both are expected to be available Q1 of this year. For more on today’s announcements, please head on over to Samsung’s CES press page.

source : http://www.usatoday.com