Camera Review: Samsung EX1 Expert Compact

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The market for expert compacts seemed to be dead in the water. In fact, Canon is the only big name still in the field with its G-series cameras, otherwise you'll have to make do with scaled-down models, like the Panasonic LX3 or the Nikon P6000, or models from lesser-known manufacturers such as Ricoh. The Samsung EX1, however, is here to shake things up, as the Korean manufacturer has picked up where the big Japanese camera firms left off.

The Samsung EX1 may only have a 3x zoom, but its 24-72 mm lens is the brightest we've seen yet, at f/1.8 in wide angle and f/2.4 in telephoto. That beats Panasonic's LX3 hands down, not to mention its higher-end G1 and G2.

The EX1 is designed for expert use and has plenty of manual controls, with scroll wheels under your thumb and a separate EV control dial on the front of the camera. It also has an AMOLED swivel-screen--a feature not even seen in Samsung's NX10 SLR.

Could Samsung be set to become the new king of the expert compact? Let's find out ...

> Test: Samsung EX1

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