Samsung NX200 : Megapixel Monster

So here it is! Samsung's new interchangeable-lens compact has now been officially unveiled, and is no doubt aiming to knock Sony's NEX cameras off the top spot in the hybrid compact market.

To do so, Samsung has made drastic changes to the new NX200. While the NX100 had a fairly nondescript design and handling, the NX200 has upped the ante with a more stylish design and a deep-set handle for improved grip. Plus, the control layout has changed a bit—for example, the exposure lock button has been replaced with a more useful video record button (although not everyone will be pleased about that). The NX200 is also more compact, and is noticeably less tall than its predecessor.

The tech specs have changed quite a bit too, as that particularly persistent 14-Megapixel CCD that has been evolving in tiny steps since the Pentax K20D has finally been replaced. The new sensor has 20 Megapixels, and we can only hope that Samsung has taken full advantage of that to rival Sony in controlling digital noise—the NEX-5's excellent picture quality certainly didn't do Samsung's previous NX cameras any favours.

The NX200 will have a new Full HD video mode with stereo sound and a boosted 7 frames per second burst mode.

We do have one major regret though: there's still no built-in flash! Even if an external flash will be supplied as standard (like with Sony's NEX cameras and certain models of Olympus Pen), hooking up a flash to the hot-shoe will instantly make the camera a whole lot less stylish and much more bulky.

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