Samsung unwraps GX-20 DSLR, new compacts

Samsung today became the latest in a series of camera makers to update their lines for the PMA photography show next week. At the top of the line, the GX-20 digital SLR is a close cousin to the similarly new Pentax K20D but with key differences; while it shares the same 14.6-megapixel, low-noise CMOS camera sensor as the K20D, the GX-20 includes a different on-camera interface and generates JPEG images differently than its Pentax sibling. The Samsung unit's physical design is also different and sports a dedicated RAW shooting button that produces an uncompressed shot even when the camera is normally set to JPEG mode.

The GX-20 also boasts optical image stabilization and a dust removal system that works both actively through a shaking system and passively through a dust-repellant coating. Samsung expects to ship the GX-20 sometime in March; the company has not said whether it will appear in North America to complement the predominantly compact-oriented models in the region but prices a camera bundle at the equivalent of $1,365 for Europe after including an 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 kit lens.