Amateur Photographer Magazine

 Samsung GX-20 product review teaser - INTRODUCTION

Thursday 15th May 2008

Barney Britton

INTRODUCTION



Samsung is an interesting company, whose ambition, historically, has been matched only by its achievements. On a recent trip to South Korea, I counted one out of every three or four cars and lorries that I saw on the road carrying a Samsung emblem. The television in my hotel room was made by Samsung, as was the fridge and the air-conditioning control unit. As well as consumer and durables, Samsung makes ships, telephones, computers, microprocessors, time machines (just kidding) and, with the help of Pentax, it also makes SLR cameras. Although a relative newcomer to the DSLR market (Samsung's first DSLR, the GX-1L, was released in 2006), you can be sure that the ambitious Korean company is going to fight tooth and nail to become one of the biggest names in the business. The new Samsung GX-20 is the latest step in that journey.

Reading between the (well-spaced) lines, the birth of the GX-20 was a stressful, drawn-out affair. The company's relationship with Japanese camera manufacturer Pentax has been in place for years, but Pentax has gone through some difficult times recently. The well-publicised takeover by optical manufacturer Hoya, and the subsequent re-ordering of the Pentax board, inevitably complicated the two companies' attempts to create the next GX-series DSLR. Samsung's recent hints about full-frame sensor development and a new lens factory for its GX range led to speculation that a divorce may be imminent. Be that as it may, both parties are adamant that the relationship is strong and ongoing, and the Samsung GX-20, which follows hot on the heels of the Pentax K20D, appears to be a surprisingly well-balanced child.

At a meeting in Samsung's headquarters in Suwon, near Seoul, I was told that the company's ambitions lie in the high-end and professional segments of the DSLR market, and there will be no 'GX-200' to run alongside the entry-level Pentax K200D for that reason. The GX-20 offers many professional-friendly features, including (with the K20D) the highest resolution of its class, and full-body weatherproofing. For the moment, at least, it is significantly cheaper than its Pentax clone, so if the name on the pentaprism is the only difference between them, it could just be the best bargain in this fast-moving marketplace.

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