Samsung Hybrid NX Series Digital Cameras

Samsung's upcoming NX line will attempt to shoot DSLR-quality images, without the size.

Don’t call them point-and-shoots. But don’t call them DSLRs, either. Much like so-called Micro Four Thirds cameras (like the Lumix DMC-G1 we recently reviewed), Samsung’s new NX series of digital cameras, announced Monday, will straddle the line between true DSLR cameras and their ever popular consumer counterparts.

The key difference lies in the viewfinder. Ever since the days of traditional film, single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras have differentiated themselves by showing the photographer exactly what the lens sees, by bouncing light through a mirror system and into the eye through an optical viewfinder. Even DSLRs, which have digital LCD screens to show what the cameras sensor sees, retain this feature.

Samsung Hybrid NX Series

By contrast, the NX Series will ditch the mirrors in favor an electronic viewfinder, which doesn’t offer the clarity of its optical counterpart, but saves room, making for a smaller camera. The NX cams will retain all the other significant features of a true DSLR, including precise manual control, the ability to use interchangeable lenses, and large APS-C-sized sensors.

Exact details on the upcoming line haven’t yet been finalized, but Samsung says the cameras will begin hitting store shelves in the second half of 2009. More information is available from the company’s press release.

Samsung Hybrid NX Series