The Samsung NX10 is a new mirror-less compact digital camera with a large image sensor, electronic viewfinder and interchangeable lenses which is intended to bridge the gap between a small compact and large DSLR. A clear rival to the Micro Four Thirds cameras from Olympus and Panasonic, the NX-series is a proprietary rather than open standard, using the brand new NX-mount lens system. The first Samsung NX model has a 14.6 megapixel APS-C sized CMOS sensor, which is physically the same size as those used in entry-level DSLRs and notably larger than the MFT sensor, promising better image quality especially at higher ISO values. Styled like a mini-DSLR, the NX10 incorporates a high-resolution electronic viewfinder with eye-sensor, large 3 inch AMOLED LCD screen, built-in pop-up flash, fast contrast auto-focus system, 720p HD movies and Supersonic Dust Reduction system.

The camera body is small and compact — comparable to the size of the Olympus Pen or the Panasonic G1. It’s got a pretty solid construction and a simple design. If you’ve owned a dSLR before, you won’t have any problems familiarizing yourself with the NX10. It’s got both manual controls and the usual pre-sets.

On top of shooting 14.6-megapixel still images, the NX10 can also do 720p movie capture (H.264 @ 30 fps) which is a very useful feature mostly found on a lot of dSLR cameras nowadays .

Besides the lack of a mirror box and pentaprism that contribute to the NX10′s small size, there’s a 3.0-inch AMOLED (active-matrix organic light-emitting diode) monitor that promises better visibility in bright outdoor conditions along with a faster refresh rate and higher contrast than the typical LCD monitor. Unlike the competition, an electronic viewfinder is built in, not an optional add-on. A 720p HD video capability is onboard and still images can be captured in JPEG or RAW formats. Face detection technology and automatic sensor cleaning are available and Samsung also promises fast AF performance and easy-to-use menus.