Samsung's NX hybrid digital cameras unveiled, bridging gap between dSLR and compact point-and-shoot

Just a day before the official start of PMA 2009, electronics giant Samsung has announced its new NX Series, a new family of hybrid digital cameras that offer the performance and image quality of a dSLR and the portability and convenience of a compact point-and-shoot.

Like conventional digital SLRs, the NX Series utilizes an APS-C sized image sensor, providing a much larger surface area to gather light and produce higher-quality images. However, the NX Series does not feature a mirror box and employs an "ultra-precise Electronic Viewfinder," which means a camera that approximates digital SLR quality without the size and weight (the system decreases the distance between the lens and image sensor 60 percent compared to traditional DSLRs).

The camera also offers Live View functionality and a high-resolution screen.

"We estimate that the hybrid digital camera market will be over 20% of the global digital still camera market by 2012," said Sang-jin Park, CEO of Samsung Digital Imaging Company. "With the release of the NX Series, a digital camera that combines the strengths of a DSLR and compact digital camera, Samsung Digital Imaging will become a global leader in the new hybrid digital camera market and achieve the company's goal to become the global leader in the digital camera market by 2012."

The announcement coincides with the birth of a new unit, Samsung Digital Imaging Company, which is intended to foster greater collaboration between Samsung's semiconductor, LCD and consumer electronics business units.

The first model of NX Series will be available in the second-half of 2009. No price information is yet available.