[Winder]

Rumors coming out of the Olympus forums are that the EP-3 will have faster CDAF than the PDAF used on most consumer/enthusiast DSLRs.

[Pentaxor]

Rumors coming out of the Olympus forums are that the EP-3 will have faster CDAF than the PDAF used on most consumer/enthusiast DSLRs.

great for action photography if that's the case. can we expect more competitive prices from now on? having said that, the sensor would still be a suspect on how good it would be.

[Winder]

great for action photography if that's the case. can we expect more competitive prices from now on? having said that, the sensor would still be a suspect on how good it would be.

It will be as good as the K-7. But just having CDAF that is as fast as the K-7's PDAF would be a big step forward.

[Pentaxor]

It will be as good as the K-7. But just having CDAF that is as fast as the K-7's PDAF would be a big step forward.

I think I read somewhere that it is better than PDAF. I'm not sure if Olympus are going to use CDAF though, since it was rumored to use a new AF system which I don't know which nature it is.

[Winder]

I think I read somewhere that it is better than PDAF. I'm not sure if Olympus are going to use CDAF though, since it was rumored to use a new AF system which I don't know which nature it is.

It might very well be a new type of AF and we will see if the rumors are even true. Hopefully Olympus will release some serious glass with the EP-3.

[thibs]

It might very well be a new type of AF and we will see if the rumors are even true. Hopefully Olympus will release some serious glass with the EP-3.

Passive AF like old film compact cams?

Seriously, if Oly (and other mirrorless) can get CD-AF to be as fast as PD-AF, this will be a *big* change IMO. Can CD_AF be configured 'as if' it was PD-AF, I mean an array of pre-determined point of focus? If yes, this is big news.

[ATPete]

Bringing the thread back to the original post, the Samsung lens lineup looks brilliant right now. In fact, it makes the Pentax lineup look shamefully silly. Tiny cameras combined with excellent tiny primes! In sensible focal lengths! I'm seriously considering making the switch when I'm done with my K-x, unless Pentax manage to pull something really good out of their hat.

I'm seriously waiting for a digital equivalent to the 43 f1.9. That they don't have a current 28mm fast prime in their lineup just boggles my mind :[ The limited lenses are nice and all, but they're in very odd focal lengths. Unless I buy they 31 limited, but I'm not exactly prepared to drop £1000 on one standard lens.

[thethirdcoast]

They need to work on their menus/controls...

As an NX100 owner I have to disagree. I find that Samsung's menu organization and display quality are already excellent while their controls are very good.

I do agree regarding image processing and their current 14.6 MP sensor. I hope to post a few night shots soon, and I believe they tend to demonstrate that Samsung's current 14.6 MP sensor is best suited to daylight photography.

Bringing the thread back to the original post, the Samsung lens lineup looks brilliant right now. In fact, it makes the Pentax lineup look shamefully silly. Tiny cameras combined with excellent tiny primes! In sensible focal lengths! I'm seriously considering making the switch when I'm done with my K-x, unless Pentax manage to pull something really good out of their hat.

The NX100 has me in the same conundrum. I just acquired the Samsung 50-200, and I feel it is of better build quality than my 50-200 or the 55-300. The flash and GPS tagging accessories are also quite well-designed, and I have been very impressed with how quickly the GPS tagger acquires lock.

[Pentaxor]

The NX100 has me in the same conundrum. I just acquired the Samsung 50-200, and I feel it is of better build quality than my 50-200 or the 55-300.

may I ask how better? it would be great to know the perks it has over the two Pentax lenses. also, what about IQ? is it better than the 55-300? any fall-off in IQ on any focal length?

with my experience with the SS 30mm and SS 18-55, I feel that the existing sensor in the NX10 somehow doesn't bring the potential of those lenses. I feel they can do better as far as I'm concerned. but if you say personally that the SS 50-200 performs better than the other two Pentax, we can only think how the SS lenses would perform on a better body. I somehow like the idea of a 16,30, 85 combo on the NX. I might replace the 30mm if Samsung proceeds with the plan of releasing the 35/1.4 and add a 24/2 with it. just perfect.

[Winder]

As an NX100 owner I have to disagree. I find that Samsung's menu organization and display quality are already excellent while their controls are very good.

I do agree regarding image processing and their current 14.6 MP sensor. I hope to post a few night shots soon, and I believe they tend to demonstrate that Samsung's current 14.6 MP sensor is best suited to daylight photography.



The NX100 has me in the same conundrum. I just acquired the Samsung 50-200, and I feel it is of better build quality than my 50-200 or the 55-300. The flash and GPS tagging accessories are also quite well-designed, and I have been very impressed with how quickly the GPS tagger acquires lock.

The NX10 is still not easy to find and I only briefly had a chance to pick one up and play with it. My first impression was that I did not like the controls and menus, but I did not have enough time to justify a real opinion. I am looking for something with the controls of the K-7. I want a front and back dial and the ISO features.

How does the NX100 compare to the M4/3 offerings as far as controls and build quality?

[Pentaxor]

How does the NX100 compare to the M4/3 offerings as far as controls and build quality?

forgive me for butting in. the nx100 is a sleek and sexy design. I think it's not a fair comparison since it isn't exactly an M4/3, but nonetheless still sexy as hell and looks more like a P&S camera. honestly, it's better looking and feels not awkward compared to Sony's NEX. if I were to say this, the NEX is more like the NX100's ugly step-sister.

fwiw, I wasn't impressed with the NX10 when I first initially tried it either. although it grew on me in some ways, particularly the small size and build and intuitive ergo. it may take awhile for getting used to, but easy once you get familiar with it.

I also didn't like the idea of the missing dials at first, but I guess the I-FN button would work just as good as the dials.

[thethirdcoast]

may I ask how better? it would be great to know the perks it has over the two Pentax lenses. also, what about IQ? is it better than the 55-300? any fall-off in IQ on any focal length?

I find the build quality of the Samsung lens more impressive. It feels more substantial in the hand. The Samsung zoom ring seems significantly tighter and the focus ring is a tad smoother than the Pentax lenses. I have yet to shoot with the Samsung lens, so IQ is unknown at this time.

with my experience with the SS 30mm and SS 18-55, I feel that the existing sensor in the NX10 somehow doesn't bring the potential of those lenses. I feel they can do better as far as I'm concerned. but if you say personally that the SS 50-200 performs better than the other two Pentax, we can only think how the SS lenses would perform on a better body. I somehow like the idea of a 16,30, 85 combo on the NX. I might replace the 30mm if Samsung proceeds with the plan of releasing the 35/1.4 and add a 24/2 with it. just perfect.

I agree about the current NX-series sensors, but more as a matter of high-ISO performance than pure resolution. The 30mm Samsung is a very good, possibly excellent prime in terms of IQ.

The NX10 is still not easy to find and I only briefly had a chance to pick one up and play with it. My first impression was that I did not like the controls and menus, but I did not have enough time to justify a real opinion. I am looking for something with the controls of the K-7. I want a front and back dial and the ISO features.

The NX100 controls and menus are improved versus the NX10. The NX100 actually has two dials, one near the shutter release and one around the four-way controller. My favorite aspect of the menus is that they only show what is needed. The GPS menu page vanishes if you're not using the GPS tagger.

How does the NX100 compare to the M4/3 offerings as far as controls and build quality?

I haven't had much luck finding m4/3 offerings in the stores around here, but I can say that the NX100 feels much more substantial in the hand than the Sony NEX. I have also been impressed how well balanced the NX100 is with the 30mm and the GPS tagger mounted. It is very easy to steady and compose on the NX100 screen.

Thom Hogan (yes, I know) has a good comparison here:
THogan Compact Mirrorless

Note how clean the basic Samsung live view is compared to the others. Also note that if you want your live view inundated with information you need only press the DISP button once.

[Winder]

I keep looking for a mirror-less with decent AF and some serious glass. Samsung seems to be the only one developing serious glass for their mirror-less system. The Sony NEX is just a bad system so far. Lenses, controls, construction.... just a bad system. I like their sensors, but not their NEX cameras. Maybe the NEX-7 will change that.

I will be keeping a close eye on the NX20 and the 85mm f/1.4.

The Fuji X100 is so close to what I am looking for, but the fixed lens kind of limits it value to me. Hopefully the success of the X100 will help other companies see there is a market for small high quality systems.

[truonganh]

Rumors coming out of the Olympus forums are that the EP-3 will have faster CDAF than the PDAF used on most consumer/enthusiast DSLRs.

It would be really interesting if the CDAF is really faster than a PDAF if one put it on a same level comparison. Oly EVIL camera have a smaller sensor coupled with shorter lens to produce the same equivalent image. Just from the fact that the lens is shorter, it does not need too much movement to put everything in focus. A serious challenge would involve low contrast, moving subject (not left to right, but near to far), poor light condition, and duplicate FOV camera/lens setup.

CDAF cannot tell whether the subject is moving away or toward the camera, so it cannot perform predictive calculation. PDAF will always have an advantage in this respect.

[glanglois]

great for action photography if that's the case. can we expect more competitive prices from now on? having said that, the sensor would still be a suspect on how good it would be.

I don't know how comfortable I'd be shooting action with via a 3" rear LCD held at arm's length. In fact, I cannot imagine it at all. I have enough trouble with a K-5 OVF - I sometimes lose track as it is when the aircraft (or whatever) does something unexpected. Perhaps I'm just close-minded or simply not very good?