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/december/14

Samsung launches i-Function lens

By Diana A. Uy

It is all about the lens.

Ask any pro about what's the single most valuable part of a camera and the answer is always never too far away from that thing called lens. It is so important manufacturing companies, in fact, are always trying to one up each other by capturing the latest lens innovation in the market, redesigning or reinventing it to cater to the ever fickle consumers of the imaging world.

For instance, Samsung, shortly after following suit in the interchangeable lens camera trend, has launched a camera equipped with a lens technology that can "control the settings" of the imaging device by itself.

Folks, welcome the Samsung NX100, considerably the better performing and/or improved version of the NX10.

The NX100 is an innovative mirrorless camera that boasts of the world’s first i-Function lens that allows users to control their camera through the lens for the first time.

What exactly does it mean?

While conventional lenses were passive in controlling camera settings, the unique i-Function Lens is a proactive lens that communicates with the camera body. It delivers total image control with fast manual settings to ensure quick and easy image capturing, and also provides customized settings optimized for the lens being used. The lens incorporates a conveniently located i-Function button allowing users to scroll through manual settings, and a focus ring, which is used to easily change parameters for each setting.

With the i-Function lens, photographers can now easily use their left hand, as opposed to wrapping their hands around the lens when holding the camera, to change settings without the need to take the equipment off the target. Users can toggle between shutter speed, aperture, EV, WB, and ISO quickly and easily by simply using the i-Function button and ring on the lens for an easier and quicker configuration while shooting.

The NX100 also has a lens priority mode, which provides scene options optimized for the lens being used. For example when a landscape lens is attached the camera will immediately display the landscape mode. Also, when users change to a specialized lens, the camera would recognize the lens type and automatically configure the settings that would best match with the attached lens. This latter feature would work with specialized Samsung lenses in the future.

“Our aim is to dominate the mirrorless camera market in the same way that we do in the 2 View category, and the new NX100 is the embodiment of that goal. Nobody else has brought together this high quality of imaging technology with intuitive consumer insights based on our in-depth consumer research, which is why we believe that, alongside the NX10, the NX100 will cement our leadership in this growing field. Our unique and pioneering i-Function Lens stands out from the competition as an example of our unparalleled innovation which will appeal to every photographer," says Candy Delos Santos, product manager of Samsung Digital Imaging Division, SEPCO.

The NX100 boasts one of the fastest AF on the market today and an increased ISO of a maximum of 6400 for action shots, particularly. Like the NX10 it makes use of an APS-C size sensor for quality images and a 3 inch AMOLED screen for easy and clear viewing, as well. It supports HD movie recording at 720P and can be used like a lomocam with its "Smart Filter" feature allowing camwhores to play with different effects on the picture on playback mode --from vignette to soft focus or fish-eye.

Designwise, the NX100 is inspired by the shape of dew forming on a leaf, which can be seen on the camera’s shutter button and curved body. The latest from Samsung comes in either black or white.

The lens line-up has been launched with the camera including a compact zoom 20-50mm lens to provide both high image quality and portability.

Samsung plans to release a range of innovative lenses and accessories to further enhance the user’s experience with the NX100. One of which is the the small and light 20mm wide angle Pancake lens which will be introduced shortly after. Two additional specialized lenses will be available in the first half of 2011 – a 60mm Macro lens and 18-200mm Super Zoom lens. To expand the lens line-up even further, three more lenses will be introduced by the second half of 2011, including 16mm, 85mm, and 16-80mm lenses. The NX system will be further enhanced with more accessories, including an Electronic Viewfinder, Flash and GPS tracker to capture the user’s exact geographical location.