Customer Reviews

Samsung GX-10 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm Schneider D-XENON Lens

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This camera has really impressed me. I have owned a variety of DSLR's and have found this one to be the best. The tonal gradations achieved by this Sensor's 22 A/D conversion are stunning, this allows the camera to produce images that mimick Film. The lenses available include the whole Pentax line,( even though they say Samsung....they are rebadged Pentax!!), I love the Kit lens, 18-55 as well as the 50-200. Utilizing this excellent glass allows me to capture the Sharpest, most natural looking images, I have ever made from digital. As a bonus, like the Pentax K10, this camera has the optical stabilizer as well as the weather sealed body. Please note, I have owned a Nikon D2X and find the images from this camera superior in every way. Great job Pentax/Samsung!!

This is a heck of a camera for the price paid (I hate to say it but even at the current price it's a steal). To start off, you can use all the pentax AF lenses made virtually in the past 50 years and don't need adapters. You can use 95% of the MF ones without adapters as well. And these are VERY high quality lenses. You get them really cheap. For example, you can get a stunning high quality 70-210mm AF (autofocus) lens made by pentax (takumar) for less than $70. The slightly better one (pentax-F version) 70-210mm can be had for about $150. It has silky smooth background or bokeh (9 blades) and sharper than a lot of the prime (fixed focus) lenses, boosting 3.4 MTF rating (normalized to 5). If you use this camera body along with a Tamron 28-75/2.8 XR DI for pentax mount, you have a higher quality hardware set than Nikon or Canon even with their best glasses, for about 1/5 the cost, for indoor/wedding photography. Of course, this assumes you have the know-how and shooting in RAW, to be fair (no pro would shoot in JPG doing wedding portraits in their right minds). I am no pro and this camera is more than enough for all my needs, by the way. My 3rd most favored lens would be my pentax-f 50mm/1.7 AF. I wished I have access to the same 1.4 version that rumored to be slightly better (I do have current AF pentax FA 50mm/1.4 but prefer the old 1.7).

Of course, you know the rest about this camera, in body shake reduction, weather seal etc. The only down side of this, is the slow AF under low light. But for me, this is not that big of a problem. (I use MF to take photos of my kids running around me)

This is a great camera. with a powerful professional set of controls. I've been using it since 2008. I also have the GX 20. The GX20 if you can find one, offers a bigger image file but if you are not printing very very large images, that may be unimportant. For anything that is not poster sized, this camera is terrific. I like the Samsung controls much better than the Pentax K10d which is otherwise very nearly identical.

The great GX10 body is compatible with pretty much everything in the Pentax K mount family, and so you simply need to buy any of many of the very good to excellent lenses in that huge list. The Anti-shake is in the camera so all of them will have the advantage of that.

You need not go to the very top of the Pentax line to assemble a really useable set up. At first I settled on the F1.4 Pentax 50mm which is a very good, ultra fast, and very inexpensive portrait lens priced way below it's value. I added the Pentax 18-250 and the Sigma 12-24 zooms. I shoot a lot of buildings and interiors and the 12-24 gets a lot of use. I would probably buy the Pentax 12-24 Zoom were I buying it today. the lenses are identical and the Sigma has been wonderful. But I admit to being curious whether the Pentax 12-24 Zoom has a quality edge.

There is so much optical quality on the Pentax and compatible w/K mount lists, the lens choices for the Samsung GX10 are myriad. I have over the years added the Pentax 31 mm Limited lens and the Pentax 100mm Macro, both primes that are, in my opinion, as good as lenses get. I print a lot of images for presentations and display mounts on large panels, so I think i use the GX20 somewhat more than this GX10, but anyone printing 11X14 or smaller will probably like the results they get from the 10.2mp file. You could spend a lifetime discovering the full depth of control this camera provides.

Battery life is great it took me more than couple of weeks to shoot enough images to need to replace the battery with a fresh one. I instinctively bought three batteries. I found I can remove and replace the SD chip or the battery even without removing the quick mounting plate for my tripod from the bottom of the GX10 body.

The Body Controls and Software
The controls are logically arranged and comfortable to use. the Software is well documented and settings are made accessible with well placed push button rocker switch and scroll wheel controls that activate logical menu groups. You really can adjust things on the fly while shooting. If you take the time to read the manual a couple of times, Using this camera's conveniently placed controls is easy and rewarding.
I really like using this Camera more and more as time passes.

The RAW feature is easy to use, even one picture at a time.

I would buy the GX-10 again.

We purchased this camera as an upgrade for our aged Minolta Dimage 500. The Minolta takes great pictures, but is rather limited as far as creativity and doesn't do well with landscapes. Living in Colorado, my wife and I take a lot of landscape pics and wanted something to accurately capture the beauty we see.
As with most things, I did a lot of research on DSLR's before we made this purchase. I looked at professional and consumer reviews for Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Sony/Minolta and Pentax/Samsung. I was surprised to find the big names didn't do so well in the mid-range catagory (D40, XTi, A100). From everything I read, you would need to move up to the high end models of the big boys (at over $1000) to come close to the quality of the Pentax/Samsung. So, loaded with what I believed to be good information, we purchased the Samsung over all of the competition because it had the features and reported image quality we were looking for. At the time, the Samsung had a lower price than the Pentax version, so we went with it.
WOW!......It's been over 20 years since I used an SLR, so I'm relearning everything as I go, but I must say I'm just blown away by this camera. Straight out of the box, our Minolta will take better pics, but that can be said of just about every SLR on the market. These are not point & shoot cameras even though they do have auto functions. If you want the superior images, you're going to have to work a bit at it. However, if you take the time to learn and apply the proper techniques, you'll be amazed at what you can create.
The Samsung offers seemingly infinite possibilities. I'm having fun just shooting objects over and over again at different settings to learn it's capabilities (one of the great things about digital photography, no wasted film). I've taken it to the mountains to test my new skills and have come away with enlargeable and frameable images like I've never taken before. I've also tried to create situations that others have voiced issues with when using the competition, but have not found any situation that can't be captured beautifully with the right settings.
Compared to a P&S, this camera is an extreme amount of work, it's heavy and a lot more expensive.....I just wish I'd bought it sooner. I'll never go back to a P&S again after experiencing the quality of the Samsung (Pentax).

To anyone looking at getting this camera, don't worry, it's a great camera. It is almost a twin of the Pentax K10D camera. Everything the same except that the battery grip for the K10D does not fit this camera well. You can do a search on this topic. And the problem is that Samsung does not sell its battery grip in the USA yet. So if the grip is really important to you ,consider the Pentax. Other than that, this is one fantastic camera, I love it. Dale

Excelente cámara, realmente una valiosa adquisición, impresionante diseño y una muy buena velocidad, 3 fotos por segundos.

I have to say without a doubt, that the GX10 has met all of my expectations. I upgraded from a HP 935 which is an excellent camera, but I have teenage boys who are active in sports, and this camera allows me not only to zoom in to see the freckles on their faces, but gives me the option to shoot in any type of light. I am old school kind of person, I have in my bag a Minolta Srt 201, from the 70's, I will put the GX 10 on par with any film camera, and have the added features, of autofocus, speed shooting, downloadabilty, and quality of a well made camera.

I reviewed many camera's, too many name, but all well known brands. I just felt that Samsung if gives me the best value.

AR

I love this thing. Fantastic camera. Takes really great images, but.....

Try finding a Samsung dealer to buy accessories! While you can use Pentax accessories, being that the camera itself is made by Pentax, and in some cases is better then the Pentax itself (operating system for example. The Samsung is different, and actually better then the Pentax)

Samsung replacement batteries for this camera? Unless you want to use a aftermarket battery, expect to pay no less then $100.00 after shipping and handling.

Samsung Battery Grip? Go on-line and read the horror stories of trying to find one--even in Europe!

Samsung-Schneider lenses? From what I can tell, made to order, if your lucky to find one, they are almost twice the cost of a comparable Tamron lens--I think, because no one knows what the actual quality of the lenses are other then the 18-55mm that comes with it. But its a pretty decent lens.

Yes, you can find SOME items on the internet for purchase, but these items are few and far between and even hard for the people hawking them to get. Samsung two DSLR models are not even carried or represented by any store in California. (I bought my from a very good store who sold me on Samsung in Lakewood, Washington, which ironically no longer carries the Samsung DSLR models. Go figure! They like the product, but don't like dealing with the representation of the company)

Samsung needs to make up there mind whether they want to be in the DSLR market or not--and distribute these cameras via walk in consumer who want to make their purchase of such an item on sight, not unseen. While having the three-year warranty that came with the camera--one of the main selling features for me, well, I'm wondering how they would be about backing it, let alone if its worth anything.

Get with it Samsung! Your marketing and sales department is destroying your reputation! I love your camera, but honestly, if I had to do it over, I would be buying the Nikon.

Samsung GX-10 is an excellent DSLR (if not one of the best)on the market, technologically and value-wise. Based on Pentax technology, this modfied DSLR is full of technical options only available in higher-priced cameras. The solid (sealed construction) feel of the camera should be an added asset. I recommend this camera to anyone, including serious photographers.

It's awesome and I can't wait to explore all of it's capabilities. Thank you for your prompt response and help.