At 3fps, the Samsung GX-20 isn’t ideal for the photographer wanting a rapid-fire performance, but though the AF isn’t that quick, it is consistent.Pentax and Samsung made no secret of the fact that they worked incredibly closely together to develop the Samsung GX-20 and the Pentax K20D, and so it’s no surprise that the specification of the GX-20 is virtually identical to that of the K20D. There’s the same 14.6Mp CMOS sensor, 11-point AF system, 2.7in screen, 100-6400 ISO range, anti-dust system, anti-shake system (though instead of being called Shake Reduction, it’s called Optical Image Stabilisation) and lens mount, sharing the same popular Pentax KAF2 mount. The differences are subtle – the GX-20 only records .DNG RAWs, not its own specific file format, while the design appears more utilitarian, with fewer curves (especially noticeable around the flash/pentaprism), and squared-off buttons at the rear, though these still function in exactly the same way. The handgrip also has a slightly different feel (though not in a negative way), but the level of weather sealing is just as excellent.
At 3fps, the GX-20 (or the K20D) isn’t ideal for the photographer wanting a rapid-fire performance, but though the AF isn’t that quick, it is consistent. The menu system and navigation is the same as the K20D, but with graphics that give a more modern edge. It’s still a bit awkward to use, though, with settings and functions in places that aren’t particularly intuitive.
www.samsungcamera.co.uk