Labs

Samsung is fairly new to the DSLR market so doesn't have the pedigree of Nikon or Canon. Its decision to use the Pentax K mount for lenses is a sound move, however, as it opens up a whole range of good quality optics for the camera.

The GX 10 sports a 10.2-megapixel sensor and has a built-in shake reduction feature. The buttons and dials have a reassuring quality and the construction is going to cope with extensive use. The camera body is heavy, though, so if weight is an issue then this isn't the one for you.

As with the Pentax model, the focusing is noisy in comparison

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to the whisper-quiet Nikon and it is slower to lock on to subjects. However, the difference is miniscule and will only affect you on a very few occasions.

One thing that will affect your view of the GX10 is its image performance. The colour test proved a little too much and the mixture of light sources fooled it too easily. Instead of crisp whites and punchy colours the whole range was somewhat muddy. The image lacked the accuracy and vibrancy we were looking for. The final result gave us the impression that the Samsung was overwhelmed by the range of colour in the scene and decided to tone everything down a notch.

It fared better with skin tones, producing a much more pleasing final image. Natural and detailed skin was just what we were after and the Samsung didn't disappoint, and the GX10 is to be commended for this output.

We can't help thinking though that this model is best avoided at present. It's great to have more competition to keep the established names on their toes but the GX10 just lacks the all-round performance we expect from a DSLR. We were impressed by the construction, switches and dials, though, so it's not all bad news.