The GX-20: Helping amateurs capture professional photos

P. J. Leo ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Mon, 07/21/2008 10:34 AM  |  Potpourri

It seems the development of digital photography is never ending.

Today, with digital cameras available to all market segments, even amateurs can become professional photographers; at least in the sense that they can take photos of sufficient quality to sell to media publications.

As the technology has developed, not only has the resolutions of cameras sharpened, but also film cameras have become obsolete. They are relics of the past.

People started giving digital cameras more attention as photographic shortcomings inherent to the technology, which were especially felt by professionals, were ironed out.

When digital cameras first hit the market, customers dismissed the technology for its poor quality and its high price.

Digital single lens reflex (SLR) cameras represent the very cutting edge of the rapidly evolving technology.

Ease and practicality are the benefits offered by digital cameras. As such, they open more possibilities for users to explore more deeply the world of photography than they were able to with film cameras.

You don't necessarily need to use a SLR camera or a professional digital camera to take great pictures these days, even a pocket "point and shoot" camera will do.

Competition among manufacturers of point and shoots is fierce, with the number of mega pixels a camera is able to produce, and additional features, including video capture, the main selling points for customers.

A mixture of user-friendly features and advanced technology make digital cameras practical tools that can produce images of superb quality. Cameras on the market now not only offer a range of scene modes and picture taking options, but also come bundled with photo processing software.

However, although digital cameras have become widespread, consumers generally do not take full advantage of their devices' features. With a greater understanding of the capabilities, customers would be able to take more satisfying pictures.

SLR digital cameras have become flagships for the latest technology, and manufacturers have strived relentlessly to release new models with more features than their competitors' products as well as their own previous models.

South Korea's Samsung, better known for its electronic appliances, has hit the digital camera market with a bang and has launched its own SLR range.

Samsung has made the greatest strides in the industry of late, as it endeavors to add its own name to the "big two", currently occupied by Japan's Canon and Nikon, by the year 2010.

Indeed, the dream does not seem so implausible; as Samsung's ambitious expansion in many areas of electronic gadgetry has made it a global player in the industry.

Samsung's GX-20 SLR digital camera

Samsung's SLR camera models include the K10D, K20D, GX-10 and now the GX-20 -- the company's latest child.

The GX-20 is equipped with Optical Image Stabilization technology, which ensures a clear picture even if the camera is unsteady. It can be used in any kind of weather and also sports a dust-proof and humidity-proof outer casing. It can also neglect disturbances from shadows.

Sharpness is ensured by the camera's 11-point auto-focusing lens.

The camera also boasts a 2.7 inch liquid crystal display (LCD), which is filled by 230,000 pixels, and offers a class-leading Live View system, which means the user is able to see the image through the lens on the LCD as well as through the view finder, something previously impossible with digital SLRs due to the alignment of their prism mirrors.

However, this viewing system will be familiar to almost all users of point-and-shoot digital cameras.

The Live View on Samsung's GX-20 frees the user from having to frame his image through the viewfinder, extraditing those moments when seeing over a crowd, or shooting from a low angle are essential.

However, users will not be able to use the GX-20's auto focus feature in Live View.

With an APS-C 14.6 mega pixel CMOS image sensor and an ISO range of 100 to 6400, the GX-20 allows consumers to take sharp pictures at any time of the day.

And because of its resilience, the GX-20 can still function in spite of rain, sand or dust, making it ideal for outdoor use.

The camera is also equipped with a special anti-dust coating and has a dust-removal function to remove dust from the image sensor, which is exposed to foreign particles when a lens is changed.

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