Samsung GX10 at Argos!

Just seen the new Argos catalogue

GX10 18-55 & 50-200 for 649.99

If I hadn't already bought my K10D I think I would have been tempted...

(PS I don't have any shares in connection with Argos!!)

ahha at last they begin to realise that they must offer a discount for calling it a Samsung

I bought a Samsung GX-1S (AKA Pentax DS2) with a 18-55 and 50-200, kit bag thrown in from Jessops just before xmas for £400. Seemed like a bargain to me and so far I have no complaints. If I had waited untill now I would be very tempted by the GX10.
Harry

Hmmm.....

I wonder if theres a market in selling stick on PENTAX badges?

Wasn't the software platform different? The basic software should be the same, but I understood that the user interface and some functionality were different.

Certainly in an interview with a pentax engineer that I read elsewhere on the web, he mentioned that Samsung have their own GUI.

Does any one have any idea what would happen if one tried to apply the K10d firmware to the Samsung? Does the new firmware patch the old or replace it?

If it is the latter, presumably one could make a GX10 into a K10d (badge aside) quite easily?

(New member - been lurking for a while and will buy a K10 or GX10 when the house sale finally goes through )

I rather suspect that you'd end up with a dead camera and a huge repair bill for unauthorized hacking

New to these boards so go easy on me.

The Samsung GX10 is now at £599 in Argos with the two lenses.
The pentax with similar lenses are £830 with equivilent lenses.

Is it worth the extra money to go with the Pentax or is the difference in the cameras so minimal I would be better off going with the Samsung?

To be perfectly honest, the GX10 is a rose by another name. The only real difference between the two cameras is that the fimware (the internal software) is different. The Samsung version allegedly gives slightly sharper pictures (JPEGs) at the expense of overall picture quality. In RAW, the output is presumably identical.

It's a huge price difference, and if I were not a diehard Pentax fan, I would probably buy the Samsung. And before I am banned from the board for treachery, I would hastily add that Pentax no doubt makes money from every Samsung sold.

One more point. The price difference will be carried over into second-hand prices, I would expect, so if you sell within a couple of years you should expect to get more for the Pentax.

G

Wonder if the picture quality is down to the lens they use?

Also it takes the SEF-36PZF flash unit which looks very much like AF360FGZ so may be a cheaper flash option for the K10D?

I'll look up some reviews this am and see how they compare with the Pentax.

I've got the real thing now though and I'm sticking to it as I'm sure I'll get better support of the original manufacturer

I've also go the GX-1S and my main concern with the GX10 is firmware updates ... the new firmware for the K10D is significant however Samsung have not released the SDHC updates for the GX-1S ... Personally I'd wait and see if they update the GX10 firmware before spending the money.

The lenses are rebadged Pentaxes, and many people believe they are SMC coated.

Looking around, the price seems to vary between £149 and £179. Since the real one is available for £149 from Park, there seems no reason to seek out the Samsung. Unless of course they are discounting it heavily in a bundle.

G

my concern with the Sammy would be the firmware. My experience of other samsung products (admittedly not cameras) is that the products themselves are often good (just love my Sammy ML1510 printer) but the aftersales support is poor.

Right now there is no significant difference between an off the shelf K10D and GX10, but with the new firmware for the K10D it aquires one or two significant advantages. Unless Samsung release a similar firmware update the GX10 will fall behind as Pentax get the K10 firmware updates out.

- which is DNG-only on the Samsung (no great problem).