A few weeks ago, I was fortunate to spend a bit of time with some people from Samsung, who offered me a sneak peek at the new Samsung NX10 Digital Camera.  First Up, it's NOT a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) - why? Because it does not have the 'SLR' part!

It's the Toyota Prius of DSLR's - It's a Hybrid.

The NX10 has an electronic view finder. 

For the uninitiated, when using a DSLR and you look through the small eye viewfinder, you are in fact looking via a set of mirrors DIRECTLY out the lens and thus getting the perfect focus and setup for your shot.  When you press the shutter the mirror flips and exposes the film - or in the Digital age the Sensor. (That's a very lamens attempt at describing the system!)

On the Samsung NX10, when you look into the viewfinder, you are in fact seeing a teeny tiny version of what you normally see on a standard Digital Camera - an electronic version of what is coming in through the lense, as the Sensor sees it, it is digitised and shown on a screen. This is however where the comparison between the NX10 and a DSLR is let down - it is really obvious when you look through the viewfinder that its an 'electronic image' - either through the resolution or the ever so slight lag - it is obvious.  When comparing in a shop side by side, that will put some people off.

However, if you can get over that, and are ready to compare DSLR to NX10 Hybrid - You will enjoy.

First and foremost, the NX10 is slim, and light - a genuine advantage for people jumping up to this range of camera from the small compact.  What makes the NX10 a part of the low end DSLR range comparison is the 14.6 Megapixel APS-C sensor.  That's up there with the best of the DSLR's you'll be looking for in the sub $1500 range.

The APS-C Sensor is also significantly larger than the Micro Four-Thirds cameras released in 2009 by Olympus and Panasonic, which means the picture quality will be much better and comparable with the DSLR range.

Personally, I recently jumped into the DSLR market buying the Canon 450D.  It's a fantastic camera, which you will get for under $1500 with a twin lens kit. 

The NX10 should be priced in that same area - although that is not yet confirmed.  The other key feature of the NX10 is 720p HD Video recording, which will be a good selling point over the low end DSLR's on the market - HD video recording is something in many DSLR's now, but normally more high end versions.

This is not a camera for DSLR enthusiasts, instead, this is likely to be a very good choice for Compact Camera users who are enjoying their photography and want to get those magical shots people are getting with DSLRs using the manual Aperture and Shutter settings among others.

If this was available when I was shopping for my DSLR, I would have given this more than significant time of day when comparing cameras.

For the average Joe or Jill, this has a great megapixel count, an unbelievable 3 inch AMOLED back screen, the same highly customisable SLR settings you'd see on your Canon/Nikon's, great scene settings as default, direct HDMI output, a very usable menu system and frankly, a very easy to hold body.

Samsung have a long road map of lenses coming for this camera, so there should be no fear about that for the keen amateur photographer about restrictions in that area.

I would highly recommend this to be part of your comparative shopping list if you're looking to jump up from the Compact Camera you have today to experience the high quality photos and fun of interchangeable lenses.

We will have to wait and see what happens when the NX10 hits stores early this year and at what price it is listed.