Samsung Samsung EX2F Picture Surfaces

Phillip Swanson

News Writer
Samsung-EX2F.jpe


The first picture of Samsung's EX2F compact camera has surfaced and with it a few details about the camera as well.

The EX2F is the successor to the EX1 and appears to share the same 1/1.7" sensor size, but megapixel count has increased from 10MP to 12.4MP and the EX2F features a 24mm f/1.4 lens compared to the EX1's 28mm f/1.8 lens.

  • Built-in Wi-Fi
  • 12.4MP 1/1.7" (10.9mm) BSI CMOS sensor (updated)
  • 3x optical zoom
  • 24mm on the wide angle side
  • Schneider Kreuznach lens with fast f/1.4 aperture
  • Rotating AMOLED display
  • Dual image stabilization

The big question mark right now is price. Will it compete with the likes of the Canon S100, Olympus XZ-1, and the Panasonic LX5 priced in the sub $400 range or with the recently released Sony RX100 priced at $850? The RX100's feature set includes an impressive list of advanced features including RAW shooting, customizable buttons, and a impressive autofocus performance. Where the EX2F falls in the marketplace will likely dictate its success.

Source: PhotoRumors
 
Looks like Samsung is taking a faster lens / BSI CMOS approach to increasing low light capabilities, instead of the larger (non-BSI) sensor approach taken by Canon and sony. According to the lens barrel it has a 3.3x zoom lens (that would be a 24-79mm equivalent). Very fast at wide angle, combined with BSI CMOS sensor (first of this size) might get it pretty close to the RX100 in terms of low light capabilities. It should at least be able to outdo the current 1/1.7" sensor cameras. Looks good, but it might be that Samsung will soon be the only company left with a relatively small sensor if Panasonic / Olympus / Canon / Nikon all go with 1" sensors or larger for their compacts. I don't know how easy that'll be to sell to the average consumer.

Looks like in terms of ergonomics it remains the same as the EX1, which I think is a positive , because I find it very easy to access all important functions. I wonder about the size, particularly the thickness.
 
There was a rumour it was gonna be unveiled last tuesday, but obviously that didn't happen. But seeing this ad, it would seem the unveiling is imminent.
Luke: rotating display is absolutely amazing, it's one of the few "gimmicks" a camera can have that actually helps you get more creative photos. I love that it's also very helpful in portrait orientation, unlike the simple tilting screens.
 
The EX2F is the successor to the EX1 and appears to share the same 1/1.7" sensor size, but megapixel count has increased from 10MP to 12.4MP and the EX2F features a 24mm f/1.4 lens compared to the EX1's 28mm f/1.8 lens.



Errr ----------- my EX1 already has a 24mm wide angle lens :rolleyes:
It will be interesting to see if the f1.4 lens is as impressive as the f1.8 on the EX1. Sometimes very fast lenses lose IQ at smaller apertures. All a matter of compromise I suppose.
Looks like it has been upgraded to full HD as well.
I feel a micro rant brewing up ------ Just wish Samsung didn't have to script the front with Wi Fi , F1.4 and full HD. Just looks soooooooooooo tacky on such a classy and elegant looking machine :eek:
99.999 % of the population have'nt a clue what on earth it all means, and those that understand it probably could'nt care less. Whats the point ? Why not add a dayglo green slogan $ 700 and cheap at twice the price ?
Rant over :D
Looking forward to a comprehensive field test.
Richard
 
Richard, good point about faster lenses not always being better. Another way to look at it though is that Samsung did so incredibly well with the EX1 lens that it seems less likely that they would screw up the replacement :).

As for all that mess on the front, I agree it's ugly, but it could help it sell. I think most people probably do know what Wifi and FullHD are. I'm looking forward to trying this one out. Based on my vendor sources, the EX1 was a sleeper in the US - should have sold much better than it did.
 
I'm looking forward to trying this one out. Based on my vendor sources, the EX1 was a sleeper in the US - should have sold much better than it did.

I owned the EX1 for a while, really nice camera, very well put together, nice lens, and overall handling was very good indeed. The only reason I sold it again was that next to my Mu43 gear I wanted something really compact, and the EX1 was just still a little too big to slip into a jeans pocket for instance. I switched to S100 for that purpose but if size was no issue the Samsung would be great choice indeed. I agree it deserved a bigger audience.
 
Based on my vendor sources, the EX1 was a sleeper in the US - should have sold much better than it did.

This is true of pretty much all Samsung cameras it seems? The NX system seem to be the least successful of all the mirrorless systems by far. They don't seem to be recognized as a "proper" camera company as they are with screens, smartphones, and others.
 
Did the ex1 have a noise reduction feature? If not, I hope this one does.
It does, and it's horrible: you can't change the NR settings, so the jpegs always contain the factory standard amount, aka way too much and not applied as well as LR can do. I really hope the EX2 will allow you to set the NR to any level you want, including off.
 
This is true of pretty much all Samsung cameras it seems? The NX system seem to be the least successful of all the mirrorless systems by far. They don't seem to be recognized as a "proper" camera company as they are with screens, smartphones, and others.

Panasonic was the same way for many many years.
 
cool! Looks like a really high quality camera, I like that it has an ND filter and a proper grip.

I've been wondering about how the EX2F compares to the RX100 in terms of DOF and low light abilities.
The Sony RX100's lens is, in real terms, 10,4mm at wide angle, where it has an aperture of 10,4/1,8=5,77mm. The EX2F has 5,2mm/1,4=3,7mm, so at wide angle, the Sony seems to have the advantage in terms of DOF. The slightly slower lens should mean slightly higher ISO's but you'd expect the larger sensor to handle that well. Sony probably wins.

At the Samsung's maximum tele of 80mm equivalent, the Samsung is at 17,2/2,7=6,37mm, whereas the Sony is at 29,8/4,5=6,6mm, so that's only a marginal difference in real aperture size. The smaller size of the EX2F's sensor (making any non-focused light beams, aka unsharpness, occupy a greater part of the sensor) might actually mean the EX2F could be capable of shallower DOF than the Sony. I don't know how big the difference between the two cameras is in terms of noise performance, but the 1,5stop advantage that the EX2F has, should ensure at least competitive results. So despite the much smaller sensor, that's a draw, both in terms of DOF and low light.

Seems keeping the sensor small and the lens very fast can keep a camera pretty close to the larger sensor of the RX100, at tele at least. At wide angle, the fastness of the RX100 should make it the undisputed king of low light compacts.
 
EX2F has been added to the camerasize website:

Compact Camera Meter

It doesn't seem to really be pocketable, which is a big minus as far as I'm concerned (not pocketable + no EVF/OVF means I think their Samsung NX lineup make more sense for most people). Or a G1X. Or a RX100.
 
If it's the same size as the EX1, I'd say it's easily jacket pocketable, and it can be worn in pants with pockets on the sides (like walking pants or cargo pants), but not in the regular pockets of regular jeans. I'd like it to be thinner too, but the mix of the EX1's qualities was so perfect for me that I decided I could live with the slight compromise in size. I do wish it had a self opening lens cap though, because it saves space and more importantly, it saves time when you get the camera out of your pocket.
 
looks pretty cool lets see how it works in market . i want to know when this camera i s going to be launched in the market. it will be challenge for cameras of sony and canon
 
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