More of the same, masquerading as new.

It’s frustrating to see the lack of innovation from Samsung in it’s new ‘small body’ mirrorless camera, the NX100.

The NX100 underwhelms.

The only substantive change the NX100 makes compared to the aging Panasonic GF1 is that a slightly larger APS-C sensor is used. Otherwise it’s the same as the GF1, missing the one feature street snappers are screaming for: a proper viewfinder. Add a ridiculously bulky lens on what is purportedly a compact snapper and you have the worst example of ‘me too’ thinking to come out of the far east in quite a while.

Panasonic can redefine this category in a trice and make a lot of money doing it. Reengineer the excellent EVF from the G1 into a GF2-sized body, delete the silly pop-up flash and movie modes and sell it with that sweet little 20mm compact standard lens and you have a recipe for success.