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[Instigator]

Samsung has officially announced its first SLR-styled digital camera, the Pro815, an 8 megapixel 15x zoom model. It's targeted at enthusiasts and boasts a lot of 'world firsts' including the largest LCD on a digital camera at 3.5 inches , world's longest zoom on a high end camera and world's largest capacity lithium ion battery. The fully manual Pro815 sports a Schneider-Kreuznach lens and boasts a color data LCD screen for waist-level shooting, 2.5fps continuous mode and ISO 800. High speed mode allows steady shooting at the long end of the zoom. It's due to ship in August and will cost approximately £600.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0506/05060202samsung_pro815.asp

It looks pretty good on paper. I wonder how much it costs...

They have some other new cameras too:

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0506/05060204samsung_aseries.asp

 

[Lucky Forward]

Wow, that LCD looks impressive, but taking up as much area as it does, I'd be afraid it would get scratched too easily. Also, can you hold the camera without putting your thumb on the screen? The thumbwheel on my Canon 20D would be right in the middle of that screen.

The zoom is impressive (28-420 35mm equivalent) provided it can deliver a sharp image across that entire range. I notice it says "SLR-style" camera...so I take it the lens isn't interchangeable. Not that you'd need another lens with that zoom range, but I would think anyone in the higher-end "prosumer" camera market would want the ability to change to a specific lens depending on the particular type of shooting they specialize in. And a lot of people still favor prime lenses for their unmatched sharpness.