According to last year's reports, Samsung was in the middle of developing a new hybrid camera system, which would build bridges between the digital SLR and the compact camera. At the PMA 2009 in Las Vegas, Samsung's newly formed Samsung Digital Imaging revealed the new concept digital camera, the NX Series, which will make Samsung a global leader in the new hybrid market.

"We estimate that the hybrid digital camera market will be over 20% of the global digital still camera market by 2012," said Sang-jin Park, CEO of Samsung Digital Imaging Company. "With the release of the NX Series, a digital camera that combines the strengths of a DSLR and compact digital camera, Samsung Digital Imaging will become a global leader in the new hybrid digital camera market and achieve the company’s goal to become the global leader in the digital camera market by 2012."

Not yet a production ready model, the NX Series hybrid utilizes an APS C sized image sensor providing a much larger surface area to gather light and produce higher-quality images than comparable digital camera systems, like most current DSLRs.  At the same time, the NX Series does not feature a mirror box and employs an ultra-precise Electronic Viewfinder (EVF). With nothing sitting between lens and sensor in this case, the NX concept is essentially a full-time live view camera, and will be able to provide image preview either through the viewfinder or on the back-panel LCD.

The first model of the NX series is planned for a release in the second half of 2009, with no pricing information or additional details provided so far.