Design
Besides minor exterior differences and menu interface, a non-discerning eye may not be able to tell the difference between Samsung's GX-20 and the Pentax K20D. This is because both models are based on almost the same body that the two companies co-developed.
The weight of the GX20 unmistakably feels like a professional digital SLR body -- heavy. Tipping the scales at 808 grams after we put in the battery and SD card, we wondered how we were going to lug this 14.6-megapixel camera around on a full day's shoot. This is probably due to the solid build of the camera, which has a very comfortable hand grip.
The rear of the camera houses a nice 2.7-inch LCD. While large screens may be common in compact cameras, for dSLRs, it is still quite a new feature. The Live View looks sharp on the display, but we couldn't autofocus in real-time. Instead, we had to press the secondary AF button , which will flip the mirror back down, focus, then return to Live View with a focused scene.
The optional battery grip with its tray and the battery.
(Click to enlarge)
The viewfinder offers a bright, clear 95 percent view of the actual scene and also shows the shutter speed, aperture, focus indicator, exposure meter and ISO value. It also makes it easy spectacle-wearing photographers to view properly.
We plugged in the optional SBG-D1V battery grip, which has one battery slot and a compartment for a spare SD card. This may sound weird because grips from other manufacturers allow two batteries. But for the GX-20, it houses one battery in the main body and another in the grip. This is thoughtful of Samsung because photographers can continue to shoot even when the battery grip is detached from the camera.
Features
After powering on the GX-20, the body vibrated for less than a second. For a while we thought the camera was alive. But no, it was actually the sensor-cleaning function shaking off any particles stuck on the CMOS sensor.
The ridged scroll wheel can only be moved between three angles to select a focus point.
(Click to enlarge)
The flat button layout can be confusing as certain features are hidden and not clearly indicated. For example, in order to change the white balance (which took us a good 2 minutes to figure out), we had to press the Fn (Function) button first, which will call up a menu on the rear screen to change the settings for white balance, ISO sensitivity, drive mode and flash.
We presumed the green button on the top of the camera was to activate the backlight for the smaller LCD. But it turned out this is used for activating an array of customisable settings (like ISO) mapped to the front and rear dials while in different shooting modes.
The GX-20 has a built-in image stabiliser in the body which shifts the sensor in accordance to the movements from shaky hands. It can be activated via a small switch besides the Fn button.
We thought the ridged wheel could be turned 360 degrees (similar to Canon's EOS line), but it can be adjusted to only three different angles for selecting focus points. It's quite a shame to have designated this function to the wheel as it would have been more intuitive for adjusting other settings such as aperture controls.
The shutter button is very responsive, and with the slightest pressure, the autofocus would kick in. This is a matter of preference because some photographers like a more tactile feel.
While we shoot in JPEG format most of the time, there are occasions when we would like to capture a shot in RAW. Instead of having to sift through the menu, Samsung has placed a RAW button on the front of the camera. By pressing it, the next shot captured will be recorded in RAW (or designated formats via the menu).
One thing to note about the GX-20 is that while images are being copied to the card, you should not open the cover because it will transfer only the current image and delete the remaining pictures from the buffer. Unfortunately, these lost images cannot be retrieved.
Samsung Raw Converter 2.0's interface looks similar to Apple's Aperture. (Click to enlarge)
Performance
For professional photographers, Samsung has included its own RAW image-processing software -- Samsung RAW converter 2.0 -- together with the camera. Installing it was a breeze on our workstations, although it did hang the first time we started the program.
The interface looks similar to Apple's Aperture (also an image-editing program/RAW converter for Mac machines), with the most commonly used functions located at the left and top of the screen. There are several preset modes which we found interesting, one of which is the Nostalgic Toy Camera picture-style setting. By clicking on it, your image will look like it was taken by the Russian 35mm Lomo camera.
Processing RAW files to TIFF was a speedy affair, and we had the liberty of testing the image quality of the GX-20 with Samsung's D-Xenogon 35mm F2 lens. While images looked clean at ISO 100 and 200, anything at ISO 400 and beyond had a fair amount of noise. At ISO 3,200, digital artifacts appeared prominently all over the picture.
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Samsung has gotten its formula almost right with the GX-20. However, one factor that puts the Korean company at a disadvantage is the sparse number of lenses and accessories available compared with other manufacturers. But it's clearly not slowing down, promising to announce the successor to the GX-20 and six more optics at Photokina in Germany later this year.
Samsung Australia says it will announce pricing for the GX-20 in the coming weeks, expecting it to be around the AU$1400-1600 mark. Check back soon for our full review.
Sherene, did you get an email receipt when you bought the product. I am assuming it is an iTunes voucher. I would suggest you reply back to the email you received when you bought the itunes voucher and explain the situation. 
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