Editor's Note:
We take camera reviews here at Boot Daily very seriously and because of that, we think you'll find some of the best reviews anywhere on today's digital cameras. Jon Austin is one of the biggest technical camera nerds we know of, his passion for good photography is clearly evident by his intense, thourough research he puts into every review.

Darin's expertise comes in at "that sounds great on paper, but what is it really like to live with for awhile?" He's lived with this Sammy for about 3 months now so his insights into how the technical part of the review translate into real-world use are worth the read as you make your decision which camera to buy next.

Boot Daily uses SDHC from:
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OCZ Technology

CF Memory for the other Test Cameras Courtesty of:
Kingston

-Duane Pemberton
Managing Editor 

Weather Sealing:
To begin, the GX-10 has full weather sealing composed of silicone rubber seals at 72 points around its polycarbonate body.  This level of sealing has only been found on professional grade digital Single Lens Reflex (dSLR)s in the past, and has only recently been introduced on prosumer bodies like the Nikon D200 and soon to be released D300.  The GX-10 offers this protection at less than half the price of any other manufacturer.

Image Stabilization:
 The CCD sensor of the GX-10 is fitted with what Samsung inexplicably calls “Optical Picture Stabilization” or OPS.  This term, and misnomer, refers to a sensor-based image stabilization system that counteracts camera shake by vibrating the sensor to keep it steady while shooting.  It is in no way an “optical” form of stabilization as optical stabilization more typically refers to systems wherein a lens group is moved to counteract vibration. With the GX-10, every lens becomes a stabilized lens, which is a very useful feature.  In the context of using the system with the 18-55mm kit lens, the system worked very well.  Unfortunately, I was unable to test how well it functions with telephoto lenses as none were available to me at the time of the review. 

In contrast, the systems offered by Canon and Nikon require that the user purchase specialized lenses that provide this function.  There is a theoretical advantage to designing and implementing an image stabilization system for each lens.  Basically, different focal lengths require a different level of correction.  Telephoto lenses are more susceptible to camera shake, and wide angle lenses are less susceptible.  Whether or not this theoretical advantage provides better performance depends on how much latitude the OPS system provides.  If the OPS system has enough latitude and speed to counteract shake at the longest focal lengths, then there is no advantage to having image stabilization in the camera lens itself.

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