Samsung has thrown the consumer DSLR market wide open with a new model that redefines consumer?s expectations about how many megapixels they can get in a mid-price DSLR.

The Samsung GX-20 features a 15.1 megapixel sensor (14.6 MP effective) ? the highest resolution of any DSLR below £3000. Yet the GX-20 will cost just £699, with its kit lens, when it goes on sale in March.

WDC was given an exclusive preview of a pre-production sample prior to today?s official launch, and was very impressed. Like Samsung?s previous DSLRs, the GX20 was developed in partnership with Pentax, who have announced an almost identical model. Externally unchanged from its predecessor, the GX-10, except for the inclusion of a PC flash sync terminal on the body, Samsung?s main enhancements have been on the inside, most notably in the form of a newly developed APS-C size CMOS type sensor boasting 14.6 million effective pixels. The sensor, which is also used in Pentax?s version of the camera, is the first ever imaging chip to be manufactured in-house by Samsung, at their new plant in South Korea ? previous models are believed to have used a Sony sensor.

Other key features include a 2.7in, 230,000 dot LCD screen with a Live View mode, and a built-in HDR filter which, post-capture, enables the user to optimise the dynamic range to retain shadow and highlight detail in high contrast scenes.

Like is predecessor, the GX-20 offers continuous shooting at up to three frames per second for 9 RAW shots or unlimited JPEGs, depending on the capacity of the SD card, built-in Optical Picture Stabilisation (OPS) to reduce camera shake, a Dual Dust Removal System, a one-touch RAW button (the GX-20 uses the DNG format for Raw capture) and post-capture RAW processing (a feature unique to Pentax and Samsung). All this is enclosed in the same robust, fully sealed weather and dust resistant body shell that has received such acclaim on the GX-20 and its Pentax twin.

Robert King, commercial director of Samsung said: ?With the launch of the GX-20 DSLR, Samsung has a full digital camera line-up ranging from convergent compact digital cameras through to high end luxurious digital SLRs. This product is the start of an exciting DSLR range for Samsung as it is our first DSLR with our own CMOS sensor technology, which is set to support our expansion in this important product sector.?