Samsung Techwin Enters Digital Camera MarketSamsung Techwin Enters Digital Camera Market

SEOUL, South Korea — Samsung Techwin said Thursday (Jan. 19) it has entered the digital single-lens reflex camara market with a 6-megapixel model that uses interchangeable lens technology.

Samsung said the DSLR technology for its GX-1S camera was jointly developed with Japan’s Pentax Corp. The partners joined forces last October.

The new digital camera measures 4.9- by 3.6- by 2.6-inches and weighs 17.8 ounces.

The GX-1S also features advanced optics from lens maker Schneider, a high-resolution 2.5-inch LCD and 16-segment multipattern metering for light measurement. It includes a consecutive-shooting mode of up to 2.8 frames per second and up to 8 frames in JPEG format per second.

The Samsung subsidiary is aiming to become a top digital camera maker with a sales target of 12 million units by 2007. The company expects 2006 sales volume to reach 8 million units.

Industry experts forecast that the global digital camera market will grow to 89 million units this year from an estimated 82 million in 2005. The DSLR market is expected to hit 5.7 million units in 2006 from 4.2 million last year.