Thread: Samsung announce the NX300

Late last year I happened upon a deal for a second-hand Samsung NX200 + the wonderful little 30/2 pancake lens for only $300, and I came away much more impressed than I thought I would be. The camera still lacks some polish in its autofocus and write times of the enormous raw files, but the quality of build, materials, controls, screen, menus and graphics are all excellent. The 20MP sensor doesn't excel in low light but otherwise the raw files it produces seem very natural and remind me of my old Canon 50D. Definitely a different flavour compared to the Sony NEX.

Anyhow, I see that they have just announced the NX300, which replaces the NX210 (which was basically a NX200 + WiFi capability). The camera looks quite similar in design but offers a larger (3.3") and higher resolution OLED screen that tilts and is also now a touchscreen. The size of the screen is quite impressive after the much smaller offerings on the various Sony NEX and latest Olympus Pen cameras. The NX300 also now offers hybrid CDAF/on-sensor PDAF. The sensor is listed as "new" but I am not sure if it anything more than the existing one with PDAF sensors and a token ISO 25600 mode added.

There are lots of mini-reviews getting around, but here is a link to the DPReview version.

Samsung announces NX300 - 3D-capable 20MP mirrorless camera: Digital Photography Review

Samsung's cameras have improved steadily... and they are quietly becoming more competitive. Up to now, I have regarded Samsung cameras as interesting and attractive, and almost all of them check all (or nearly all) of the boxes on specification. But in real-world use they have generally come up a bit short in one way or the other. Still, they keep getting better. Here's hoping this latest NX series finally arrives. If not this iteration, I'm still certain it won't be long.

Should I look at Samsung? I've not been happy with NEX. I'm doing FF and m43 (and RX100) currently, but I like shallow DOF. I looked at Samsung when it first came out, but high ISOs were pretty water-color like. Has the sensor improved?

The sensor on the NX10 / 11 and NX100 was basically an old Pentax DSLR sensor. From the NX200 onwards, the sensors have been much, much better. Near contemporary Sony NEX levels, if not quite there. I love the Samsung NX's ergonomics!

I had a chance to try out an NX100 in addition to my NX200. The watercolour issue relating to the 14MP Samsung NX cameras relates mostly to jpeg and aggressive noise reduction. As Bart says, this was the sensor that they produced for Pentax as well as their own GX branded DSLRs a few years back. I think that it is a decent example of an APS-C sensor for it's time and still produces a very nice output. The 20MP sensor is something different again, but there is perhaps still a family resemblance. The resolution is obviously massive; it seems weird to do a sizable crop and still be over 5000 pixels on the long side! I haven't found any official tests of the sensor but I can tell you that it won't generate the same big DR and ISO numbers as the latest Sony Exmors, however I don't see that as a big negative. Sony has pushed their sensors to work in extremes, but if I compare the NEX 5N to the NX200 at anything up to ISO 1600 I have a definite preference towards the Samsung. I love the colours that I can get from the Samsung and at a pixel level there is a slight "huskiness" to the files which I think contributes to their overall look. The Samsung is still usable after ISO 1600, but the Sony certainly starts to pull in front.

What else really impressed with the NX200 is that, for what is priced as a mid-range camera, the quality of materials, controls, screen, and graphics are all top notch.

I have just aquired myself a cheap , new nx200 with kit lens (which i'll try to sell and get the 30mm)
very compact, great to take with my as snapshot camera ;)

Originally Posted by Wolf

I have just aquired myself a cheap , new nx200 with kit lens (which i'll try to sell and get the 30mm)
very compact, great to take with my as snapshot camera ;)

Wolf, I love you, you make me feel better about my own gear acquisition syndrom ;)

Would love to see more samples and impressions of the Samsung kits with the newer sensors. Would especially love to see some thoughts on the higher ISOs like 800-3200 (well, that's high ISO to me at least. I understand now-a-days, that's more of a mid range ISO).

wow wouldn't we make the couple, Nianys ;)

Seriously, i'm trying to temper my gas... but...
249 euro for an nx200 with kit lens and 16gb sd card was just too good and i "needed" something pocketable ...
So instead of getting the x20 or x100s i'll get this with the 30mm, which will set me back 450 euro, still less then an x20 and less then half of the upcoming x100s
let's just hope i can get the 20-50 kit lens sold ;)

My main cameras will remain the omd/xe1 though ;)
but they are too "big" to fit in a slim pouch (at least with the lenses i got)

Below a sample shot i took in the store, iso 1600 with kit lens

not too bad imo (but focus isn't 100% on his face), but i'm not expecting high iso performance equal to the XE1
Can't wait to get the 30mm f2.0 pancake , something Sony didn't manage in 4 yours (a great pancake lens...)

PS, MIGHT get this lens too if the reviews are good and the price is decent

SLRCLUB,