Just posted: Our Samsung NX200 in-depth review: Digital Photography Review

At 3200 RAW noise is on par with Sony 5N but resolution slightly improved due to higher pixel count. Too bad about the JPEG processing, should be fixable though.

http://i.imgur.com/U5Kke.jpg

0 upvotes

Definitely a good compromise between low-light performance and resolution.

0 upvotes

Two video reviews of the NX200:

Samsung NX200
http://shrt.fm/ywp2sA

Samsung NX200 review
http://shrt.fm/A5H16C

0 upvotes

Hi folks,

It deserves to be noted that you *can* change lots of settings while the camera is writing files, as long as you don't try to change certain settings.

Let me explain. Let's say you just took a RAW shot and the green light is flashing, file being written to the card.

All the dials work. You can change Aperture, Shutter, or Exposure Compensation using the top or rear dial. You can press also the iFn button on the lens and get access to ISO, WB, EV with the ring on the lens.

As soon as you press any other buttons though, such as AF/MF or OK or Menu, you see the "Processing" message and you lose access to everything.

So whether this "lockout" is a deal-breaker probably depends on *which* settings you frequently change when shooting RAW.

It seems to me that an obvious firmware improvement would be to cancel the Processing message as soon as the user tries to do something that is allowed - so the "lose access to everything" doesn't happen.

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 4 minutes after posting

3 upvotes

I just tried an 8G SDHC U1 (95MP/s), and the NX200 didn't lock up. Perhaps if I were shooting sports it would have.

The green light blinked.

The card cost about 35usd.

For fun I also tried an 128G SDXC 133 speed (whatever that means) Class 10 card. It seemed to work without lock up.

0 upvotes

So you don't see a "Processing" sign if you try to change to a different drive mode or AF point for example while a RAW shot is being written to the card?

0 upvotes

Michael Barkowski:

Just tried to keep shooting, I'm not that into changing settings once they're set the way I want. (I have not changed an autofocus point in months on my NX100.)

I suspect it is still possible to lock it up even with these faster cards, just saying that the performance improves remarkably with faster cards.

0 upvotes

So I guess we can all agree that for some people this buffer handling behaviour isn't a big issue and for other people it is.

For me, most of the time it's not a problem, but the one time it really bugs me is when I am doing shallow DOF work and want very precise focus and to move the point of focus, because I'm unable to use the AF point selection during buffering. This means I am often forced to focus-recompose or be patient. At least with the DMF option turned on, I can focus-recompose and then adjust for parallax error, but this is still an imprecise and hacky workaround. Kind of like shooting wide open with a Leica, I imagine. I'm still a fan of this camera, despite this very unfortunate and annoying shortcoming - it is just ridiculous that you cannot change the AF point until the last shot has been written to the card.

Comment edited 10 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

@Lars: please change that phrase here as it is incorrect "But it does mean that there's no longer any way to lock the exposure in auto modes." as the Firmware version you used already allowed you to use the custom button to place the ALE/AFE on

Comment edited 21 seconds after posting

1 upvote

Can somebody explain me how to open the Samsung Raw-files? I have LR 3.6 and PSE 7,Faststone and Picasa , but no CS5. With my Panasonic RW2-files no problem.

0 upvotes

My fully updated--no more updates available--copy of PSE 9 won't open the NX200 raws.

I use a fully updated copy of Photoshop CS5 to open the files, no problem.

I'd guess that Adobe decided to stop adding raw options to ACR in PSE 9 (would apply to 7 too), when PSE 10 shipped.

Don't have Lightroom.

0 upvotes

Adobe DNG Converter can convert them to DNG, and then you can open them with a wide variety of programs.

0 upvotes

As silly as this sounds the rather limited leads to better skin tone handling... thats just one thing i've noticed with this camera; skin tones are great. Sounds plausible as Samsung's marketing is often crackpot.

0 upvotes

"rather limited" what?

0 upvotes

I think he's referring to the dynamic range...

0 upvotes

By the way, my Samsung NX200 is on FW 1.03 (the newest)

I see the review is using a camera on FW 1.02

Will the difference in FW matters to the review conclusion? (probably not, I think...)

Comment edited 1 minute after posting

0 upvotes

Thank you for this review! It was a long time coming, but much appreciated!

Pretty consistent with my experience of the camera. I use one touch RAW on the custom button to get around the slow write speed... Shoot JPEG most of the time (usually casual snaps while traveling, anyway), then quickly shift to RAW for artsy attempts. :) you do lose AE-L though...

My current workaround for that is DMF... I like how you can Let the camera AF then manually override focus using any lens (not just the SSA lenses) with full MF assist. Just wish the distance scale was supported on all lenses.

1 upvote

Shooting RAWs its not so bad. Camera do not freeze completely, you can still take more shoots, use iFn exposition settings etc. I bought mine in kit with 18-55mm + 30mm + 20A flash for less then 800 USD and I can say for this money and lens offer, it have no competition all around. This 30mm F2 lens is a wonder. Great IQ, great for kids indoor, fits in jacket pocket. Only down side of this camera for me is poor JPEG engine in high ISO, but it can be fixed by firmware if Samsung ever wants to do so....

1 upvote

The 30mm F2 will be my next lens for sure!

The RAW writing speed doesn't really bother me much, since when I switch to RAW that means i'm trying to capture something deliberately. For other times, when I might catch the kids or the dogs doing something cute, or when my friends ask for snapshots, then JPEG is enough for that.

What probably bothers me more is the large SRW file sizes. If they can squeeze it down a bit more, I'd be happy. Good thing LR converts to DNG, so it's not such a pain to archive.

Enjoying mine tremendously... can't wait for the trip to see cherry blossoms in Korea!

0 upvotes

Why oh why would Samsung ruin its decent sensor performance with AWFUL jpegs?! The NEX-5n just obliterates it on that playing field.

0 upvotes

Do you shoot a lot directly into jpegs?

Then if yes, I'd have to ask why colour, exposure, and noise aren't as important to you as shooting speed?

0 upvotes

yeah...i don't understand how a company can just let all that smearing occur, even if less smearing means more noise.

0 upvotes

jj74e:

Because that's how compression works. Smearing or blotching, pick one.

1 upvote

I can't remember the last time I shot jpeg. I think most people spending this kind of money on a camera with interchangeable lenses will be shooting RAW most of the time. The RAW performance seems to be better in most aspects than the NEX5n.

0 upvotes

When I upload new images to Lightroom, and realize that I somehow changed to all JPEGs, I fell completely disappointed, especially images that I care about or ones that came out particularly nice. I would always rather export to JPEG from RAW. Improved detail, DR, and control of things like WB are important to me. Write speed is not.

0 upvotes

howaboutRAW: uh i'm just talking about more noise, less detail. other companies can do better with their JPEGs and noise reduction methods, why can't samsung? the difference between their RAWs and JPEGs is a bigger gap than some other companies'

0 upvotes

"I can't remember the last time I shot jpeg."

Andy, you're certainly not alone in this camp. After all, millions of customers can't be wrong ;-). And yet the vast majority relies on JPG; so do many pros in the field - who need good results w/ quick turnaround. Let's not argue once more RAW vs. JPG, both exist for good reasons, and none will go away.

Dubious distinction: NX enjoys one of the worst JPEG engines in the industry today in its class. To render justice to NX's sensors, one needs additional LR/ACR programs, plenty of SD and PC capacity for those uncompressed files, good WB memory (how was that shot 2 weeks ago...?) and plenty of time to stare on screens - in stead of shooting. My hobby is photo, not PS - though i used it since 20 yrs.

The many "use RAW" posts will never motivate Samsung to mend their act and improve their JPEG engine, which is a sizeable fraction of the camera cost. Laziness should not be rewarded w/ "bypass JPG, because on NX it sucks"...

Comment edited 3 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

jj74e:

Don't know which company wrote the internal algorithms for the NX cameras, but with the NX100 Samsung supplied a version of the truly awful Silkypix. So someone isn't paying attention to data handling at Samsung. Anyway who cares shoot RAW, and get Photoshop Elements 9 or 10 and update it.

migus:

By your logic you'd be perfectly happy to throw out two thirds of the detail and colour of film negatives.

Pretty sure that photoshop didn't process raws 20 years ago.

No one who cares about colour shoots directly into jpegs with a raw capable camera. Who cares that jpeg processing on the NX "sucks". Seriously: You're relying on auto WB in jpegs--well sometimes you'd get lucky. Lazy complaining about lazy, ironic.

0 upvotes

Not too attractive, especially at higher ISO. Besides, it is too difficult to find third-party adopters for this camera to mount other brands' lenses. I still prefer NEX 5N.

0 upvotes

That's true, but Samsung has an adapter for Pentax lens (however not much people seems use/care about Pentax anyway...)

0 upvotes

It's easy enough to find adapters to mount Nikon and Canon DSLR lenses on Samsung NX cameras. (I own an adapter for Nikon lenses.)

Here are some Canon adapters listed on Amazon USA:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss/175-1807848-2578452?url=search-alias%3Delectronics&field-keywords=samsung+nx+canon+adapter&x=0&y=0

True, the Sony Nex 5n is a nice camera--the lenses on the other hand...

Comment edited 4 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

All my Nikkors work just fine on an NX100 w/ a $15 adapter. Ditto for Canon. True that NEX takes more exotic lenses, which it needs - since it's lacking in its own glass dept.

3 upvotes

@AkinaC
I care for Pentax! :-)
However I don't see much of a point in buying a compact (pocketable) and then putting a huge dslr lenses on it... only one that I would consider is the Pentax 40mm Pancake (=80mm), but I don't own this lens anyway... :-(

Comment edited 8 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

Hi,
I use the 5N with adapter and a variety of Pentax primes from the 21mm, 40mm a 70mm and 77mm limited to old style 24mm, 28mm 50mm and 100mm (2.8, very small).
All lenses are very light and compact.
The older MF lenses are very cheap and of high quailty build and optics.
The 'poor man's Leica'!

1 upvote

I have that 100mm f/2.8, and I took it in my hand just now: I didn't notice how small it really was, plus, with the crop factor, it would become a 200mm equivalent: a nice tele lens in a really compact package.

Comment edited 2 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

professor4321:

Why are you commenting on using a 5n with an adapter here?

5n is a Sony Nex.

Used Leica M lenses are not cheap. (You're the one that mentioned Leica, and no Leica R lenses aren't cheap either. Yes, I believe Rs can be mounted on the Samsung NX cameras, note Samsung.)

0 upvotes

It's just fun to be able to use quality film era lenses on such a camera. I like to manual focus, etc. This ability to use adapters is, I think, helping drive some sales of the compact system cameras: Olympus, Panasonic, Samsung and Sony.

Comment edited 2 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

The RAWs are great though.

However the NX200 needs a leica M mount conversion in order to use leica lenses

0 upvotes

I believe a mount for Rs exists.

0 upvotes

@LensBeginner: this isn't m43 we're talking about. It's only 1.5 crop ratio so 40mm -> 60mm. 100mm -> 150mm.

0 upvotes

Similar to Pana GX1 but GX1 has a smaller size, included the lens. So no real choice: GX1.

0 upvotes

That is one way to look at it... but the Panasonic's sensor is about half the real-estate as this one's. IMHO it's not the same category that you are comparing.

0 upvotes

half? 4/3 sensor is 13mm high, APS-C is 15,7mm, just 20% more...

3 upvotes

> half? 4/3 sensor is 13mm high, APS-C is 15,7mm, just 20% more...

Uhm, yes, and what about width? You need to take the surface so square that factor...

2 upvotes

It's sad that this camera is not available in Japan.
It would have made an interesting alternative.

0 upvotes

Are Samsung LED TVs available in Japan? The new highend ones are really impressive--released 2011.

0 upvotes

Are no Samsung cameras sold in Japan? Does some licensing board prohibit items made in Korea? Or are buyers too chauvinistic to make it worth Samsung's effort? Conversely, do Koreans buy only LG and Samsung products?

1 upvote

Samsung only sells TVs and smartphones in Japan. Even those aren't huge success. I guess average Japanese don't see the need for foreign electronics. There are enough domestic ones to choose from.

0 upvotes

taktak91:

Then they're not looking at the new Samsung TVs.

0 upvotes

Am I missing a word about this (expensive) samsung camera having an articulated/moveable display?

0 upvotes

It does not.

0 upvotes

They chose a much larger display (4:3 vs. 16:9) vs. NEX at the expense of not tilting.

0 upvotes

Also since it's an OLED screen the viewing angle is good.

0 upvotes

But I could not find any big difference between OLED screen and the latest LCD screen. Especially when you are under strong sunlight.

1 upvote

@edmond: lcd hasn't changed much... the best are still poor in strong sunlight. try an oled in strong sunlight and report back. ;)

0 upvotes

Edmond Leung:

Well the AMOLED screen on my NX100 seems a bit better in sunlight than the LCD screens I've used.

However, I was mostly commenting on a wide viewing angle of OLEDs sort of replacing an articulated screen.

For good bright sunlight work, one would need an EVF or a DSLR (there is no EVF for the NX200).

0 upvotes

in strong sunlight, snow, beach etc. no screen works, except the transreflectives (poor colors)... hence LCD or OLED, sun will obliterate everything.
Yet the AMOLEDs have deep blacks, strong contrast and adobeRGB gamut, at less Wh than s-IPS (LCD). Overall the OLED will displace LCDs in all photo apps (says my xtal ball) :-) Mitch

0 upvotes

I've used my cellphone super amoled screen in direct sunlight, and I can see well with screen luminosity set to 90-100%. For normal use I have luminosity at about 20%.
So, yeah, a good oled screen can be truly outstanding.
Tilting screen = more prone to breaking. Their absence is actually a feature for me.

2 upvotes

Practically locks up when writing=fail. I tried it and Samsung has a guy that pretends to be a consumer on the forum that is clearly their sponsored guy and he claims there aren't any problems, despite people coming forth and confirming the extremely slow hardware.

50meg SRW file per photo=Slow hardware= limited utility.

The Nex 5n is such a fun camera, by comparison.

0 upvotes

snake_b:

You've used the NX200? How fast was the SDHC card? Did you try an SDXC card?

Not a fun lens selection with that Sony.

4 upvotes

But more choices in third-party adopters for NEX to use other brands' lenses. In our market, it is very difficult to find the adopters for Samsung; but there's a lot of adopters for NEX. If you like to play with the old lenses, then NEX is your choice.

0 upvotes

Edmond Leung:

Here are some of the Canon to NX adapters at Amazon USA

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss/175-1807848-2578452?url=search-alias%3Delectronics&field-keywords=samsung+nx+canon+adapter&x=0&y=0

Yes, Nikon to NX adapters are also available--I own one.

0 upvotes

You've went on some sort of anti samsung vendetta lately. Whats up with that? LOLL

0 upvotes

Thanks for your information. However, the market here (Hong Kong) only focus on Sony. You can find hundred of different adapters for Sony but only 1 or 2 for Samsung. Some of the shops here are selling the adapters from those common types, like Nikkor>NEX, Canon>NEX... to those uncommon types, like PL>NEX, Hasselblad>>NEX, C-mount>NEX, Contax>NEX... and so on.

0 upvotes

Edmond Leung:

Order the adapter for whatever Samsung NX. Don't go looking in physical shops.

Comment edited 1 minute after posting

0 upvotes

Nice camera... but I am still drooling over the Olympus OM-D....

However, you have to give Samsung a lot of credit.

5 upvotes

I also like the style of OM-D. Would like to see the full review ASAP.

1 upvote

That's a pretty good sensor let down by JPEG processing and maybe not the equal of the NEX-7 and lacking the built-in viewfinder, but it is a lot cheaper and, to me, a more substantial package than the NEX-5. Then lens range also looks pretty good. Only problem is the Samsung name.

Cheers

5 upvotes

Is the ISO setting on the NX200 over-rated? Someone reported that based on IR samples that the NX200 need to expose 2/3 stop longer to reach the same brightness as competitors.

0 upvotes

Judging from the sample images, this is ONE HORRIBLE CAMERA. Every image shows very bad smearing of detail, even the RAW images. Over the years I have seen DPR give the A-OK to dozens (if not hundreds) of bad images, and this review confirms that they don't know how to interpret what they are seeing. There are dozens of cameras out there that have better image quality than this.

2 upvotes

I must say I've never seen such a dull comment.

19 upvotes

Cool story bro, changed my life.

9 upvotes

CMurdock:

So you downloaded a few of the DPReview RAW studio sample shots and extracted those raws with a fully updated version of Adobe Camera Raw? Just want to be clear what you're looking at and how?

0 upvotes

I completely agree with CMurdock, when you check the image and compare 100% crop in DPr applet it is worst camera (even E-P3 images are much better) in both jpeg and raw files. The details are smearing and colors are dull. It is just bad camera with huge lenses.

2 upvotes

Deusex:

Download the raws and extract them with Adobe Camera Raw--the DPRview tool is helpful but limited.

0 upvotes

Thank you for the review.
I was having a hard time choosing between this camera and the Panasonic GX1, but now that you've reviewed both, and gave them the same average score, my choice... is even harder than before.
Thanks again, you sadistic folks! X-D

3 upvotes

Take a serious look at the NEX 5N

2 upvotes

Don't like the NEX lenses, but thanks anyway for your recommendation...

2 upvotes

Finally NX200 review is out. Being waiting for this everyday. Reasonably fair review too. Agrees with the conclusion. Good ergonomic, good build, good UI, superb resolution, slow RAW write time, very good high ISO noise with RAW but poor noise control with jpeg.

Its a camera of compromise. Shoot RAW to get best image quality but need to be patience with write time. But given how much price has fallen since launch, its becoming good value vs cameras like Sony NEX7/NEX5n/Nikon V1/Pana GX1

1 upvote

Could you indicate how much the street price is now, please? Can't find one in Canada. Thanks.

0 upvotes

Got mine for US$799 (thats including 15% New Zealand sales tax) in Xmas 2011. A friend got his 2 weeks ago for US$670, pretty good deal for a 20mp APS-C camera.

0 upvotes

@harrisoncac $789 at Broadway Camera in Vancouver. $799 at Henry's in Toronto. Both with the 18-55 kit lens.

0 upvotes

Ya, Finally the review is out after 3 months wait.

The cheapest nx200 kit price that i found in Australia is AU$635-640 (AUS samsung stock) and sony nex-5N single lens kit is about AU$780+ (grey market) and nex-7 kit is like AU$1500 atm.

Also the NX 30mm F2.0 prime is small and costs about AU$270 atm, but the only fast lens sony nex has is the 24mm F1.8 zeiss costs about AU$1100 and is big.

For me nx200+30mm is pocketable (at least fit in my jacket pockets) and cost about AU$900... unlike nex system.....

So me, in AUSTRALIA, nx200 should score much more value than
nex-5N and get a gold award.

3 upvotes

Hi Matt, was trying to let u know of the NX200 review!

0 upvotes

Cool, you reviewed the camera! It has been six months since it was released. Now, in short life span like cameras, this product is obviously at the end of its life.
This would have been great if you reviewed the camera as soon as it was available and compete it against NEX 5n, as everybody was wondering which one was the best. Instead of that...you played the long wait and now that everybody has a Nex 5N you write the review. I think it is not surprising if Samsung do not sell well...if it is under-hyped even by websites like yours.

Just take how you wote your review...with really subtle small sentences lost in the mass which says the camera is one of the best available. You are not enthousiastic at all...even this camera get your 77% instead of 79% for the Nex 5n. The way you write about this cameras's top advantages sound like small murmurs to make sure nobody see nor hear.

Yes, you are objective in your review, but still under passionate for the camera despite its qualities.

8 upvotes

Hi starwolfy,

Agrees with the comment regarding the long delay for review to come out and that hurt Samsung's sale.

However, I still believe NEX 5n should score higher. This comes from someone who has a NX200 and hate the Sony's UI.

NEX 5n get better high ISO jpeg (which is important as some may not shoot RAW) and has faster RAW write time. It is also cheaper despite the recent NX200 price drop.

All in all, I think its a fair review but should have been available much earlier!

1 upvote

I agree on both parts, about the delayed review and the not sounding enthusiastic.

Even though the review is objective and accurate and even optimistic of the NX200, something about it sounds underwhelming in the end. For example, they used the word "good" 19 times in the conclusion, and even though in the comparison bars at the bottom the NX200 is rated to have better build quality than the 5N, the bullet points say "good build quality" while the 5N's say "very good build quality."

If it was just that one instance I could ignore it, but I felt that kind of subtle, underwhelming undertone throughout the review. Of course it could all be a subconscious coincidence and not necessarily on purpose...

Overall great review...but again, the timing is way off and the tone of the review feels different than other cameras' reviews, but in the end it gets the job done.

also, I agree that the 5N deserves a better score, esp. b/c its lower price. i think 79 vs 77% is pretty accurate

Comment edited 1 minute after posting

0 upvotes

starwolfy:

In the USA, the NX200 was not shipping 6 months ago. It started to ship something like the first of December.

So no the NX200 is not at the end of it's life.

Comment edited 5 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

Maybe the review lacks enthusiasm and has a slightly underwhelming tone (which I'm not sure it has), for the simple reason that the reviewers weren't that enthusiastic about the camera? Maybe they were a bit underwhelmed, and therefore the review mirrors their sentiment. Maybe that's why they wrote "good" so many times, and not "great", "fantastic" or "amazing". They think it's a good camera, not a great one. We can't always expect reviewers to confirm our own, possibly pre-conceived, opinion about a camera.
Besides, my personal opinion is, that this kind of technical, "scientific" review shouldn't express strong emotions. They should just lay the facts on the table, and let the reader work up his enthusiasm (or anger) if he thinks it is called for. Let the more consumer-oriented review sites rave, hype and enthuse about the cameras; they do it so well :)

0 upvotes

I have an NX10. I am willing to concede via reviews and user input that the image quality might not be best in class, especially higher ISO and JPEGs. However, the form, user interface and intelligence of design are superior. The Samsung NX10 is what so many on these forums have called for-a compact, tight digital SLR that follows the great compact SLR era. The gestalt is superb. A camera for someone who wants to take pictures in a fluid manner. In that way, I hope to get more "keepers." The NX100 and NX200 follow this experience as far as user interface goes, with some improvements.

0 upvotes

Gesture:

No the image quality at ISO 6400 (raw) is pretty darn good; it's not a Nikon D3s though.

0 upvotes

I have an issue with the placement of the tripod socket. I use Arca swiss type quick hange plates on my cameras and have a plate permanently attached to each of my cameras in use. In the case of my Pentax-MX film cameras I have to remove it in order to replace the battery, but I rarely have to do that. In digital cameras you have to access the battery/SD card compartment quite frequently and always having to remove the plate I would find irritating.

That and the fact you cannot get an eye-level finder excludes this camera from further consideration.

2 upvotes

Who's want Samsung camera?What's lense support them?Price lower than...Sony,Nikon,Pentax or Olympus?New tech inside?

Comment edited 43 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

As for lenses, Samsung offers 9 lenses right now.
Primes:
16/2.4 Pancake
20/2.8 Pancake
30/2.8 Pancake
60/2.8 Macro OIS
85/1.4

Zooms:
18-55 OIS
20-50mm
18-200 OIS
55-200 OIS

3 upvotes

30/2 pancake. not 2.8. Add new 12-24 and 16-80 lenses this year.
Samsung NX20 will be available on May 2012.

3 upvotes

There have been no official announcements yet for the NX20 or a 12-24, only rumors. The 16-80 was announced a year ago, scheduled to be available 3 months ago but is apparently running late and has not yet had an officially announced revised release date.

Comment edited 1 minute after posting

0 upvotes

ray07:

It would be best if you simply retracted what you wrote.

In colour terms: most still camera lenses manufactured anywhere in the world--and available to the public--would have a hard time against the Samsung 30mm F/2.0. Yes, I'm sure.

0 upvotes

I think ray can write what he wants!

0 upvotes

DioCanon:

Of course ray07 can write what ray07 wants--even if ray07 comes across as really uninformed. So "oh, I was wrong, and didn't know" would be in order.

0 upvotes

No one mentioned the low DR range on page 11? It is even lower than Olympus' half-in-grave 12mp sensor. I guess the low comment counts means only Samsung users are reading this review.

NX200 is bigger than m4/3 and NEX cameras (except NEX-7) with less feature. The protruding lens mount looks poorly crafted on the body. Poor ISO performance vs. NEX-5 (page 18). Poor DR range than any EVIL/mirrorless.

If you don't have size, DR or ISO advantage, what else is there?

1 upvote

What does comment count have to do with anything? It's the content of the comments that matter, and there's a fair amount of criticism.

Also, the DR is better than m4/3 cameras on the Portrait picture wizard setting, suggesting that default settings aren't optimal but there's more leeway in recovering highlights/shadows in RAW

And the NX200 has great high ISO performance, in many levels beating the NEX5N. And the RAW files look better too through 3200 in the comparison tool, although the NEX5N takes the lead after 3200.

What makes the lens mount look poorly crafted? And the size of the 5N is too small- it's ridiculous how they make the body size smaller than the mount, making the screen smaller and controls absent without gaining a real size advantage. Plus it has a hotshoe. As you said the NEX7 is bigger- you pick and choose how much you want to compromise for size; it's hardly a valid criticism.

Certainly there are issues (RAWs, write times) but your comment is completely biased.

1 upvote

In case I sound biased myself, I only wanted to level the playing field- I ran out of character counts. Again, there are issues, which I won't repeat because they are already documented in the review. I'm just saying, the DR and high ISO performance is very competitive in RAW, not to mention the 2nd best resolution in the mirrorless world. Above 3200, the files get pretty mushy, enough so that even the GX1's files look better, but at 3200 and below, the files look pretty good to me.

0 upvotes

The test of DR of dpreview are not the test of real dynamic range. It's fake. The real testes made by DXO.

5 upvotes

ogl- what do you mean by this? you mean they don't do real world testing where DXO does? or that dpreview's tests are not valid and DXO's are? I'm not that familiar with DXO's testing methods

0 upvotes

jj74e, you don't want to compare NX200 with NEX-7, one far outclass the other in terms of demand and features.

High ISO performance means IQ at high ISO. A CCD sensor would have great IQ at low ISO but poor IQ at high ISO. NX200 might match NEX-5N at low ISO but at high ISO, SONY is king.

You see how the hand grip gently curved into the body than a lens mount protrudes out the body but has smaller diameter than the lens so the lens bulges out?

0 upvotes

I find it somewhat contradictory to make or buy a camera like this one. If you care about image quality enough to buy a camera with a big sensor, why would you buy one without a proper EVF and be prone to camera shake and blurred images?

3 upvotes

It's all about choices. Not everyone needs an EVF (though I agree an option would be nice), and I don't understand what you mean by "camera shake prone": zoom lenses and the fantastic 60mm macro are stabilized, the pancakes hardly need any form of stabilization due to their short focal length, and the 85mm eats light for breakfast, so it's a non-issue on that lens as well.

4 upvotes

You are absolutely right. They shouldn't of made the IQ so good! What were they thinking?

2 upvotes

If you care so much about image quality, you use a tripod where camera shake is not really a concern.

0 upvotes

It is all about choice. All of Olympus's cameras thus far, Panasonic's GF/GX models, Sony's 3/5/5N, Nikon's J1, etc. etc. all don't have viewfinders.

Mirrorless is about making the DSLR small, and an EVF makes it bigger. I take the opposite stance from you- if you care about size enough to buy a mirrorless camera over a DSLR, why would you want to buy one with a big built in EVF?

it's just choice, to each his own.

1 upvote

I guess the next NX20 should be the solution.

0 upvotes

J Patagonia:

How is the NX200 prone to camera shake? That's more about lenses than almost anything--including image stabilization.

0 upvotes

Found a typo at the bottom of page 8: "this shot was taken with the 16-55mm kit lens at its widest focal length." I really think that it should be 18-55.

Comment edited 23 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

On Page 10: "In terms of resolution the NX200 is arguably the currently best performing mirrorless camera". If NX200 has higher resolution than NX7, then it is the current Resolution King for any DSLR sans D800 & Medium Format, right?
Check previous reviews: A900 2700/3700; D3X: 2700/3650, 5D2: 2800/3300

Comment edited 49 seconds after posting

1 upvote

Sorry, we forgot a 'apart from the Sony NEX-7' here. Thanks for pointing this out, it has been corrected now.

1 upvote

But for NX200, "some detail is resolved up to the highest frequencies available on our test chart", which seems surpass the resolution of NEX-7? Can you provide a resolution number for NX200?

0 upvotes

You left out a part of the quote. The actual quote is: "In terms of resolution the NX200 is, apart from the Sony NEX-7, arguably the currently best performing mirrorless camera which, considering the camera's high pixel count, doesn't come as a surprise." The NEX7 still captures the most detail, which given it's pixel count...doesn't come as a surprise. So no the NX200 is not the resolution king.

1 upvote

Just saw that Lars posted the same thing.

From the NEX7 review: "The NEX-7's 24MP pixel count pays off in high levels of detail, accurately resolving up to at least 3400 lines per picture height. Beyond this some demosaicing artefacts and colour moiré start to creep in, and past 3600 lph there's little meaningful detail. As we'd expect from the pixel count, this is pretty well as good as it gets without making the considerable step up to medium format - impressive stuff from such a small camera." That'll be tough to beat from any APS-C sized sensor right now. Resolution aside, both camera are capable of taking great photos.

1 upvote

I was waiting this review a very long time.
I think you did a pretty objective review.
Thanks!

0 upvotes

Can I program the iFn button to play my fIREHOSE CD?

0 upvotes

I owned the NX200 for a short time. Great pics at lower ISO is a fact and its AEB makes it well suited for HDR shooting. The ultimate reason for selling was the highly reflective screen which makes it impossible in some lighting to compose a shot.

I was hoping for the NX12 or whatever it is to be released with an evf and the NX200 sensor, but that hasn't happened!!

0 upvotes

I'm surprised to hear someone not liking the NX200 LCD. I had a NX100 and I was really happy with the OLED LCD. I had zero problems composing on the NX100 under most conditions, and I just assumed the NX200 LCD was even better.

1 upvote

marike6:

The AMOLED screen on the NX200 indeed appears to be better than that on the NX100--and the NX100's is good. (I own the NX100 and have handled the NX200.)

Who knows if the sun is over your shoulder then may the screen is hard to see--like all digital cameras without an EVF.

Perhaps Retro Joe could indicate a camera's screen he likes. (I assume the screen-name is not short for Josephine.)

1 upvote

I had an AMOLED screen (600k p.) on Samsung EX1 and it was really a great screen, far better then the 921t. screen on my recent DSLR.

0 upvotes

In my opinion the NX200 AMOLED screen is fantastic - unbeatable. Its quality and size almost makes up for lack of EVF and non-tilting.

Comment edited 18 seconds after posting

1 upvote

The iFn button is really useful. I test the handling when the local shops get a stock copy, and of all the Mirror-less cameras I've tried the Samsung is one of the easiest to pick up and use, thanks to the iFn. If you haven't tried it, check it out next time you see one.

I'm another that eliminated this due to no eye level finder option, although it would now have been eliminated due to the buffer/pipeline clearing issue, quite shoddy that. And a little concerning for the NX20 or whatever the version with a finder gets called.

Comment edited 3 minutes after posting

1 upvote

I use the iFn when I have the kit lens attached, to get a three dial control system for aperture, shutter and ISO in manual mode.

0 upvotes

it'd be pretty tempting if not for... the lack of built-in eye-level VF :( !!

0 upvotes

Cool! I am glad to see that you are still doing reviews! ;))

0 upvotes

You haven't noticed all the reviews we've been doing, then?

7 upvotes

Never enough.

3 upvotes

I guess you missed the Panasonic GX1 last week and Nikon J1/V1 review the week before.

1 upvote

@Barney
Hey, it's appreciation regardless.
I check 6 days a week or more, and I'd say that I'm still glad you're still doing reviews like nobody else. I mean, there are opinion (like Steve Huff) and feature reviews (looking at you CNET!), but then there is DPR's work that break it down in great detail AND analyzes the benefits. It's my most trusted resource.

4 upvotes

When was it exactly that dpReview claimed to be a site that promptly reviews every single camera that gets released?

0 upvotes

You made a mistake in the lens selection, the 16mm is F/2.4 not F/2.8.

0 upvotes

Also, I think in this statement
"NX 60mm F2.8 Macro ED OIS SSA. This image-stabilized lens is capable of 1:1 macro, and uses an ultrasonic-type 'Super Sonic Actuator' autofocus motor, allowing full-time manual focus."

you meant auto-focus, not manual...but i figured it out just fine.

0 upvotes

I'm pretty sure that they did mean full-time manual focus. This type of motor allows full time manual override of the autofocus.

3 upvotes

Thanks for posting this rev!
Can we conclude a slight improvement in JPEG IQ vs. the former NX lineup?
Still marred by uncompressed RAW and lack of IC processing options for RAW and JPG (though one still has a few knobs for JPG). Seems a step forward.

0 upvotes

In the conclusion part i would like to see more comparisons in terms of you would rate it compared to its mirrorless rivals. The 5n? the GX1? EP3? AF, functionality, features, etc...

0 upvotes

Yes, somehow I feel like the conclusion was worded a bit differently than usual. Usually dpreview refers to specific cameras, but instead they simply said things like "the best of the mirrorless cameras" (or something like that in the conclusion about high ISO), and they also usually say things like "class-leading" when a camera is the best at something, but instead simply said the NX200 has high resolution. But still gets the point across well, just a bit different I thought, good review

0 upvotes

That it can't accommodate an EVF is a deal-breaker.

6 upvotes

Just one thing regarding the price. I bought it for 600,- Euro as a set with 18-55, 50-200, SEF8A and SEF20A. Than I added 30mm lens for 200,- Euro, so I ended up at the price mention here, but with 2 more lenses and 1 more flash. I guess there is no better option for the price. But the original price of 849,- E with only one set lens seems to me quite high and would probably choose different camera.

1 upvote

The combination of NX200 and pancake lens makes the best sense for me. As regards the zoom lens, I would prefer the 20-50 because it is much smaller and therefore easier to carry around.

1 upvote

A score of 77% seems pretty generous.

Same as the Canon EOS 600D and 550D.

4 upvotes

classes are rated against each other only, and not against other classes. i.e. a DSLR isn't rated to compare with a mirrorless

0 upvotes

You are wrong, hammerhead. See the Conslusion where it says:

Samsung NX200
Category: Mid Range Interchangeable Lens Camera / DSLR

Comment edited 53 seconds after posting

3 upvotes

I wouldn't take it seriously. In their camera database, they have categories such as rangefinder style mirrorless, slr style mirrorless, compact slr, and etc....
IMO, they're not in the same class since some would swear for an OVF or size and weight advantage outside the sensor size.

0 upvotes

Looks good though I'd be inclined to view the lack of an optional EVF a con, given where this camera is aimed (and Samsung certainly has the know how to achieve this). It's time Samsung started to provide some real competition in this area (they're quite capable of that too) instead of looking like a wannabe.

3 upvotes

I haven't read it yet, but it was about bloody time! Thank you.

1 upvote

Good cam and good IQ at good price, well done samsung.
Thanks Guys for reviewing that little gem. I ve been convinced :)

3 upvotes

I gave up waiting for the review 3 days ago and just bought it. Glad I did - it is a superb camera. The combination of image quality and portability is fantastic. This is even compared to my Canon 40d and a set of half decent lenses. I have sold the 40d now.

1 upvote

I glad you are liking your nx200. I my sell my 5d2 and all L lenses now too and buy this little fella for fraction of price I paid for Canon. I found good price on NX200 with 2 zoom lenses. Don't buy it then :)

1 upvote

Vedúci Ty tej angličtine dávaš...;-)
Anyhow if you can live with the fact that the lenses are as big as DSLR lenses, it´s a good deal for that price (of the double lens kit).

0 upvotes

It takes two biggies of Dpreview to come up with a score of 77%. OMG, the Gin's flowing at the Dpreview testing lab.

0 upvotes

Confused by this comment. Do you mean they scored too high or too low? And given your experience of the camera, why would you say the review is wrong?

2 upvotes

This is interesting. According to DP Review's "Compare-o-meter" the Samsung has better IQ (RAW & Jpeg files) than Nikon's D5100, but Nikon's D7000 has better IQ than the Samsung. However, DPR notes the following:

"Image quality is definitely the D5100's trump card. It offers effectively the same image quality as the higher-end D7000, at a lower cost, and it's hard to argue that this is not a good thing. Since we're comparing the D5100 to the D7000, it is also worth noting that of the thousands of frames that we've shot with the D5100, we haven't seen the same overexposure problem that bothered us with the D7000 in some conditions."

Whatever.

2 upvotes

Well that might come from the possibility that the D5100, D7000 and NX200 are in different categories of cameras, and if you are this picky, you are probably aware that they rate cameras according to cameras in their own classes. This might cause some discrepancy as to how much lower or higher the bars are for some areas.

1 upvote

Not picky at all. Could not care less. It just shows how stupid ratings are. Reviews are better off without numbers and measurements gimmicks. Forget I mentioned the Samsung and just take a look at how their Compare-O-Meter measures the 5100 vs. the 7000, and their contradictory narrative concerning the IQ of both. It's all quite absurd.

2 upvotes

Perhaps AF performance is factored into their IQ figures? The D7000 is in another league when it comes to AF vs the NX or D5100.

0 upvotes

Yes, I would also prefer not to have all the exact numbers, measurements, graphs- the comparison tool is more than good enough in the studio shot scene. Plus, without having to do all that tedious, detailed numbering, dpreview would be able to post reviews more quickly. But I guess there are enough people who like it.

Also, I don't know if it's browser incompatibility (i use chrome), but the comparison bars in the conclusion don't line up with the area of rating, and it's annoying to have to keep track of the order because the bars/area heading are misaligned.

1 upvote

+1 above.
Cameras that came out recently are so good that scores would not do it justice. There are so many cameras out there, that, grading them fairly is becoming impossible.

0 upvotes

Beautiful files. Better then the 5N. Bravo Samsung.
Now gives a body with a VF.

4 upvotes

I agree. A great body waved around at arm's length pretty much erases any quality it may possess.

0 upvotes

This is going to sound a like sacrilege, but I actually hated using the viewfinder on my DSLR. I wear glasses, so I either squash my glasses up to the viewfinder (uncomfortable) or adjust the dioptometer to my eyesight, and keep taking my glasses on and off (a pain).

I can actually say that, other than the stability it gives you holding the camera to your face, I don't miss it. It also allows my kids to use it easier. Granted, it looks less professional waving it around at arms length...

Maybe the NX20 will be the camera for this - it is suppose to have an EVF with the same sensor as the NX200...

3 upvotes

I wear glasses too and I can't handle an LCD in the sun or the instability of arm's length shooting. I agree that the NX20 may be the ticket.

1 upvote

High ISO on par with NEX 5N, very impresive:-)

Comment edited 11 minutes after posting

1 upvote

You think so? I thought high ISO was considerably worse than the 5n, especially with chroma noise. Did you compare the RAW output?

Comment edited 59 seconds after posting

4 upvotes

I was looking at page 9. When setting NR off, The noise graph of NX200 and 5N are mostly overlapping. In RAW, NX200 is even lower in Chroma noise.
Of course, this is for shooting RAW. In JPEG, NX200 unusable in high ISO.

0 upvotes

Yes, 645D is right, chroma noise in RAW (NR set off) at ISO3200, for example, is lower in NX200 than in 5n. Actually it comes close to Nikon D5100. Nice!

3 upvotes

No surprise as it uses APSC, as used in the 5N.

0 upvotes

Yup, it does have better high ISO performance than the 5n. A first in the APS-C world!

0 upvotes

Kids, it doesn't mean you see less noise it is better. The NEX 5n is still better, naturally. Maybe, you're looking it at less than ISO 6400.

1 upvote

Yes, maybe 5n has less noise at ISO6400 and higher, but who wants to shoot with these cameras at ISO6400 or higher, anyway?

1 upvote

Exactly. I give up past 1600...on any camera.

0 upvotes

finally...

0 upvotes


Just Posted: Updated Samsung NX200 Studio Comparison (Raw & JPEG) Nov 8, 2011	Just Posted: Samsung NX200 Studio Comparison for JPEG Nov 1, 2011	Just posted: Hands-on video of the Samsung NX200 Sep 3, 2011	Just Posted: Samsung NX200 hands-on preview Sep 1, 2011

	Pentax Efina Jun 3, 2013
	Olympus PEN E-P5 May 10, 2013
	Samsung NX2000 May 1, 2013
	Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V Apr 24, 2013
	Panasonic Lumix DMC-G6 Apr 24, 2013
	Panasonic Lumix DMC-LF1 Apr 24, 2013
	Ricoh GR Apr 17, 2013
	Samsung NX1100 Apr 11, 2013
	Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF6 Apr 9, 2013
	Fujifilm FinePix S8400W Mar 22, 2013
	Fujifilm FinePix XP200 Mar 22, 2013

Considering switch from Nikon, to replace D700 ...	150
Sobering Sales Numbers for Mirrorless	150
Hmmm AF fine tuning : Bullsh#t	78
New Pentax K-50 leaked	77
Praise the Macro Lenses. Post your best macros ...	52
How to turn my Canon PowerShot S3 IS into a ...	42
Mirrorless & DSLR Jan-April shipment & ...	41
Thom Hogan: DSLRs going obsolete	41
Help me create the best 6D system on a $3500 ...	39
Selecting Camera	39
Still no signs of an Olympus f2.8 zoom?	39
Sigma 60/2.8... sigma be damned (for its ...	39
electronic first curtain shutter - on or off?	37
K5(II) SD Card Door Coming Open	35
USPS... The worst mail servie in the world	34
micro 4/3s , Owls IF	32
Done Deal - Switched to Fuji XE-1 from ...	32
What's Happening to Sony Stores?	31
Replacing Olympus OM-D with Fuji XE-1 or Xpro-1	30
Focal reducers, why complexity for the sake of ...	30

Your email address:
Your name:

Just posted: Our Samsung NX200 in-depth review

Samsung NX200

Comments