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NX200's metal body and plastic lenses?!

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come shine come rain

come shine come rain

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From an aesthetic point of view it's a crime, a nice metallic body coupled with plastic lenses.

The NX100 is a nice camera, but obviously Samsung decided to upgrade the body's construction and feel with the NX200.

Now if they'd only upgrade the built quality of lenses as well.

I hear only good things about the built quality of Sammy lenses. Still, there's room for improvement. Any other serious lens maker gives its products at least a metallic feel.
 
you should see all the plastic lenses canikon and others have. in the end its the glass that coubts but its nuce to have a metal barrel and such. but they will be really expensive. r
come shine come rain said:
From an aesthetic point of view it's a crime, a nice metallic body coupled with plastic lenses.

The NX100 is a nice camera, but obviously Samsung decided to upgrade the body's construction and feel with the NX200.

Now if they'd only upgrade the built quality of lenses as well.

I hear only good things about the built quality of Sammy lenses. Still, there's room for improvement. Any other serious lens maker gives its products at least a metallic feel.
Click to expand...
 
come shine come rain said:
From an aesthetic point of view it's a crime, a nice metallic body coupled with plastic lenses.

The NX100 is a nice camera, but obviously Samsung decided to upgrade the body's construction and feel with the NX200.

Now if they'd only upgrade the built quality of lenses as well.

I hear only good things about the built quality of Sammy lenses. Still, there's room for improvement. Any other serious lens maker gives its products at least a metallic feel.
Click to expand...
that would come at a premium and I don't think a lot of people would prefer that kind of a setup.
 
Good quality glass lens with high quality plastic = acceptable price? OK

Good quality glass lens with metal body = higher price? ...umm, really not for me.

Metal is not the solution for everything, people want metal case for smartphones, cameras, lenses, laptops, tablets, etc... and it is just expensive, heavy and a really good heat transfer and it is the reason Samsung is not putting rear battery metal case in their smartphones.

Right now there are many options to metal for electronic devices, including high resistance plastic and polymers.
 
why did Sammy choose to offer a metal body?

The aesthetic beauty of a photography tool is more and more important for many shooters.

Why again is the Fuji X100 such a hit. Aesthetics mainly.

Got one myself, but sold it again soon. Apart from the aesthetic beauty the insides just didn't keep up with my expectations - only to mention the completely different FOVs when choosing OVF or EVF, or manual focusing, impossible really.

The NX100 is a very capable camera, but feels cheap in one's hands.

Going metallic with the NX200 Samsung certainly wants to send a message. I'd be more than willing to pay a premium for prime glass matching the body.
 
Totally agree. Plastic ass is a shame and a source of crashes.
rude said:
you should see all the plastic lenses canikon and others have.
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Canikon (including third-party) has a huge heap of normal quality lenses to replace all-plastic kit lenses. Samsung - no one alternative even.
 
come shine come rain said:
From an aesthetic point of view it's a crime, a nice metallic body coupled with plastic lenses.
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Not at all. Composite materials (plastics) have come a long way... There's a big range of quality and impact resistance from one end of the spectrum to the other, just like with metals like magnesium alloy (pot metals). Last time I checked, most recent Canikon lenses had plastic housings.
come shine come rain said:
The NX100 is a nice camera, but obviously Samsung decided to upgrade the body's construction and feel with the NX200.
Click to expand...
Yep. If there's one thing I'd like about the NX100 to be better, it's the overall build quality. It's not quite up to even m43 models (except the G series, which I just don't care for with its rubbery coating over plastic). Fortunately, you can buy a leather half case like the Horusbennu one on ebay for $25 and it does wonders for changing the feel and look of the camera.
come shine come rain said:
Now if they'd only upgrade the built quality of lenses as well.
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My 20-50mm isn't great, rather rattly and noisy, but the others seem better built from the looks of them. Frankly though, I care more about the glass quality, and that's quite good - better than NEX and arguably on par or better than m43 average.
come shine come rain said:
I hear only good things about the built quality of Sammy lenses. Still, there's room for improvement. Any other serious lens maker gives its products at least a metallic feel.
Click to expand...
Not on small mirrorless cameras. The NEX metal lenses are too heavy and easy to scratch, IMO. I am fine with composites as long as they're good quality and the glass is sharp.
 
smiserg said:
Totally agree. Plastic ass is a shame and a source of crashes.
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'Crashes'..?
smiserg said:
rude said:
you should see all the plastic lenses canikon and others have.
Click to expand...
Canikon (including third-party) has a huge heap of normal quality lenses to replace all-plastic kit lenses. Samsung - no one alternative even.
Click to expand...
I don't see metal equivalents of their more popular consumer and prosumer level products... And most people wouldn't buy them or pay more, if they did. Weight and resilience are important.
 
come shine come rain said:
why did Sammy choose to offer a metal body?

The aesthetic beauty of a photography tool is more and more important for many shooters.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure about aesthetic beauty = metal, but there's something to be said for a magnesium brushed metal casing with plastic internals like many cameras have. Even an aluminum outer shell is nice, when its coupled with shock absorbing composite framework and/or inner shell. Really good high impact thermoplastics are actually more durable than magnesium alloy or standard grade aluminum.
come shine come rain said:
Why again is the Fuji X100 such a hit. Aesthetics mainly.
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I think that's part of it, but the big sensor, integrated hybrid VF play major roles, and they could've made it look like that without any metal used.
come shine come rain said:
The NX100 is a very capable camera, but feels cheap in one's hands.
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Have to agree.
come shine come rain said:
Going metallic with the NX200 Samsung certainly wants to send a message. I'd be more than willing to pay a premium for prime glass matching the body.
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That's just the point - the glass does match the body. The 30mm and 20mm are a match for the best mirrorless lenses out there including the 20mm 1.7 from Panasonic, which is also a plastic lens btw. :) The new 16mm looks good, too.
 
I was able to test the 20mm today, I have no complaints regarding its build quality.

It felt very solid, no cheap plastics. It's not like a Pentax Limited, but that's fine with me.

Kind regards
.lars
 
I like the feel of my Samsung lenses, 18-55, 50-200, 20, 30. These lenses feel well made and are very affordable. I do not want to pay more for lenses just because of the material used. Would the pictures be better? Would the weight decrease? Would the lens really better withstand an impact? I think Samsung tried hard to deliver a lot in terms of high picture quality and low cost, low weight and small size. For me a very good compromise.
Thomas
 
sensibill said:
I don't see metal equivalents of their more popular consumer and prosumer level products... And most people wouldn't buy them or pay more, if they did. Weight and resilience are important.
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I mean, just mount should be made of metal, the rest can be of a good plastic.
 
many Pentax users like myself buy the metal "limited" lenses and they are metal. beautiful pieces of craftsmanship.

they make photography even more of a pleasure than just knowing how little i paid for my setup. sad, because getting a "deal" and listing specs seems to be more the source of people's delight these days than actually handling an object of beauty while creating it.

if it came down to money, i'd rather have 1 or 2 beauties than 4 or five pieces of plastic that do nothing for me.
 
sorry, didn't mean to sound snobby. just meant to say i understand the OP's feeling about the cheapo feeling of plastic compared to metal.
 
I prefer plastic lenses, as long as they are strong and rugged enough, cheaper and lighter than metal ones. I have some old legacy primes, all metal, and a 28mm lens weights almost as much as the 50-200mm nx one.

Metal body is nice, tho, especially if it's like the "retro" concept shown somewhere.
 
I would think the weight problem is bigger in the manufacturer's view than the price problem. I can't imagine the price going up by much more just for a little metal.

IMO, lenses should be made in a combination of metal and plastic. Looking at canon nFD lenses, after 20 years they still look quite new, are fairly light and very rugged, you can drop them on the floor without any fear. I most surely wouldn't want to drop my 50-200 samsung, it's already wobbly from factory.

Another problem is the look of the lens. You could make from plastic but still better looking. With the 50-200 zoomed in in hand you look like a bizzare idiot. Monochrome gray protruding out of a chubby lens body. You had dof line marking and other stuff on older lenses, a totally different look.

Overall I would say the samsung lenses although really quite good optically lack completely in design and partly build quality.
 
zipcode said:
I would think the weight problem is bigger in the manufacturer's view than the price problem. I can't imagine the price going up by much more just for a little metal.

IMO, lenses should be made in a combination of metal and plastic. Looking at canon nFD lenses, after 20 years they still look quite new, are fairly light and very rugged, you can drop them on the floor without any fear. I most surely wouldn't want to drop my 50-200 samsung, it's already wobbly from factory.

Another problem is the look of the lens. You could make from plastic but still better looking. With the 50-200 zoomed in in hand you look like a bizzare idiot. Monochrome gray protruding out of a chubby lens body. You had dof line marking and other stuff on older lenses, a totally different look.

Overall I would say the samsung lenses although really quite good optically lack completely in design and partly build quality.
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True, what Samsung needs is to make the lens exteriors a bit more complex to improve overall feel. it don't need to be metal just to make it feel a bit more sophisticated.
 
weight's not an issue with pentax. my heaviest is 215 grams. lightest? 90grams.

my 3 favs together weigh 360 grams: that's together, and they're all metal.
 
Identity said:
sensibill said:
smiserg said:
Totally agree. Plastic ass is a shame and a source of crashes.
Click to expand...
'Crashes'..?
Click to expand...
'Plastic ass'..? :)
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Ken Rockwell delights in writing "ass gasket" when he's referring to a len's weather seal, so maybe smiserg prefers metal mounts to plastic . . .

Just looked at a later reply that clarifies :
Identity said:
I mean, just mount should be made of metal, the rest can be of a good plastic.
Click to expand...
 
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