I would want to apologize in advance for people who might be pi$$ed off by my comparison, for any reason they might have.
Now that's out of the way I'm floating around between changing the Micro Four System that I'm currently on to something better, now don't start flaming just yet, in terms of high ISO performance (1600 to 6400) and DR.
Now I own a Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2 for about 3 years now and I love it to death because it has almost perfect ergonomics (not to small buttons, lot's of buttons [more so then more expensive Canon xxxD, Nikon Dxxxx, Sony A-xx] witch makes live really easy and instant, tilt and swivel screen, "gripy" grip with adequate dimensions and the perfect weight to balance most lenses that I have). Now you might ask yourself why change something that you like and your comfortable with in the first place. Well there are some good reasons and some are just nitpicking but here we go:
*ISO performance, the problem is that even at the lowest possible ISO I still see noise because I often sharpen up in Lightroom 4.2 my picture because I mostly shoot landscape (lot's of blue sky) and macro and because the lenses that I own (I own the Panny's kit lens 14-42 witch I use only for landscapes and two M42 mounts: Revuenon 50mm f 1.8 and Compact 70-210mm f 4-5.6) and being manual lenses I do miss focus and try to make it not so obvious by sharpening up (I don't have lot's of money and I'm saving up for a new camera). And I shoot a lot street photography after sunset and I'm really reluctant to go beyond 1600 because it's really really hard to make photos useful at that level. Ex:
Shot with Revuenon 50mm f 1.8 at f 1.8, ISO 1600, 1/100 Sec.
Shot with Panasonic Lumix G Vario 14-42mm f 3.5-5.6 at 14mm f 3.5, ISO 3200, 24 Sec.
*Dynamic Range, it seems to be one of the most obvious problems when I shoot landscapes and especially at the magic hours the lack of recovery in the highlights and shadows.
*The estetics of the camera is really showing it's age and what I mean by that is that smooth texture-less rubbery?!? material that surround the camera gets extremly easy damaged by the smalles force (just putting it on a rought surface for example). Now my camera looks like it's really been used, something like a professional's tool for about 5-10 years ... but that's just nickpicking
Almost 3 years of no so careful and gentle handled camera use history
*Biggest issue is that the mechanism for ejecting the SD card somehow brook and now it has "internal" 8GB memory. The camera is out of it's warranty and repairing it I don't know how much will cost and/if it even possible (but I think I could be).
Now that you now the reason for comparison let's get to what you really wanted to read:
I'm considering Samsung's system for a couple of reason:
*Lenses: Samsung has some of the best performing lenses (from the review I read and I read a lot of them) and the lowest prices you can find even thou, at the moment, there are some limit option in the range of 75-85mm fast range (the new 45mm f 1.8 is to wide and not all that fast) and in the long range (the rumored 70-400mm looks a sweet option), but we will see what the future holds
*Tilt & Swevel LCD on the NX20, hope so with NX30, maybe more dots
*Very fast option on changing 3 main settings with the Upper Diale, Back Diale and Manual Focus Lens Ring
*Very good sharpness and details form the 20MP sensor, perfect for landscapes, croping macro shots
*Really small dimensions on everything: NX300 (WoW), NX20 (the same size as my current Panasonic G2 and I don't get why reviewers and people keep complaining about the size that you should have gone with a full DSLR because it would be the same ... no it's not, especially in the weight department) and the 16mm f 2.4 (better and smaller then Olympus's own 12mm f 2) and 30mm f 2 (better and nicer then Panasonic's 20mm f 1.7).
Now if it had IBIS and/or weather-sealing I would be on it like bees on honey, like rich dudes on money, addict on drugs (OK you got that already). But every time that I try to consider continuing the path of Micro Four Thirds (I only invested in a remote control and M42 to M43 adaptor) or just thinking of Sony NEX it just keeps popping in my head that awesome Samsung 16mm f 2.4 and 85mm f 1.4. It's like your in a bar and a sexy, elegant, delicious girl keeps eyeing on you while your cruising for something that might not "bankrupt" you in the future (by eating your money and/or forcing you to dump her).
Here's an table with the lenses that I gathered from B&H (details, but prices from Europe), there are some lenses missing but that's because I have no interest in it (ex: Samsung 45mm f 1.8 2D/3D).
Now by the looks of how I arranged and classified them (just my personal opinion and I might, actually I'm shore, be wrong about some of the things I did) Samsung has almost perfect uniformity in the Lens Thread Mount (43mm, 52mm, 58mm and 67mm with a lone 40.5mm), they are, most of them small in length (exception really fast lenses and zoom), really light weight lenses and most of all the system is really really cheap compared to any other system out there (be it DSLR, SLT, Mirrorless, Rangefinder). And that keeps kreeping into my head. Now performance is totally different and it's up to you what to consider what is good and what is not enough FOR YOU. But I must say the 16mm f 2.4, 85mm f 1.4 and 50-200mm f 4-5.8 is some of the best lenses I've seen, read, so far in there range (especially compared to other Mirrorless out there).
I want to get into areal photography (the mini kind, ex: using kite, hot air balloon, remote control helicopter for about 50-100 meters altitude for landscape shots) so that WiFi option of remote viewing and snapping is really awesome. And my next big obsession is astrophotography (be it with telescope, tracking mounts [Vixen for example] or wide angle shots I really need at least clean and usable 1600, 3200 ISO, would be nice 6400 but that my be asking to much. And I shoot only, well mostly (when I need more buffer size in Burst Drive Mode), in RAW so not getting my camera freezes up by all that information would be nice also. Olympus OM-D E-M5 is my second, and actually last, option with Live Bulb Mode, the most effective IBIS so far, weather-sealing but ISO performance not really all that good (at 200 and upper then 1600), WiFi remote viewing and controlling (without shelling lots of $$$) and lenses although good and variate not as cheap as Samsung's.
I would like a civil conversation (without trolling) with different opinions on the subject of comparison between Micro Four Thirds and Samsung lenses, cameras, future possible options.
