NX300 Build Quality

Well, It might be time to think of cameras as throw away items. Digital has changed things forever. The advance of technology might mean you wont want to hold on to any cam forever. All that being said the NX 300 from my perspective as an owner/user is that it is adequate for my use(Landscape and family). My other older cameras, Nikon D7100, Nikon D700, Olympus EL1 seem to be higher quality of build but this would be expected considering their price. My Nikon D70s and D200 also seem to be higher in build quality but there again they were much more expensive. Built to last but obsolete in a few years. Forgot to mention my Oly cz2100 that was $1800 when introduced for 1.3 megapixels. It is still perfect, the quality apparent even from a distance but it had its time and cant compare to the newer cameras in its image quality or functionality(after ISO 400 it was over). The quality of the monitor on the NX is stunning and it does swivel so would be viewed as being better than all but the most recent Nikon's in my collection. my Nikons and Oly's all have a fixed monitor.

Do we confuse build quality with weight? All my other cams weigh more than the Samsung NX300. My reason for buying the NX was just that, it was small and light weight. Has good high quality lens for very reasonable prices. The image quality is very good, maybe as good or better than any other alternative and it is a featherweight. Light weight does not always mean less quality. Sports cars have always charged a premium for light weight. The lens for this cam are light in weight but optically good, and that is good for my purpose. It is a tool and a good one at what it does. Not having a viewfinder puts it in a bad spot for bright light use but with some anti glare film on the monitor I can compose and use it for landscape with no reservations. the touch screen selection of focus point is not to be dismissed as a fad or fluff. While this cam has a fast shooting speed i would choose one of my DSLR if that was what I was up to. My most recent Nikkor and Oly lens seem to be heavier than the NX300 lens. So if there is more quality built in to those lens we will see over time, but all the lens will not get equal use so my experience will be anecdotal and meaningless to others that use their equipment in a different manner.

I am confident that this cam is durable enough for my needs and maybe Samsung needs some kudos for putting the quality where it is needed(image quality, usability) as opposed to building a tank that is outdated in 5 years that will last for 30 or 50 years and languish in a drawer.

So in my opinion the 18-55 OIS is worth the $50 premium over the 20-50. i value the OIS and wider range. The 20-50 also has a noisy and slower auto focus. If you want to look at build quality within the Samsung liine these two lens can show that but consider they are both optically excellent with user reviews preferring the 20-50. The metal mount of the 18-55 matters not to me. Plastic can slide on metal forever with no damage. If I drop the cam and break the lens off shame on me. Maybe the shearing of the lens will prevent worse damage to the cam. But all that discussion is of no matter with a plastic lens body.

Sorry for rambling hope I addressed some of the original posters concerns.