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6 months in; it's OK

Started Sep 18, 2014 | User reviews thread
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shademaster Contributing Member • Posts: 803
6 months in; it's OK
1

Broke my NX200 6 months ago.  Forced upgrade.

Pros:

Nice IQ.  Haven't pixel-peeped to compare to NX200 and haven't done much super-demanding high ISO low light.

Improved processing times relative to NX200 (usually shooting raw).

Touch AF useful (mainly use it to move the spot and use spot AF).

Cons:

+AF misfocus frequency seems higher than NX200 (although lock happens quicker).  I usually use the 2nd to smallest spot size.

+ Noticeably heavier than NX200 and slightly less pocketable.

+ Built in flash would be more convenient.

+ Processing times still annoying -- but now tolerable -- with a Class-10 Sony card and latest FW.

+ Would be nice to have the 2nd dial.  I personally don't like iFn (and use my 30mm that has none a lot).  Holding exposure comp changes the role of the dial from A to S when in M mode.

+ Would be nice to have Exposure comp. available as a selectable parameter in M-AutoISO mode.  I read this is fixed in NX1 (and hopefully they will update FW to make it available on NX30/300/3000).

Neutral: Haven't played with wifi stuff, 3D, etc.  Presumably it works OK.  AF tracking is fun but I still haven't played with it enough after 6 months to comment precisely on how frequently it works.  Old habits are hard to break.

Bottom line: Safe bet for newbies wanting to build a small lens collection.  LR5 bundled is great!  (I already owned a copy and haven't bothered selling the new copy, so it was a waste for me).  Look at the other systems too: μ4/3, Fuji, Sony, but if you want to buy a couple of prime lenses, samsung is the best deal and is a good all around choice.  The lenses for other systems come at a very high premium compared to DSLR equivalents.

Only thing *I* miss from NX system is an intermediate standard zoom like the Fuji 18-55 or Sony/CZ 16-70… with Samsung you have either 16-50 pancake OR 16-50S (I'm sure it's great, but it's HUGE and EXPENSIVE) and nothing in between.  I've been considering getting a sony SLT for the reason that the 16-50 is so expensive (you can get an A77 plus sony 16-50 for $1400…  an NX30 and 16-50S will cost you $700+$1100=$1800 at current sale prices).

If you're not going to get a fast zoom or some prime lenses, do yourself a favor and just get an RX100/G7X/LX100.

My $0.02.

 shademaster's gear list:shademaster's gear list
Canon PowerShot S95 Samsung EX2F Panasonic LX100 Samsung NX300 Samsung NX 30mm F2 Pancake +3 more
Samsung NX300
20 megapixels • 3.3 screen • APS-C sensor
Announced: Jan 3, 2013
shademaster's score
4.0
Average community score
4.4
bad for good for
Kids / pets
mediocre
Action / sports
bad
Landscapes / scenery
excellent
Portraits
excellent
Low light (without flash)
great
Flash photography (social)
great
Studio / still life
excellent
= community average
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