NX300 Build Quality

I haven't been able to find a NX300 here locally but I did see a NX2000. It seemed to me that the NX2000 had a better build quality compared with my NX210. I also had a look at Sony's NEX-6 which I thought had an excellent build quality.

How does the build quality feel in the NX300? Especially comparing it to the NX210.

I'm thinking about upgrading and need some more input.

NewForce wrote:

Bryan M wrote:

I haven't been able to find a NX300 here locally but I did see a NX2000. It seemed to me that the NX2000 had a better build quality compared with my NX210. I also had a look at Sony's NEX-6 which I thought had an excellent build quality.

How does the build quality feel in the NX300? Especially comparing it to the NX210.

I'm thinking about upgrading and need some more input.

Frankly speaking built quality alone, Sony NEX-6 was better than all the Samsung cameras you'd mentioned here. It's what you'll get for what you paid.

No, I personally think Sony and Samsung have similar build qualities. Samsung NX200 is nice because it is mostly metal. Samsung NX300 feels slightly cheaper than a NEX 6 maybe, but is still well built, nice quality shutter sound, flip screen is easy to use, etc.

Issues with quality and Samsung cameras seem to be control dials, mode knob, diopter in NX20, and maybe something else I am not thinking of off hand. Control dials in many cameras can be problematic.

I think the NX300 might feel slightly cheaper than NX210 due to less metal use (maybe NX210 used less than NX200? I only have NX200 to compare), but the grip is larger and better on the NX300 making it more comfortable to hold.

If you put the Sony NEX 6 at excellent, I might put the NX300 at Good to Very Good. Really, you have to hold them in your hand and see which you like better. I actually prefer the grip on the NEX 6, nice and deep, but I almost don't have enough clearance for my fingers with wider lenses.

I went from a Fuji X-A1 last week, and went back to my Samsung NX300 this week and it sure felt good to use the Samsung again.  The shutter sound is much more refined (NX200 had much louder and less refined shutter like the Fuji), and it feels nicer in the hand than the X-A1.

Eric

i had a good look at the nx300 and compared to my nx200 it felt  a bit cheapish and not quite as solid. I do worry if i buy one it may not hold up too well as i tend to  give my cameras a lot of hammer.

I believe you are in Tucson right?  You should go to Best Buy to play with one for a bit.

I found my NX200 to be quite strurdy; I'm not one who pampers my cameras - I really use them. And I feel very secure in saying my NX300 stands up every bit as well as my NX200 did.

I was really surprised when I went to my local Best Buy and saw a large Samsung display with NX300, some smart phones, and tablets. Might check them out to see if you can feel one in person. I could write all day about my impressions and you may or may not agree with them

Eric

photoreddi wrote:

viking79 wrote:

I was really surprised when I went to my local Best Buy and saw a large Samsung display with NX300, some smart phones, and tablets. Might check them out to see if you can feel one in person. I could write all day about my impressions and you may or may not agree with them

I checked Best Buy and then B&H for NX300 prices and BB has a better price for the NX300 with 18-55mm lens, $649.99 (brown) vs B&H's $697.99 (brown), but unless the 18-55mm is a must have lens, B&H still has a MUCH better deal for the 2 lens kit that includes the 20-50mm and 50-200mm lenses, only $568.59 (only brown). I still don't understand this price (which I posted several weeks ago) but B&H has had it at roughly this price for a couple of months, maybe longer. Here are some of the NX300 prices at BB & B&H with a link to the two lens kit.

There is a reason my coworkers refer to Best Buy as the Amazon showroom

I wasn't meaning buy it at Best Buy, but it is a local store that might stock one so a person can hold it and try it out before buying.

Eric

Thanks for the suggestions and comments. I just called Best Buy and they said they one in the store and it wasn't even on display, go figure.

Well, strangely Samsung cameras at Best Buy are not in the camera section.  They usually have a separate Samsung display in another section of the store.  The last 3 I went to were like this.  There was a Samsung vendor there to talk about the products at one of them, but I found he didn't know much about the cameras.

I thought the nx 4 digit series still made from some hard plastic material and start from 3 digit series 210 are stronger & improved material body.

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.