Firstly let me say I'll be comparing this to it's nearest competitor, the Panasonic LX7, the camera it replaced for me. To be honest both are excellent cameras which have their own strengths and weaknesses distinct from each other, but the Samsung has some really nice touches that put it above the Panasonic for me.
The build quality of the EX2F is excellent, it's very well made and the fit and finish is top notch. It has a premium feel to it with a solid body and precise buttons and dials, it feels like it was built to last, just a little bit nicer than the Panasonic, though that is pretty good as well.
In terms of ergonomics a lot of thought has gone into the EX2F, it's a very easy and functional camera to to use. There's not a lot to be unhappy with and I love the dial on the front of the grip for controlling aperture/shutter speed (depending on the mode you shoot in) and the press to change for exposure compentsation. The Panasonic has a similar dial on the back but I find the placement of the dial on the Samsung works better for me. The deeper grip is also nicer and makes the EX2F easy to hold. The function button and access to all the most used settings is also very well thought out. I'm not so keen on the wifi placement on the rear dial but it hasn't been an issue except to say I would rather it was elsewhere. This is a very easy camera to operate without wondering where everything is.
Image quality at base ISO is superb, it has a smoother look than the Panasonic more in keeping with a larger sensor (though it isn't larger). This is very evident in the raw files, which are superb for such a small sensor and this is where it shines. The dynamic range is a step above the LX7, which tends to blow highlights very easily. You can post process the raw files on the Samsung quite heavily with less impact on overall noise than you can with the LX7. The colour is also more natural IMHO. The resulting processed raw files from the EX2F can be quite stunning with only a little bit of work.
Jpeg quality on the EX2F is much better than I was led to believe by some reviews, with the caveat that the dynamic range is quite a bit less than in the raw files. As long as you're not shooting in the extremes of light and shade then you can get some excellent results at base ISO, for anything else then you just shoot raw. I shoot both together anyway so it's no issue to me.
The lens on the Samsung is also very impressive. At F1.4 it is razor sharp, sharper than the LX7 at the same aperture, though the LX7 lens is very impressive at F2.8 which is it's sweet spot. There is some quite heavy barrel distortion on the EX2F wide open but nothing I can't deal with in post. The focal length isn't quite as long as the Panasonic (80mm vs 90mm) but it's no biggie for me.
At higher ISO's you must shoot raw and process carefully, this is where the LX7 is a bit better, though not by much. The heavy noise reduction on the Samsung means you will have to accept less detail shooting jpegs, that's just how this camera is set up.
So what are my favourite bits apart from what I've already mentioned?
Well firstly there's the articulating LCD, it's much more versatile and a huge plus. Then there's the USB charging, great for hiking and charging from a USB powerpack. Then there was the biggest surprise of all, the flash. This stomps all over the flash on the Panasonic. The high speed sync capability coupled with a great method of tweaking the output is a killer feature for me. The slow sync is also capable of great results. The flash on this camera is far superior to any other camera of it's size and class, it reminds me a little of the flash on the Fuji X100, which I also love. Subtle fill flash is a breeze with the EX2F.
So no camera is perfect, what don't I like?
Well the wifi capability is buggy and cumbersome, it mostly works but it's not perfect by any means. I didn't buy it for that but it could be better. I also wish you could shoot in mono without having to use the filter in jpeg only mode, the Panasonic wins on that score. Write times shooting in raw are a little slow but I shoot with Sigma DPXM's so by comparison it's rapid, it could be a bit better though. Another minor annoyance is having to go into the menus to delete all shots whereas most camera offer you the option directly from the delete button. Oh, and one other thing, you can't resize the focus box, bit of a shame but I'll get over it, focusing overall is accurate and snappy, not a lot to worry about in practical use.
All in all the good far outweighs the bad with this camera, there is so much to like and it does many things very well. In reality image quality is a priority and at base ISO this thing's a monster for such a small sensored camera. I rarely shoot above ISO 80 and you don't often need to with an F1.4 lens as good as this one. The image stabilisation is very good which also helps for static subjects. I have no idea why it never sold that well, maybe poor marketing? maybe Samsung's lack of photographic heritage? or maybe reviews missing the point? who knows? All I can say is that a lot of people have missed out on a truly excellent compact, grab one while they're still around, they're going for a steal now. For some reason I have an affinity for niche cameras that never caught on (but are excellent in their own right), this is definitely one and a keeper for my collection.
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“The most puzzling development in politics during the last decade is the apparent determination of Western European leaders to re-create the Soviet Union in Western Europe.”
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Tony
http://the-random-photographer.blogspot.com/
