moving from NX200 to NX300 or NX500. Better AF?

I like my NX200 but I don't love it: Nice form factor, controls and sensor size but AF is sluggish and inaccurate. I use a 2.8/20mm and a 2.0/30mm and the AF could be much faster; I am missing a lot of shots.

Now, will the move to an NX300 or NX500 yield better results in that area? Or will the lenses (I like the 30mmm most) be the limiting factor?

Also, will there be a difference in AF performance between the 300 and 500? Not too interested in a lot of the improvements the 500 has over the 300 on paper; it's mostly the AF / shutter lag I am interested in.

Thanks!

@TO: if you are shooting moving scenes, as can be supposed from what do you write, the AF speed of the 30mm lens will be the limiting factor with NX500, NX300, and even with NX200 as well. You won't get much advantage by upgrading your camera and in any case, NX300 would be fast enough.

In general: I do not know how do you do focusing, but zone focus on mirrorless cameras is much faster and more reliable than the single point focus.

I have experience with NX300 and NX200.

I have upgraded from NX1000 (which I believe to be very close to NX200 in terms of AF) to NX500 few months ago.

The difference in AF performance between NX1000 and NX500 is night and day, which translates to a much larger percentage of keepers. NX500 also gives much more control over AF. With regard to shutter lag, NX500 is much faster than NX1000, but there are occasional hiccups in several AF modes (e.g. continuous AF with zone AF). Faster buffer clearing and less shutter lag again translate to higher ratio of keepers.

Using NX 500 I also worry less about increasing ISO, which gives more latitude in choosing shutter times and/or aperture stops.

I can only agree that 30mm on the NX1000 is a slow focussing lens. Additionally, the AF misses much more frequently than with other lenses. After trying the 30mm lens on the NX500 body, I must admit that both issues have been rectified (At least for still photography, I'm not shooting video at all.).

I had a chance to try NX300 previously (indoors = in suboptimal lighting conditions) and wasn't that impressed - there was a perceptible improvement, but nothing to write home about.

In the NX500 kit you'll also find 16-50mm PZ lens, which I can only praise.

senchasbitter wrote:

I like my NX200 but I don't love it: Nice form factor, controls and sensor size but AF is sluggish and inaccurate. I use a 2.8/20mm and a 2.0/30mm and the AF could be much faster; I am missing a lot of shots.

Now, will the move to an NX300 or NX500 yield better results in that area? Or will the lenses (I like the 30mmm most) be the limiting factor?

Also, will there be a difference in AF performance between the 300 and 500? Not too interested in a lot of the improvements the 500 has over the 300 on paper; it's mostly the AF / shutter lag I am interested in.

Thanks!

The NX500 is faster for sure, but it still depends on which lens you are using. The 30mm pancake is not a very fast focus lens. The kit, 12-24mm, 45mm are fast. Even 50-200 is pretty good.

senchasbitter wrote:

Thanks guys,

I usually shoot with f-stop (almost) open (2.0-4.5) and use the narrow, single zone/spot AF to chose the exact focusing spot (usually eyes) and yes, the subjects are usually moving (but not as in sports photography).

The Samsung is supposed to be my point and shooter and should give me the option to use the results professionally if the odd shot suffices. Hence the APS-C in a small camera.

Went to a dealer today and put my 30mm on an NX500 and the results were a little better: Still hunting (forth/back/forth/bang), but a tad faster and safer lock-in.

What bugs me is that the 500 is bulkier and I wonder if that and the trade up cost is worth it. I guess that only I can decide for myself. Thanks again!!

For indoor, the latest firmware will improve AF. Is you test camera using the latest firmware?