Is Samsung 300m worth buying in 2020?

Hello all,

I want to buy a camera to take pictures of my daughter (recently a dad)... Doesn't help that I have expensive taste.

Our first photoshoot as family was done by a photographer with Canon 5d mark ii. Whilst I don't expect to get quality pixies like that, I hope that compact modern cameras have got a similar PQ.

I like Sony a6400 and 6100 but when I think of the price... Let's just say I think that I need to budget well now.

So, by pure coincidence I found an nx3000 in a listed add which caught my attention. I didn't buy it after all but that allowed me to research the nx line-up a bit.

My other option was a canon 700d boxed for under £300 but the size of it was not a forte.

I like the 300m because of the flip screen and size.

I want to be very practic and I think that a small mirrorless would be great for me and will allow me to shoot both indoor and outdoors.

Anyhow. Not many 300m around, but found one that has the screen fallen off (weak adhesive tape?) and it sells for £140. I'd need to repair it myself.

What do you guys think?

Would this be a good purchase?

Onetwoshot wrote:

Hello all,

I want to buy a camera to take pictures of my daughter (recently a dad)... Doesn't help that I have expensive taste.

Our first photoshoot as family was done by a photographer with Canon 5d mark ii. Whilst I don't expect to get quality pixies like that, I hope that compact modern cameras have got a similar PQ.

I like Sony a6400 and 6100 but when I think of the price... Let's just say I think that I need to budget well now.

So, by pure coincidence I found an nx3000 in a listed add which caught my attention. I didn't buy it after all but that allowed me to research the nx line-up a bit.

My other option was a canon 700d boxed for under £300 but the size of it was not a forte.

I like the 300m because of the flip screen and size.

I want to be very practic and I think that a small mirrorless would be great for me and will allow me to shoot both indoor and outdoors.

Anyhow. Not many 300m around, but found one that has the screen fallen off (weak adhesive tape?) and it sells for £140. I'd need to repair it myself.

What do you guys think?

Would this be a good purchase?

Here's another you might consider, the very-slightly different NX300 - although it's paired with a non-stabilised 20/50 zoom, which would probably be my last choice of the several kit-lenses Samsung have offered....

https://www.lcegroup.co.uk/Used/Samsung-NX300-+-20-50mm_280118.html

Here's a review of that lens...

https://matteverglade.com/lenses/samsung-20-50mm-f3-5-5-6-ii/

If you did buy that, I'd suggest watching out for a decent copy of Samsung's 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 version, which has a much wider view at the 16mm end, and also benefits from stabilisation... as well as probably being faster to focus, a boon for family shots!!

https://www.photoreview.com.au/reviews/lenses/other-ilc/samsung-16-50mm-f35-56-power-zoom-lens/

May cost a little more, but buying from a reliable chain like LCE would bring you the security of their 6 month warranty.

But do remember that Samsung stopped making cameras several years ago now - so you might be better with one of the Panasonic or Olympus MicroFourThirds (M43) cameras, of which many more are available!

That said, thanks to their larger sensors, the NX300 and NX3000 are both capable of producing very nice pictures.

Although I've not yet made much use of the '300, bought not long before lock-down, these are some of mine from the tinier '3000, shot using mostly the 16/50 but also a variety of other lenses...

https://www.flickr.com/photos/132932913@N02/albums/72157651901524380

Good luck, whichever you choose!

Peter

Surely, I wasn't referring to that sum.

A6100 and a6400 are what my heart desires (so quite expensive for me)

Oh.. But that flip screen though....

I can go and ssee the camera but the problem is I don't know what to check.

That 16-50 can be found in nx3000 which is quite cheap, I quite regret not picking one up last week (it was £100 for body and lens).

Now Amazon is winking with a reduced price for Sony a6400 and 5 interest free payment plan.

Onetwoshot wrote:

Oh.. But that flip screen though....

I can go and ssee the camera but the problem is I don't know what to check.

That 16-50 can be found in nx3000 which is quite cheap, I quite regret not picking one up last week (it was £100 for body and lens).

That's where/how I got mine, sold new as a bundle of the camera + lens and Lightroom 5 for £300.

Now Amazon is winking with a reduced price for Sony a6400 and 5 interest free payment plan.

I'm seeing a price of £890 for that camera and 16/50 PZ lens... £180 a month for 5 months.

Hope you'll enjoy whatever you decide on!

Peter

I went and bought it!

It is hard to take a decision with so many options on the used market. I also spotted an nx500 used for £300 but it was in rather poor cosmetical order. If anyone is looking for one I suggest you to search on ebay and Facebook. Seller is really honest and helpful.

I will use gopro and my Samsung note 9 for 4k vídeo whilst using this camera for photos.

Figured that it is best to learn on a cheap camera and if I ever feel the need to upgrade there will be plenty of Sony on sale.

I got the camera in original box, 18-55 OIS with lens hood, 2 batteries (1 original one compatible), charging cable, leaflets CD and light room 5, flash bit and it is black ( I also like brown but was trying to avoid white bodies)

I really don't even know where to start 😅. I want to wipe the lens don't even know what I should use.

- what memory card should I buy? Does it have to be an ultra high class?

Oh I also need to buy some double sided adhesive film to fix this screen (seller was honest about it, it is still stable now but I suspect the adhesive lost tack) any recommendations? Otherwise the camera is in great condition, hope it is fully functional as well. Thanks for your input!

Onetwoshot wrote:

I went and bought it!

It is hard to take a decision with so many options on the used market. I also spotted an nx500 used for £300 but it was in rather poor cosmetical order. If anyone is looking for one I suggest you to search on ebay and Facebook. Seller is really honest and helpful.

I will use gopro and my Samsung note 9 for 4k vídeo whilst using this camera for photos.

Figured that it is best to learn on a cheap camera and if I ever feel the need to upgrade there will be plenty of Sony on sale.

I got the camera in original box, 18-55 OIS with lens hood, 2 batteries (1 original one compatible), charging cable, leaflets CD and light room 5, flash bit and it is black ( I also like brown but was trying to avoid white bodies)

I really don't even know where to start 😅. I want to wipe the lens don't even know what I should use.

- what memory card should I buy? Does it have to be an ultra high class?

Oh I also need to buy some double sided adhesive film to fix this screen (seller was honest about it, it is still stable now but I suspect the adhesive lost tack) any recommendations? Otherwise the camera is in great condition, hope it is fully functional as well. Thanks for your input!

Hi there - well done!

Rather than tape, I'd think about using two or three of those thin foam mounting pads - sticky on both sides - as you can then thread a piece of cotton behind the screen to remove it again.... if fitted wrongly, to allow a "better" repair later, or just in case the delicate ribbon cable that carries the info to the screen has been damaged in all this, and needs replacing?

Would be a mm or two thicker than tape, but safer... whichever you use, be sure to cut to the right shape, so it sticks only in the right places!

Something like... Sellotape Permanent Double Sided Sticky Fixer - Pack of 140 - £3.15 from Amazon

And you'd have lots of pads left over, for all sorts of other little jobs!
...............

If you've not done so, the user manual can be downloaded from....

https://www.samsung.com/us/support/owners/product/galaxy-nx300m-camera-nx300m-series

... in which they say....

"This product supports SD (Secure Digital), SDHC (Secure Digital High
Capacity), SDXC (Secure Digital eXtended Capacity), UHS-1 (Ultra High
Speed-1), microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC, or microUHS-1 memory cards."

***************

Although probably overly large - and faster than I need most of the time - what I've been buying recently, so as to work with almost all of my mix of cameras, at about £23 from Amazon, is the....

"SanDisk Extreme PRO 64GB SDXC Memory Card up to 170MB/s, Class 10, U3, V30"

In the NX300 or 300m, the cheaper 32GB size - in SDHC format - should hold about 670 images if shot as RAW+JPG pairs, or perhaps three or four times as many as JPGs... but those may read and write at only maybe half the speed - so I'd suggest going for the 64GB !

Alternatively, you can instead get a micro-SDXC card, as probably used in your phone etc, which comes with an adaptor that fits into the camera's SD format slot - the one I bought last month, 64GB, at £17.49 was....

" SanDisk Extreme 64 GB microSDXC Memory Card + SD Adapter with A2 App Performance + Rescue Pro Deluxe, Up to 160 MB/s, Class 10, UHS-I, U3, V30 "

I've now got 2 cameras that take this micro size, plus phone and tablet - so it's much more more versatile!
...............

As for wiping the lens, Amazon stock Zeiss lens wipes at some £13 for 200 - but I date from a time when we'd use the end of our necktie (after checking it hadn't dangled in tomato soup!). Otherwise, the (usually smaller) packs sold for cleaning spectacles, from Boots etc, should be more than good enough.... just don't scrub too hard!
...................

Good luck,

Peter

Thanks again!

I just wanted to share an update:

I bought a roll of 2mm 3m double sided tape and fixed it just fine. For everyone wondering, I tried to remove the old tape but I could only remove one vertical side as the others I think they were under the screen/touch assembly. So then I had to put the tape on top but being very thin it did not raise the screen much at all. So that's fixed.

I bought 2 x matte screen protector from a seller in Germany here Came fast and it does help a lot with glare in the sun but it makes the screen a bit fuzzy - a trade off - next time I will try the clear type. For now this is great against smudges and fingerprints and the sun.

Caught some nice shots of my little one but there are 2 things I am struggling with as beginner:

1 - when my daughter moves I catch her hands in blur, probably have to experiment more with the shutter speed

2 - In head and shoulders type pictures my daughter appears with a larger head than in reality, honestly she is so delicate IRL, but in photos she appears like at least 1 month older.

Probably have to step back and then crop?

Also bought hot shoe plastic covers, not sure if had a good deal, these might be universal, think I paid £4.5 for 3.

Now on another note and if you can help me here @Isolaverde  I gave CeX a shot and ordered some cameras.

Ordered a Galaxy NX body - and got a white NX 2000 in shabby condition (their mistake, goes back)

Also ordered an NX500 which was listed with 16-50 in B condition listed as Black colour and received it in Brown colour. It came with a strap that doesn't have hooks and 2 extension tubes (10 and 16mm) Was thinking of keeping it and then selling the NX300m but:

- initial disappointment in the colour expected and delivered. I kinda like the brown leatherete in front but why did they go with the colour scheme at the back I don't know, even the plastic of the screen and bottom is brown... Takes a bit to warm up to it

- The lens is 16-50 Powerzoom - what I find strange is the noise of the barrell, if I shake the camera a bit up and down I hear the barrel of the lens moving and creating a sound. Is this normal?

Of course I can hear the other noises which I take are normal (electronic humming, the noise when focusing, the noise when zooming, and the gyro motor) from my research these are normal but wondering why the barrel moves inside the housing of the lens both when extended and closed, of course IRL I would not shake the camera like a pepper shaker but I am just wary that this unit might have been dropped.

Camera has 2 tiny scuffs on the metal part so in good condition but also noticed that the metal top housing which has the Samsung logo lifts up from the body as if this camera was dropped or lost a clip.

Not sure if I'd keep it but worried that it will be hard to catch an nx500 on the bay anytime soon for this price as they are quite rare. (having said that I saw that NX500 goes for a good price in auction style listings and with more accessories / box etc.)

My return window expires Tuesday so I need to take a decision fast.

Good decision buying the camera. It has much better IQ than most Canon APS-C cameras, including the new ones. Small, light-weight, articulating/tilting screen+good videos with NX 18-200mm lens.

1 - when my daughter moves I catch her hands in blur, probably have to experiment more with the shutter speed

Raise shutter speed and adjust ISO if needed. I have many pictures taken with IS0 3200 with NX300/300M and they are fine

2 - In head and shoulders type pictures my daughter appears with a larger head than in reality, honestly she is so delicate IRL, but in photos she appears like at least 1 month older.

Barrel distortion. You must be taking close up pictures at the wide end of focal length. Try distancing from the subject and taking pictures at the tele end of kit lens. There will be slight pincussion distortion but the head won't be bigger than desired

Probably have to step back and then crop?

Also bought hot shoe plastic covers, not sure if had a good deal, these might be universal, think I paid £4.5 for 3.

They are useless I lose them the moment I start using any camera

Now on another note and if you can help me here @Isolaverde I gave CeX a shot and ordered some cameras.

Ordered a Galaxy NX body - and got a white NX 2000 in shabby condition (their mistake, goes back)

Don't bother with other cameras than NX300/300M/500 and NX1. I have tried nearly all of them

Also ordered an NX500 which was listed with 16-50 in B condition listed as Black colour and received it in Brown colour. It came with a strap that doesn't have hooks and 2 extension tubes (10 and 16mm) Was thinking of keeping it and then selling the NX300m but:

- initial disappointment in the colour expected and delivered. I kinda like the brown leatherete in front but why did they go with the colour scheme at the back I don't know, even the plastic of the screen and bottom is brown... Takes a bit to warm up to it

Don't worry about the colour. Its the performance that matters. NX500 is a far better camera than NX300M. I would sell off NX300M and keep NX500 only.

- The lens is 16-50 Powerzoom - what I find strange is the noise of the barrell, if I shake the camera a bit up and down I hear the barrel of the lens moving and creating a sound. Is this normal?

Of course I can hear the other noises which I take are normal (electronic humming, the noise when focusing, the noise when zooming, and the gyro motor) from my research these are normal but wondering why the barrel moves inside the housing of the lens both when extended and closed, of course IRL I would not shake the camera like a pepper shaker but I am just wary that this unit might have been dropped.

This is a known problem with 16-50mm powerzoom lens. Not a tight fit of barrel in lens. Some times the barrel drops out of place and camera stops working as a result. I often had to tap on barrel to get it back in place for the zoom motor to work properly. Not a big issue and the lens is fine otherwise.