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samsung nx200
Hands On
14/10/2011 Filed in: Photography
I ventured out to the Henrys Photographic Show today, and managed to see or play with several recently released cameras that I’ve mentioned previously.
The X10 is the “little brother” to the X100. Coming in November, this $600 camera is what I’ve been looking for in a compact for a long time. The build quality is a notch or two above that of the Canon G12 or Nikon P7x00 series. It’s a little better built than my LX3, but it also feels way better in hand, mainly because the small body of the LX3 can be awkward at times.
The menu system is responsive, and more intuitive than any camera I’ve owned. I love that you can choose the Auto ISO upper limit as a menu item. The screen itself is quite nice, comparable to the one on my A500 DSLR. Having said that, the one thing I’ll miss from my DSLRs on the X10 is the eye detection, which turns off the LCD when you use the OVF.
Speaking of the OVF, it’s nice and bright. While it only covers 85% of the frame, it’s more than adequate for a compact camera.
The manual zoom is… dreamy. The rotating motion feels slow and deliberate, and it’s buttery smooth. It has a nicer rotating feel than any of my DSLR zooms, that’s for sure.
As for the autofocus, well, it seems to be average. About the same speed as my LX3. It is a bit of a bummer that the remote shutter trigger is mechanical. It would have been nice to have an RF or IR type of triggering system.
I can’t wait to get one.
The EP3 is a pretty known quantity these days. For me, I just wanted to see if the AF speed was as good as the hype made it out to be. The short answer is “yes”. The Olympus booth was not as well lit as some as the others, and the AF was particularly fast with the kit zoom. The rep popped on the 12mm prime, and the AF was a hair faster. It is at least as fast as my A500, and faster than all the compacts and ILCs I messed with. They had the EPL and EPM models there too, but I didn’t play with them. While I like the EP3 as a camera, I can’t get over the fact that I hate the overall design.
The Sony NEX7 is going to be very popular with serious photographers. It feels great in the hand. It’s heavy in a good way. The EVF is quite good as well, although I haven’t seen enough of them to really make any comparative statements. The focus seemed a hair slower than the EP3, but it was zippy overall. It’s a great camera, but it’s not my cup of tea, even though I’m a Sony Alpha shooter.
The NX200s on display had wires coming out of the handgrip, so it was a bit hard to get a feel for it, but it felt like a less expensive version of the NEX7. Not a cheap version, just less expensive. The LCD on the NX200 is stunningly sharp. The menu system is also really nice. I would even go so far as saying that it might even be nicer than the one on the NX10. The design of the camera is a bit better than average, although there are some design choices that will having you asking “WTF?” It boggles my mind why they printed the logo on the handgrip, where it’s most likely to wear out. The design of the on/off shutter release is also a little odd to me.
I love the lens ecosystem that Samsung has built up, and if I was going to go with a mirrorless ILC system, it would be between this one and the vapourware Panasonic GF Pro camera that may or may not ever make it to production.
As far as I could tell, the Pentax Q was behind glass, and you had to find a rep to let you mess around with it. From what I saw, however, it is small. The lenses are tiny. It looks like a really fun system, and I really love the industrial design, even though the specs may not live up to the high pricing.
Like the Q, the Nikon 1s were behind glass and required a rep. From what I did see, however, the fit and finish were underwhelming. They kinda looked cheap relative to their pricing. The handling is definitely not my cup of tea, and it will be interesting to see what kind of photographers will invest in this system.
FujiFilm X10
The X10 is the “little brother” to the X100. Coming in November, this $600 camera is what I’ve been looking for in a compact for a long time. The build quality is a notch or two above that of the Canon G12 or Nikon P7x00 series. It’s a little better built than my LX3, but it also feels way better in hand, mainly because the small body of the LX3 can be awkward at times.
The menu system is responsive, and more intuitive than any camera I’ve owned. I love that you can choose the Auto ISO upper limit as a menu item. The screen itself is quite nice, comparable to the one on my A500 DSLR. Having said that, the one thing I’ll miss from my DSLRs on the X10 is the eye detection, which turns off the LCD when you use the OVF.
Speaking of the OVF, it’s nice and bright. While it only covers 85% of the frame, it’s more than adequate for a compact camera.
The manual zoom is… dreamy. The rotating motion feels slow and deliberate, and it’s buttery smooth. It has a nicer rotating feel than any of my DSLR zooms, that’s for sure.
As for the autofocus, well, it seems to be average. About the same speed as my LX3. It is a bit of a bummer that the remote shutter trigger is mechanical. It would have been nice to have an RF or IR type of triggering system.
I can’t wait to get one.
Olympus EP3
The EP3 is a pretty known quantity these days. For me, I just wanted to see if the AF speed was as good as the hype made it out to be. The short answer is “yes”. The Olympus booth was not as well lit as some as the others, and the AF was particularly fast with the kit zoom. The rep popped on the 12mm prime, and the AF was a hair faster. It is at least as fast as my A500, and faster than all the compacts and ILCs I messed with. They had the EPL and EPM models there too, but I didn’t play with them. While I like the EP3 as a camera, I can’t get over the fact that I hate the overall design.
Sony NEX7
The Sony NEX7 is going to be very popular with serious photographers. It feels great in the hand. It’s heavy in a good way. The EVF is quite good as well, although I haven’t seen enough of them to really make any comparative statements. The focus seemed a hair slower than the EP3, but it was zippy overall. It’s a great camera, but it’s not my cup of tea, even though I’m a Sony Alpha shooter.
Samsung NX200
The NX200s on display had wires coming out of the handgrip, so it was a bit hard to get a feel for it, but it felt like a less expensive version of the NEX7. Not a cheap version, just less expensive. The LCD on the NX200 is stunningly sharp. The menu system is also really nice. I would even go so far as saying that it might even be nicer than the one on the NX10. The design of the camera is a bit better than average, although there are some design choices that will having you asking “WTF?” It boggles my mind why they printed the logo on the handgrip, where it’s most likely to wear out. The design of the on/off shutter release is also a little odd to me.
I love the lens ecosystem that Samsung has built up, and if I was going to go with a mirrorless ILC system, it would be between this one and the vapourware Panasonic GF Pro camera that may or may not ever make it to production.
Pentax Q
As far as I could tell, the Pentax Q was behind glass, and you had to find a rep to let you mess around with it. From what I saw, however, it is small. The lenses are tiny. It looks like a really fun system, and I really love the industrial design, even though the specs may not live up to the high pricing.
Nikon 1
Like the Q, the Nikon 1s were behind glass and required a rep. From what I did see, however, the fit and finish were underwhelming. They kinda looked cheap relative to their pricing. The handling is definitely not my cup of tea, and it will be interesting to see what kind of photographers will invest in this system.
Samsung - Photography Underdog?
22/08/2011 Filed in: Photography
Samsung is hardly a big name in photography when compared to the likes of Nikon, Canon, Sony, Fuji, Olympus and Pentax.
Like most of its competitors, Samsung makes the bulk of its camera profits from a sea of mediocre, me-too compact cameras.
Canon and Nikon are typically safe choices, because they have name recognition and make quality products. Myself, I’m not so obsessed with brands or specs as I am in finding cameras that fit my needs and are fun to use, because that translates into more interesting photos. I shoot Sony DSLRs because they’re the only company that provides phase-shift focusing Live View with an articulating screen. Because of that, I’ve taken a lot of photos at ground-level without having to get dirty in the process.
But back to Samsung. Looking at their product line, they have two product lines that are greatly underrated, in my mind.
They’ve got a legitimate enthusiast point and shoot in the EX1. The EX1, in my mind, is what the Canon G12 should be. The Canon G12, is a prime example of a camera company shoving every feature and the kitchen sink into a camera and then beating it with an ugly stick.
Had the EX1 been around when I was shopping for my Panasonic LX3, I’d have probably bought the EX1. While not perfect, Samsung has delivered a camera that is well considered. It has a big sensor (as far as point and shoots go), and a fast zoom with a range that should satisfy most use cases. I should emphasize that this is one of the only larger sensor enthusiast cameras that have a wide 24mm equivalent focal length (the other being Panasonic’s LX series). I really hope that Samsung keeps this line of camera going, because this is the type of product that puts a halo on the rest of their product line.
What I really find interesting, however, is Samsung’s NX platform. It’s a mirrorless platform with a large sensor. Right now, the only other company with a similar product line is Sony, with their similarly named NEX line. Before talking about the NX, let’s understand what’s so messed up with the Sony NEX system.
The Sony NEX, while delivering top notch image quality, is a mess of compromises. The designers at Sony obsessed over the thinness of the body, at the expense of lens size. Yes, the NEX bodies are indeed thin, but what’s the point when the lenses are so damned huge? Another problem with the lenses is that you don’t have many to choose from. And of the ones that you can choose from, there is only one pancake lens. This pisses me off to no end, because I shoot Sony DSLRs, and I really like what Sony has done with their Alpha DSLR line.
The Samsung NX product line, like the EX1, however, is once again well considered. The NX cameras probably won’t win any awards for image quality, not compared to a camera with a Sony APS-C sensor. For the tourist or soccer mom, however, the images are more than good enough, and compare well against images shot on the smaller Four Thirds sensor.
Let’s be realistic. These days, most normal people are shooting to post to Facebook or Flickr, not creating gigantic images to be mounted and hung on the walls. You don’t need a bragworthy camera to do that. While most camera nerds will spend their time trolling the DPReview forums, you can spend your time shooting photos.
The lens selection is actually quite stellar. By the end of this year, there will be three affordable fast pancake primes - 16mm, 20mm, and 30mm. These are the lenses that make any compact system worthwhile. Sony, by comparison, only has a single pancake lens (16mm).
Also coming out are fast 60mm and 85mm primes. Those line up fairly closely with the primes I love using on my SLR - 24mm, 35mm, 50mm and 90mm. It also helps that the 20-50 kit zoom is quite compact relative to its competition.
Photography nerds would also get a kick out of Samsung’s novel i-Function, which allows you to change camera settings from the focus ring of the lens. You can change your aperture, EV, white balance and ISO without fumbling through menus. Now that is damned clever. I’d use that all the time.
If I was looking for a compact primary system, I’d seriously consider the NX, since the transition would be pretty easy and definitely less costly than switching to the NEX or Micro Four Thirds.
Camera systems aren’t just about sensors and lenses though. Handling and usability are just as important, if not more important. Samsung’s menuing system, while not perfect, is generally viewed positively. I can’t say much about the NX100’s physical design, except that I’d like to ask the designers “WTF were you thinking?”. There’s not much to criticize about the NX10 or NX11 in that they follow the safe ergonomic stylings of most DSLRs.
There’s an announcement coming in early September for the NX200, a refresh of the NX100. Rumors indicate that the ergonomics of the camera will be much like that of the EX-1, which would be a huge plus. It’s easy to overlook Samsung as a camera company, but you can easily build a nice arsenal of photography equipment without breaking the bank.
Like most of its competitors, Samsung makes the bulk of its camera profits from a sea of mediocre, me-too compact cameras.
Canon and Nikon are typically safe choices, because they have name recognition and make quality products. Myself, I’m not so obsessed with brands or specs as I am in finding cameras that fit my needs and are fun to use, because that translates into more interesting photos. I shoot Sony DSLRs because they’re the only company that provides phase-shift focusing Live View with an articulating screen. Because of that, I’ve taken a lot of photos at ground-level without having to get dirty in the process.
But back to Samsung. Looking at their product line, they have two product lines that are greatly underrated, in my mind.
The EX1
They’ve got a legitimate enthusiast point and shoot in the EX1. The EX1, in my mind, is what the Canon G12 should be. The Canon G12, is a prime example of a camera company shoving every feature and the kitchen sink into a camera and then beating it with an ugly stick.
Had the EX1 been around when I was shopping for my Panasonic LX3, I’d have probably bought the EX1. While not perfect, Samsung has delivered a camera that is well considered. It has a big sensor (as far as point and shoots go), and a fast zoom with a range that should satisfy most use cases. I should emphasize that this is one of the only larger sensor enthusiast cameras that have a wide 24mm equivalent focal length (the other being Panasonic’s LX series). I really hope that Samsung keeps this line of camera going, because this is the type of product that puts a halo on the rest of their product line.
The NX Platform
What I really find interesting, however, is Samsung’s NX platform. It’s a mirrorless platform with a large sensor. Right now, the only other company with a similar product line is Sony, with their similarly named NEX line. Before talking about the NX, let’s understand what’s so messed up with the Sony NEX system.
The Sony NEX, while delivering top notch image quality, is a mess of compromises. The designers at Sony obsessed over the thinness of the body, at the expense of lens size. Yes, the NEX bodies are indeed thin, but what’s the point when the lenses are so damned huge? Another problem with the lenses is that you don’t have many to choose from. And of the ones that you can choose from, there is only one pancake lens. This pisses me off to no end, because I shoot Sony DSLRs, and I really like what Sony has done with their Alpha DSLR line.
The Samsung NX product line, like the EX1, however, is once again well considered. The NX cameras probably won’t win any awards for image quality, not compared to a camera with a Sony APS-C sensor. For the tourist or soccer mom, however, the images are more than good enough, and compare well against images shot on the smaller Four Thirds sensor.
Let’s be realistic. These days, most normal people are shooting to post to Facebook or Flickr, not creating gigantic images to be mounted and hung on the walls. You don’t need a bragworthy camera to do that. While most camera nerds will spend their time trolling the DPReview forums, you can spend your time shooting photos.
The lens selection is actually quite stellar. By the end of this year, there will be three affordable fast pancake primes - 16mm, 20mm, and 30mm. These are the lenses that make any compact system worthwhile. Sony, by comparison, only has a single pancake lens (16mm).
Also coming out are fast 60mm and 85mm primes. Those line up fairly closely with the primes I love using on my SLR - 24mm, 35mm, 50mm and 90mm. It also helps that the 20-50 kit zoom is quite compact relative to its competition.
Photography nerds would also get a kick out of Samsung’s novel i-Function, which allows you to change camera settings from the focus ring of the lens. You can change your aperture, EV, white balance and ISO without fumbling through menus. Now that is damned clever. I’d use that all the time.
If I was looking for a compact primary system, I’d seriously consider the NX, since the transition would be pretty easy and definitely less costly than switching to the NEX or Micro Four Thirds.
Camera systems aren’t just about sensors and lenses though. Handling and usability are just as important, if not more important. Samsung’s menuing system, while not perfect, is generally viewed positively. I can’t say much about the NX100’s physical design, except that I’d like to ask the designers “WTF were you thinking?”. There’s not much to criticize about the NX10 or NX11 in that they follow the safe ergonomic stylings of most DSLRs.
There’s an announcement coming in early September for the NX200, a refresh of the NX100. Rumors indicate that the ergonomics of the camera will be much like that of the EX-1, which would be a huge plus. It’s easy to overlook Samsung as a camera company, but you can easily build a nice arsenal of photography equipment without breaking the bank.
Waffling on the X100
05/08/2011 Filed in: Photography
A while back, I got spousal approval to get myself a spanky FujiFilm X100, and I have yet to pull the trigger on that. The X100 is for the most part, the embodiment of my “dream camera,” which is a rangefinder-like device with design nods to Leica’s M-series. Aside from the short supply of cameras from Fuji, why haven’t I pulled the trigger on this?
The answer might be a little surprising.
My “primary” camera is an APS-C DSLR, and I’m not looking to replace the platform I’m on. Having a similar sized camera as my secondary camera makes little practical sense, but like golf, photography is a hobby where purchase decisions rarely make any practical sense.
I’ve been thinking long and hard about what will be the eventual successor to my Lumix LX3, and it may not be the X100 at all. If I was shooting a full frame DSLR, the X100 would make a whole lot of sense. There is a much more noticeable physical size difference. It makes much more sense for me to consider a smaller sensor camera platform like Micro Four Thirds or Nikon’s rumored 2.8x crop sensor platform. If I’m going to stick with APS-C for my secondary, well, I’m not even convinced there is any need for a secondary at all.
Since I’m not looking for a new primary platform, I would only need two lenses, if I was to go with an interchangeable lens camera. Basically a compact prime, with a 35-50mm full frame equivalent focal length, and a kit zoom. That’s it. But here’s the rub, I’m not even interested in the idea of swapping lenses.
What I’m really looking for is something like a Lumix LX5 or Samsung EX1 with a slightly larger sensor. The camera can be a little heftier because of the larger sensor, but all I really need is a decent quality compact with a fastish zoom in the range of 24-70mm. I was really happy with the performance of my LX3 on a recent vacation, although it would have been nice to eke out a little better video performance (my iPhone 4 takes cleaner videos), a little better low light performance, and a bit more zoom range on the long side (the LX3 maxes out at 50mm, vs 90mm on an LX5).
My ultimate dilemma is that nobody’s going to make this camera for me. 1/1.7” and 1/1.6” sensors are already quite rare - there are only a half-dozen or so cameras using those sensors, and the big two camera manufacturers have their heads so far up their asses that they have no idea what photography buffs want.
The only silver lining is that 2011 has been and is going to continue to be a very interesting year for compact camera systems. Mirrorless cameras have made a huge step forward in autofocus speed, and everyone except Canon should be showing their cards in this market this calendar year.
I’m not ruling out an APS-C camera as a secondary just yet, mainly to give Samsung a chance to announce their NX200. Samsung, in contrast to Sony, has actually developed a nice APS-C compact camera system with a decent and affordable lineup of lenses. If the NX200 is anything at all like their EX1, it may not take much convincing at all.
Nikon, Panasonic, Sony, Leica and Fuji still have a few tricks up their sleeves too, but Sony’s obsession with thinness on their NEX line annoys me to no end, and I’m a Sony shooter. I’m most curious to see what Fuji will announce. They’re a Four Thirds consortium member, and I’d love to see an X100 type of camera with a fixed 24-70 zoom in tandem with a Four Thirds sensor. If priced in the same range as an X100, it’d be a no-brainer for me.
That I am so unsure of what to get is a bit of a luxury. A year ago, the only thing I’d probably be able to consider would be a Micro Four Thirds camera. Having options is a good thing, and the options are only going to get better.
The answer might be a little surprising.
My “primary” camera is an APS-C DSLR, and I’m not looking to replace the platform I’m on. Having a similar sized camera as my secondary camera makes little practical sense, but like golf, photography is a hobby where purchase decisions rarely make any practical sense.
I’ve been thinking long and hard about what will be the eventual successor to my Lumix LX3, and it may not be the X100 at all. If I was shooting a full frame DSLR, the X100 would make a whole lot of sense. There is a much more noticeable physical size difference. It makes much more sense for me to consider a smaller sensor camera platform like Micro Four Thirds or Nikon’s rumored 2.8x crop sensor platform. If I’m going to stick with APS-C for my secondary, well, I’m not even convinced there is any need for a secondary at all.
Since I’m not looking for a new primary platform, I would only need two lenses, if I was to go with an interchangeable lens camera. Basically a compact prime, with a 35-50mm full frame equivalent focal length, and a kit zoom. That’s it. But here’s the rub, I’m not even interested in the idea of swapping lenses.
What I’m really looking for is something like a Lumix LX5 or Samsung EX1 with a slightly larger sensor. The camera can be a little heftier because of the larger sensor, but all I really need is a decent quality compact with a fastish zoom in the range of 24-70mm. I was really happy with the performance of my LX3 on a recent vacation, although it would have been nice to eke out a little better video performance (my iPhone 4 takes cleaner videos), a little better low light performance, and a bit more zoom range on the long side (the LX3 maxes out at 50mm, vs 90mm on an LX5).
My ultimate dilemma is that nobody’s going to make this camera for me. 1/1.7” and 1/1.6” sensors are already quite rare - there are only a half-dozen or so cameras using those sensors, and the big two camera manufacturers have their heads so far up their asses that they have no idea what photography buffs want.
The only silver lining is that 2011 has been and is going to continue to be a very interesting year for compact camera systems. Mirrorless cameras have made a huge step forward in autofocus speed, and everyone except Canon should be showing their cards in this market this calendar year.
I’m not ruling out an APS-C camera as a secondary just yet, mainly to give Samsung a chance to announce their NX200. Samsung, in contrast to Sony, has actually developed a nice APS-C compact camera system with a decent and affordable lineup of lenses. If the NX200 is anything at all like their EX1, it may not take much convincing at all.
Nikon, Panasonic, Sony, Leica and Fuji still have a few tricks up their sleeves too, but Sony’s obsession with thinness on their NEX line annoys me to no end, and I’m a Sony shooter. I’m most curious to see what Fuji will announce. They’re a Four Thirds consortium member, and I’d love to see an X100 type of camera with a fixed 24-70 zoom in tandem with a Four Thirds sensor. If priced in the same range as an X100, it’d be a no-brainer for me.
That I am so unsure of what to get is a bit of a luxury. A year ago, the only thing I’d probably be able to consider would be a Micro Four Thirds camera. Having options is a good thing, and the options are only going to get better.