Samsung NX200 18-55mm zoom
The main attractions of this camera to me are the 20MP sensor and the vivid colour that Samsung cameras are capable of. The main disadvantage is the lack of any kind of a viewfinder. I'm trying an NX200 out to see which proves more important to me.
I was very rude about this camera a while back, but some samples I've seen recently are really quite good. It is, at the moment, the highest MP specified CSC that you can buy. Its only just short of cameras like the Canon 1Ds MkII and 5D Mk II in terms of pixel count, and has an APS-C sized sensor.
The package I bought has the 18-55mm kit zoom included, and I'm glad to report that its better than the 20-50mm that I had with my NX100, which was a very mediocre lens. The body is well made and has a certain angular functionality that I don't find unnatractive. For a camera with view screen only it handles pretty well. The grip is nice, and the controls well thought out. It also has a simple straightforward menu system that is easy to navigate. The shutter and AF are fast and positive and I had no problems with the AMOLED screen in terms of either my polarised sunglasses or sunlight. Samsung have made a very nice screen for viewing outdoors, which is a good job since there isn't any alternative.
All images - Samsung NX200 18-55mm zoom
SAMSUNG COLOUR.
Its different! It is pretty vivid, and it seems people either love it or hate it. I've always loved it. The jpg. images in particular are pretty saturated and the reds are close to blowing out often. It can be turned down, but I do like it cranked up, as it is very "commercial" for my purposes.
From my initial use of the camera the jpgs. look a little soft, but the raw files are capable of some nice detail, and do justice to the large sensor. I'm using Capture One at the moment for raw conversion, as neither Photoshop or Lightroom support the camera yet, and the supplied software is terrible. Why Samsung don't go with .dng files as they did with their DSLR's mystifies me, but Capture One is top class software and will work very well until Adobe Camera Raw gets updated.
First impressions are positive. I've only used it twice, but haven't found any problems yet. I've always liked Samsungs straight ahead and relatively gimmick free approach to their cameras, and the NX200 seems to follow in that tradition.
More to follow.
