Shooting with the NX100
Taking pictures with the NX100 is a breeze for any skill level. For someone upgrading for the first time from their point-and-shoot and not quite comfortable with adjusting many settings, you can very easily choose exactly how much control you want and of what settings. Even if you use this camera like a standard point-and-shoot, you can still get high quality pictures in most situations, and you always have the option later on to unlock more settings should you choose.
Physically, the NX100’s shape and weight are pretty good. The body is fairly small compared to the lens but, as I mentioned earlier, does not lead the camera to be unbalanced. Also as I had previously mentioned, in order to make the body so small, Samsung had to remove the large grip found on most DSLRs, which when combined with the smooth surface of the body, gives you a little less confidence in your hold on the camera. I didn’t find this to be a major issue, but a little texture would have been nice.
As far as button and menu layout, I found them both very intuitive and quick. One of the key features of this camera is its iFunction button but I tended to never really use it and instead used the different wheels and buttons on the back of the camera to adjust my settings. Adjusting ISO, shutter speed, aperture, and white balance can all be done in a matter of seconds so you don’t miss that perfect shot. One of my favorite parts of the NX100 is the focus ring. Unlike other cameras such as the D80 that I tested against, the focus is changed much more slowly which allows you to perfectly dial in focus every time.
One things that I both love and hate about the NX100 is the 3″ AMOLED display. The display is amazingly crisp and gives you an accurate representation of what your photo will look like on a bigger screen. What I didn’t like is that because there is no viewfinder built-in, you are forced to use the display for everything. This gives you two major problems. First, it drains the battery extremely fast. Samsung says that you should be able to get about 420 photos on a charge which may seem like a lot until you realize that most DSLRs such as the D80 get 2500-3000 shots on a single charge because they only use the LCD occasionally. Secondly, when shooting in bright sunlight, it can be very hard to see the screen clearly. I mainly noticed this problem when trying to manually focus and simply being unable to tell when in focus. This issue can be fixed with the add-on viewfinder but that is an extra $75-100.
The only other issue I had with this camera is its low light capabilities. With the large APS-C sensor one would expect better but when the lights go slightly less than optimal, the ISO quickly needs to start rising and the shutter speed plummeting. And as you saw in the ISO comparisons, after about the 800 mark, you are going to be sacrificing a significant amount of quality. Like the LCD problem, this too can be fixed with an add-on, a flash in this case, but you are looking at another ~$70.
Conclusion
Pros:
- Capable of taking very high quality photos
- Much smaller than a DSLR
- Much more control than a point-and-shoot
- 3″ AMOLED display is great
- Extremely easy-to use for any skill level
- Capability of expanding with different lenses and accessories
Cons:
- No built-in viewfinder leads to a few problems
- No built-in flash severely limits low-light shots
- Battery life is fairly short
Now, after reading my experience with the NX100, it may seem as if I am being harsh or picky, but it is only because aside from those mentioned problems, the camera was fantastic. When the lighting is good, this camera takes beautiful pictures that in many cases can go toe-to-toe with DSLRs. Pictures are absolutely crisp and clear, with very accurate colors with very little to no tinkering of settings. Anyone can pick this camera up, set it on auto, point at something, press the shutter, and end up with a fantastic picture. Then when you are more comfortable, you can gradually ease into more controls until you control everything and are taking awesome photos.
In total, I was impressed with the NX100. Samsung wanted to take everything we love about a DSLR and compress it down to a small and easy-to-use package with as little sacrifices as possible. Of course, if these sacrifices are a deal-breaker for you, there are plenty of other options out there that can fit exactly what you want. But if you are looking for a relatively inexpensive, comparatively portable, and easy-to-use digital camera that is capable of taking some great pictures out of the box with plenty of room to expand down the road, then the NX100 may just be the camera for you.
Would like to have seen this compared more to the Canon G12 or G1 X. This is informative to see how it compares to an older DSLR, but the D80 has been discontinued since 2008. You’re also comparing a 10.2MP DSLR, to a 14.6MP point and shoot. The overall look at the camera is good, however the comparison seems a bit useless
The focus was not really on NX100 vs D80 but more on mirrorless vs DSLR. Because this camera is aimed at someone looking to upgrade from a standard point and shoot they can get an idea of how this less-expensive option stacks up to the full DSLR. Besides, the D80 can still take excellent pictures.
As far as 10.2 vs 14.6MP, we are talking massive vs more massive. The only benefit is that you can crop the NX100 further while maintaining clarity. Once you resize down to a usable level the MP difference is negligible.
I would have loved to compare to a more modern DSLR, high-end point and shoot, or another mirrorless but resources are limited.