Images of the NX200
At first glance you can see how much more compact the NX200 is, but don’t judge this camera by its size it has as much control as many larger DSLR’s offer and more so in several areas.
As you can see the stock NX200 includes a Samsung branded lens and utilizes a new Samsung NX mount. The stock lens is an 18-55 with OIS (optical image stabilization) and an aperture rating of F3.5 – 5.6 which is pretty typical of lens in this category. Additionally Samsung will have a total of 9 lenses available at the time of launch.
Controls are all within easy reach and overall the NX200 has a deceptively simplistic design that could easily lead consumers to mistake it for a prosumer level digital camera instead of the high quality DSLR that Samsung has it targeted towards. Only time will tell if the NX200 fits into the large shoes that Samsung wants it to fill. Traditionally DSLR consumers prefer additional controls and an eye viewfinder vs the AOLED display that the NX200 has.
In our early preview of the NX200 we were shown a production model, several lenses, and just a few of the numerous capabilities of the camera. What stood out the most to us was the compact nature of the NX200 despite its high specifications which leads us to wonder if Samsung would have been better served offering a lower spec’d NX200 and including the viewfinder and some of the additional controls typically found on a DSLR. This is likely due to the compact design of the NX200 which has forced engineers to accomplish through menu’s what has been done in the past with buttons.
Aside from buttons and controls the NX200 does offer advanced features which many consumers will find compelling. These include:
- Full HD movie recording 1920×1080 H.264
- Wide ISO rating 100-12800 (8 steps)
- High-speed continuous shooting (7fps (max) with 100ms Advanced Auto Focus)
We will have a full review of the NX200 in the coming months so stay tuned for our complete coverage of this competitive entry from Samsung. Considering the price tag of the NX200 compared with its rather beefy specifications and its wide range of applications we feel its will sway a significant number of consumers buying decisions. It will easily take over consumers considering a Sony Alpha but users of Nikon and Canon’s may be harder to convert. Stay tuned for our testing of the NX200 in which we will show you if the Samsung offers enough IQ (Image Quality) and features to bring a convincing argument to the market.
Early Product Analysis
It is so tough to really draw a meaningful conclusion on a product without actually having it in our lab to test and review. With that said a simple look at the specs from Samsung show that the NX200 is not to be taken lightly. This is either a camera which will set the new standard in the prosumer category and force competitors like Sony, Nikon, and Canon to step up their game and recognize Samsung as a new market force or it will take a more aggressive approach and lead the market in both features and price in the DSLR arena. Both of these early conclusions are of course based on the assumption that the NX200 lives up to its claims and performance. I do not mention Olympus, Pentax, and Panasonic here as their market shares in the DSLR arena do not make them a serious threat to the big three.
I really hope that the NX200 brings some serious game to the table as it will certainly have a trickle down effect and lower prices across the board. in either case from the lone standpoint of specs the NX200 has most of the other contenders beat. That being said you can cram a higher sensitivity sensor into a camera and still end up with a lower quality but larger image. If this is the case with the NX200 then Samsung will have put itself into an awkward position. Stay tuned for the review and we will bring you real world testing of the NX200 and compare it to some of its larger competitors.
What will make or break this as being a serious contender for Nikon and Cannon will be the quality of the lenses.
I would agree but there are also other factors. Such as the availability of non Samsung lenses using the Samsung NX mount that are quality lenses as well as the innate ability of the camera to produce quality images. Not to mention the biggest factor which is consumer adoption of a mirror-less DSLR.