Samsung adds extras to 2011 range

"Samsung's strategy to claim a higher value position in the camera
market has been reinforced with the release of its 2011 range which includes new
high performance, ultra-zoom,'2View', camcorder and wi-fi models."

Read
more: http://www.photoimagingnews.com.au/news/samsung-adds-extras-to-2011-range

Firmware Updates for NX10 and NX100

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a global leader in digital media and digital
convergence technologies announced firmware upgrades for two products within
Samsung’s NX compact system camera range – the NX100 and NX10 on April 18th 2011 in Seoul
Korea.

The firmware upgrades for NX100 and NX10 will give a unified user
experience for the full NX range and provide enhanced features for existing
customers.

Following the availability of the innovative i-Function lens feature on both
models, the latest upgrades are set to make the cameras even more convenient for
the photographer to use, bringing added value to Samsung’s NX range customers
and putting the perfect picture at their fingertips.

Here are the improvements in NX10 (v1.30) and NX100 (v1.10)
Firmwares

1. The Panorama function is added (in the Scene Mode menu).
2. New
18-55(II) mm, 50-200(II) mm, and 18-200 mm i-Function lenses are supported (in
addition to the OIS menu).
3. The algorithm of Video AF is improved, and the
low contrast in the AF function is increased.
4. By default, the Video AF
mode is set to CAF.

The firmware upgrade also makes these functions faster and quieter than ever,
giving photographers the ability to take noise-free, professional-looking still
images and movies with ease.

In addition, through the upgraded firmware, the NX100 and NX10 now provide the i-Function
setting help guide via the camera’s display, as available on the recent NX11
model. The feature helps users take impressive shots more easily by guiding
users with explanations on different functions of the i-Function lens.

Mr. Hyunho Chung, Executive Vice President and Head of the Digital Imaging
Business, Samsung Electronics, commented: “We continually look for ways to
improve the photography experience, to make it more fun and add value for our
customers. The latest upgrade is reflective of this. Users of the NX system
already benefit from key features such as compact portability of the devices,
and innovations like the i-Function lens. Through ongoing developments, we hope
to offer even more to enable photographers of all levels to get the best results
and professional-looking pictures every time. We look forward to announcing a
number of additional developments in the future to make the NX range even easier
for our customers to use.”

The upgrades will be available from April 18, 2011 for all NX100 and NX10 customers to download at www.samsung.com.

How to upgrade the firmware for the NX10 and NX100 to enhance the
product performance.

You can upgrade the firmware by following these steps;

1. Click on the following link to download firmware :

NX10 click here
:
NX100 click here
:

2. Click on Firmware

3. Click on ‘Upgrade guide’ and ‘Upgrade File’ to install and upgrade your
firmware.

Samsung NX11, sprigiona la tua creatività

“Professional images and a design that is versatile and easy to use: the NX Series has been enriched with the addition of the NX11.” – Megamodo, Italy (30th March 2011) http://www.megamodo.com/201195159-samsung-nx11-sprigiona-la-tua-creativita/

Samsung NX11, sprigiona la tua creatività

“Professional images and a design that is versatile and easy to use: the NX
Series has been enriched with the addition of the NX11.”

– Megamodo,
Italy (30th March 2011)

Immagini professionali in corpi macchina versatili e facili da utilizzare: è
la Serie NX di Samsung, arricchita dall’ingresso nel mercato dell’ultimo modello
NX11 e presenta un modo tutto nuovo di intendere la fotografia, all’insegna
della qualità e della massima semplicità d’uso. Le fotocamere della serie NX
offrono, infatti, tutte le funzioni necessarie per scattare in modo facile e
intuitivo foto davvero indimenticabili. Il segreto? L’unione di un formidabile
corpo macchina “mirrorless”, privo cioè di specchio e pentaprisma, di un sensore
CMOS di dimensioni APS-C e di un sistema di ottiche intercambiabili, in grado di
garantire tutta la flessibilità e le prestazioni tipiche delle tradizionali
fotocamere reflex, ma con dimensioni e pesi decisamente più contenuti.

Inoltre,
uniche sul mercato, le fotocamere della Serie NX sono compatibili con le lenti
i-Function, lenti intelligenti che consentono di impostare i principali
parametri di scatto direttamente dall’obiettivo, in due semplici
passaggi.

Il meglio del know-how tecnologico
Samsung e la continua ricerca nell’innovazione prende forma, quindi, in tre
corpi macchina mirrorless – NX11, NX100, NX10 – in grado di combinare le
funzionalità più smart e un set di accessori personalizzabili, tra cui lenti
intercambiabili, flash e sistema GPS, in grado di rendere la fotografia digitale
davvero versatile ed adattabile ad ogni esigenza di scatto, per un risultato
d’eccellenza garantito.

Pur semplificando la struttura della fotocamera rispetto ad un sistema reflex
tradizionale rendendola estremamente portatile, il sistema NX integra il sensore
CMOS in formato APS-C da 14.6MP, il principale elemento responsabile della
qualità d’immagine tipica di un sistema reflex e cuore tecnologico della serie.
In grado di catturare più luce e maggiori dettagli rispetto ai sensori
normalmente impiegati delle fotocamere compatte, questo sensore è capace di
ridurre il “rumore digitale” che tende a compromettere la qualità delle foto
scattate con le fotocamere digitali compatte soprattutto in condizioni di scarsa
illuminazione.

Vero e proprio sistema creativo a portata di mano, la serie NX di Samsung
coniuga massima ergonomia, comodità e leggerezza alla possibilità di scegliere
di volta in volta la lente giusta a seconda della scena inquadrata e alle
esigenze di ogni utente. Grazie alle ottiche intercambiabili e alle lenti
i-Function, che permettono di impostare i principali parametri di scatto
direttamente dall’obiettivo con una sola mano, fare foto di qualità non è mai
stato così facile! Sarà presto possibile scegliere tra ben 10 obiettivi diversi,
ciascuno pensato per un utilizzo specifico: dal panorama al ritratto alle
riprese macro, nel sistema NX c’è sempre l’obiettivo che fa per te!

Infine, l’intera gamma di fotocamere NX si presenta equipaggiata con un ampio
display da 3” che sfrutta l’innovativa tecnologia AMOLED per una visualizzazione
luminosa anche sotto la luce diretta del sole e una riproduzione di colori
perfettamente naturali e brillanti. Si aggiungono tempi di risposta eccellenti:
il nuovo display AMOLED della serie NX di Samsung è 3.000 volte più rapido di un
tradizionale schermo LCD, senza dimenticare che ciò comporta consumi decisamente
più ridotti e, di conseguenza, una maggiore durata della batteria.

Ultima arrivata nella famiglia di fotocamere digitali NX, Samsung NX11 unisce
prestazioni di altissima qualità e lenti intercambiabili in un corpo macchina
leggero e portatile: un vero e proprio strumento creativo a portata di mano
completo di un vasto sistema di accessori in grado di renderlo flessibile e
adattabile a ogni esigenza di scatto. Ergonomica e versatile, la nuova mirroless
Samsung NX11 prosegue con successo lungo la strada dell’innovazione inaugurata
dalla NX10, cui aggiunge alcuni miglioramenti in termini di grip e di ghiera
i-Function. Gli innovativi obiettivi i-Function, attraverso i quali è possibile
modificare i principali parametri di scatto semplicemente premendo un pulsante
dedicato presente sulla ghiera dell’obiettivo, possono essere usati anche sulla
NX10 previo aggiornamento firmware scaricabile dal sito Samsung. .

Samsung NX11 rappresenta, inoltre, la fotocamera perfetta per tutti coloro
che vogliono dare espressione alla propria vena artistica: scegliendo tra i
tanti effetti a disposizione – quali Miniaturing, Vignetting e Fish-eye – è,
infatti, possibile personalizzare facilmente le proprie foto modificando la
prospettiva delle immagini, creare composizioni in forte contrasto o divertirsi
con l’effetto distorsione. Per catturare con una sola foto l’emozione che si
prova davanti a uno spettacolo di natura, invece, basta utilizzare la modalità
Panorama Shot, che consente di ottenere splendide immagini unendo
automaticamente più foto, raccogliendo fino a 180° di panorama, utilizzabile sia
in orizzontale che in verticale. La nuova NX11 si caratterizza, infine, per il
mirino elettronico integrato, il flash e uno schermo AMOLED LCD da 3” in grado
di ridurre il riflesso della luce permettendo di vedere sempre le proprie
immagini in qualsiasi situazione.

Vero gioiello d’innovazione, Samsung NX11 presenta in dotazione uno zoom
i-Function 18-55mm F3.5/5.6 OIS e supporta gli obiettivi iFunction e l’intera
gamma di lenti Samsung. Tra questi ricordiamo uno zoom 20-50mm F3.5/5.6
i-Function e un obiettivo 20mm F2.8 i-Function leggero e dalle dimensioni
contenute per riprese panoramiche perfette, l’ottica pancake 30mm F2.0 ideale
per scatti in condizioni di scarsa luminosità, , un’ottica tele 50-200mm
F4.0/5.6 completa di stabilizzatore ottico.

NX100 x OK Go “What is your next project?” winning 2 awards at ADFEST 2011!

Samsung’s NX100 with OK Go “What is your next project? Last Leaf” campaign has won 2 awards from 14^th ADFEST on 18th of March, the three-day festival of advertising, ideas and creativity held at Mövenpick Resort & Spa in Phuket, Thailand from March 17th to 19th, 2011.

“What is your next project? Last Leaf” has won silver prize from Film Craft Lotus “Single for Animation” category and bronze prize from Cyber Lotus “Best Use of Viral” category.

Founded in 1998, ADFEST is Asia Pacific’s largest annual regional advertising festival celebrating and raising the standard of creativity in the region.

ADFEST 2011′s theme, “JUMP START,” reflects ADFEST’s commitment to the promising beginning not only of the young blood in the advertising and production industries, but also the revived inspiration of professionals, as well as ADFEST’s reconfirmation as a leading advertising event with renewed energy.

“What is your next project? Last Leaf” campaign partnering with viral music video pioneers OK Go in creating the band’s latest music video has marked out uncharted territory for both music videos and camera brand marketing. The music video was filmed using the new Samsung NX100, Samsung’s latest innovation in premium camera technology.

http://www.samsungimaging.net/2011/03/31/nx100-x-ok-go-what-is-your-next-project-winning-2-awards-at-adfest-2011/.

Samsung NX100 – Bean Pole Edition: Creative Meets Classic

On February 9, a somewhat unique model contest was held in Seoul, Korea. A ‘KOREA PHOTO MODEL CONTEST 2011!’ was held celebrating the launch of the NX100 Bean Pole Edition. The models who participated in the event had the stage to themselves with the NX100. What is the NX100 Bean Pole edition that received the spotlight on this day?

The popular NX100, which was announced last year, is differentiated in design and features, and promises quality photos for everyone. In particular, the i-Function lens enables easy adjustment of various features such as ISO (sensitivity) and WB (white balance) for a much better photo quality.

The creative outer design of the NX100 also distinguishes itself from the pack. The motive of a tree leaf is expressed in an elegant curve while ensuring better user convenience.

This NX100 collaborated with the Korean apparel brand Bean Pole to come up with the limited edition NX100 Bean Pole Edition in Korea. It is receiving good reviews!

With its accessible yet sophisticated image, Bean Pole has become a popular brand across various ages and its brand logo, PENNY-FARTHING, has its roots in the early bicycle which looks like two British coins placed on top of one another. The Bean Pole logo reinvents classic yet modern image of the UK.

Recently, Nicholas Hoult, an actor who appeared in films such as ‘About a Boy’ and ‘Single Men’, and the UK drama ‘Skins’, modeled for the collection, creating much fuss. The leading teenage star Nicholas and the British heritage of Bean Pole made a perfect match, well illustrating the unique feel of the brand.

The NX100 Bean Pole Edition half case (made from ostrich leather) has a classic design and its striking balance with the modern NX100 leaves the combo ever sophisticated. However, style is not everything. If you place the slim NX100 into the half case, it gives a better grip of the camera, making it easier to use the product, protecting it from scratch and from external shock.

The exclusive half case only for the NX100 will surely add to your personal character!

AP Award Winners 2011

Amateur Photographer is world's oldest consumer weekly photographic magazine. British photography magazine amateur Photographer is published weekly since 10 October 1884. The magazine provides articles on equipment reviews, photographic technique, and profiles of professional photographers.

.Amateur Photographer of the Year (APOY)

APOY is an annual competition run by Amateur Photographer. Each years competition is run on a monthly basis, for the AP Award 2011 the magazine has announced the winners in several categories. There were 18 categories for 2011, 15 of which are for excellence in product design and function, two for outstanding people of our time, and a further category for god retail service.

Winner of Advanced Compact System Camera of the Year – Samsung NX10 and Winner of Entry Compact System Camera of the Year – Samsung NX100

I am very proud of NX10 and NX100. Using NX10 was the best way for me to feel the difference among many other cameras. Both are Samsung’s mirrorless interchangeable lens camera. Especially, NX10 gave me strong first impression when I saw the reviews of NX10. NX10’s mirrorless interchangeable lens is giving me many different experiences that I am not able to experience by using other cameras. What ever objects I take, photos and videos are always made in high resolution and easy to adjust the setting by just turning focus lens. So I never lose any shots. Except that, compact body, high resolution, and rapid AF sensor delivered me high satisfaction and fulfilled my needs.

In addition, AP praised the NX series as the best value for money. ‘It’s easy to use and has a nice grip and excellent image quality compare with other competitor’s products.’

Meanwhile, Samsung EX1 has been nominated for ‘Enthusiast Compact Camera’, and the i-Function Lens has been nominated for ‘Technical Innovation’.

A full list of this year’s star performers is published here.

Samsung NX100 Review(Introduction/Ease of Use)

Introduction

The Samsung NX100 is the second new mirrorless compact system camera this year from Samsung, following the more DSLR-like NX10 model. In addition to a lighter and more compact body and a boost in ISO speed to 6400, the biggest innovation is the NX100’s lens. The i-Function button on the new 20-50mm and 20mm pancake kit lenses allows users to control the NX100 by scrolling through manual settings (shutter speed, aperture, EV, WB, and ISO) and using the focus ring to change the parameters for each setting. The NX100 also has a special i-Scene lens priority mode, which automatically selects scene options that are optimized for the lens currently being used. Just like the NX10, the NX100 has the same 14.6 megapixel APS-C sized CMOS sensor, 720p movie mode, dust reduction system and fixed 3-inch AMOLED screen. The NX100 also has a fast contrast auto-focus system, wide range of manual controls, a Smart Auto function which automatically selects the best shooting mode, and a Smart Range feature that captures detail in both the bright and dark areas of the picture. The Samsung NX100 is available in black, white and brown and costs around £449.99 / $599.99 with the new 20-50mm kit lens.

Ease of Use

Samsung may not have been first to market in the increasingly popular Compact System Camera category, but they're certainly making a big effort to capture as much share as possible. Following hot on the heels of the DSLR-like NX10 comes the release of the more compact NX100, which is smaller, lighter, less complicated and cheaper than its big brother. It uses exactly the same APS-C sized sensor as the NX10, which is around 1.5x physically larger than the Micro Four Thirds system, theoretically giving it the edge in terms of all-round image quality, whilst still maintaining a small camera body that is very similar to the likes of the comparable Olympus E-PL1. Since the launch of the NX10, things have moved on at a rapid pace, with Sony's NEX system also boasting an APS-C sensor and a much smaller body (although the lenses are bigger) and Panasonic's new DMC-GF2 making the overall size of a Compact System Camera and lens even smaller. With rumours of Nikon joining the fray, it's clear that the so-called CSCs are here to stay.

Just like the NX10, the Samsung NX100 is an unashamedly clear attempt to capture the mass-market, with an all-plastic body and 20-50mm kit lens with a plastic mount, which goes some way to explaining just how Samsung have managed to hit such an aggressive price point - a street price of under £400 / $500 for a pocketable APS-C camera complete with a lens is a real eye-opener, undercutting the main competition by some margin and competing with high-end compacts like the Canon PowerShot G12, Panasonic DMC-LX5 and Nikon Coolpix P7000. Despite this low cost, first impressions of the NX100 are positive, with the usual high build quality that we've come to expect from recent Samsung cameras - there really are no compromises here.

The NX100 sports a more futuristic look than either its main rivals or the traditional NX10, with a two-tone silver and black colour, rounded edges and a pronounced curve which forms the otherwise unadorned handgrip. While its more pleasing on the eye, we missed having something to get a real grip on, with the smooth plastic body proving difficult to hold firmly. On the plus side the NX100 does offer a logical and intuitive interface that belies the fact that this is a first generation product, striking a great balance between providing easy access to the main features and achieving an uncluttered control system whilst still managing to cater for both beginner and prosumer alike.

At 120.5 x 71 x 34.5mm, the NX100 is smaller and slimmer than the NX10, principally through the removal of the latter's electronic viewfinder and built-in pop-up flash. While the NX100's target audience probably won't notice the lack of an EVF, being more used to holding a camera at arm's length than holding one up to their eye, they will undoubtedly miss having a flash. This is provided for by an optional accessory (SEF-15A) which slots into the Smart Shoe on top of the camera, but it's an extra expense, adds to the bulk of the camera, and obviously isn't as well integrated as some of its main rivals. There's also an optional EVF (EVF10) which slots into the same connector, with the same caveats regarding cost and size, and you can obviously only use the EVF or the flash at one time. Neither are provided in the standard kit or were additionally provided for this review, so we can't comment further on their performance.

Two new lenses are being introduced at the same time as the NX100, the 20-50mm F3.5-5.6 and the 20mm F2.8 pancake, and both are available in kit form with the body. The standard zoom provides an unusual 35mm equivalent focal range of 30-75mm, not quite as wide or as long as most kit lenses. It also employs a lockable retracting design a la the Olympus 14-42mm (the Samsung lens is marginally shorter and a little lighter), which makes it easier to store in a coat pocket but slower to start shooting with the camera as you have to remember to unlock the lens (the NX100 prompts you to do this). Note that unlike the existing Samsung 18-55mm lens which shipped with the NX10, the new 20-50mm isn't optically stabilised, and as the NX system doesn't offer in-body stabilisation, this means that the NX100 completely misses out a key feature, something which compromises its effectiveness in low-light and also an important factor to bear in mind when comparing systems.

Front


Rear

Both lenses feature the new i-Function button, an innocuous looking addition to the lens barrel which when pressed activates a sub-menu of key options and allows you to change them simply by turning the focus ring. Consecutive presses of the i-Function button moves through the five available settings - shutter speed and/or aperture, exposure compensation, white balance and ISO. The latter two settings can optionally be turned on or off in the main menu, allowing a degree of user customisation. While the i-Function button does provide a quick way of accessing certain key settings, I can't help feeling that the idea is best suited to a camera with an electronic viewfinder where you can hold it up to your eye, press the button and turn the focus ring with your left hand, and grip the camera with your right. Holding the NX10 at arm's length to view the settings while pressing the i-Function button and rotating the focus ring just seems cumbersome, especially when you can also use the rear control wheel to perform the same actions, something that I found myself doing by default.

Large metal neck strap eyelets are located on top of the NX100 at the sides, with the rear dominated by the fixed 3 inch LCD screen. On the left side of the body is a large cover that houses four different ports - DC In, HDMI for connecting the NX100 to a HD television or monitor, Remote socket for use with the optional remote shutter release, and AV Out. Having all of these connections in one location makes perfect sense. Next to this compartment is a small innocuous looking button marked with a C, which actually activates the Optical Preview (essentially a digital Depth of Field Preview) by default and can be alternatively set to either One Touch White Balance or One Touch RAW+, allowing further user customisation of the camera.

On the front of the Samsung NX100 is a small focus-assist and self-timer indicator lamp, lens release button, and the metal NX lens mount. Located on the bottom of the camera is the shared SD / SDHC / SDXC memory card slot and battery compartment, protected by a plastic lockable cover. The BP1310 battery provides up to 420 shots under the CIPA testing standard, on a par with the NX100's main rivals. Also found on the bottom of the camera is a metal tripod mount which is commendably located in-line with the centre of the lens mount.

The NX100 has a built-in dust-removal system that vibrates the sensor 60,000 times per second to remove any unwanted specks from appearing in your images. By default this feature is turned off, something of an oversight by Samsung, so make sure to enable it so that it works every time you start-up the camera (it only takes about one second). You can also perform a manual sensor clean at any point.

The NX100 has a so-called Smart Shoe that will accept compatible Samsung flashguns (currently the SEF-42A, SEF-20A and new SEF-15A models) and other accessories such as the previously mentioned EVF and the new GPS unit (GPS10). Also found on top of the NX100 are the mono mic, on/off switch, a small dial for setting the shutter speed and zooming into and out of images during playback, and a tactile shutter button. There's a traditional round dial with a positive click for the different exposure modes, which is a typical feature of DSLR cameras and enables you to quickly change between the various options. The usual selection of Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, and Manual are available for the more experienced photographers, and the more beginner-friendly Scene modes, Smart Auto and i-Scene mode are also accessed via this dial.

When the new i-Scene shooting mode is selected, the NX100 automatically recognise what type of lens has been attached and suggests a list of scene modes to choose from that are tailored to that specific lens. While this helps to narrow down the usual vast number of choices, it would have been more effective if combined with the Smart Auto shooting mode, rather than being a stand-alone mode, as you still have to pick from the scene modes that are presented to you.

Smart Auto is Samsung's equivalent of the intelligent auto modes on competitors from Panasonic (its Lumix range), Sony (the latest T-series Cyber-shots) and Canon (Digital IXUS family). You simply point the NX100 at a scene or subject and the camera hopefully recognizes it from 16 commonly used presets and automatically adjusts its settings to deliver optimum results. This means that it's not necessary for the user to manually delve into scene modes to call up the likes of 'landscape' or 'flower', making the NX100's operation merely a case of point and shoot.

In practice the Smart Auto system works very well, with the NX100 usually picking the most appropriate combination of settings for the current situation. Obviously not all situations are covered by the 16 scene modes that the system uses, but it does work for the majority of the time. It makes it possible for the less experienced photographer to easily take well-exposed, sharp pictures of people, scenery and close-ups by simply pointing and shooting the camera and is more intuitive than the traditional scene modes (which are still available).

Completing the mode dial is the familiar Video icon. The NX100 can record high-resolution HD 720p 1280x720 movies in the 16:9 aspect ratio and standard VGA 640x480 or 320x260 movies in the 4:3 aspect ratio, all using the H.264 format at 30 frames per second. The Movie mode is accessed by selecting the Movie option on the shooting mode dial and then pressing the shutter button to begin recording. Only Mono sound is recorded during video capture via the small internal mic on the top of of the camera. The HDMI port allows you to connect the NX100 to a high-def TV set, but unfortunately Samsung have decided to cut costs and not include a HDMI cable as standard in the box, which means that you'll have to purchase one separately to take advantage of this camera's HD connectivity.

You can shoot movies using the Program or Aperture-priority modes, giving you some control over exposure, and you can also change the aperture during recording, albeit at the expense of recording the mechanism on the soundtrack. The NX100 offers the ability to use any of the 9 Picture Wizard settings during video recording as well as still images, which instantly lends an interesting art-house effect to your home movies, the self-timer can be used, a voice clip can be added, and the Wind Cut function reduces the unwanted intrusion of wind noise.

You can also use a zoom lens during recording with focusing set as for still images by half-pressing the shutter button. On the negative side, you'll find that if you choose continuous auto-focus, areas of the video will be blurred before becoming sharp again as the camera tries to refocus and the noise of the AF system is a little intrusive. Using manual focus is trickier but will ultimately produce better looking and sounding movies. On a more positive note, having the AF system is better than not being able to auto-focus at all, as with most current DSLR cameras that offer video recording. Hand-holding the NX100 during movie recording inevitably leads to obvious shake, so for best results you'll need a dedicated video tripod.

Turning to the rear of the NX100, the NX100's 3-inch, 614,000-dot rear LCD screen is very impressive, incorporating AMOLED (Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode) technology that provides a number of key advantages over traditional LCD screens. These include easier viewing in bright sunshine and a very wide viewing angle, 10,000 times faster refresh rate than conventional LCDs, less power consumption and a high contrast ratio of 10,000:1.

Above the LCD screen is a small DISP button which cycles through the various display modes on the LCD screen and the accessory port for connecting the optional Electronic Viewfinder, protected by a removable plastic insert. To the right of the LCD is a familiar round navigation pad with four buttons above and two below. Starting at the top are very handily placed buttons for locking the exposure and setting exposure compensation, then the Menu button.

The main menu system on the NX100 is very straight-forward to use. There are seven main menus presented as a row of horizontal icons, much like Canon's DSLR camera range. Due to the large LCD screen and restricting the number of on-screen choices to six, the various options and icons are clear and legible. If you have never used a digital camera before, or you're upgrading from a more basic model, reading the easy-to-follow manual before you start is a good idea. Unfortunately Samsung have chosen not to supply it in printed format, so you can't carry it with you for easy reference.

The fourth button is the useful Fn, which provides quick and easy access to 7 of the most important camera settings, which are presented as a horizontal row of icons in the EVF or LCD screen. Used in combination with the four directions on the navigation pad that set the Focus type, White Balance, ISO and Metering, you really can access most of the NX100's key options with one press of a button, although changing them takes a couple more presses. Completing the rear controls are buttons for playing back and deleting your images, with the latter also doubling up as the Green button which is used in conjunction with other controls to reset them to default values, for example the exposure compensation.

Memory Card Slot

Surrounding the four navigation pad buttons is a circular control wheel which is used for, amongst other things, changing the aperture by turning from left to right and back again. As with the shooting mode dial, this is a common feature found on some DSLR cameras, so you'll be right at home if you've used a DSLR before - compact camera users will need to become accustomed to using this dial. In the Shutter Priority and Manual modes things are actually unexpectedly easy, as the Zoom dial on top of the camera comes into play. You simply turn the rear control wheel to to change the aperture and use the Zoom dial to set the shutter speed.

Unlike a conventional DSLR camera which uses a phase detection auto-focus system, the NX100 employs the same Contrast AF system that is commonly used by compact cameras. Experienced photographers will now be tutting loudly at the thought of having to use a traditionally slower system, but thankfully this decision hasn't resulted in a slow and unpredictable AF - quite the contrary in fact. The Samsung NX100's focusing speed is on a par with the speedy Panasonic G1 / GH1 cameras and most DSLRs. This means that it is noticeably quicker to lock onto the subject than the Olympus PEN series which crucially suffer from a 1/2 second lag. There were also very few occasions when the NX100 failed to lock onto the subject, especially when using the centre AF point, which can be usefully set to one of four different sizes.

There are four AF Area modes on offer, including Selection AF with a selectable focus area, Multi AF, Face Detection, and Self-Portrait Tracking, with Single, Continuous and Manual AF Modes available. The NX100 also has a useful AF Priority function that begins focusing as soon as you point the camera. Manual focusing is assisted by the 'enlarged display' function. Once you have selected manual focus mode on the lens barrel, turning the manual focus ring automatically increases the magnification on the LCD display, which is a big help in getting the focus spot on. This is real, non-interpolated magnification, very useful for accurate manual focusing - provided you find a way to steady the camera. The screen cleverly returns to normal magnification when you stop using the manual focus ring for a few seconds. Metering options include Multi, Center-weighted and Spot, while the ISO range runs from 100-6400. There are 6 white balance presets plus Auto and Custom settings and the ability to set a precise Kelvin value, and if you can't make up your mind the white balance, exposure and even the Picture Wizard settings can all be bracketed.

The start-up time from turning the NX100 on to being ready to take a photo is impressively quick at around 1 second. The NX100 successfully achieves focus most of the time with the 20-50mm kit lens, helped by the AF assist lamp - the NX100 doesn't have any notable problems locking onto the subject in low-light situations. It takes about 1 second to store a JPEG image, allowing you to keep shooting as they are being recorded onto the memory card, with a brief LCD blackout between each image. Storing a single RAW image takes around 4 seconds, but thankfully it doesn't lock up the camera in any way - you can use the menu system or shoot another image while the first file is being written to memory. The Samsung NX100 has a fairly good Burst mode which enables you to take 3 frames per second for up to 10 JPEG images at the highest image quality, or 3 RAW images. The interesting Burst mode shoots at 30fps for 30 shots with a single press of the shutter button, but only for 1.4 megapixel JPEGs.

Once you have captured a photo the Samsung NX100 has a fairly good range of options when it comes to playing, reviewing and managing your images. You can instantly scroll through the images that you have taken, view thumbnails (up to 20 onscreen at the same time), zoom in and out up to 7.2x magnification, view slideshows, delete and protect an image and set the print order. The Image Edit option offers a number of different ways to alter the look of an already-captured photo, including redeye fix, backlight, changing the photo style, resizing, rotating, face retouch and apply smart filters. The DISP button toggles detailed settings information about each picture on and off, such as the ISO rating and aperture / shutter speed, and there are small brightness and RGB histograms available.

Subscribed by photographyblog.com

AP Award Winners 2011: the NX100 and the NX10!

‘ Amateur Photographer ‘ has awarded Samsung’ s mirrorless system cameras, the NX100 and the NX10, for AP Award 2011.

According to Wikipedia, Amateur Photographer is the world’s oldest consumer weekly photographic magazine, first hitting the newsstands on 10 October 1884; making it over 125 years old. The Test Reports from past publications can be purchased online from TestReports. There are nearly 9,000 tests available; consisting of reviews of cameras, lenses and other equipment. To read more information, click here.

The magazine has announced the AP Award 2011 winners in several categories. The Amateur Photographer Awards has recognised the best photographic equipment for 35 years. There were 18 categories for 2011, 15 of which are for excellence in product design and function, two for outstanding people of our time, and a further category for good retail service.

Winner of Entry Compact System Camera of the Year – Samsung NX100

The Samsung NX100 is Samsung’s third mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, following in the footsteps of the closely related NX5 and NX10 which launched in April and June 2010, respectively.

Winner of Advanced Compact System Camera of the Year – Samsung NX10

The NX10 is Samsung’s first mirrorless interchangeable lens camera whose compact body, high resolution, and rapid AF sensor fulfilled the needs of its users.

AP praised the NX series as the best value for money. ‘It’s easy to use and has a nice grip and excellent image quality compare with other competitor’s products.’

Meanwhile, Samsung EX1 has been nominated for ‘Enthusiast Compact Camera’, and the i-Function Lens has been nominated for ‘Technical Innovation’.

A full list of this year’s star performers is published here.

How to adjust aperture using the i-Function button

It's really easy to use the Samsung NX100 camera. The i-Function button allows you to adjust settings with just one click!

In this video, I demonstrate how I can adjust aperture within seconds. Check it out!

Visit my blog at http://my-bestshot.com for more.

Samsung NX11 First Impressions Review

Design & Appearance

The NX11 looks nearly identical to its predecessor, the Samsung NX10. It supports the same mirrorless SLR design that makes for a compact shooting experience (compared to a traditional DSLR, that is). It also has the same 3-inch LCD on the back, but it features an improved rounded grip on the front. Like the NX10, the NX11 is a good mid-range size that is small enough to carry with you to most events without much complaint, but large enough to retain the aura of professionalism that only a DSLR can provide.

Tour

The NX11 uses Samsung's NX lens mount for its interchangeable lens system.

The camera has a 3-inch LCD and a viewfinder.

The left side houses some ports and terminals.

The right has a good, rounded grip that works quite well.

You can get a good idea of the camera's thickness with this top image.

The bottom has the battery compartment and tripod mount.

Viewfinder

The NX11 has a well-sized electronic viewfinder that sits just above the LCD on the back of the camera. The viewfinder has a 640 × 480 (VGA) resolution and is surrounded by a small eyepiece that isn’t especially comfortable. A sensor below the viewfinder can be turned on to automatically detect whether the viewfinder or LCD should be active. For example, when you put your eye up to the viewfinder, the LCD will shut off automatically if the sensor is turned on. This feature can be annoying, however, particularly if you are constantly moving your hands in front of the sensor (you can turn the sensor off to avoid this problem).

Many users may prefer the LCD, but the viewfinder is great for old-school photographers.

LCD

The LCD on the NX11 appears to be the same screen that Samsung employed on the NX10. It is 3-inches diagonally and has a 614,000- pixel resolution. It also has an AMOLED design (active matrix OLED) that is said to reduce glare under sunny conditions.

While this LCD is good for basic shooting, we wish Samsung would include a tiltable element to the screen on the NX11. It would certainly be a tremendous boost for video recording, which is a key feature of the NX11.

The 3-inch LCD is a good size, but we wish it could rotate or tilt.

Flash

A pop-up flash is located on the top of the NX11, just like we saw on the NX10 (but something that was absent on the NX100). We couldn’t test the flash very efficiently, but we weren’t very impressed with its intensity. We saw the same problem with the flash on the NX10.

The pop-up flash makes an appearance when you press the flash button on the top of the camera.

Lens Mount & Sensor

The NX lens mount is fairly new for Samsung, as it was introduced last year on the Samsung NX10. Over time, more lenses have become available that fit the NX mount, which makes owning an NX camera more versatile than ever before. Like the NX100, the NX11 is compatible with i-Function lenses that allow you to control things like shutter speed and aperture using the camera’s lens ring. With a firmware upgrade on the NX100, i-Function capability can also be available on that model. Currently, there are two i-Function lenses available in addition to the 18 – 55mm lens that comes with the NX11. They new lenses are a 20mm f/2.8 pancake style lens and a 20 – 55mm f/3.5 zoom lens.

The sensor on the NX11 is unchanged from what Samsung used on its NX10 last year. This means its the same 14.6 megapixel CMOS sensor with dimensions of 23.4 × 15.6mm. Identical sensors usually mean similar image performance, so if you’re expecting better picture quality from the NX11 (compared to the NX10), you’re likely to be disappointed.

Jacks, Ports & Plugs

All the ports on the NX11 are located on the left side of the camera behind a flip-open door. There’s also an accessory shoe on the top of the camera for attaching an external flash, light, etc. The USB port on the camera is proprietary and it doubles as an AV-out port, which is fairly annoying. The NX11 should ship with a USB cable, but we don’t know if the camera comes with a proprietary AV cable (the NX10 didn’t and it bothered us greatly).

The ports on the left side (from top to bottom): DC-input, HDMI, remote, USB.

Battery

The battery on the NX11 has a normal, rectangular shape and it fits into a compartment on the bottom of the camera. The compartment is protected well and the battery stays put thanks to a little locking mechanism that holds it in place.

The battery compartment is on the bottom of the camera.

Memory

The NX11 works with SD/SDHC memory cards via a card slot on the right side of the camera. There’s no internal memory on the model, so make sure you purchase a memory card before taking the NX11 out for a night on the town.

The SD memory card slot is on the right side of the camera

Size & Handling

The NX11 has identical dimensions and weight as the Samsung NX10 (its predecessor). If you don’t have these dimensions memorized, here they are again: 123 × 87 × 40mm and a weight of 353g without the battery. This is a generous size for a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, but it is certainly a whole lot lighter and more compact than a traditional DSLR. Basically, you wouldn’t want to get the NX11 if you’re looking for the smallest camera that will allow you to switch lenses. But, if you don’t mind a slight amount of bulk and professionalism, the NX11 should be the perfect size for your needs.

The right side grip is accommodating for both large and small hands.

The NX11 isn't quite small enough to hold comfortably with one hand.

Ease of Use

Since the NX11 is essentially a “bridge” camera between point-and-shoots and high-end DSLRs, it fits into an interesting niche as far as ease of use is concerned. You can definitely work with the camera in auto mode using Samsung’s Smart Auto controls, but how much fun would this really be? Isn’t the point of getting a powerful camera like the NX11 so you can play with all its nifty manual controls and features?

The NX11 makes doing this even easier with its i-Function lens that puts manual adjustments at your fingertips. Rotating the lens ring allows you to adjust aperture, shutter speed and ISO without having to move your hand from the base of the lens. It works extremely well and it makes you feel like a top-notch professional. Adjusting controls on the fly couldn’t be much easier than with Samsung’s i-Function lens system.

The camera does, however, have a long and somewhat confusing menu, although we do like its layout and easy-to-read setup. We complained about the instruction manual for the NX10, as it was often poorly worded and badly translated. Hopefully, Samsung did some better proofreading with the NX11.

The main menu is organized in many parts

Auto Mode

The NX11 does a decent job in auto mode, but we weren’t always impressed with the camera’s autofocus mechanism. It simply didn’t work a few times when we tried it out at CES, but, we must admit, this was in low light situations where cameras often have trouble with focus. The Smart Auto was occasionally spot-on with selecting the correct scene mode for our shooting situation, but it also missed the mark a number of times as well. Our recommendation: use Smart Auto sparingly, like when you don’t have time to set controls manually.

The Smart Auto mode is an option on the camera's mode dial.

Movie Mode

You can shoot 720p HD video with the NX11 and the camera has the same video mode options that are present on the NX10. That being said, we haven’t been very impressed with Samsung’s video performance from its set of video-capable DSLRs. Since the NX11 has the same sensor as the NX10, it is likely that we’ll be similarly disappointed.

One advantage, though, is Samsung’s new video-specific NX lens that will work with the NX11. This lens allows for better autofocus performance when recording video. We’ve even tried it out and it works surprisingly well—nearly as good as the autofocus on regular consumer camcorders.

Drive/Burst Mode

The burst mode on the NX11 worked decently when we fooled around with it at CES, but this opinion is not based on any kind of official test. In our testing of the NX10, we were unimpressed by the camera’s burst mode (it came it at around 3 photos/sec). It should be safe to say the NX11 will obtain similar results when we bring it into our labs.

Playback Mode

The NX11 has a basic playback mode that involves selecting thumbnails on the LCD. For video playback, the camera has a mini-HDMI output, which is great for watching clips on an HDTV. Unfortunately, the AV-out port is proprietary (and the camera may or may not come with a compatible cable). So, if you want to watch your videos or photos on a regular TV, you may have to contact Samsung and buy an AV cable first.

Other Modes

Panorama

One of the new features on the NX11 is a panorama mode that utilizes a “press-and-sweep” function to allow you to capture large panoramic shots. The function appeared to work quite well when we tried it out on the floor at CES, but panorama modes certainly aren’t for everybody.

Manual Controls

The NX11 has a full set of manual controls and the big new feature on the camera is its i-Function lens compatibility. This feature is also available on the NX10 (with a firmware upgrade) and the NX100 from Samsung. So, what is i-Function? It is the ability for you to control shutter speed, aperture, exposure, white balance, and ISO by using the lens ring on the camera’s lens. You do, of course, need a compatible i-Function lens attached to do this, but the NX11 does come with one as its kit lens.

Focus

Focus can always be set manually using the lens ring on any lens attached to the NX11—even lenses without i-Function capability. The camera has a focus zoom assist that we weren’t too crazy about, but it does help you see whether you’re actually bringing your image into focus. We found the lens ring on the NX11’s kit lens to be a bit too loose for proper focus adjustment overall. We’d like to see a ring with a bit more friction, as that would allow for a more precise focus adjustment.

ISO

ISO is one of the controls that can be set using the i-Function feature. The camera can also be set to automatic ISO adjustment at any point.

White Balance

Get ready for a boatload of white balance presets on the NX11. The camera offers the following options: Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent White, Fluorescent Daylight, Tungsten, Flash, Custom, and Kelvin Color Temp. We weren’t always confident in the camera’s auto white balance system, as it occasionally produced bad results. Most of the time it worked adequately if you gave it time, though.

Exposure & Metering

Exposure is another control that can be adjusted with the i-Function lens feature. The exposure range is -3 to +3 in 1/3 or 1/2 EV increments. The camera also has an auto exposure bracketing feature that takes a 3-shot sequence with a +/-3 EV range.

Shutter Speed

Shutter speed can be set with the i-Function feature and it can be controlled manually in Shutter Priority or Manual mode. The shutter speed range goes from 1/4000 of a second to 30 seconds, as well as a bulb option that can leave the shutter open for as long as 8 minutes.

Aperture

Aperture has the same level of manual control as shutter speed on the NX11. You can set it in Aperture Priority mode or Manual mode. The aperture values available on the camera are entirely dependent on what kind of lens is attached.

Image Stabilization

Stabilization is available on the NX11, but it whether or not it is available depends on what lens you have attached to the camera.

Picture Quality & Size Options

The largest photo size option on the NX11 is a 14-megapixel setting that takes photos at a resolution of 4592 × 3056. The camera also has 12-megapixel, 10-megapixel, 8-megapixel, 6-megapixel, 5-megapixel, and 2-megapixel photo size options. There are options for both 3:2 and 16:9 aspect ratios as well.

Picture Effects

The camera has picture effects called Standard, Vivid, Portrait, Landscape, Forest, Retro, Cool, Calm, and Classic.

Conclusion

The Samsung NX11 may very well be an excellent camera, but the fact that it lacks any impressive updates or exciting new features leaves us a bit disappointed. The camera offers very little to set it apart from last year’s NX10, as the only new features implemented by Samsung are the panorama photo option and the i-Function lens compatibility. The thing is, i-Function compatibility is also available on the NX10 via a firmware upgrade, so if you have the NX10 there’s no compelling reason to upgrade to the NX11.

Despite all this, we do like many aspects of the NX11. The i-Function lens feature is excellent for people who love to adjust manual controls on the fly, and the camera’s compact design is neither too big nor too small. The video mode probably won’t blow anyone away, but with an asking price of around $650, the Samsung NX11 won’t hit you incredibly hard in the wallet. It may be a decent choice for someone who is looking to experiment with a video mode on an interchangeable lens camera. It certainly fits the niche for someone looking to upgrade over their point-and-shoot device onto a more powerful camera.

Photo Gallery

The left side houses some ports and terminals.

The right has a good, rounded grip that works quite well.

Samsung unveils i-Functional NX11 mirrorless camera, WB700 with 24x zoom (update: pictures)

Just when you thought it'd be a week devoid of notable announcements -- what, with CES less than a week away -- along comes Samsung with two new cameras. The first one is an upgrade to the mirrorless NX10, naturally called the NX11, that boasts a change in grip design and compatibility with the i-Function lens found on the NX100. The other nitty-gritty details for the 14.6 megapixel shooter: a 3-inch AMOLED LCD screen, VGA viewfinder, 720p 30fps HD recording, and an APS-C sensor. Price and date? $649 with a bundled 18-55mm zoom lens, available in February.

In smaller news -- volumetrically, at least -- the 16 megapixel Samsung WB700 sports a 24x zoom (that's 18x optical and 1.3x smart zoom), a 24mm ultra-wide Schneider Kreuznach lens, CCD sensor, and 1080p 720p HD video. You're gonna have to wait a little bit longer for that one -- April, to be more specific -- for a penny under $300. Press releases are after the break, and we'll get you the pictures as soon as Sammy sends 'em.

Samsung Launches the NX11:
the Latest NX System Camera and Lens Line Up
Create high quality images with the camera's easy-to-use i-Function lens

Ridgefield Park, New Jersey – December 28, 2010 - Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, today announced the launch of the NX11 - the latest addition to the highly successful NX family of cameras. The NX11 contains a feature set similar to Samsung's first mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, the NX10, however the NX11 is also compatible with the new i-Function lens that was introduced for the NX100. The NX11 will come complete with an 18-55mm i-Function lens, as well as two new i-Function lenses, a 20mm pancake and a 20-50mm zoom silver color lens. The launch reinforces the company's commitment to leading innovation in the compact system camera market.

The i-Function lens puts the perfect picture at the fingertips of all photographers by providing an exceptionally easy way of controlling the camera. Since a typical camera user wraps their hand around the lens when holding the camera, the new i-Function system allows photographers to naturally use their left hand to change the camera's advanced settings via a button built into the i-Function lens, without needing to take the camera off the target. Users can toggle between shutter speed, aperture, EV, WB, and ISO quickly and easily by simply using the i-Function button or ring on the lens, meaning easier and quicker configurations while shooting.

The NX11 also focuses on usability, with a change in the grip design to make shooting easier and more comfortable for users. Additionally, the NX11 has a lens priority mode dial, simplifying the search for the best mode for each lens. The camera also includes a convenient, one-touch i-Function button that activates common shooting controls like aperture, shutter speed, ISO and white balance, meaning easier and quicker configuration while shooting. The camera makes taking great landscape scenes or pictures of large groups simple by featuring a panorama mode, which allows the user to take panoramic pictures in one press-and-sweep motion. As with the NX10, the NX11 uses the best-in-class APS-C sensor for better image quality. The APS-C sensor is larger than Micro 4/3 and delivers high quality images with ease.

"Today's launch is important for Samsung in reinforcing our position as a leading innovator in the digital camera market and for showing our innovation in the compact system camera market," said Mr. Hyunho Chung, Executive Vice President and Head of the Digital Imaging Business, Samsung Electronics. "The NX11, while offering the best features of the NX10, has an upgraded design and the additional i-Function capability with more lenses. The launch of our next offering in the NX range also demonstrates our commitment to our customers, by producing user driven innovation in the form of easy-to-use functions and upgraded customization."

Alongside the built-in flash and built-in electronic VGA (640x480) viewfinder, the NX11 has a 3.0" AMOLED LCD screen. The AMOLED screen reduces the glare from sunlight so that consumers can see their images under any lighting conditions. The user can also get a more vivid, clearer image through enhanced color reproduction. The NX11 provides high quality video with 720p HD recording, and its large APS-C sensor allows the videos to be recorded with shallow depth of field, providing effects similar to those in motion picture movies.

Specifications Sheet
*Specifications are subject to change without prior notice.
NX11
Image Sensor 23.4×15.6mm
CMOS
Approx. 14.6 Megapixels
Lens Samsung NX Mount
Samsung Lenses for Samsung NX Mount
Image Stabilization Lens Shift (depends on Lens)
Dimensions and weight 123 x 87 x 39.8mm (excluding the projecting part)
353g (without battery and card)
Additional features • Super sonic drive
• 3.0" AMOLED
• EVF VGA (640x480) 921k dots equiv.
• Multi : Normal 15points, Close Up 35points
• Face Detection : Max. 10faces
• Electronically controlled vertical-run focal plane shutter
• Metering : Multi, Center-weighted, Spot
• TTL Auto Pop-up flash
• Smart Flash, Auto, Auto + Red-eye reduction,
• 28mm wide-angle coverage (Equivalent to 35mm)
• Samsung External Flash available (SEF-42A, SEF-20A, SEF15A : Optional)
• Hot Shoe
• Smart Auto, Lens Priority, Program, Shutter Priority AE, Aperture Priority AE, Manual, Sound Picture, Panorama, Scene, Movie
• Beauty shot, Children, Close Up, Text, Sunset, Dawn, Backlight, Fireworks, Beach & Snow, Night, Portrait, Landscape, Sports
• RAW : 14M (4592x3056)
• Super fine , Fine, Normal
• High Definition Movie Recording with MP4 (H.264)
• Frame rate - 30fps
Price $649 (with bundle zoom lens)
Availability February

SAMSUNG 20-50mm Black, Silver
Category 　
Lens N
me SAMSUNG 20-50mm F3.5-5.6 ED Black/Silver
Focal Length 20 - 50mm (equivalent to 30.8-77mm in 35mm format)
Elements in Groups 9 elements in 8 groups (1 Aspherical lens, 1 Extra-low Dispersion len
)

ngle of View 70.2°- 31.4°
Aperture F3.5 - 5.6 (Min. F22), (Number of Blades : 7 , Circular Aperture Diaphragm)
Mount Type Samsung NX Mount
Optical Image Stabilizer No
Minimum Focus Distance 0.28m
Maximum Magnification Approx.0.22X
i Scene Beauty, Portrait, Children, Backlight, Landscape, Sunset, Dawn, Beach&Snow, Night
Lens Hood No
Filter Size 40.5mm
Max. Diameter x Length 64 x 39.8mm
Weight Approx. 119g (without hood)
Operating Temperature 0 ~ 40°C
Operating Humidity 5 ~ 85%
Special features i-Function
World's first under 40mm length


SAMSUNG 20mm Black, Silver
Category 　
Lens Name SAMSUNG 20mm F2.8 Black/Silver
Focal Length 30mm (equivalent to 30.8mm in 35mm format)
Elements in Groups 6 elements in 4 groups (1 Aspherical
lens
Angle of View 70.2°
Aperture F2.8 (Min. F22), (Number of Blades : 7 , Circular Aperture Diaphragm)
Mount Type Samsung NX Mount
Optical Image Stabilizer No
Minimum Focus Distance 0.17m
Maximum Magnification Approx. 0.18X
i Scene Night, Landscape, Sunset, Dawn, Backlight, Beach&Snow
Lens Hood No
Filter Size 43mm
Max. Diameter x Length 62.2 x 24.5mm
Weight Approx. 89g (without hood)
Operating Temperature 0 ~ 40°C
Operating Humidity 5 ~ 85%
Special features i-Function
Minimum focus distance (0.17m)

SAMSUNG 18-55mm i-Function
Lens Name SAMSUNG 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 OIS i-Function
Focal Length 18 - 55mm (equivalent to 27.7-84.7mm in 35mm format)
Elements in Groups 12 elements in 9 groups (1 Aspherical lens)
Angle
f View 75.9°- 28.7°
Aperture F3.5 - 5.6 (Min. F22), (Number of Blades : 7 , Circular Aperture Diaphragm)
Mount Type Samsung NX Mount
Optical Image Stabilizer Yes
Minimum Focus Distance 0.28m
Maximum Magnification Approx. 0.22X
Lens Hood Included
Filter Size 58mm
Max. Diameter x Length 63 x 65.1mm
Weight Approx. 198g (without hood)
Operating Temperature 0 ~ 40°C
Operating Humidity 5 ~ 85%

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2009 consolidated sales of US$116.8 billion. Employing approximately 174,000 people in 193 offices across 66 countries, the company consists of eight independently operated business units: Visual Display, Mobile Communications, Telecommunication Systems, Digital Appliances, IT Solutions, Digital Imaging, Semiconductor and LCD. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is a leading producer of digital TVs, memory chips, mobile phones and TFT-LCDs. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com.

NX100 as the Samsung’s most powerful resource(2)

SAMSUNG NX100 Panasonic GF1 Olympus E-P2

Compared to the GF1 from Panasonic and E-P2 from Olympus, the GF1 has a slightly blue color and the E-P2 has a strong color. The display of the E-P2 has high panel performance and great viewing angle, but there was a lot of noise in a low light condition. The NX100 was the best in the gradation of images played and the color balance was also stable. The display of the NX100 has a little stronger color than real (life), but it’s not a problem, because the image is also quite strong and colors and brightness can be adjusted. On the 3’ screen various information can be seen about the photos you are taking. Such as a histogram. The screen is impressive, it is 4:3 with 610k Pixels and it can be pretty much seen from any directions.

Smart Dial for convenient operation

The operation of Smart Dial is quite good. It adjusts not only just values, but also aperture in M mode, file search and menu selection. It’s also able to be used as a 4 way key to run the options.

It could have been better if the circular buttons on the right side of the screen were protruded more for better operation. The green/delete button on the right bottom is for initialization, deleting, and playing movies. Display button is located on the left top and Smart Shoe for an external viewfinder is in the center of the screen. Be careful of the cover of the Smart Shoe from being detached.

HDMI port and Depth preview button

Opening the port of the side, USB, A/V output, Shutter release, Power adapter, and HDMI connection ports are located. The depth preview button is located on the side, not on the front, and on this button, several functions such as one touch white balance, depth preview, and one touch RAW+ can be allocated. It also can turn on/off the continuous AF while recording a movie like the front depth preview button of the NX10.

More battery life than the specification

The battery is the 7.4V 1300mAh BP1310 the same as the NX10. According to the specification, it can take 420 pictures and 130 minutes of movie recording on CIPA, but the actual battery life was better than that. With setting the camera to automatically switch off the screen and setting battery saving mode,this will save you battery life greatly. When shooting, I could record 30 movies for 10 sec and 430 shots in JPEG+RAW format. One spare battery would be good enough.

The battery and memory are inserted into the cover on the bottom. The cover is open toward the inside, so it never opens mistakenly. Up to 32GB of SDHC memory is supported. A tripod mount is made of metal.

Lighter shooting

NX100 vs Entry level DSLR

NX100 vs E-P2

NX100+20-50mm Lens vs E-P2+14-42mm Lens vs Canon450D+18-55mm Lens

458g 537g 727g

(Battery and memory card included)

NX100+20-50mm Lens vs NX10+18-55mm OIS Lens

Compared to other competitive cameras with the similar sensor size and mount the NX100 is much lighter. Of course, it’s a little heavier and larger than the NEX which was unbelievably small and light, but compared to normal entry level DSLRs, it’s much lighter and smaller. Compared with Micro Four Thirds body the GF1 or E-P2, it’s lighter and the size is similar. For those who consider an entry level DSLR, it has quite impressive mobility.

Lens priority mode for easier Scene Mode

By adopting the i-Function lens, the Lens priority mode has newly been added and Scene mode can be selected by the mode dial more conveniently. Setting the mode dial to i-Function lens priority, with clicking the iFn button on the i-Function lens and rotating the focus ring, a scene can easily be set. The most frequently used scene mode is the Beauty Shot mode.

Setting a Scene and shooting with the lens priority mode

More convenient Fn menu and Smart Dial

When shooting with the NX100, I felt different from the NX10, and it was because of the composition of the Fn menu. Because the NX10 doesn’t support the built-in flash, the flash setting is in the menu. Metering and Photo Style which were allocated to the Fn menu. The circular and large graphic displayed when setting options is cute and intuitive.

Menu

Fn Menu

The operation of the wheel dial on the back is also impressive. It’s used to adjust options and values, and it also has the good response speed and it’s intuitive. Besides, it can be used to set the option with the iFn button instead of the focus ring.

Using the Smart Dial

Using the Smart Dial instead of the focus ring on the i-Function lens

More powerful supersonic dust elimination function

According to Samsung, the cleaning function has been improved, and from my experience, I couldn’t find dusts.

NX100 Sensor cleaning sound

NX10 Sensor cleaning sound

However, there was some dusts not eliminated with the cleaning function, and they were cleaned by using the blower. If you still find dusts, please go to the customer center. In my experience, the performance of the sensor cleaning was quite great as a camera showing the APS-C sensor when the lens is detached. The performance is better than the NEX, but worse than the ultrasonic filter of Micro Four thirds or the K-5 from Pentax. The cleaning function can be set to start when the power is on, and this makes the booting speed a little slower.

Frame mode to keep the brightness of the screen in M mode

The frame mode sets if the brightness is also changed or not in M mode.

M mode operation not in Frame mode – Changing brightness

M mode operation in Frame mode – Fixed brightness

In some ways, I think this function is necessary for an interchangeable lens camera, even though it’s a mirrorless camera. When it comes to the G series from Panasonic, the brightness is fixed in M mode and I assume this is because of the same reason. This mode came about because of the options of Samsung users. Also with firmware updates other NX will be updated to this level of precisions.

More convenient manual operation

Ironically, it has the better manual operation than the NX10. It has 2 dials such as wheel dial and jog dial, and in M mode, the brightness can be fixed or not. The jog dial on the top adjusts the shutter speed in M (Manual) / S (Shutter speed priority) and the wheel dial on the back adjusts the aperture. In P (Program Auto) / A (Aperture Priority) / S (Shutter Speed priority) modes, the exposure is adjustable by using the exposure button on the back and the jog dial on the top. Of course, through the i-Function lens, the aperture and shutter speed in M mode are adjustable, but it’s a little inconvenient, because the exposure reference can’t be seen in real time.

Exposure Compensation ( P/A/S mode )

M mode operation through 2 dials

Various guidelines for the composition are prepared and the histogram can also be displayed. In M mode, the exposure reference is displayed in real time with a scale, so the manual shooting is very convenient. The NX100 has a great operation for the manual shooting. It supports 1/4000 to 30 sec shutter speed and the bulb can be exposed for up to 8 minutes.

Selection AF up to 195 areas

The AF can be set to multi, selection, and face recognition. The multi AF uses 15 points in the center area and in Macro mode in Scene mode, it uses 35 points. Face recognition can recognize up to 10 faces at the same time, and setting the selection AF, the AF size and location can be freely adjustable.

15 areas multi AF shooting

35 areas multi AF shooting in Macro mode (Larger AF area)

Up to 195 areas selection AF by the size of the AF

AF size can be set to 4 sizes by using the jog dial on the top from 15:13 195 areas to 11×9 99 areas. In order to move the AF to the center, push the green button. The advantage of the selection AF is the availability to set the AF on a certain subject without changing the composition, but in a low light condition, it’s easier to fail to set the AF than the multi AF.

Easier MF shooting by supporting FA

As MF assisting functions, magnifying and FA are supported. The zoom is to confirm the point of focus by magnifying the center part and the FA is to confirm the focus through the focus stick. That means when the green stick goes up closer to the red area, the focus is almost set. The FA function is very useful. It has high accuracy and compared with the zoom, it directly sees the composition and can check the focus at the same time.

MF shooting with magnifying Assist

MF shooting with FA assist

Using the depth preview button

Optical preview function, one touch white balance, and one touch RAW+ setting can be allocated on the depth preview button on the side. Aside from this, it can also turn on or off the continuous AF while recording a movie.

Depth preview

The best contrast AF performance among APS-C sensor models

The most impressive thing of this camera is that it has the best AF performance among the digital cameras with the APS-C sensor. The overall AF system is better than the NEX or Olympus, and a little worse than the recent GH2 from Panasonic. However, considering that the larger sensor compared to the Micro Four Thirds it’s really good. The AF speed is also fast. The shooting speed is much fast because of the Firmware updates. According to Samsung, it has less than 0.2 sec of AF speed at the fastest. Below is the AF speed with the 20-50mm lens according to the quantity of light.

AF speed (Bright)

AF speed (Low light – using assist light)

AF speed (Extremely low light – using assist light)

Less light, the slower the AF speed is, but this is not bad at all. The quantity of the assist light is dispersed well without disturbing the 20-50mm lens, so it helps the AF much. If the selection AF doesn’t work well in a low light condition, set the AF with a brighter light source, or use the multi AF or MF. One thing I want for this camera is to add the unlimited focus mode for snap landscape shooting.

Beauty Shot for cleaner skin and details

This is what I was really satisfied with from the NX100 beauty shot. Because it has great details, the compensated results have clean and vivid quality. It eliminates the noise in a low light condition, and compensates the dark area for outdoor shooting with a strong daylight.

Program Auto (ISO800) Beauty shot (ISO800)

Program Auto (ISO800) Beauty shot (ISO800)

Beauty Shot can be set through the lens priority mode or scene mode, and face recognition is basically set. Like compact digital cameras, the brightness and intensity of compensation can be set to 3 different levels, and I recommend 1 level for the intensity of compensation. When shooting in Beauty Shot, it takes a longer time to save the images, so retouching after shooting is also recommend.

A-mode Beauty shot (Level+1) Beauty shot (Level+2)

The thing I don’t like in Beauty Shot is that it can’t set ISO, although it can set exposure compensation. In Beauty Shot, ISO can’t be over ISO 800. The below picture was taken in ISO 800 in a low light condition. (30mm F2.0 Lens)

ISO 6400

The quality in high ISO is important, but the maximum ISO is also quite important. Recently, people compare this first like the sensor and pixels. Especially, because it’s really difficult to take clear shots with a standard zoom lens in a low light condition, high ISO is necessary. The NX100 supports ISO 6400. ISO 6400 can cover indoor shots with a standard zoom lens. However, more than ISO 3200, the saturation becomes dramatically lower, so the quality in high ISO has to be improved.

1280x720p H.264 format HD movie recording

It can record a movie with a 1280x720p 30fps H.264 format MP4 file. Of course, it can record 640×480 or 320×240 and compression rate can also be set to high and standard. It can record a movie for up to 25 minutes and the file size is limited to 4GB for a movie. With the 8GB of memory, it can record for up to 2 hours in 1280x720p resolution.

1280×720, 18-55mm OIS Lens

1280×720, 20-50mm Lens

Indoor – HD, 20-50mm Lens

Indoor – 30mm Lens

The quality is better than any Samsung compact digital cameras, so there is no color noise in a low light condition. It’s good enough for a snap shots. In order to use the continuous AF by changing the subjects while recording, users need to push the depth preview button on the side. The performance of the continuous AF is not that good. In the actual test with the 20-50mm lens, it slowly set the focus by repeating the AF twice according to the change of the focal length. Using the MF is better.

Continuous AF by the depth preview button (20-50mm Lens, 50mm Telephoto)

In a movie mode, program auto mode and aperture priority mode can be set. Through the aperture priority mode, users can control the background blurring, and if it’s too tight, it might cause noise to secure the light, so it’d better not to be over F8.0.

A-mode F5.6 (30mm F2.0 Lens, MF)

A-mode F2.0 (30mm F2.0 Lens, MF)

Various photo styles can also be applied and fader function can be added in the beginning and end of the movie.

Photo styles – Classic (30mm F2.0 Lens, MF)

Fader (20-50mm Lens)

Photo styles – Calm (30mm F2.0 Lens, MF)

Operation sound, Moire, jello effect, and continuous AF by the depth preview have to be improved.

Various Smart Filters

Smart Filter is a compensation function to apply taken pictures such as vignetting, miniature, fish eye, sketch, defog, dot, and soft focus. Due to the saving time, it can only be applied after shooting. Probably, it’s easier to compensate it after selecting an image. When applying Smart Filter, the size of the picture gets smaller.

Miniature

Normal Miniature

Normal Photo style selector – Gloomy

Backlight

Normal Backlight

Other

Normal Soft Focus

Normal Fish-Eye

Normal Photo style selector – Misty

Normal Soft + Face Retouch

Normal Sketch + Vignetting

Normal Halftone Dots

In addition to the Smart Filter, other effects such as skin compensation, backlight compensation, and Photo Style can be applied together.

Continuous 3 shots per 1 sec

and high speed shooting up to 30fps

The speed of continuous shot at the highest quality is 3 shots per 1 sec up to 7 shots in JPEG. Setting the high ISO noise reduction, from ISO 3200, it’s not possible to keep the speed up, and in AF-C mode, the speed gets dramatically lower.

Normal Continuous shot 3fps

High speed shooting 30fps (1472×976)

The high speed shooting can be set to 10, 15, and 30 shots per 1 sec, and in 30 shots, the size is dramatically reduced to 1.4M pixels. The maximum number of shots is also 30 shots. Even though it’s an entry level camera, I wasn’t satisfied with the performance of continuous shots. As a mirrorless camera, there was a little shutter lag, but not much.

Various Bracketing functions

The NX10 supports various bracketing functions such AEB, WBB, and PWB. Through the bracketing setting menu, the exposure interval, WB color, and Photo style can be selected. The shots are limited to 3 shots and WB and Photo Style bracketing stores results in various colors by using RAW files.

AEB (Auto Exposure Bracketing)

WBB (White Balance Bracketing)

PWB (Picture Wizard Bracketing)

Sound Picture

Sound Picture is a newly added function in the NX100. In this mode, the camera has started recording, and the voice of 5 sec before shooting and after shooting is saved as a WAV file. Letting you deliver messages in your photos, or just keep some notes as I do.

Manual Shooting

Full manual shooting is necessary as an interchangeable lens camera. The NX10 pancake lens used on the NX100 in full manual mode let me have a lot of range. I was able to take some great shots of moving water with a slow shutter speed. And because the aperture is adjustable I was able to set the brightness correctly.

S-mode 1/125s S-mode 1/4s

A-mode F8.0 A-mode F2.0

M-mode F22, 10sec. M-mode F2.8, 0.33sec.

Metering – Multi Metering – Spot

Metering – Multi Metering – Spot

Smart Range

Smart Range can be applied from the ISO 200 and it keeps the details of bright areas when shooting landscape with high contrast. When shooting, it’s not easy to find the differences, but when watching them on a PC monitor, users will see the dramatic change of details in the bright spaces.

Smart Range off Smart Range on

Smart Auto automatically setting Scene mode

Smart Auto automatically recognizes the scene and optimizes the camera settings such as exposure and colors. While shooting, according to the scene, the below icons automatically change and are set to the optimized values. I think the performance of the recognition gets better than the NX10. It recognized background portrait and dawn at once.

Program mode Smart Auto – Backlight, Portrait

Program mode Smart Auto – Portrait, Face Recognition

Program mode Smart Auto – Sunset

In Smart Auto, Face Recognition function is automatically applied, so it prevents dark faces in a backlight portrait and when recognizing the backlight, it keeps the bright area appropriately. Therefore, when the backlight portrait is recognized, it expresses quite different images from the program auto mode.

Samsung 14.6 APS-C large sensor

The pixel of the sensor is the same, but the sensor is different from the NX10. The sensor cleaning system and image sharpness are also different. The color expression is almost the same. Compared to Micro Four Thirds (18.2×13.5), it has a quite larger sensor size (25.4×15.6mm), so the basic quality is differentiated, because it has the large size of receiving light by a pixel. The high ISO quality and color feeling depend on the performance of image processing, but the gradation of bright area is definitely better than Micro Four Thirds. Compared with the NX10, I felt the vividness of details got better, and I didn’t know if it was because of the lens or image processing, but the quality of the 20-50mm lens was really delicate. The resolution value through the analyzing software became quite better.

APS-C (23.4×15.6mm) Micro Four Thirds (18.2×13.5mm)

20-50mm F3.5-F5.6 Lens

Center and corner resolution of 20mm maximum wide angle

and maximum opening in F3.5

A B

20-50mm F3.5-F5.6 Lens

Center and corner resolution of 50mm maximum telephoto angle

and maximum opening in F5.6

A B

The quality of the 20-50mm lens was really awesome. It has a small lens barrel and compact size, but the performance is totally different from what it looks like it should be.

20-50mm Lens – Maximum wide angle, F3.5 resolution (2673 LW/PH)

20-50mm Lens – Maximum wide angle, The best resolution (2864 LW/PH)

20-50mm Lens – Maximum telephoto angle, F5.6 resolution (2578 LW/PH)

The resolution value in the 20mm in the maximum opening by Blade Pro software was 2673 LW/PH and the best resolution was 2864 LW/PH. In F5.6 the maximum telephoto angle of 50mm, the resolution was 2578 LW/PH. Given that the NX10 was not able to have over 2500 LW/PH, it’s amazing. Of course, this value changes depending on the software, so the feeling is more important, but after seeing the image, the feeling was not different at all, and I was especially surprised at the clean quality of the edges.

Smooth tone and strong vivid

Looking at the pictures of Samsung, they were calm and the red color was so strong. The blue was appropriate and yellow/green is soft. It’s the same for the NX100. It keeps the warm landscape, vivid and deep skin tone, but if you want rather stronger colors than soft feeling, try to use Vivid mode. The exposure was a little bright in daylight, while it was a little dark in a low light condition. If you’re taking a picture where there are a lot of green tones, it takes a bright image, so you’d better keep the exposure around -0.7. Setting the exposure to -1.0~-0.7 is the way to take dark shots for night scenery shots. The image details become more delicate. The outline of images become kind of sharper.

Photo Style for various color expression

It supports 9 kinds of Photo styles such as Standard, Vivid, Portrait, Landscape, Forest, Retro, Cool, Calm, and Classic. 3 custom settings can be stored and from each Picture Wizard, color, saturation, sharpness, and contrast are adjustable to 9 levels.

Standard Saturation+2

Saturation+3 Contrast+3 Saturation-4 Contrast-4

The natural color feeling of Standard is appropriate. If you want strong landscape, vivid is recommended. Landscape mode has a little weaker color feeling, but a little better gradation. For portraits, standard and portrait look proper, and the portrait mode keeps the most appropriate skin tone. For more emotional portraits, Retro or Calm is recommendable.

Picture Wizard

Warm and balanced white balance

There were a lot of complains about the yellow color of the NX10 for indoor shooting, but after the new firmware upgrade for the NX100 and NX10, that symptom has disappeared. Of course, it’s true that there’s a lot of yellow and green, but less. When actually shooting portraits in a low light café, there was not much red. This color feeling depends on the color of light, so in family restaurants having dark and red lights, pictures become quite red.

9 kinds of white balance modes including custom are supported and color temperature is supported from 2500 to 10000K with 100K of increments. Let’s use the color temperature if it’s too red or cool. If the light is insufficient, less than 3000K might be appropriate. Custom white balance can also be set by using the depth preview button or from the white balance setting.

In each white balance, by using A, G, M, and B channels, more detailed white balance compensation is available. In order to reduce the red and yellow pattern in a low light conditions, it needs to be moved to the blue side a little, and when the flash is activated, it sometimes becomes a little cold. At this time, moving it to A (Amber) or M (Magenta) its much better.

Detailed adjustment of White balance

Normal, Flash A+3,M+3 A+2

High ISO quality and ISO 6400

The maximum ISO is ISO 6400. In ISO 200, the quality was clean, but from ISO 400, it started to have a little green in a bright area. From ISO 800, by starting eliminating noise, it eliminated the overall green tone, but green noise started to show up in some area. It kept the detail quite well up to ISO 1600. While processing high ISO, the color noise should be smoothly removed and it should keep the details, but unfortunately, it expressed them as rough pixels.

Looking at the 100% quality, image, the pattern was quite peculiar. There was no red or blue color noise, but from ISO 800, the same pattern noise started showing up. Besides, from ISO 3200, although there was no big noise, it couldn’t express images as they were, because the color wasn’t fully expressed and the saturation was missed in some area. I think ISO 1600 is the highest practical ISO, and in ISO 3200, it’s not appropriate for printing, but for blog or web sites (it’s fine). High ISO noise reduction can be turned on or off, but the noise reduction works from ISO 3200 or higher. That’s why from ISO 3200 it’s not possible to have 3 fps of continuous shot speed. The results of the noise reduction were good as I expected, because it reduced the color noise without marring details or changing colors much.

RAW

Using RAW, the compensation range of bright and dark area and color expression become wider. The size is about 25MB, so when shooting in RAW, it might affect the operation of the camera. Samsung RAW converter 4.0 is included and it’s based on Silky pix that is usually included in recent digital cameras.

Samsung RAW Converter 4

The reason to use RAW is that it makes it possible to control details of bright areas, white balance, and noise. The ability to revive the bright part is not that great, but like the standard of the APS-C sensor.

RAW+JPEG – JPEG Original RAW changed JPEG

Original

Dynamic Range & Tone compensation

Original

Dynamic Range & Color adjustment

Original

Tone & Color compensation, Noise Reduction

Images with more than ISO 1600 can have the color noise reduced and have deeper colors. Color noise and details can be controlled together, but it’s not possible to have good value for both at the same time. Strong noise reduction might cause degrade to the details, but for resized pictures, it’s much better.

Powerful quality compact standard zoom lens

The 20-50mm lens released together with the NX100 is light, but takes sharp images in all areas. The converted focal length with the NX body is 30.8-77mm which is multiplied by 1.54. The AOV is 70.2~31.4 degree. It seems a little vague. That’s why I didn’t like this at first. Besides, it doesn’t have OIS, so (it was) more unstable than the 18-55 F3.5-5.6 OIS lens.

However, the funny thing is it has the best quality among all the standard zoom lens I’ve ever seen. Everything was great such as distortion, chromatic aberration, sharpness, and so on. I had been surprised by the 30mm pancake lens of the NX10, I was surprised again by at the 20-50mm lens.

With the i-Function, it allows users easily operate the camera’s functions and by including ED lens, it concentrates on the image quality. The lens can take picture as close as 28cm, and with the maximum zoom 0.22x, in telephoto angle, it allows quite god macro shots. The mount is made of plastic, but as it is 119g, it’s better in weight.

20mm Wide angle F3.5 50mm Max. telephoto angle F5.6

The lens storage is the retractable design (Resilient material) which was adopted for the Olympus 14-42 lens, so it can minimize the thickness. However, there was a little range different in AOV, but it’s much shorter than the Olympus 14-42 lens when shooting. That’s why it has a good appearance while shooting.

NX 20-50mm F3.5-F5.6 vs Olympus 14-42mm F3.5-F5.6 ED

Normal

Shooting

It looks a little cheap with a light blue grey plastic mount, but the quality is the best.

20mm Wide angle 50mm Max. telephoto angle

In 50mm telephoto angle, users can blur out the background and take medium shots. In night scenery shooting, it makes 14 sunstars with 7 blades in more than F11. I’m going to take a look at the 20-50mm lens again with a separate review more closely.

50mm Telephoto, Background blurring

20-50mm Lens, Sunstar F22.0

Simple wide angle pancake lens

The 20mm F2.8 lens is the second pancake lens from Samsung and it’s for those who enjoy snap shots and landscape shots with a portable single lens. It’s only 24.5mm and the AF speed is quite fast almost the same as the 20-50mm lens. The mount is made of metal and the focus ring operation is smooth. This 20mm pancake lens looks to be higher grade product.

The equivalent 30.8mm focal length is not good enough. It’s actually share the angle with the 20-55mm, and the 20-50mm is not that big and the quality is wonderful in 20mm. The F2.8 is useful, but I wish it had wider angle to be more characteristic. It has the 7 blades the same as the 20-50mm lens, so it makes 14 sunstarts when tightening the aperture. The size is a little bigger than the 30mm pancake lens and compared with the Sony 16mm pancake, it’s 20g heavier.

20mm Lens, Sunstar F16.0

The corner and center quality is very good as a pancake lens. Compared to the 30mm F2.0 lens or 20-50mm lens, the sharpness is a little low, but compared to other lenses, it has a quite great performance as a wide angle single lens. This pancake lens will also be reviewed later. The below large samples were taken by the 20mm pancake lens.

3 accessories for the NX100

External Viewfinder EVF10

Accessories coming with the NX100 are an external viewfinder EVF10 (200K pixels 98% visibility), flash SEF-15A (Guide Number 15), and GPS receiver GPS10. The EVF10 is similar to high end cameras in quality, but the size of the viewfinder is quite big. 98% of visibility and no tilt a little annoying, but it can be useful under the strong daylight and convenient to use the i-Function, because the i-Function lens operation screen is reflected in real time. Through the On/Off button on the side, users can change between the AMOLED screen and the Viewfinder, and the eyesight adjustment dial is located on the other side.

External flash SEF-15A

The SEF-15A supporting TTL with guide number 15 is useful for the NX100 which has no internal flash. It’s quite useful, but it could have been better if the flash wasn’t a fixed type.

In A mode, the automatic light adjustment performance by the focal length is good enough and through the Mode button, it can be selected to manual or A-TTL. AAA type 2 batteries are used and the color feel of automatic white balance is quite cold, but by using white balance adjustments, it gives an appropriate colors to the shots.

(Left) Shooting without a flash

(Right) TTL Shooting with the external flash SEF-15A in A mode

GPS10 automatically recording the geometric information

People talked a lot about the GPS receiver GPS10, because of the size. However, the performance and success rate are much better than a built-in type digital camera. It has much higher performance than the WB650, ZS7, and HX5v. (When operating outdoors, it recognizes the location within 30 sec most of the time.) It uses 2 AAA batteries like the flash.

It’s activated by pushing the power button on the back, and when a green location mark is displayed up to ‘9’ and records the location information in the photo. Using Intelli Studio, the recorded picture can be used by google maps. Now people can see where you take your photos.

By using Intelli-Studio, mark the position of the picture in Google Map

Great Basic and operation compact interchangeable lens camera

There was one more firmware (update) when I wrote this. It updated AF accuracy and operation noise reduction for a movie recordingThis makes Samsung users happy. The i-Function lens has a faster AF performance. The more and more I use the NX100, I could see what Samsung has thought a lot about camera.

The weakness is low quality in High ISO more than ISO 3200, movie performance, mediocre accessories, simple body style, slow AF-C continuous shooting, and panorama.

Starting a new wear with the NX

Samsung tries to have DSLR users use the NX series. Looking at the lenses which will be released, I could see what Samsung is thinking of them. The 60mm OIS macro lens, 18-200mm super zoom lens, and 80mm portrait lens will be released. Samsung never stops. The NX100 is also a basic model of the NX series. There will be a new NX series next year, I’m so anticipating it. By listening to customers’ various options, they will truly make user friendly cameras.

@ Sample images are linked to the original pictures

Sample : 20-50mm Lens

Sample : 20mm Lens

Sample : 18-55mm Lens

Sample : Other

This review represents the sole opinion of their individual authors and POPCONET and don’t express the opinion of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Samsungimaging.net or the opinion of any affiliates unless specifically marked as such. For any further questions, or feedback, please visit POPCONET