Samsung NX300 Mirrorless Digital Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS Lens, 20.3MP, 3x Optical Zoom, 3.31" TouchScreen, 3D Still & Video Capture, Brown

2013-09-23T21:00:00

Fairly good for the money.

Daniel

2013-08-12T21:00:00

To begin with, I have a vast collection of digital cameras (mostly of the micro 4/3 variety) - shooting with the likes of the Olympus OMD, E-PL5, E-P3, and the Panasonic GF1, GF5, GX1, and G5. I also shoot with the likes of the wonderful Fuji X-E1 and more recently, the Canon EOS-M. I've never previously given any Samsung products much consideration - only because I thought they encompassed a very narrow, niche product line. That is up until recently. I started seeing superb image samples on various sites taken with this Samsung NX300, a new release at the time. And what kept grabbing my attention was the superb color tonality, depth to the images, and overall wonderful image quality exhibited by those images. So, contrary to my previous inclinations, I purchased the NX300 with the 18-55 (be sure to get that lens - not the 20-50). The 18-55 has the Image Stabilization, whereas the 20-50 doesn't. Once I received it, I was pleasantly surprised at the gorgeous build quality (I ordered the brown one which looks rich), but I must say that I was really disappointed by one simple thing...the fact that it didn't have a battery charger, and that you have to charge the battery in-camera. It didn't take me long to search out and purchase a 3rd party charger to charge the batteries because having to charge a battery in-camera is too much of a hassle. Handling wise, the camera is a treat to operate. It's quite fast in the AF department and everything just seems to fall into place with regards to button and knob placement, etc. Moving the AF points around the screen was a breeze, so I'm quite content. And yes, the LCD is huge, but be aware that if you don't put some type of anti-glare screen protector on the LCD, you will have an almost impossible time viewing scenes/images on it in bright outdoor sunlight. The NX300 really shines in very low light conditions and supports superb (low noise) high ISO scenarios with aplumb. It will keep up with the best cameras in the high ISO image department, that's for sure. So, the only reason I didn't give this NX300 5 stars was due to the fact that at this level, Samsung should have included a battery charger - which they didn't. You may expect this scenario from lesser point and shoot models, but not of a camera of this caliber. But this can be remedied by picking up one of the many inexpensive 3rd party battery chargers (Since Samsung doesn't have one for sale - at least not on the US market...as of yet). So if image quality is the end result, you cannot go wrong getting the NX300. Again, I ordered the brown version which has a rich look to it. The camera feels wonderful in the hand, is a breeze to operate, and it has completely erased any reservations I had about Samsung Cameras (save, perhaps, for the lack of a charger). I say go for it.....

BW H.