With today’s announcement of the Samsung NX200 digital camera, I can now officially say that I had some personal fondling time with the camera. While they’re not a name that you hear as often as those of Olympus, Panasonic Sony and Sony does Samsung seem to have a winner with the NX200? Especially with new lenses just announced too?
Tech Specs
Samsung NX200
Image sensor Type CMOS
Sensor size 23.5 x 15.7mm
Effective Pixel Approx. 20.3 Megapixels
Total Pixel Approx. 21.6 Megapixels
Color Filter RGB primary color filter
Lens Mount Mount Samsung NX Mount
Useable lens Samsung Lenses
Image Stabilization Type Lens Shift (depends on Lens)
Mode OIS Mode1 / Mode2 / OFF
Distortion Correct LDC On / Off (depends on lens)
i-Function i-Scene (depends on Lens)
Smart Filter (Vignetting, Minature, Fish-Eye, Sketch, Defog, Halftone Dot)
Intelli-Zoom (x1.2, 1.4, 1.7, 2.0)
Dust Reduction Type Supersonic drive
Display
Type AMOLED
Size 3.0″
Resolution VGA ( 640X480 ) 614k dots ( PenTile )
Field of View Approx. 100%
Display Grid (4types), Histogram, Icons: On/Off, Distance Scale: ft / m / Off
Focusing Type Contrast AF
Focusing point Selection: 1point (Free selection)
Multi: Normal 15 points, Closeup 35points
Face Detection: Max. 10 faces
Modes Single AF, Continuous AF, MF
AF-assist Lamp Yes
Shutter Type Electronically controlled vertical-run focal plane shutter
Speed Auto: 1/4000sec. ~ 30sec.
Manual: 1/4000sec. ~ 30sec. (1/3EV step)
Bulb (Limit time: 4min.)
Exposure Metering
System TTL 221 (17 x 13) Block segment
Metering: Multi, Center-weighted, Spot
Metering range: EV 0-18 (ISO 100 · 30mm, F2)
Compensation ±3 EV (1/3EV step)
AE Lock Shutter Button half press
ISO Equivalent Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400, 12800 (1 or 1/3EV step)
* AUTO ISO upper level is selectable. (Less than ISO3200)
Drive Mode Modes Single, Continuous, Burst (5M size only), Self-timer, Bracket (AE/WB/PW)
Continuous JPEG: High (7fps) up to 11 shots, Low (3fps) up to 15 shots selectable
Burst: 10, 15, 30fps selectable, 30 shots by 1 release
RAW: High (7fps), Low (3fps) selectable up to 8 shots
Bracket Auto Exposure Bracket (±3EV), WB, PW
Self-timer 2 – 30sec. (1sec. step)
Remote control N/A
Flash Type External Flash only (Bundle with SEF8A)
Modes Smart Flash, Auto, Auto+Red-eye reduction, Fill-in, Fill-in+Red-eye reduction, 1st Curtain, 2nd Curtain, Off
Guide Number 8 (at ISO 100) (SEF8A)
Angle of View Coverage 28mm wide-angle (Equivalent to 35mm) (SEF8A)
Sync. Speed Less than 1/180sec.
Flash Compensation -2 – +2EV (1/2EV step)
External Flash Samsung External Flash available (SEF42A, SEF20A, SEF15A: Optional)
Synchro (Flash attachment) Hot Shoe
White Balance Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent (W, N, D), Tungsten, Flash, Custom, K (Manual)
Micro adjustment each 7 steps in Amber / Blue / Green / Magenta axis
Dynamic Range Expansion Smart Range On/Off
Picture Wizard Modes Standard, Vivid, Portrait, Landscape, Forest, Retro, Cool, Calm, Classic, Custom (1~3)
Parameter Contrast, Sharpness, Saturation, Color
Shooting Modes SmartAuto 2.0, Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Manual, Lens Priority, Magic, Panorama, Scene, Movie
Scene Mode Beauty shot, Night, Landscape, Portrait, Children, Sports, Close-Up, Text, Sunset, Dawn, Backlight, Fireworks, Beach & Snow, Sound Picture, 3D Photo
Sound Picture JPEG Only
Sound Recording Time (Before and after shooting each 5 sec or 10 sec)
Smart Filter (10) Vignetting, Miniature, Fish-Eye, Sketch, De-fog, Halftone Dots, Soft Focus, Old Film1, Old Film2, Negative
Magic Frame (13) Holiday, Old Film, Ripple, Full Moon, Old Record, Magazine, Sunny Day, Classic TV, Yesterday, Wall Art, Billboard 1, Billboard 2, Newspaper
Image Size JPEG (3:2): 20.0M (5472×3648), 10.1M (3888×2592), 5.9M (2976×1984), 2.0M (1728×1152), 5.0M (2736×1824): Burst mode only
JPEG (16:9): 16.9M (5472×3080), 7.8M (3712×2088), 4.9M (2944×1656), 2.1M (1920×1080)
JPEG (1:1): 13.3M (3648×3648), 7.0M (2640×2640), 4.0M (2000×2000), 1.1M (1024×1024)
RAW: 20.0M (5472×3648)
Quality Super fine , Fine, Normal
RAW Format SRW
Color Space sRGB, Adobe RGB
Movie Format MP4 (H.264)
Compression Movie: H.264 , Sound: AAC
Modes Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Manual
Movie Clip With Audio or without Audio
(user selectable, recording time: 25 minutes)
Smart Filter (10) Vignetting, Miniature, Fish-Eye, Sketch, De-fog, Halftone Dots, Soft Focus, Old Film1, Old Film2, Negative
Image size 1920×1080, 1280×720, 640×480, 320×240 (Default : 1920×1080)
Frame rate 60fps (1280×720 Only), 30fps
Multi-Motion Recording x0.25 (640, 320 only), x0.5 (1280, 640, 320 only), x5, x10, x20
Quality High Quality , Normal
Sound Stereo Sound
Movie Editing Still Image Capture, Time Trimming
Image Play Type Single image, Thumbnails (3/15/40 images), Slide show, Movie
Editing Smart Filter, Red-eye fix, Backlight comp., Resize, Rotate, Face Retouch, Brightness, Contrast, Vignetting
Smart Filter (8) Miniature, Soft Focus, Old Film1, Old Film2, Halftone Dots, Sketch, Fish-Eye, De-fog Negative
<Size>
JPEG (3:2): 5.9M (2976×1984), 5.0M (2736×1824), 2.0M (1728×1152)
JPEG (16:9): 6.2M (3328×1872), 4.9M (2944×1656), 2.1M (1920×1080)
JPEG (1:1): 6.0M (2448×2448), 4.0M (2000×2000), 1.1M (1024×1024)
Storage Media SD, SDHC, SDXC (guarantee up to 128GB)
File format RAW (SRW), JPEG (EXIF 2.21), DCF, DPOF 1.1, PictBridge 1.0
Capacity (1GB) 20.0M : RAW 17
20.0M (3:2): Super Fine 94, Fine 185, Normal 272
10.1M (3:2): Super Fine 192, Fine 369, Normal 531
5.9M (3:2): Super Fine 319, Fine 595, Normal 837
2.0M (3:2): Super Fine 829, Fine 1397, Normal 1811
Burst (5.0): Super Fine 372, Fine 687, Normal 957
16.9M (16:9): Super Fine 117, Fine 228, Normal 334
7.8M (16:9): Super Fine 247, Fine 468, Normal 667
4.9M (16:9): Super Fine 380, Fine 701, Normal 974
2.1M (16:9): Super Fine 802, Fine 1358, Normal 1767
13.3M (1:1): Super Fine 147, Fine 285, Normal 414
7.0M (1:1): Super Fine 173, Fine 515, Normal 730
4.0M (1:1): Super Fine 455, Fine 826, Normal 1133
1.1M (1:1): Super Fine 1348, Fine 2068, Normal 2516
Movie: 1920×1080 30p : High Quality 8m 54s, Normal 10m 16s
1280×720 60p : High Quality 8m 21s, Normal 9m 32s
1280×720 30p : High Quality 14m 47s, Normal 16m 37s
640×480 30p : High Quality 37m 16s, Normal 43m 14s
320×240 30p : High Quality 119m 57s, Normal 145m 49s
※ These figures are measure under the Samsung standard.
Languages 17 Languages (Korean, English, Danish, German, Dutch, Swedish, Spanish, Italian, Czech, French, Portuguese, Polish, Finnish, Russian, Norsk, Simplified/Traditional Chinese)
Direct Printing PictBridge
GPS Type ( Specification ) Geo-tagging w/ Optional GPS Module (WGS84)
Function -Location Name(OSD) (English and Korean only)
-Google Map Link (with intelli-Studio)
Interface Digital
Output Connector USB 2.0 (HI-SPEED) (micro USB Jack)
Video output NTSC, PAL (user selectable)
HDMI 1.3 : (1080i, 720P, 576P / 480P)
External Release No
DC power input connector DC 9.0V, 1.5A (100 ~ 240V) via Dummy Battery
Power
Source Type Rechargeable battery: BP1030 (1030mAh)
Charger: BC1030
Battery life 165min / 330shots (CIPA Standard)
Physical
Specification Dimensions (WxHxD) 116.5 x 62.5 x 36.2mm (excluding the projection part)
Weight 220.4g (without battery and memory card)
Operating Temperature 0 ~ 40 °C
Operating Humidity 5 ~ 85%
Software Application intelli-studio 3.0, Samsung RAW Converter 4
Adobe Reader
System requirement
Windows PC with processor better than Intel Pentium III 500MHz
(Intel Pentium 800MHz or higher recommended)
Windows XP / Vista / 7
Minimum 256MB RAM (512MB or more recommended)
250MB of available hard disk space (1GB or more recommended)
USB port
CD-ROM drive
1024×768 pixels, 16-bit color display compatible monitor
(24-bit color display recommended)
Microsoft Direct X 9.0c or later
intelli-studio 3.0 Windows XP SP2 / Vista / 7
Intel Core 2 DuoTM 1.66GHz or higher / AMD Athlon X2 Dual-Core 2.2GHz or higher
Minimum 512MB RAM (1GB or more recommended)
250MB of available hard disk space (1GB or more recommended)
1024×768 pixels, 16-bit color display compatible monitor
(32-bit color display recommended)
USB 2.0, Microsoft DirectX 9.0c or later
nVIDIA Geforce 7600GT or higher / ATI X1600 series or higher
# 64-bit editions of Windows XP / Vista / and 7 are not supported
Samsung RAW converter 4
Windows XP / Vista / 7
Intel Pentium, AMD Athlon Processor
(Intel Pentium 4, AMD Athlon XP or later recommended)
* Multi-core processor ready (Intel Core i7, Core 2 Quad, Core 2 Duo, AMD Phenom II X4, Phenom X4, etc.)
1GB or more RAM recommended
Minimum 100MB of available hard disk space
1024×768 pixels, Full Color (24-bit or higher) color display compatible monitor
Macintosh Power Mac G3 or later
Mac OS 10.4 or later
Minimum 256MB RAM (512MB or more recommended)
Minimum 110MB of available hard-disk space
USB port
CD-ROM drive
Samsung RAW converter 4
Mac OS X v10.6 / v10.5 / v10.4
Power PC / Intel Processor-based or compatible computer
(Core 2 Quad or later recommended)
1GB or more RAM recommended
Minimum 100MB of available hard disk space
1024×768 pixels, 24-bit color display compatible monitor
Lenses
Category 18-200mm
Lens Name SAMSUNG 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 ED OIS
Focal Length 18 – 200mm (equivalent to 27.7-308mm in 35mm format)
Elements in Groups 18 elements in 13 groups (3 Aspherical lens, 2 Extra-low Dispersion lens)
Angle of View 75.9°- 8.0°
Aperture F3.5 – 6.3 (Min. F22), (Number of Blades : 7 , Circular Aperture Diaphragm)
Mount Type Samsung NX Mount
Optical Image Stabilizer Yes
Minimum Focus Distance 0.50m
i Scene Portrait, Children, Sport, Backlight, Landscape, Sunset, Dawn, Night
Maximum Magnification Approx. 0.28X
Lens Hood Included
Filter Size 67mm
Max. Diameter x Length 72 x 105.5mm
Weight Approx. 549g (without hood)
Operating Temperature 0 ~ 40°C
Operating Humidity 5 ~ 85%
Availability End of Aug
Category 16mm
Lens Name SAMSUNG 16mm F2.4
Focal Length 16mm (equivalent to 24.6mm in 35mm format)
Elements in Groups 7 elements in 6 groups (2 Aspherical lens)
Angle of View 82.6°
Aperture F2.4 (Min. F22), (Number of Blades : 7 , Circular Aperture Diaphragm)
Mount Type Samsung NX Mount
Optical Image Stabilizer No
Minimum Focus Distance 0.18m
i-Scene Backlight, Landscape, Sunset, Dawn, Beach&Snow, Night
Maximum Magnification Approx. 0.12X
Lens Hood No
Filter Size 43mm
Max. Diameter x Length 61 x 24mm
Weight Approx. 90g
Operating Temperature 0 ~ 40°C
Operating Humidity 5 ~ 85%
Availability September
Category 60mm
Lens Name SAMSUNG 60mm F2.8 Macro ED OIS SSA
Focal Length 60mm (equivalent to 92.4mm in 35mm format)
Elements in Groups 12 elements in 9 groups (1 Aspherical lens, 1 Extra-low Dispersion lens)
Angle of View 26.4°
Aperture F2.8 (Min. F32), (Number of Blades : 7 , Circular Aperture Diaphragm)
Mount Type Samsung NX Mount
Optical Image Stabilizer Yes
Minimum Focus Distance 0.187m
Maximum Magnification Approx. 1X
i Scene Portrait, Children, Backlight, CloseUp, Text
Lens Hood Included
Filter Size 52mm
Max. Diameter x Length 73.5 x 84mm
Weight Approx. 389g (without hood)
Operating Temperature 0 ~ 40°C
Operating Humidity 5 ~ 85%
Availability September
Category 85mm
Lens Name SAMSUNG 85mm F1.4 ED SSA
Focal Length 85mm (equivalent to 130.9mm in 35mm format)
Elements in Groups 10 elements in 8 groups (1 Extra-low Dispersion lens)
Angle of View 18.8°
Aperture F1.4 (Min. F22), (Number of Blades : 9 , Circular Aperture Diaphragm)
Mount Type Samsung NX Mount
Optical Image Stabilizer No
Minimum Focus Distance 0.82m
i-Scene Beauty, Portrait, Children, Sport, Backlight, Night
Maximum Magnification Approx. 0.13X
Lens Hood Included
Filter Size 67mm
Max. Diameter x Length 79 x 92.2mm
Weight Approx. 714g (without hood)
Operating Temperature 0 ~ 40°C
Operating Humidity 5 ~ 85%
Availability October
Ergonomics
The new Samsung NX200 isn’t a big camera. In fact, it’s fairly small but still feels very good in the hand. For clarity, it doesn’t feel heavy at all. Instead, it feels like a point and shoot.
Here’s the camera next to my Olympus EP2. As you can see, it has a sleeker and more modern styling with a more pronounced grip. It isn’t as tall nor as wide either. With the 16mm lens, it feels like something that you’d keep in your jacket pocket with no problem or sling around your torso with a leather case covering it.
The top of the camera is characterized by stereo microphones, a shutter control dial (that also zooms in and out when viewing images), the on/off switch, shutter release button, and mode dial. But looking at the dial, one can see that this camera isn’t totally targeted towards the professional but instead toward the enthusiasts.
Oh right, there’s also a hot shoe. It could be that this was a pre-production model, but that hot shoe was extremely tight. It was hard to get a flash out of it and into it.
You can let your mind wander with that one as much as you want.
The back of the camera is characterized by a dial similar in styling to the new Canon DSLR cameras. This also controls the aperture when in manual mode. There is an Fn button that activates the ifunctionalities, menu button, exposure compensation, play and delete. Oh, and there is a record video button.
For the record, this is not a touchscreen.
The Samsung reps emphasized that the 85mm f1.4 lens is very light. While it did indeed seem light compared to other 85mm f1.4 lenses, on the NX200 it seemed extremely front heavy. It was designed from an APS-C sensor, which lies at the heart of this camera. In fact, I hope that Samsung releases another camera that balances out the weight at least. With that said though, the image quality from the lens was absolutely fantastic. The high level of detail wide open and the colors were amazing.
Menus
The Samsung reps were quick to show us that there are three different types of menus on the Samsung NX200. First off, there are the normal menus that I didn’t play with too much.
Then there is this overlay, which would have been amazing with a touchscreen. However, it allows you to quickly access certain settings and change them accordingly.
And then there is the iFuncionality, which gives you loads of different effects or other options depending on which menu you’re set to. In the photo above, we’ve set it to render a fisheye style art filter.
Autofocus
The autofocus on the camera wasn’t the fastest, but it wasn’t slow either. In fact, it seemed a bit standard and only a tiny bit slower than the Sony NEX C3 and 5N. However, you probably wouldn’t even notice it.
Image Quality
Though we were not able to put a card in the camera, I was able to take a photo of the back of the camera after I shot this photo. I used the shutter dial on top of the camera to see the level of detail that I captured, and it was really quite amazing.
With that said, I hope that this new high resolution sensor doesn’t disappoint in the dynamic range, color depth and high ISOs. A full review will be coming when we get the review units.
We’d like to hear your thoughts though, let us know in the comments below.
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