Samsung NX200 Review Posted

Photography Blog has posted a review of the new Samsung NX200. I was not a big fan of the original NX100 and, apparently, few people were. It was not a big seller. I think that Samsung's half-hearted effort behind the system has something to do with that.

Samsung is one of the few companies that manufacturers its own sensors. Sony, Canon, and Panasonic are the others. Kodak previously made sensors, but they have since sold that unit. Samsung's sensors were a step behind everyone, a position that was made even worse with the release of Sony's phenomenal new generation. Noise characteristics, which should be better in APS-C size, were inferior to even Panasonic's GH2, and terribly so in comparison to Sony.

Samsung has completely alleviated that issue with their newest sensor. The NX200 is competitive. JPEG processing still appears to be bad, but the magic touch of good in-camera processing appears to be lost on everyone but Canon, Nikon, and Olympus. Noise characteristics are excellent, and dynamic range is very good. Importantly, the same low noise-floor that Sony managed with its APS-C sensors appears to have been partially cracked by Samsung as well, with very low shadow texture at low ISO.

Overall, image quality appears to be better on the NEX-5n, especially once ISO increases. The differences remain under a stop, though, as you can see from this DPReview studio comparison. The new 18-55mm kit lens also appears to be sharp and generally even across the frame. Some of their sample images show noticeable distortion, though.

All-in-all, a competitive camera at a decent price. I would still opt for a Sony, though, since their dedication to their system has been better demonstrated.