The NX10 was the strong impact on the digital camera market in Korea. (It got an attention from a lot of people with the great quality of DSLRs and mobility of compact digital cameras and has still been sold a lot. Different from hybrid cameras, it has the APS-C sensor as a mirrorless camera and high quality lenses, so it’s popular not only in Korea, but also other countries.)
The NX100 I’m reviewing is an ambitious model from Samsung which will follow the NX10. It has improved the mobility which was the weakness of the NX10, so it has a lot of great things such as better quality and fast AF speed. (You’d better understand this as a mode in a new lineup, not just the following model of the NX10. It has accented the compactness and design different from the traditional NX10.)
I’m also expecting the result of the test. Let’s take a closer look at the design, functions, performance, and quality through the review.
It’s the full kit (20-5mm lens KIT) including the body, 20-50mm i-Function lens (20mm 2.8 lens will be released), charger, USB cable, neck strap, battery, S/W CD, and manual. (Memory, case, GPS, EVF, and Flash are not included.)
It has the 120.5 x 71 x 34.5mm of size and 282g of weight which is quite compact. (When it comes to the NX10, it was a little heavier and larger than other hybrid cameras, although it was lighter than previous DSLRs. The NX100 has the great mobility as much as hybrid cameras even with the APS-C sensor.)
The design is not classical like the NX10, but simple like compact digital cameras. It’s neat and the shutter design reminds a leaf. (Curved line on the back allows good grip.) @ Including the black tested, it also comes with white and brown, and black and white will be released in Korea first.
It’s the front of the camera and has the same mount as the NX10, so users don’t need to worry about the compatibility. Different from Micro Four thirds hybrid cameras, it has adopted the APS-S sensor as a mirrorless camera, so it has better quality and minimizes the quality degradation of corners. (The APS-C sensor in the NX100 has been improved much, even though it’s the same standard.) It also has the much faster AF speed. (It was like using the AF-S lens after using the AF lens. The AF speed was great enough to satisfy me.) @ The NX10 had 200ms, but the NX100 has 170ms.
The i-Function has been added. It’s an innovative function which controls main functions through the i-Function button and focus ring on the lens, so it’s a really great function to those who want to change the setting more quickly. @ I don’t think it’s easy to understand by the images or review. Please refer to the movie clip later.
It’s the top of the product and supports Smart Shoe compatible with other products. (It fits various accessories and remote synchronizer in a studio can be attached.) It also has a microphone, speaker, jog dial (Adjusting the shutter speed and zooming in/out in play mode), shutter button, and mode dial.
@ In Mode dial, Lens priority mode has been added. Pushing the i-Function button on the i-Function lens, only the scenes supported in the lens are displayed. Of course, a separate scene mode is supported, but it was difficutl forbeginners to select a proper scene, but the lens priroity mode allows users to choose it more conveniently.
It’s the right side of the product and there’s a strap ring to use a neck strap and on the center, a depth preview button is located. On the lower side, as a high level product, it has the HDMI, USB/AV, and shutter release port, and power ports.
It’s the bottom of the product and there’s a mount hole for a tripod, and battery and SD memory slot are also installed. (It supports up to 32GB of SDHD. It can easily take RAW and HD movies without worrying about the storage.)
It’s the back of the product, and it has the 3” AMOLED. (Like the picture, there’s no inconvenience by a narrow vieiwng angle, and it can easily see the images under a daylight. It’s totally different from normal cameras.) In the center, there’s a port fro the EVF.
Various setting buttons are supported. Especially, it has Smart Dial (Smart Dial which didn’t exist in the NX10 allows users to set manual function and select the menu more conveniently) and jog dial on the top allows to adjust aperture and shutter speed in Manual mode like a DSLR. @ The green button on the right bottom is impressive. It can initilize Picture wizard, WB, color temperature, screen color, and self timer, and in play mode, it can delete files.
I was worried about the grip, because of the compac design, but actually it was very satisfactory. The leaf designed grip allows users to hold the body without slippery and the thumb fit comfortably in the hole on the back. (It can be held with one hand for a man. However, it’s more comfortable to hold it with two hands for woman users.)
It’s the size comparison and differentiated from a normal DSLR. (It’s much thicker, but the size is similar to Galaxy S. Given that it’s a mirrorless camera, the mobility is great enough.)
Compared with the NX10, it becomes smaller and lighter and functions in compact cameras have been added. (Such as Smart Filter and others) The innovative i-Function has also been added, and GPS, external flash, and external EVF can be used. @ It’s much different in the design and mobility. According to your life style, you can choose one between the NX10 and NX100.
Neck strap, charger, battery, USB cable, manual, and S/W CD are included.
Samsung Electronics has provided the author of this article with the mentioned digital imaging device.
