Review you Samsung NX11
Verdict
Advantages
AMOLED display, improved AF, i-Fn concept, integrated EVF
The inconvenients
Little change from NX10, occasional autofocus wobbles, EVF could be improved (resolution and refresh rate to counter lag)
Key specs
Review price: £480
The Samsung NX11 - the latest offering in Samsung's NX-series line of compact system cameras - hits shelves almost exactly a year after the original
NX10
liberation. When we first saw the
NX11 at this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas
we thought this was a minor increment over the original model - so does the Samsung NX11 have enough new points to make it worth shouting about?
Samsung NX11 Review – Features
It's hard not to compare the Samsung NX11 to the previous NX10 simply because the two are so similar. This is a very subtle upgrade rather than redesign territory, although the features are solid: a 14.6MP APS-C sized CMOS sensor capable of shooting ISO 100-3200, a 3-inch AMOLED display and a 920,000-dot electronic viewfinder (EVF) are some of the highlights.
The biggest step forward is the new i-Function (i-Fn) lens compatibility. This Samsung-exclusive feature is a function button on the lens itself that can be used to control settings. the most immediate, even using the lens focusing ring to quickly select options if desired. The Samsung NX11 features an 18-55mm i-Fn straight out of the box and So aligns with what Samsung offers as a unique feature of the NX series. It would seem that the fundamental point of the release of the NX11 is simply to bring the i-Fn lens to as many potential users as possible.
There are also new shooting modes, including Panorama mode for live panoramic capture, a sound and picture mode, as well as Lens Priority which recognizes the i-Fn lens attached and optimizes settings accordingly.
Design
Samsung NX11 review – Design
Although not a DSLR by nature, the NX11 could fool you because it resembles a mini-DSLR in many ways. The layout and locations of the mode dial and button controls are well placed and you won't be left searching for settings. This is further aided by the inclusion of the i-Fn button which, once you start using it, is really quite useful for quickly adjusting dimmer compensation. exposure, ISO, white balance and (depending on the setting) aperture and shutter speed. Having the settings displayed both on screen or in the real-time viewfinder will speed up your way of working. Our only slight issue is that the i-Fn button on the 18-55mm OIS lens is placed quite far back and feels unnatural to press, plus its inclusion omits the stabilizer button which is was on the standard 18-55mm lens.
Samsung NX11 sample review image - click to access full size image gallery
The handle of the NX11 is raised quite prominently from the body, making it comfortable to use and easy to carry with one hand.
Elsewhere and the interior menus are impressive to look at and use, although they do feel quite different to other cameras so might take a bit of getting used to – but we like the visuals.
Performance
Samsung NX11 Review – Performance
Above all, the autofocus system is improved beyond other Samsung NX models. Rather than completely under- and over-focusing in order to achieve final focus, Samsung's latest algorithm can recognize the sharpest contrast boost and focus on that area of the contrast curve instead of the full contrast range. The result? A real improvement that makes autofocus faster than the NX10 was capable of. However, the main problem with the AF system is in low light where, even with the presence of reasonable contrast, it can take more than one attempt for focus to be achieved.
Samsung NX11 sample review image - click for full size gallery
There are a number of other advantages to using the NX11 as well. This AMOLED display is far superior to an LCD thanks to its fluidity and high contrast. Above is the 920,000 dot EVF which, although of a reasonable VGA resolution, can still be a divisive issue among potential buyers. On the plus side, the EVF provides a 100% full field of view that many optical viewfinder equivalents fall short of, plus the Electronic construction means full visual displays. The downside is the apparent lag which is significant in low light and the viewfinder doesn't appear as bright as an optical equivalent.
Samsung NX11 sample review image - click for full size gallery
One area of improvement that Samsung has kept quiet is movie mode. With the addition of Continuous Autofocus (CAF) which can be turned on or off using the Depth of Field Preview button, there's has a lot more control than the NX10 offered. The CAF is very smooth to switch between subjects without too much or under focus. It's a shame there aren't full manual controls, but the aperture priority allows live aperture adjustment, albeit at the expense of ISO sensitivity.
The addition of the new Panorama mode puts the Samsung alongside similar competing models, but it's the Lens Priority option that's rather confusing and, we suspect, won't be a commonly used setting. With the 18- 55mm attached, whatever the camera was pointed at encountered an automated landscape mode on return.
Other subtle improvements have taken place, such as Mac and PC compatibility with the included Raw conversion software. The previous NX10 model was PC-only, which left many Mac users cold to the original Samsung.
Image quality and value
Samsung NX11 review – Image quality
The NX11 eschews the very high ISO settings offered by some competitor cameras, opting instead for a sensible ISO 100-3200 range. While there is some image noise present throughout this range, image quality is otherwise decent and sharp from ISO 100-400. It may not win the prize for maintaining sharpness above this setting, but the larger sensor size certainly puts itself beyond the capabilities of some Similar Panasonic models, such as the Lumix G2.ISO 800 to ISO 3200 soften and increase the presence of image noise exponentially, with "spotty" color noise and significant smoothness from noise reduction making ISO 3200 just right to the side.
Samsung NX11 Review – Value
At around £480 the Samsung NX11 is competitively priced. The Sony NEX-5 costs around the same (but doesn't have a viewfinder), the Panasonic Lumix G2 actually costs a bit less between £420 and £460 and adds the benefit of a vari-angle touchscreen, while the £500 Olympus E-PL2 is the priciest of the similarly spec compact system cameras.
Samsung NX11 sample review image - click for full size gallery
The only minor concern is product availability. With few online retailers and few major chain stores stocking the Samsung NX series, it's amazing how much reach the product will gain over the next few months.
Verdict
Samsung NX11 Review – Verdict
There's not much new to get excited about when comparing the NX11 to the previous NX10, but that's irrelevant when considering the NX11 as such. level it is not, but the NX11 successfully brings
Out-of-the-box i-Fn lens compatibility. This helps provide a "calling card" for the NX series; a unique principle that should help the NX stand out in an increasingly crowded system camera market. compact.
Image quality is good, autofocus has been improved by a good margin over its previous incarnation, and the body layout feels sensible in the hand. It feels like a mini-DSLR in many ways, although with fierce competition working on even more advanced models, we'd still like to see a bigger lift for the NX series.
For all its strengths, the NX11 just isn't as great as we'd hoped to say it's still a very good camera that deserves attention and one of the few compact cameras to deliver a viable alternative to a full DSLR system.
Trust Score
Note in detail
Value
9
Design
9
Features
9
Image quality
9
Performance
9