Test the Samsung NX3000
Divisions
Page 1
Samsung NX3000 review
Page 2
Image quality, performance and verdict review
Verdict
Advantages
Good image quality in daylight
Retro style looks
A handy little package
The inconvenients
Over-enthusiastic noise reduction
Focus reliability drops in low light
Low resolution display
Key specs
Review Price: £329.00
20.3 megapixel APS-C sensor
16-50mm PZ lens
3 inch screen 460800
What is the Samsung NX3000?
The Samsung NX3000 is a low-cost APS-C compact camera - for around £330 you get the body and a decent 16-50mm power zoom kit lens. It's the successor to the
Samsung NX2000
, and adds even more retro flavor to keep it in line with the recent Samsung NX Mini.
The 20.3-megapixel Samsung NX3000 is a compact camera for the mobile generation and should fit into most people's lives like a dream. However, it's not perfect - and not really an upgrade NX2000 in all respects.
Samsung NX3000: Design
One of the main appeals of the Samsung NX3000 for photography novices is its design. Although it's not made of the aluminum and leather used in the old school cameras that inspired the look - it is made of various types of textured plastic - it is more stylized than its rivals like the
Sony Alpha A5000
.
This kind of retro styling isn't new to Samsung's CSCs, but the NX3000 takes a step up from the NX2000. rear of the camera make the camera look similar to the high end
Samsung NX300
, where the NX2000 deliberately had a less showy and more ordinary design.
References to the old days of photography are just that – references. In almost every other way, the Samsung NX3000 is a decidedly modern camera. It uses microSD memory cards rather than the full-size ones we're accustomed to, and is charged via microUSB rather than needing a separate charger.
With interchangeable accessories with those of an Android smartphone, the Samsung NX3000 is extremely practical for those who have already purchased other areas of technology. MicroUSB charging also means you can carry an external battery rather than a second battery - extremely useful for holidays, when you want to charge several gadgets. The battery is rated for 370 shots, slightly less than the Sony Alpha A5000, but about the same level as the Olympus PL-5.
More traditional photographers, however, may prefer the style of the slightly chunky Samsung NX300 – the upside model. It's only 39mm thick. There's also no built-in flash, although you do have a flash module that fits into the hot shoe at the top. There's not much meat on those bones, which is good news for portability.
As is often the case with APS-C DSLRs, lenses will often provide a large part of your setup, but Samsung has minimized this by bundling the slim 16-50mm zoom kit lens with the standard NX3000 package. .However, other NX lenses will work with it.
In addition to being very small for a zoom, the 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 glass offers optical image stabilization and near-silent motorized zoom. This duo is a dream for those who want to shoot video – unstabilized lenses and sticky zooms are a videographer's nightmare.
You can't shoot 4K video with a maximum capture at 1080p 25p, but there's more to video quality than mere resolution, and the Samsung NX3000 offers a versatile and versatile package. Like just about every new camera from this category, NFC and Wi-Fi are also on board and allow you to connect the NX3000 to a phone very easily using the Samsung Smart app. There is even a dedicated Wi-Fi button on the plate superior.
Back to the lens - thanks to the amount of thinning done in the camera body, the lens helps by taking out some buttons you might otherwise be able to access on the body itself. There are zoom controls and an iFunction button. This switches between ISO settings, white balance and exposure, giving you easier control without having to use the buttons on the NX3000 itself.
However, most control is done using a few buttons on the camera's back plate. There's a d-pad that doubles as a scroll wheel, and a quartet of buttons surrounding it. As with the most entry-level compact system cameras, settings should be largely controlled in the menu system rather than relying on dedicated physical controls
Samsung NX3000: screen
Some of you may be disappointed to learn that the Samsung NX3000 does not have a touchscreen, which limits the possibilities of interfacing with the camera to some extent. This is particularly noticeable when selection of focus and exposure points.
The elephant in the room - the Samsung NX2000 had a much better touchscreen and display than what you get here. The NX3000 has a 3 inch 460,800 dot screen where the older model has a 3.7 inches at a much larger, higher-resolution 1,152,000 dot. While the new camera offers decent color fidelity and outdoor visibility, there's no disputing – the NX2000 is far superior.
However, the more button-driven operation of the NX3000 may seem less complicated than that of full-touch cameras: the older model lacked the standard rear button layout of the NX3000.
Even looking at the back of the camera, there's literally room for improvement given the amount of bezel exposed. large would certainly have been possible.
The screen also houses one of the main features of the Samsung NX3000. It is hinged to allow the screen to flip over for easy selfies. If you need more proof that the target audience for this camera is young and mobile-obsessed, here it is. But it'll also handle family group photos if your arms are long enough.
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