Samsung NX300 Digital Camera: Advancing the Mirrorless Revolution with Greater Speed and Better Connectivity

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NX300 White 1 image Let’s be honest, Samsung is the not the first name that springs to mind when shopping for a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera system, but that could change with the early January 2013 introduction of the company’s new NX300 digital camera.

Where Samsung has actually made a name for itself recently is with its Galaxy group of products, including smartphones and tablets; so it’s no surprise that one of the upgrades of the new NX300 camera is improved integration of it with the company’s smartphones.

The NX300’s body design is certainly interesting, a blending of retro and contemporary elements: the textured “leather” look, accented by a silver cap and foot, and featuring a prominent handgrip. Without a viewfinder, the top of the camera is a slick, flat platform with easy-to-see and -select control buttons, dials, etc. Of particular note is the “Direct Link” button, which provides immediate Wi-Fi connectivity for either image sharing through social networking or secure and automatic cloud storage with the use of AllShare Play.

Samsung has taken advantage of its Galaxy success by creating an app, Samsung SMART CAMERA, in both Android and iOS versions that link the NX300 instantly with camera owners’ Samsung smartphone and tablet products, or anyone using one of the supported operating systems. This new camera may be able to piggyback on Galaxy’s brand strength in the market, causing more Galaxy smartphone and tablet buyers to consider the NX300 as the right mirrorless camera to buy, since it is built to be so compatible with Galaxy products.

The SMART Camera App does more than provide a sharing link to phone or tablet. The AutoShare function automatically transfers photos to a smartphone serving as a backup device. MobileLink puts the transfer process in the hands of photographers, allowing them choose and copy photos or entire albums to their smartphones when it’s convenient. The app also turns a smartphone or tablet into a remote viewfinder, so it’s easy to trigger the camera without being behind it.

Samsung has taken a cue from its smartphone technology and understanding of the market and has given the NX300 a very large, 3.3” AMOLED rear display in a 16:9 format at 768,000 dots. The monitor has touchscreen controls and it tilts, providing more comfortable and creative shooting angles. Some reviewers that have had the opportunity to put the NX300 through its paces are very impressed with the visual presentation of information in the on-screen menu. Many think it is a clear competitive advantage over the other well-known mirrorless camera makers, such as Olympus, Sony and Panasonic.

Another major upgrade of the Samsung NX300, from its NX200 and NX210 predecessors, is a new 20.3-MP APS-CMOS sensor that includes on-chip phase-detection functionality. This is integrated with a new Hybrid Autofocus system, so the photographer has the benefit of both phase- and contrast-detection. Typically, this hybridized AF technology provides faster and more accurate focusing, which Samsung claims will be possible with all lenses. Samsung is also touting the new DRIMe IV image processor found in the NX300, with better color reproduction and greater noise reduction. Plus, this faster, more powerful processor drives a 9fps continuous shooting mode and 1080p60 Full HD video recording.

In addition to introducing the new NX300 mirrorless camera, Samsung also presented its new NX 45mm f/1.8 2D/3D lens. When purchased separately and used with the NX300, the two are the first and only mirrorless system to take still images and 1080p Full HD video in both 2D and 3D. The 45mm f/1.8 lens has separate shutter configurations. For 2D images and video, the single shutter curtain moves as it does in all standard lenses; however, when the 3D mode is selected, the right and left shutter curtains alternately block their sides of the lens, which causes the sensor to record two separate and distinctive images. The camera then combines the two images for a 3D still photo or all the video frames for a 3D movie experience.

As of the writing of this review, Samsung had not yet announced release dates for the NX300 mirrorless camera and NX 45mm f/1.8 2D/3D lens. Preliminary information seems to indicate the MSRP of the camera will be $749.99 and the lens, $499.00.

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