The Samsung NX100 is Samsung’s first CSC that doesn’t feature an electronic viewfinder and was released a year on from the company’s first CSC – the Samsung NX10. Inheriting the same NX lens mount and 14.6Mp sensor from the NX10, the Samsung NX100 shares the same sized sensor as used by most D-SLRs and is a few millimetres larger than the sensors found in the Micro FourThirds Olympus E-PL2 and Panasonic GF2. The benefit of this larger sensor means the pixels aren’t squeezed together in such a small area, so should produce better signal-to-noise ratio results. With the 1.5x NX format crop factor to consider, the 20-50mm zoom turns into a film equivalent of 30-75mm and with only eight NX lenses produced by Samsung so far it’s more limited than the Micro FourThirds lens range that Olympus and Panasonic currently produce.
The NX100’s ISO range runs from 100-3200, which can be expanded to ISO 6400 and although it shoots in the native 3:2 aspect ratio, there’s the option of shooting in 16:9 or 1:1 if you’d prefer. Like all CSCs in this test, RAW and JPEGS can be simultaneously recorded, but unlike some of the others, the Samsung NX100 doesn’t feature a built-in flash. Instead you’ll need to attach a flashgun to the hot-shoe – this rules out the possibility of using Samsung’s EV10 viewfinder at the same time.
HandlingAt the rear the NX100 has a 3in screen and features a 614K dot resolution. The handgrip is fairly chunky compared to its rivals and although this isn’t a major concern, it does have a predominantly plastic finish and feels less refined than the E-PL2, GF2 and NEX-5.
The 20-50mm optic in our kit is one of Samsung’s latest i-Function lenses. Designed as a quicker way of adjusting common imaging variables such as shutter speed, aperture, ISO and White Balance, it works by tapping a button on the barrel of the lens and using the focus ring to locate your new setting. It takes a bit of getting used to but the concept is a clever one and works well. To the side of the 4-way D-Pad that controls AF, White Balance, ISO and continuous shooting (3fps) there’s a function button allowing access to metering, image size and colour settings. Testing it against its rivals outside revealed its pitfalls. Although it offers Selection AF, 15-point multi AF, Face Detection, Continuous and MF, it doesn’t feature AF tracking and AF performance was rather sluggish. The lens also hunted in darker conditions.
The £429 price tag might seem average for a CSC, but its slower AF and less refined finishing suggest it needs some development before it challenges its closest rivals.
Street price (with kit lens): £429
Resolution: 14.6Mp (4592x3056)
Lens mount: Samsung NX
Focal length magnification: 1.5x
Additional viewfinder: EVF10 (£133)
Focusing: Contrast-detect AF system
Anti-shake: Lens-based (not featured on kit lens)
Burst rate: 3fps
Write times: 4secs (RAW) 2secs (JPEG)
ISO range: 100-6400
Shutter range: 60secs-1/4000sec
Monitor: 3.0in, 614k dots
Video: 1280x720
Storage: SD/SDHC
Weight: 340g (body only)
Dimensions: 120.5x71x34.5mm
www.samsung.com/uk