Things are really heating up in the imaging market as smartphones start to muscle into the market with better lens and image processors.
This is the market that Samsung’s NX2000 will be entering and it will be challenging, since it will compete with not just the other contenders in the same market segment but also with smartphones.
Like with Samsung’s own NX300 Direct Link connection with iOS and Android smartphones, the NX2000 is able to quickly share photos taken with the camera. These are pushed to the smartphone to share on social media via the Samsung Smart Camera app.
Take note that the camera actually shrinks down the size of the photos to make the transfer much faster. Such an arrangement is actually safer as there are two copies of the same image.
The link also provides the ability to shoot remotely like the NX300. This means you can set a camera up using the smartphone screen and then trigger the camera from the phone.
The camera feels quite sturdy in the hands with deep set grip and a small thumb rest at the back. The camera is pretty bare, save for four buttons and the on/off switch – the video recording, home, direct link and playback buttons. The huge rear 3.7-inch screen is touch-enabled so navigating around is akin to using a smartphone camera app.
The smartphone similarities don’t stop there. The camera is charged via a microUSB connection on the side and it uses the smaller microSD cards seen more often in phones, instead of the bigger SD cards common on cameras.
The NX2000’s battery life is pretty impressive with 400 shots being shot without recharging, during my tests. As a consumer camera, it also comes with the requisite scene modes and effect filters. There is also a simple touch-up function to do some simple post editing in-camera.
Shot with NX2000’s Panoramic function: Bhutan’s Punakha Valley
One of the best features of the NX2000 is actually its Panoramic function. It is fast when it comes to stitching panoramas in-camera. And it’s pretty accurate as well.
Cycling Through Dusty Roads of Darjeerling.
The image quality of the NX2000, however, tends towards the consumer range of cameras. Even with a comparatively huge APS-C sized sensor, there is a hint of ISO noise even with the lowest ISO setting was used.
The image colour looks neutral most of the time, even to the point of it being overly muted when it is on “vivid” mode. Although one can boost colours in post editing, having a camera that get what is needed in-camera is a much-preferred time saver.
Bhutanese Boys Enjoying The Thimphu Festival
The NX2000 comes with a kit lens offering a focal length of 20-50mm (30-75mm full-frame equivalent). The aperture, from f3.5-5.6, has a slightly longer focal longer than other kit lens. Fortunately, it can go wide enough for a good landscape shot.
All in, the camera is pretty user-friendly, thanks to its touch-enabled screen and a handy control interface that offers a lot of direct control on screen.
The Internet-enabled features are a bonus but they are increasingly becoming the norm. I do miss using a regular-sized SD card and also a separate battery charger to charge an extra battery just in case I need to fire away more shots than expected.
