Review: Samsung NX2000

Review: Samsung NX2000

The NX2000 is Samsung's new entry-level mirrorless system camera. Except for the lens front and the display, the review unit is all white, complete with white camera strap and a white external flip-up flash which slips into the hot shoe.

The rangefinder-like camera looks seriously pretty but its pearly white finish does make it susceptible to dirt marks. It is also available in black and pink (shown).

A nicely textured control bump in front and a textured thumb rest on the rear provide a good, comfortable grip on the camera.

For a mirrorless camera, this has relatively few buttons. A Direct Link button, Settings dial, Power switch and shutter release sit on top. Video Record, Home and Play buttons are at the back to the right of a 3.7-inch fixed touchscreen display.

Settings changes are done mostly using the touchscreen. The menu interface has a Function icon on the bottom right corner, allowing you to use your thumb to tap it.

This leads you to the Smart Panel which houses all the main settings, such as aperture, shutter speed, ISO and exposure compensation.

Turning the settings dial takes a user through the shooting options of Auto, Smart and Expert. So, if you want to switch to Aperture Priority mode found in Expert option, use the dial to turn to Expert option, tap it, before tapping again on Aperture Priority.

A simple mode dial can do the same job.

The camera is a fast operator, powering up and ready to shoot in just 1.6 seconds. Shutting down takes only 1.1sec. Shutter lag is minimal.

Autofocusing (AF) is almost instantaneous in bright lighting conditions with the kit lens. In dark conditions, the AF is a bit inconsistent, even with an AF assist light. It can take only 1.3sec to lock on to a focus or up to 3sec.

In video recording, the AF takes up to 2sec when you zoom or pan to a new scene.

Using an SDHC card rated at 10MB per second, I shot five RAW images in 0.7sec before the buffer ran out. This is close to the advertised speed of 8 frames per second.

Image quality is good, with decent details and sharp rendition of pixels. Auto white balance is accurate in most lighting conditions.

Image noise is kept low up till ISO 1,600. Even at ISO 3,200, there is only a slight loss of details. But ISO 6,400 is the maximum I would use with this camera.

While the videos shot are sharp and clean, the camera does pick up much ambient audio and AF audio.

Battery life is average for a mirrorless camera. I shot just over 300 images on a full charge.

As with many new models, the NX2000 comes with built-in Wi-Fi. Connecting to your smartphone and transferring photos is a breeze via an app (Android and iOS). It also has Near Field Communication (NFC) for easy pairing with NFC-enabled smartphones.

If you tend to leave your camera in auto mode all the time, the great image quality of the NX2000 might work for you. But if you love to tinker, the touchscreen of this camera will not be to your liking.


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