Samsung NX200 review (with 18-55mm lens ,Black)

Furthermore, while the AMOLED display is bright, with good contrast, and doesn't wash out in sunlight, it's very reflective. Occasionally, all I could see were the stripes of my shirt. At moments like that I wished it had an articulated, or at least tiltable, display. And I think people will really miss the option to add an EVF; dropping the connector is the one potentially big boo-boo the company made when updating from the NX100.

Design and features
Thankfully, there's more to the NX200 than just a lot of pixels. It's much better than the NX100; it's smaller, yet more comfortable to grip, and more solidly built. For those unfamiliar with Samsung's i-Function system, it consists of a button on the lens, which invokes shooting settings, such as ISO sensitivity or shutter speed, which you then change using the manual-focus ring. The system works well, and it feels much like shooting with the Canon PowerShot S100 or Olympus XZ-1. It distinguishes the NX cameras from the other ILCs in a way that adds to the shooting experience rather than detracts from it.

If you choose to go the traditional route, Samsung introduces a new (for it) Smart Panel interactive control panel interface that you pull up with the function button. It's easy to use, but I found myself missing the type of customization control that Panasonic's cameras offer over the interface, as well as the capability to save custom settings. You can program a raw override (as well as which options appear on the i-Function ring), but that's just not as much as I'd like.

The camera supports full manual exposure controls during movie recording, and has a Multi Motion mode that records and plays back both faster and slower than normal, though the slow-mo mode only works at reduced frame sizes and frame rates.

	Nikon 1 V1	Olympus E-P3	Samsung NX100	Samsung NX200	Sony Alpha NEX-5N
Sensor (effective resolution)	10-megapixel CMOS	12.3-megapixel Live MOS 12 bit	14.6-megapixel CMOS	20.3-megapixel CMOS	16.1-megapixel Exmor HD CMOS
	13.2mm x 8.8mm	17.3mm x 13mm	23.4mm x 15.6mm	23.5mm x 15.7mm	23.5mm x 15.6mm
Focal-length multiplier	2.7x	2.0x	1.5x	1.5x	1.5x
Sensitivity range	ISO 100 - ISO 3200/6400 (expanded)	ISO 200 - ISO 12800	ISO 100 - ISO 3200/6400 (expanded)	ISO 100 - ISO 12800	ISO 100 - ISO 25600
Continuous shooting	5fps n/a (60fps with fixed AF and electronic shutter)	3fps unlimited (LN) JPEG/17 raw	3.0 fps 10 JPEG/ 3 raw	7fps 11 JPEG/9 raw	3 fps 10 JPEG/6 raw (10fps with fixed exposure)
Viewfinder magnification/ effective magnification	0.47-inch 1.44 million dots 100% coverage n/a	Optional	Optional plug-in EVF 201,000 dots 0.55x (98 percent coverage)	None	Optional
Autofocus	73-point phase detection, 135-area contrast AF	35-area contrast AF	15-point contrast AF	15-point contrast AF	25-area contrast AF
Shutter speed	30 - 1/16,000; bulb; 1/250 sec. x-sync	60-1/4,000 sec; bulb to 30 minutes; 1/4,000 FP sync	30-1/4,000 sec.; bulb to 8 minutes	30-1/4,000 sec.; bulb to 4 minutes	30-1/4,000 sec.; bulb; 1/160 sec. x-sync
Metering	n/a	324 area	247 segment	221 segment	1,200 zone
Flash	Included optional	Yes	No	Included optional	Included optional
Image stabilization	Optical	Sensor shift	Optical	Optical	Optical
Video	1080/60/ 30p; 720/60p H.264 MPEG-4 QuickTime MOV	1080/60i AVCHD @ 20, 17Mbps; 720/60p @ 13Mbps	720/30p H.264 MPEG-4	1080/30p; 720/60p H.264 MPEG-4	AVCHD 1080/60p @ 28, 24Mbps, 1080/24p @ 24, 17Mbps, 1080/60i @ 17Mbps; H.264 MPEG-4 1,440x1,080/30p @ 12Mbps
Audio	Stereo; mic input	Stereo; mic input	Mono	Stereo	Stereo; mic input
LCD size	3-inch fixed 921,600 dots	3-inch fixed OLED 614,000 dots	3-inch fixed AMOLED 921,000 dots	3-inch fixed AMOLED 614,000 dots	3-inch tilting 921,600 dots
Battery life (CIPA rating)	350 shots	330 shots	420 shots	330 shots	430 shots
Dimensions (inches, WHD)	4.4 x 3 x 1.7	4.8 x 2.7 x 1.4	4.7 x 2.8 x 1.4	4.6 x 2.5 x 1.4	4.4 x 2.4 x 1.6
Body operating weight (ounces)	12 (est.)	13	12.2	9.5	9.3 (without flash)
Mfr. price	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	$599.99 (body only)
	$899.95 (with 10-30mm lens)	$899.99 (with 14-42mm lens)	$549.99 (est., with 20-50mm i-Function lens)	$899.99 (with 18-55mm i-Function lens)	$699.99 (with 18-55mm lens)
	$1,149.95 (dual lens kit)	$899.99 (with 17mm f2.8 lens)	n/a	n/a	n/a
Ship date	October 2011	August 2011	October 2010	September 2011	September 2011

Aside from what I've already mentioned, there aren't many standout shooting features. I really miss a tilting or articulated LCD, there isn't even an option for a viewfinder, and there are no useful tools like an intervalometer. As I've mentioned, there are some novel effects, but you can't adjust the parameters. And if you use its Magic Frame, which overlays some huge preset designs over your shot, it reduces the photo's resolution to 2 megapixels.

Conclusion
With excellent photo quality, a nice shooting design and interface, and solid performance, the Samsung NX200 makes a nice package. But it also means buying into a lone-wolf lens system without much third-party support, and because the image stabilization is in the lens rather than the sensor, you're subject to Samsung's whims for OIS-capable lenses. (In contrast, all the other manufacturers have either some third-party lens makers or use sensor-shift stabilization.) That, combined with a ho-hum feature set, makes the NX200's price seem overly high.