1. Introduction
The Samsung NX30 is the successor of the NX20 which already 2 years, under his belt. The NX30 has been available since January 2014. About the Test Portal trnd.com I have now given the opportunity the camera as a kit with the 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 OIS III lens NX and also even with the 50-200mm F4-5.6 telephoto zoom OIS III To test a month. On the 50-200mm telephoto zoom I'm not here.
2.Unboxing, first impression
The camera is Verpack tidy. In the package is next to the body and the kit lens even a Samsung belt, the battery and charger. The USB cable is detachable but why this is so short I can not explain it.
Very positive note the included full version of Adobe Lightroom 5! This software is the ultimate developer tool for RAW processing and in my opinion, essential for the ambitious hobby photographer with a large photo collection.
In addition, there are of course a CD with the Samsung tools and manual.
After unpacking my first thought was to the touch of the camera: man is the small and light!
For me, with my 190cm height and appropriate hands, wipe it off as early as you can look at as a tool almost too small. But I'm just my Canon 5D used with battery grip and the size and weight difference is enormous. Is the 5D Hammerbeil so you have to consider the NX30 as watch tools and summarizes also accordingly. My girlfriend anyway like the feel pretty good. I'll get used to secure it.
3.The camera
The quality of the camera is wertig at first impression. However, the housing consists of plastic support with partially rubber linings which grip. An for the plastic is high quality but we are far from a particularly high-quality housing or even splash protection. It is wertig but nothing more. In this price range I expect though no miracles but more than the present. But positive are the metal bayonet and the plastic cap on the hot shoe.
Since the housing of the NX30, the buttons are oriented towards large SLR all very easily accessible despite the small size. Only the video button is mounted a bit unfortunate and not without looking away. In total there are 14 direct keys and the PSAM modes to choose from. There are 2 programmable custom functions and the Wi-Fi options even have their own space on the dial.
Rear dust protection covers on the side there is a micro-HMDI port, a microUSB port and a 3.5mm jack for an external microphone. The camera is downloaded only when using the included power adapter, but it can also be specified on any other USB power adapter for example be loaded from the phone or to a USB port on the computer. Here I have the missing power supply and the possibility to purchase more batteries to criticism and to charge the extra battery using the camera. The battery charge may not be sufficient for traveling and frequent use of the camera. This is true for each camera. I have with my 5D always 4! fully charged battery case, no matter where I am. Nothing is worse than to be suddenly while shooting with an empty battery. For the NX30 is certainly a charging station available only will cost additional.
4.The lens
It occurs to me immediately the missing lock switch on the lens on to secure the telephoto zoom. While the lens is not particularly difficult but inadvertent extension is possible. Subsequent testing outdoors with the camera occupied me these impressions. I use this camera to a Camera Strap Joby, she dangles cozy side of the spine and is always within reach. Users with cameras know these need to remain free to move with great equipment. The lens slips when moving to the maximum focal length !! A lock switch is a must! The absence eludes my understanding.
The Samsung Typical IFN-button on the lens is very easy to reach and provides direct adjustment of recording parameters. This makes it possible via the focus ring sharpness, contrast, or the depth of field directly control what turns out to be very convenient. Positive the supplied lens hood should be noted. This can be reversed on the lens mount for the transport and the fit is very good. Only criticism: The lens hood is smooth on the inside and not covered with cloth to refract light. The smooth plastic surface light reflections can not be excluded in the lens and therefore most of baffles in the professional field on the inside are either grooved or covered with fabric. Samsung saves the here.
The inner focusing system is a positive note since this, the front lens does not move when it is focused. A rotating front element is very disturbing in a screwed-pole filter, which fortunately is not the case here. Polarizer can be used without restriction.
5.The sensor
The mirrorless system camera has an APS-C sensor with 20 megapixels and an area of 23.7 x 15.7mm. The sensor sensitivity range is ISO 100 to ISO 25,600 Adjustable. In addition, a sensor cleaning with on board to the sensor through targeted vibrations of dust is cleaned. The image stabilization is built into the lenses so it will be invisible here. The CMOS sensor has to make 105 phase detection pixels to autofocus quickly and reliably. In combination with the contrast AF (247 fields) that gives the hybrid AF.
In the field test, I feel the sensor from ISO 1600 to be very rustling. Basically, with lots of light, good images rauszuholen but from dusk is a tripod absolutely necessary to be able to choose a longer exposure at a lower ISO number.
6.The display
Samsung built in the NX30, a 3-inch AMOLED touch screen has a 345,600 pixel resolution RGB. The screen brightness is very good and makes the display has a sharper screen display as the sensor of the NX30 Images! The touch screen responds instantaneously and can be operated just wonderful. In the built-up display Samsung has done everything right and it is a joy to look at it. One notices here the influence of the smartphone business.
The display is folded and swiveled the rotary range is 270 degrees. However, when the test camera a small intermittent contact is probably available will switch the display briefly flicker when I can aufklappe the screen aside and wave at a slight angle. At the fold and swivel function is a great thing to flexibility in the position to take pictures or to have just the video shoot, it is a must, in my opinion. However, the probability of failure is higher even during permanent use, and I wonder at first use already how long it keeps well.
7.The viewfinder
The viewfinder is probably the most innovative thing I've ever seen in a camera! It can be a bit out of the housing and by 80 degrees upward flaps! Although this is in practice not always necessary but definitely a big nice-to-have. Grade amateur photographers with long noses always bothered but the grease stains on the display below the viewfinder and grimace when pressing the eye to the viewfinder mussel. In the NX30, I prefer the viewfinder simply out of the housing and my nose has plenty of room and my face does not look stupid out, the eye cup here is very pleasant on the eye and is neither too big nor too small. Anyway, I prefer to use the viewfinder to take pictures as a display. It lets me be closer to the action and I can concentrate on making images.
For ground-level shots, the viewfinder can then pull out after just are in the up position at an angle which can be annoying pas¬sé Rumkriechen on Earth. Also note the price of optional angle viewfinder with other camera vendors in the DSLR market. This is easily integrated with the NX30.
Technically offers the searcher a 100% frame coverage with a magnification of 0.6x and a resolution of 786,432 pixels RGB. In the viewfinder, a brightness sensor is installed which when wearing eye (and thus dark) the lower AMOLED display turns off. This not only saves power but also prevents accidental operation of the touch screen with your nose if this is still too long or the viewfinder is not pulled out. The display itself has a great image is bright enough and is the main display to none. I also think the expandable Wasserwage the orientation of the image in x & y direction and in the tilt. Alternatively, easily view different gridlines or recording parameters. The viewfinder is technically and functionally the kritikfreiste feature of the NX30!
8.The Blitz
The built-in fill flash has a guide number of 11 at a light angle of 28mm and a synchronization speed of 1/200 second. It can be flashed to the first or second shutter curtain. To the left of the flash is a Knop to open from the housing and retracted simply by hand. More I can not write because I place Frontal lightning just do not use, preferring external standard or wireless flash units there where I need them to. In conjunction with the system flash SEF 580A TTL but can also be flashed wirelessly.
9.The Video function
Video recordings, the NX30 also. Namely, in Full-HD with 1920 x 1080 pixels and 60 frames the second. The NX30 provides for shake-free images and an optical digital image stabilization and you can focus via touch screen. About the recording options as exposure, white balance or the playback speed can be adjusted. There is also the option to show or hide the start and stop the video.
In practice I was the auto focus but not yet fully convinced, and in low light conditions this has definitely failed or needed very long to the selected subject focus to provide. Such videos are of course for the ton. In low light conditions again the CMOS sensor fails by increased noise. A hotshoe allows even a Samsung microphone connect to stereo recording the video shoot. Alternatively, however, it also the external microphone input use any other microphone with 3.5 mm jack to take.
10.The autofocus
The hybrid AF Samsung does its job quite well. Under low light conditions, but it fails quite often in a lot of light in the open, he is sometimes wrong. Maybe I'm just too spoiled. Super I find when shooting via the display adjust the focus by touch screen. It can then be optionally even a second measurement field move to the point for the exposure to be reported regardless of the focal point.
11.Konnektivität
Although I am always ready for network enabled devices and have my joy to link technical devices together it just I wonder nevertheless whether NFC really belongs in a camera. I just do not see the sense in it why should I knock my smartphone to the camera to get a connection. Especially once set the smartphone app finds the camera immediately. And here we come to the next interface: The WLAN.
In itself a great thing but in practice really necessary? The camera offers about hiring Wifi very different ways to use the Wi-Fi function. Senseless bullshit like baby monitoring or send emails directly, I do not by now light now. In addition to these functions, you can with the NX30 pictures (JPEG) and videos directly to social media platforms Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, Picasa or Dropbox in the upload. Safe for the occasional snapshot quite well but I prefer Scan in RAW, sight on my part and work again briefly over it and then load it in my Flickr account. Out of the Cam, I want to actually do any serious public photos. See the pictures despite the good AMOLED displays the NX30 on my calibrated monitor and large but again different and with Lightroom (normal) lens error such as distortion or distortion largely eliminated.
Also I can abgewinnen the Photo Beam function nothing. This will (again only JPEG) loaded the picture taken immediately after triggering the connected smartphone or tablet to take pictures. It makes more sense here safely direct viewing images and videos on a network-enabled TV.
Better I find there to operate the camera directly via the smartphone. All I can set the camera goes with it via the APP. Super for remote triggering and with LIVE transmission of the image, albeit in a greatly reduced quality. Unfortunately, here is not the RAW photograph in manual mode which is really very sorry.
What would I know but really appreciate what was but inexplicably implemented completely wrong from Samsung, is the Auto Backup function. It would be so nice to see the images transferred me to register directly with the camera to the file shares my NAS (via SAMBA) there, possibly even automatically when the camera has been registered again in the domestic wireless. Technically, it would at least not be a problem if it were not Samsung would boycott the free concept of networking capability. The AutoBackup is namely exclusively via a locally installed program on a computer or through a portal in which you Samsung MUST register. So please, that's got to really not be. The nice thing about a network capability is yet to have devices communicate directly with each other. So why should I get then having to use a computer to go to the camera images on my NAS? In this case, I might as well take the SD card from the device and connect via USB Camera to the computer and upload the images via Lightroom in the library, the computer is running then yes anyway
The WLAN module does not seem to be particularly powerful. Despite the small distance of about 2m without obstacles from the camera to the access point, the connection is only one stroke. The poor performance would also explain why no RAW data can be transmitted via WLAN and the LIVE mode works only with a greatly reduced quality.
By deficient and unintelligible implementation of WLAN in the camera and anyway dubious presence of NFC, I would have rather wanted a GPS module for geotagging when taking pictures.
12.Bildaufnahmen in manual mode
An important point for any ambitious hobby photographers is the manual mode. The important thing here, in addition to the skills of the photographers that quickly all the necessary buttons are achieved and the camera reacts rapidly. The camera takes in practice really fun. When the friend of the manual mode also would like to focusing manually, the NX30 still a great feature. Once the lens from AF is switched to MF and the focus ring of the lens is rotated on the display in an increase to the manual focus to better align. Really great!
I like taking pictures in crooked ISO numbers like 320 and 640. I level because so fine off. The factory but can be graded only in whole numbers, ie ISO 100, 200, 400, 800, etc. In a sub-menu can be switched to the extended ISO range and then are also intermediate steps such as 320 & 640 are available however.
13.The battery power
But I have now no tests with the stopwatch performed my subjective impression of battery performance in mixed mode is quite good. The WLAN function should remain switched off on a photo tour of course.
14.Fazit
All in all, the camera is good, but of course not without errors. Biggest gripe is certainly not the low-noise sensor and the miserable WLAN implementation. Best Innovation is the great seeker and his angle adjustment, as well as produces outstanding AMOLED display. The pity is that Samsung Camera does not equip with a magnesium alloy case and realized a little splash and dust protection and the lack of lock switch on the lens. With a list price of 899 I expect more details in the execution.
I have the camera free to test and would also retain as it would be really useful as 2nd camera. Only I would buy the camera from me because of the criticisms. At maturity are as different camera sizes on the market at comparable prices. Here, I hope from Samsung to catch up. Innovative Samsung is definitely and thus has a right to exist on the Systemkamreamarkt. I would give 3.5 stars but can not forgive half. Therefore, there is 3 stars because I feel 4 is too high due to the non overseeable criticisms.
