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EVIL for electronic viewfinder interchangeable lens. Anyway, I pre-ordered this from B&H last September. Have had it for a couple of weeks.
First off, the Samsung NX 200 takes great photos. Low ISO shots are good, not quite as noise free as my Pentax K-5, but at least equal to Canon's current APS sensor images. I process photos from several theater photographers and get to see the files from many current cameras. The NX 200 has nothing to apologize for when it comes to low light performance.
The kit lens is sharp, though no faster than other kit lenses. With Samsung's 30 mm pancake lens it becomes a great street photography camera. The 30 is actually a great addition. It's super sharp, very fast, (F2) has no distortion or fringing in most conditions. The bonus is that the camera becomes very compact with this lens and will fit in a jacket pocket.
Second, the camera is well made. The magnesium body feels solid. Finish is excellent, and it looks classy. The camera is light but solid. There are enough external controls for an enthusiast like me. One extra is the i-Function lens, which allows for quick setting changes by turning a ring on the lens. It's sort of similar to the adjustment ring on the front of the Canon S95/100. That's on the body instead of the lens, but the lens ring makes changing settings surprisingly easy and fast. I'm becoming a fan.
The AMOLED screen is brilliant: bright, crisp and has good color. It will work in bright sunlight, though it does wash out.
Third, taking photos is quick. I don't know exactly how the burst rate compares to the competition. It's more than quick enough for my needs. The camera starts up quickly and shot-to-shot times are fast enough that I don't have to wait. It handles well. controls are in logical locations. Focusing isn't spectacular but well in the ballpark with the competition. I've shot the Olympus EP2 and EPL3, as well as the Sony NEX 5 and 5N for comparison.
Speaking of the competition. I don't think the ideal compact interchangeable lens exists yet. There are compromises with all current camera systems. The system is the important part.
Sony has released some excellent camera bodies with great sensors. The NEX 5N has the same sensor as my Pentax K-5. I don't think Sony gotten quite as much from the sensor as Pentax or Nikon (D7000), but it's close. The NEX7 is the most feature rich body and has an almost insane 24 MP sensor. Sony's shortcoming is that the company has focused much more on camera bodies than on lenses. Honestly, there isn't a single lens in Sony's lineup that would be near the top of my wish list. They make mostly slow aperture zooms, of decent but not outstanding quality. The only pancake lens in the lineup is a 16 mm, which is bit wide for everyday work. With a compact and light body, not having good and small lenses is a shame.
The micro four thirds (M43) cameras from Panasonic and Olympus have a much more mature lens offering. Since both maker's lenses will work on the other brand that helps. The Panasonic 20 mm lens is excellent and the Olympus 16 mm is pretty good. Since the M43 cameras have a small sensor the effective focal length is 2 as opposed to the APS sensor of the Sony and Samsung cameras. That means the a M43 20 = a 40 mm full frame equivalent. A 16 = a 34 mm. Those are great street focal lengths. The Sony 16 only equals a wide 24 mm equivalent. That's a big difference.
Both, Panasonic (GX 1) an Olympus (EP 3) have full featured offerings in about the same price range as the Samsung. They are both fine cameras. Unfortunately, the M43 cameras don't do as well at high ISO sensitivities as do the APS sensor cameras. I shoot indoors a lot and really appreciate the low light abilities of my K-5 and wanted something with near the same ability. The NX200 has that. the M43 cameras don't. If you don't do as much available light photography, the M43 cameras are great. That doesn't fit me.
Back to systems. Samsung has put out more lenses in less time than any other interchangeable lens maker. They have 3 good pancake primes that compliment the compact body beautifully. I got the 30 mm with the new camera and will pick up the 20 next. The lenses were the main factor in my choosing the NX200. Samsung's last sensor was a bit out of date. the old 14 MP sensor is similar to the one on my old Pentax K20D. It was good for its day, but not that great at low light, either. Now that Samsung has a modern sensor that is good at high ISO, the company's offerings look a lot more appealing. The NX200 is a good camera.
It's not perfect. I like the i-Function lens feature but would also appreciate a touch screen on the camera. It's not like Samsung doesn't make excellent ones for their phones. Also the screen doesn't swivel or tilt. My third beef is that the camera doesn't offer the ability to add a electronic viewfinder (EVF).
Holding a camera out in front like a compact isn't as stable as holding it close to the eye. As good as the screen on the back of the camera is, in bright sunlight, it would be nice to have the option of a EVF. Sony's new one is excellent. I'm assuming that it will be similar the the one on the A77, which I've tried. Olympus' one is quite good enough and reports say that Panasonic's is as good as the Oly. It's a shame the the NX200 lacks the option.
The third problem is that the NX raw files aren't compressed, which makes them around 40 MB each. That's nearly twice what they should be. When Adobe releases compatibility for the new camera I'll be able to import them into Lightroom as DNG files with reasonable file sizes, so that's more a temporary annoyance than a major problem. Until then, the JPEGs are fine.
Still, the camera works well and any lenses I get will work on the next generation model. With any interchangeable lens camera you're buying into a system. Samsung is getting their game up to par and has the best lens lineup for my needs, which mostly consist of street and travel photography. This is more than a good enough camera to overlook its few shortcomings. Bottom line. It handles well, looks great, has excellent lens options, and takes great photos.
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