Samsung NX30 Review | 108 Data compared

The DPReview evaluation of the Samsung NX30 highlights an enthusiast-oriented, SLR-style mirrorless camera featuring a 20.3-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor that delivers good image quality and sharp details, alongside a unique pull-out, tilting electronic viewfinder (EVF) and a bright, articulating 3-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen. The camera is praised for its snappy hybrid autofocus, fast 9 fps continuous shooting, and robust, market-leading Wi-Fi and NFC connectivity, though it is limited by significant LCD and EVF display lag in low-light environments and a maximum ISO of 3200 for Auto ISO. Additional drawbacks identified in the review include mediocre tactile quality on the rear control dial, occasional over-processing in JPEG images, and noticeable moiré and compression artifacts in video mode.

The Samsung NX30 is a high-end mirrorless camera offering a DSLR-like design, a 20MP APS-C sensor, and an articulated EVF, with praised features including an 8.6fps burst rate and excellent high ISO performance. It boasts advanced connectivity, including Wi-Fi/NFC, and a sharp, vari-angle OLED touchscreen for flexible shooting. However, the review notes drawbacks such as a limited burst buffer, a bulky form factor compared to competitors, and the lack of an external battery charger. Additionally, availability is limited due to a lack of body-only purchasing options.

The Samsung NX30 is an APS-C mirrorless camera that offers comfortable, DSLR-style handling with a deep grip, twin control dials, and a lightweight 375g body. It features a highly responsive, 3-inch fully articulating Super AMOLED touchscreen and a unique pull-out electronic viewfinder (EVF) that tilts up to 80 degrees. Performance is driven by a 20.3-megapixel sensor, a Hybrid AF system, and wireless features like NFC and Wi-Fi that enable quick mobile pairing and direct Dropbox uploads. Additionally, the package includes a copy of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5. While the camera excels with its beautiful display, fast autofocus, and useful iFn lens button, it suffers from several notable drawbacks. Image details become heavily smudged in JPEG format from ISO 3,200 onwards due to aggressive noise reduction, though shooting in RAW mitigates this up to ISO 6,400. The EVF exhibits noticeable lag and feels relatively small under low-light conditions. Finally, the camera lacks an external battery charger, requiring in-camera charging, and faces tough market competition due to its high S$1,369 price point relative to rivals like the Sony Alpha 6000.

The Samsung NX30 features a 20.3-Mpix APS-C CMOS sensor paired with a hybrid autofocus system, achieving a DxOMark score of 76. Key advantages include its flexible, pull-out and tiltable 2.36-M dot EVF, a highly bright 3.0-inch AMOLED tilt touchscreen, and robust wireless options via Wi-Fi and NFC. Video capabilities are highly competent, boasting Full HD recording at up to 60fps, a dedicated microphone socket with manual audio levels, and an uncompressed HDMI output. Its metal alloy construction is surprisingly compact and lightweight, and it delivers solid continuous burst shooting at 9 frames per second. Despite being a well-rounded option, the NX30 falls short in low-light and overall sensor performance when stacked against its closest competitors. It sits behind cheaper APS-C options like the Sony A6000 and Nikon D5300, which offer superior image quality. Furthermore, its larger sensor yields only a marginal, modest performance improvement (roughly a 1/3-stop gain) over smaller Micro Four Thirds options like the Panasonic Lumix GX7 and Olympus PEN E-P5. For videographers, the distinct omission of a headphone socket is an additional usability drawback for real-time audio...

The Samsung NX30 is a mirrorless, DSLR-style camera that offers excellent ergonomics, a lightweight body, and an intuitive physical control layout featuring a comfortable rubberised grip. It stands out for its highly functional fully articulating touchscreen, which simplifies menu navigation, and its exceptionally fast and accurate autofocus system. Additional strengths include extensive wireless connectivity options like Wi-Fi and NFC, an impressive battery life, and high-quality image performance when shooting in optimal lighting conditions between ISO 100 and 800. However, the camera falls short for advanced and professional users due to significant limitations in its sensor performance and user interface. Image quality and dynamic range plummet dramatically once sensitivity hits ISO 1600, resulting in heavy noise and unrecoverable highlights or shadows. Furthermore, the user experience is hampered by a slow startup time, a puzzling menu system, a frustrating folder-based playback mode, and an irritating telescoping electronic viewfinder that experiences a jarring auto-focus delay when looking through it.

The Samsung NX30 mirrorless camera review by Chester Tan highlights it as a significantly upgraded, pro-grade choice designed for old-school photographers who appreciate robust manual control. Built around a 20.3MP APS-C CMOS sensor and a fast Hybrid AF system, the camera delivers great image tonality and details at low ISO settings, bundled with Adobe Lightroom 5 to enhance processing. Its physical design borrows heavily from DSLRs, featuring an exceptionally generous hand grip that balances heavy lenses comfortably, a responsive touch screen, and a unique tiltable electronic viewfinder (EVF). The camera heavily excels in its ecosystem-leading "Smart Camera" Wi-Fi and NFC features, allowing for seamless sharing options like Photo Beam, AutoShare, and a Remote Viewfinder Pro app that lets users fully control PASM modes and parameters from a smart device. However, the review details a few notable hardware limitations and user experience drawbacks. The high ISO performance, while improved over previous models due to aggressive noise reduction, causes a loss in fine image details and remains inferior to premium DSLRs. Performance issues include a freezing "Processing" screen when the image buffer...

Samsung NX30 The Samsung NX30 is a mirrorless midrange camera featuring a 20.3-megapixel APS-C sensor, a hybrid autofocus system combining phase and contrast detection, and advanced social media connectivity features like built-in Wi-Fi and NFC. Designed similarly to an SLR but significantly lighter, it features a unique tiltable electronic viewfinder (EVF) that can pull upward by up to 90 degrees, alongside a folding and rotating 3-inch AMOLED touchscreen. The camera delivers an impressive continuous shooting speed of 8.4 frames per second in JPEG mode and boasts a dynamic range of 10.9 stops. Additionally, it offers excellent color reproduction in daylight and comes bundled with Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5 for high-quality RAW processing. Pros and Cons The review highlights several distinct strengths and weaknesses of the camera: Pros: Ergonomics & Display: Features a comfortable grip, a fully articulating touchscreen, and a uniquely hinged EVF ideal for macro photography. Image Quality: Delivers clean, detailed photos with minimal noise at lower sensitivities below ISO 3200. Value-Added Software: Includes a full, free retail version of Lightroom. Cons: Viewfinder Performance: The EVF suffers from slow...

The Expert Reviews evaluation positions the Samsung NX30 as a highly capable flagship mirrorless camera that blends Compact System Camera (CSC) technology with traditional SLR-inspired design. It is praised for its exceptional, class-leading ergonomics, boasting a deeply contoured handgrip and thumb rest that provide a remarkably snug fit. Standout physical features include a pin-sharp, pull-out tilting electronic viewfinder (EVF) and a highly responsive 3-inch touchscreen that facilitates easy focus tracking. On the performance side, the camera achieves rapid burst shooting speeds of up to 8.4fps, seamlessly pairs with Android devices through elegantly implemented Wi-Fi and NFC connectivity, and delivers rich, punchy photo quality with sharp fine details from its 20-megapixel APS-C sensor and excellent 18-55mm kit lens. However, the review highlights several critical shortcomings that prevent the NX30 from being a runaway success. The camera struggles significantly with continuous autofocus, which drops performance to a slow 1.9fps, and its high-ISO output exhibits more noticeable image noise at higher sensitivities than its direct Sony and Fujifilm competitors. Video capture is limited by compression artifacts on complex textures, distracting digital noise reduction...

The Samsung NX30 is evaluated as a capable, enthusiast-level compact system camera (CSC) featuring DSLR-like handling, a superior Super AMOLED screen, and robust Wi-Fi/NFC connectivity. Key strengths include a unique, upward-tilting electronic viewfinder and an improved handgrip that offers secure handling. Conversely, the review identifies the somewhat plasticky build quality and slight processing speed issues as primary drawbacks, preventing it from reaching top-tier premium status. While offering good dynamic range, the 20.1-megapixel sensor suffers from heavy noise reduction at ISO 1600 and above, which affects fine detail.

Samsung NX30 Review Summary Key Pros & Cons Pros: Highly intuitive overall operation, excellent out-of-camera image quality with great detail, and a highly versatile tilting and swivelling AMOLED screen paired with a unique tiltable eye-level viewfinder. Cons: A high launch price tag (£899), an inconveniently placed SD card and battery compartment at the base of the handgrip that gets blocked when mounted on a tripod, and the lack of a standalone battery charger since the camera relies solely on in-camera USB charging.

The Samsung NX30 is a lightweight, 20.3-megapixel Compact System Camera (CSC) designed to deliver DSLR-quality images and interchangeable lens versatility in a more portable package. Tested during a hiking holiday in Yellowstone National Park, the camera excelled with its user-friendly "Smart" shooting modes, such as Panorama and a multi-shot "Best Face" feature. Its standout physical features include a highly flexible, flippable touchscreen display that supports touch-to-focus and selfies, alongside an angle-adjustable electronic viewfinder. Additionally, it offers seamless modern connectivity through built-in Wi-Fi, automatic Dropbox uploading, and NFC capabilities. However, the reviewer noted several drawbacks, including a premium retail price of £899.99 and a body that is bulkier than rival mirrorless cameras, making it conspicuous during casual use. For capturing distant wildlife, the bundled 18-55mm kit lens lacked sufficient reach, though the high sensor resolution allowed for clean cropping. Minor design flaws were also highlighted: the electronic viewfinder requires users to remove eyeglasses to activate, the "Rich Tones" color profile occasionally created unrealistic orange tints indoors, and an awkwardly placed video record button introduced camera shake at the end of Full...

summary of pros and cons is quite distinct. The pros include its fast autofocus, a dedicated burst mode shooting dial for capturing action sequences, and the lightweight yet high-quality build of the body. The primary con mentioned is the high price point of approximately $1,100, which the reviewer suggests is best mitigated by finding a bundle deal that includes multiple lenses to truly realise the camera's value. Additionally, for those uninterested in technical specifications, the camera’s complexity compared to a smartphone might be a hurdle, though its ease of sharing helps bridge that gap. Are you looking for a current camera recommendation, or

However, the reviewer details notable drawbacks that led to their decision not to keep the camera. The 20-megapixel sensor delivers virtually identical image quality and high-ISO performance to previous models, making the advertised sensor upgrades negligible in practical use. A primary pain point is the power supply: the camera uses a new battery type incompatible with earlier models, excludes a dedicated external battery charger, and relies solely on in-camera USB charging. Additionally, the software contains several bugs, such as random autofocus lock-ups requiring a system restart. Furthermore, overly restrictive firmware configurations frustrate usability, including an artificial four-minute limit on Bulb mode with un-switchable noise reduction, an Auto ISO range that caps out at 3200, and the inability to transfer RAW files directly over WiFi without a tedious workaround.