The latest Samsung, the NX 3000.
I am a member of the Samsung Imageloggers. It's a fun group. We have a secret handshake and we meet in secret with the Illuminati to plan a new world order. Well that's not strictly true. We have no secret handshake, or at least not one they've let me in on. And I just made that up about our affiliation with the Illuminati. Really.
So, the Imagelogger program consists (in the U.S.A.) of about 50 photo enthusiast from various walks of life who get cameras from Samsung and then go out and shoot them and evaluate them and post images to the Imagelogger website as examples of what the various cameras are capable of delivering in the real world. In the hands of a diverse group of photographers. So far I've shot with the NX300 (a great little camera that only needed the addition of EVF capability to be superb), the Samsung Galaxy NX camera, the NX30, which is a shot across the bow of mirror less DSLR style cameras from Olympus and Panasonic (good body size, great lenses, bigger sensor, decent EVF, nice IQ), and a strange little camera that fell pretty far outside my user profile and my demographic = the NX Mini. Designed to be the ultimate "selfie" camera and the first Samsung NX with a 1 inch sensor. Now I've received the NX 3000 which immediately made me think, "NX 300 - Lite." By that I mean the build is more plastic and less metal, the external controls are simplified and the damn thing is white! (In all fairness the camera is widely available in brown and black finishes as well).
The reason I am calling it an NX300 lite is that it packs the same imaging performance in. While the imaging sensor doesn't feature the phase detection AF of its bigger brother its color, sharpness and 20 megapixel resolution match up. The reason this camera exists has to be the price-to-performance ratio. The package with a (darn good) 16-50mm power zoom lens and the tiny, vestigial flash comes in at around $500. What you are getting for that price is a very, very good, APS-C sensor coupled with a well designed 24mm to 75mm equivalent zoom lens. The lens also does image stabilization.
I just got the camera two days ago and I'm posting a bunch of photographs that I took on my walk yesterday morning and let you see what I saw. The camera feels good and the interface performance is good.
I was going to get all snarky about the white color of the camera until I walked with it in the hot sun and the camera stayed cool and manageable. Made me think past tradition to practicality.
Here's a short list of what the camera is all about:
=20 megabyte, APS-C sensor.
=Works with all current NX lenses.
=1080 at 30p video.
=Front face-able selfie screen.
=NFC and Wi-fi connectivity.
=Wink mode for self portraits (no. I did not make that up. See = "Narcissism" in the DSM-IV).
=Standard hot shoe for flash.
=Small flash comes with every camera kit.
Here's what the NX3000 lacks:
=unnecessary weight.
=multiple control dials.
=EVF or the ability to add an EVF.
=touch screen capabilities.
I spent an hour walking and shooting around Barton Springs and Lady Bird Lake yesterday. This is not a "work" camera, this is a "take everywhere and not worry about it camera" or a "hand it to the kids/spouse/stranger/friend and let them take photos" without a massive tutorial session.
One more thing: I really like the lens and will almost immediately pull it off the NX 3000 and put it on the more capable NX30 for some more serious walking around photography. They should be a good match. Well, that camera is black and the lens is white but I think you know what I meant about the match.....
I ordered the white leather kit from Aki Asahi for my silver Fujifilm XE-1 and it's a thing of beauty. Looks just OK with the black zoom lenses, but fantastic with the silver 27mm. I've recoveedr the leather on all my cameras, from Leicaflex (car upholstery vinyl) to Leica CL to little Ricohs. We talk about having fun with cameras and then treat them like sacred investments. Stocks are investments. Cameras are tools. I think we should make them ours. Hell, I had actress Mary Kay Place scratch her initials into the back of e of my Leicas with the awl of a Swiss army knife. Got two of my favourite "things" married into one holy object for all time. Effect on the resale value? None whatsoever. After 38 years of insane abuse (and professional and regular CLA), I sold it for far more than I paid for it.
ReplyDeleteIt wouldn't be a valid test without those watermelons at Whole Foods, would it?
ReplyDeleteColor!! Saturation reminds me of FujiColor/FujiChrome. Is that straight out of the camera? The images look positively delicious. The Austin Chamber of Commerce should pay you for your promotion efforts.
I'm all for personalizing cameras. I used to put stickers all over my bigger cameras. One problem with the move to smaller cameras is the lack of surface area for "adornment."
ReplyDelete"The Austin Chamber of Commerce should pay you for your promotion efforts."
ReplyDeleteBecause we so desperately need people to move to Austin right now. The streets are almost empty and those house prices are in free fall....
:-D
I like what Samsung are doing. But then I was always that contrarian walking lonely on the road less travelled. Sometimes I refuse the popular option just to be bloody minded.
ReplyDeleteBut the Samsung cameras seem to need no excuses. I particularly like the look of the NX30 with that ultra fast f2 16-50mm. It is a shame I can't find any store that has one.
I like colored cameras too. I still like using my bright red Pentax KR from time to time. It looks like a toy camera and I seem to disappear when using it.
I must admit to being a little surprised that you are with Samsung. The Samsung USP is connectivity to the web, image sharing on line, wi-fi etc etc. All of these things are not really in your wheelhouse are they?
Or are you now no longer a wi-fi luddite and are busy sharing your images on the fly to your instagram account? I think we should be told. :)
Rufus asked a few questions I thought I would answer here. "Am I still a wi-fi Luddite?" Technology-wise, no. I worked for the original wi-fi trade association in the 1990's, have worked with wi-fi transfer for years and even have some university electrical engineer training from a past life. I understand just about everything there is to know about the hardware, software and radio technology of wi-fi. But let's answer this a different way: Am I a social wi-fi Luddite? Yes, absolutely. There's very little beyond performances at trade shows that calls for real time wi-fi transfer of images. It's a disruptor of the creative process. It reduces camera battery life. The transfer is insecure. I can transfer more images on a T1 line in five minutes than I can via a fast wi-fi connection in five hours. It's woefully inefficient. And unless you are the second coming of HCB nobody on God's green earth really gives a rat's ass about how quickly you can upload and "share." (Again, see the DSM-IV for Narcissistic Behavior).
ReplyDeleteI see on camera sharing as a silly thing. A useless "feature." The first thing I do with a new camera from Panasonic, Olympus or Samsung that I am using is to turn off the wi-fi, NFC and other useless battery sucking crap.
Then I evaluate the camera on photographic merits: 1. Is the sensor good? DR, color, tonality, resolution, etc. 2. Is the camera intuitive to operate while taking photographs? Fast to focus, good exposure and white balance. 3. Is the camera fun to hold in my hands and operate physically? 4. Is the image easy to view and compose.
While I can see the value of wireless tethering for working photographers the value of wi-fi for "social sharing" is zero.
Here's the USP I perceive from the Samsung NX3000 = APS-C, low noise, high res sensor. Access to a good and growing line of lenses. Good handling characteristics for the price class and type.
I already have a phone in my pocket, if I desperately need to share something right now I'll pull it out and use it.
I've had an Instagram account for a while and I still don't see the value for me. Same with Twitter. I understand the social mechanism but I don't see much relevance and predict that most of the social stuff will be the "pet rocks" of our time. Or should be considered that way.
But what do I know? So much stuff is consumed on phones. I guess I'm one of the declining few who aren't on such a tight and constrained schedule that I have to eat in my car and watch my information and entertainment on a screen the size of my palm.
I mostly play with the Samsung cameras because they come in the post with very few strings attached and they are, with each iteration, nearing IQ and handling parity with the rest of the crowd.
I would also challenge you to shoot with the NX30 and the 85mm 1.4 or the 60mm macro. Amazing lenses.
But remember, take everything I say about Samsung with the appropriate grain of salt because they do send me the cameras for free.
I try never to make that part of my process but on the other hand I am only human and not in charge of my subconscious mental processes.
That being said I am pretty sure that both my conscious mind and my subconscious mind are equal in their disregard for camera-borne wi-fi "sharing."
Can't disagree with you about the uselessness of Wi-Fi sharing. Tethering and remote control, however... The other day I was in the rare mood for a ring light look. I actually usually do this with a circular CFL tube, but I wanted big soft light. So I put my XT-1 on a tripod squarely in front of a big diffused umbrella (no room for me in there) and composed / shot from my phone. Worked like a champ, though I had to remind the model to look at the camera and not me. :)
ReplyDeleteInitials I don't recognize: USP?
ReplyDeleteUser Sees Pictures?
Hi Mike, sorry for the marketing jargon. USP = Unique Selling Proposition.
ReplyDeleteUnique Selling Proposition, eh? Looks like Weird Al Y. missed that one on his video "Mission Statement"
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyV_UG60dD4