Samsung 20.3MP NX20 Wireless CSC Camera Review by ePhotoZine With Rating 4.5/5

Average Camera Review Rating [13 reviews]

On April 19 2012, Samsung announced three new interchangeable lens camera with Wi-Fi connectvity, Samsung called them compact system cameras (CSC): the NX1000, NX210 and NX20. All three models features a 20.3 Megapixels APS-C sized sensor as well as a 100-12800 ISO range.

The NX1000 is a highly portable compact camera with features such as Smart Auto 2.0 and the Smart Link Hot Key, making it really easy to shoot and share great images instantly. It is available in white, classic black or pink colors. The NX210 comes with a premium metallic finish and offers a 3.0-inch AMOLED display and Full HD movies support. The NX210 allows quick sharing via the Wi-Fi function, whilst with Samsung Mobile Link users can share photos connecting the NX210 wirelessly to internet-enabled TVs. The NX20 comes with the look and feel of a DSLR but smaller and lighter. It delivers speed with its 1/8000s fast shutter and it comes with a 3.0-inch clear AMOLED swivel display. The NX20 also incorporates a range of functions and manual controls including SVGA EVF. As mentioned earlier, all three models come with Wi-Fi capabilities. This allows wireless uploading of images to social networks and also the ability to link to a Samsung smartphone, which will act as a wireless viewfinder and remote control. There's similar features in the company's compacts such as the WB150F, but it's a first for Samsung's ILCs. Incidentally, Nikon's latest DSLR, the D3200, is also Wi-Fi enabled. However, it requires an optional accessory, the WU-1a module at $60. Here's the summary of review of the NX20 by ePhotoZine, giving the camera a rating of 4.5 out of 5:

"Dynamic range is decent, with additional range available when using "Smart Range" although this recovers lost highlight detail, and not shadow detail. Sharpness is very good outdoors with good levels of detail. Macro performance is impressive for a kit lens with the lens set at 55mm, and for closer shots manual focus is recommended. The lens is also extremely resistant to flare, even when shooting into the sun. Some distortion (Barrel, Pincushion) is noticeable at wide and telephoto ends of the lens respectively. Vignetting is very low, as is CA/Purple Fringing. The camera shows low levels of noise at ISO100, with a slight increase at ISO200. Noise is visible at ISO400, although not excessive. At ISO800 noise becomes more noticeable and detail suffers. Again at ISO1600 noise increases further. At ISO3200 noise is stronger again. It's at ISO6400 and above that further image processing may be required, such as resizing or further noise reduction. Leaving electronic shutter switched on enables higher shutter speeds but also gives images with higher noise levels. The camera records 1920x1080 (Full HD) video at 30fps, as well as at 1920x810 24fps / 720p / VGA / 240 (email) modes. The camera doesn't feature a wind filter. ISO can be manually set up to ISO3200. P/A/S/M modes are available, as well as Picture wizard colour options. Multimotion lets you record at different speeds 0.25x / 0.5x slow motion at VGA/720p as well as Full HD 5/10/20x for high speed playback. Smart filters, such as old film are available however video is reduced to VGA / 15fps. Selective colour is also available. The AF mode can be chosen, and MF assist is available.

The NX20 is available for £899 pricing it similarly to other premium priced mirrorless cameras, such as the Olympus OM-D E-M5 (£999 body only, with 9fps shooting, weather sealed body), Sony NEX-7 (£925 body only, 10fps, high resolution viewfinder), and despite the NX20 having a metal body doesn't feel quite as premium as some of these rivals. You'll also need to buy a memory card and a case or bag to keep your camera safe and protected - have a look at our complete guide to camera bags. The Samsung NX20 is an improvement over the NX11 and features a great tilting screen, high speed continuous shooting (although not as quick as others), good image quality and excellent Wi-Fi connectivity. The camera also feels more like a mini Digital SLR rather than a compact mirrorless camera and this makes it larger than some competitors. There are some areas of disappointment, such as the plastic eye cup, 7fps rather than the expected 8fps continuous shooting, higher price, as well as the slow write times when writing photos to memory as this stops you from altering settings for the next shot. However, if you're looking for a high quality mirrorless compact system camera with good image quality and excellent connectivity then the NX20 delivers and has an abundance of features to experiment with as well."

Samsung NX20 Sample Photos on Flickr

Samsung NX20 Camera Reviews Roundup

Digital Camera Review: "The NX20 provides DSLR-like image quality, creative flexibility, and lens interchangeability without giving up any of the popular point and shoot features and ease of use of smaller cameras. The NX20 was designed for entry level ILC users, but novices and experts alike can achieve exceptional results with this camera. Image quality is first rate and the Samsung 18-55 kit zoom is noticeably better than most similar k..." - Mar 17 2013 More »
Digital Camera Review: "Digital camera manufacturers introduce new models with almost mind numbing regularity, but the Samsung NX20 isn't just another pretty face in the camera crowd. The NX20 features a 23.5mm x 15.7mm (APS-C sized) 20.3 megapixel CMOS sensor that Samsung claims, "...produces images that rival those of any premium DSLR." The NX20 also provides Full HD (1080p @ 30 fps) video output, an 8 fps burst mode, and Insta..." - Feb 14 2013 More »	N/A
Steve's Digicam: "The image quality from the NX20 is fantastic. Exposure, color, sharpness and incredible detail are all present throughout all of our sample images, indoors and out. The NX20 has definitely provided us with dSLR image quality from a much smaller package. You can see the excellent exposure and vivid colors in our outdoor samples. Even in high contrast and high dynamic range situations, the camera did very well, keepin..." - Nov 20 2012 More »	N/A
pdn: "Many manufactures have tried implementing some kind of wireless capability in their digital cameras but most of them have been a failure. On the other hand, wireless connectivity and access to social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter in smartphones and tablets have been the main reasons those devices are so popular. The Samsung NX20 is the first camera I've shot with that comes close to bringing the wire..." - Nov 12 2012 More »	N/A