Viewfinder, LCD, Live View and Video
As a compact-styled system camera, the NX200 relies on the rear screen for composition. The electronic viewfinder available for the NX100 is not even compatible, due to the removal of the accessory port. The smaller body, however, means that the camera feels more natural held away from your face and the LCD is good enough to view in bright conditions.
With this increased reliance on the rear screen you would expect it to be of premium design. The AMOLED was praised when released and it still delivers great results. However, having used more recent designs, the NX200’s screen looks a little ordinary. When compared with its competitors, the resolution is lower, there is no touchscreen control and no vari-angle bracket, which, despite a decent viewing angle, restricts low-level shots.
The benefit of an electronic composition is that rather than just aiding composition it can also simulate exposure. This means that you can see straightaway if the exposure settings will potentially leave the subject over or underexposed. There is a depth of field preview as an option for the rear custom button and a histogram display, but it would also be handy to provide a relative brightness option, at least for the manual modes.
The upgraded video functionality of the NX200 keeps it in line with the competition, and while this may have little bearing for many photographers its abilities are nonetheless impressive. The camera records in full 1920×1080 HD resolution at 30fps with stereo sound. The maximum clip length of 25mins is more than adequate, if not ground-breaking, although the ability to control both shutter and aperture manually or in priority modes allows greater creativity.
The camera also features 60fps shooting for smoother motion at 720p, and multi motion modes that speed up the action by up to 20x in full resolution, or slow it down to 0.5x at 720p or 0.25x at 640×480. Of these, the half-speed 720p version is perhaps the most useful and the full-resolution video appears punchy and smooth. The only facet missing here is a microphone input to allow external devices to be used.
