Samsung NX30 at a glance:
- 20.3-million-pixel, APS-C-sized CMOS sensor
- ISO 100-25,600
- 3in tiltable Super AMOLED swivel touchscreen LCD with a resolution of 1,037,000 dots
- 2,358,000-dot electronic viewfinder with 80° tiltable eyepiece
- NFC and Wi-Fi connectivity
- RRP £899.99 with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens
- See sample images taken with the Samsung NX30
Samsung NX30 review – Introduction
Comparing the NX30 with other Samsung NX-series cameras, you could be forgiven for thinking there’s very little difference between them. Many of the NX-series models feature the same 20.3-million-pixel resolution that was class-leading when it first appeared. However, in recent years, there has been an increase in resolution in compact system cameras, with the launch of models such as the Sony Alpha 3000 and the Olympus OM-D range.
However, the Samsung NX30 fights its corner with a class-leading LCD, an electronic viewfinder and a host of advanced connectivity features.
Samsung NX30 review – Features
The Samsung NX30 has an APS-C-sized CMOS sensor, measuring 23.5×15.7mm, with a resolution of 20.3 million pixels. This is the same resolution sensor that is used inside many Samsung NX compact system cameras, including the Samsung Galaxy NX and the Samsung NX300. Thanks to the next-generation DRIMe IV processor, a speed of 9fps in full-resolution JPEG or raw format is possible in the NX30.
The standard kit lens supplied with the NX30 is a Samsung 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6, which features Samsung’s ifunction button. This equates to a 35mm focal-length equivalent of 27-82.5mm with the x1.5 crop factor of the APS-C sensor.
The Samsung NX30 boasts Wi-Fi and NFC connectivity, which allows users to connect to their smart device via the free Samsung Smart Camera app that is available for both iOS and Android. Users can then remotely shoot from their device or preview, download, upload pictures. In addition, the NX30 has an abundance of other connectivity-based features, including the ability to connect to the internet from a Wi-Fi hotspot without the aid of another device. Pictures can then be uploaded directly to the social network, Facebook or the popular cloud storage service Dropbox via a pre-installed app on the camera. This is the first camera-specific device to allow direct-to-Dropbox uploading.
Also featured is AutoShare, which allows users to send each photo taken with the camera automatically to a smartphone or tablet in a predetermined resolution. By default, it is a 2-million-pixel resolution file.
Many companies have their own raw file-editing software CD included with their cameras. This can, at times, be a bit slow and frustrating to use. However, Samsung has decided to include a full version of Adobe Lightroom 5 for free with the NX30. As this software was awarded the Software Of The Year award at the 2014 AP Awards, and it retails for £102.57 direct from Adobe, this is a fantastic addition to the camera package.
