Unveiled: Samsung NX3000 Digital Camera

Coming almost a year to the day from the release of its NX2000, Samsung has announced an upgrade, the NX3000 Mirrorless Digital Camera. So, in one year what has Samsung added to improve this compact and versatile NX-mount, interchangeable-lens camera? Actually, the improvements lean toward what I’ll call “retro-elfie.” Physically, the NX3000 is a more handsome camera with a retro flair and textured body. It offers a top-plate mode dial for quick adjustments and has eliminated the large, fixed LCD touchscreen in favor of button and dial controls and an LCD that can flip up 180° for easier self-portraiture and handheld group shots. The camera can be turned on just by lifting the LCD monitor! By eliminating the larger touchscreen and improving battery capacity, the NX3000 offers significantly more shooting time per charge. The camera is currently bundled as a kit with a  20-50mm f/3.5-5.6 ED II lens and is available in Black, Brown, or White.

The NX3000 houses a 20.3MP APS-C CMOS sensor for high-resolution, color-accurate still imaging and full HD 1080p video. An ISO range from 100-25600 helps to provide sharp images in low-light situations and its NX mount enables compatibility with a wide range of NX lenses, including those that offer iFunction control over camera functions.

A precise contrast-detect autofocus system provides several focus modes utilizing a 35-point AF system. In normal mode, the system uses 21 points and, depending on whether you are in close-up mode or auto-tracking mode, for example, the number of AF points adjusts. Single AF, Continuous AF, and manual focus are all supported and shutter speed maxes out a 1/4000 of a second. The image processor allows 5 fps full-resolution continuous shooting but, in burst mode, 30 fps of lower-resolution shooting is supported. Standard P/A/S/M exposure modes are complemented by Smart Auto, Panorama, and Wi-Fi modes.

Built-in Wi-Fi connectivity with NFC lets you transfer images wirelessly to your smart device and, with the free Samsung Smart Camera app, allows for remote control of camera settings via your smartphone or tablet. A direct-link button on the camera’s top plate allows for quick connection to Wi-Fi enabled devices and NFC “Tap & Go” establishes a link to Android devices with just a tap between phone and camera. Other aspects of the built-in Wi-Fi include AutoShare, Auto Backup, Photo Beam, and Mobile Link. For card-based image storage and transfer, the NX3000 is compatible with MicroSD, MicroSDHC, and MicroSDXC memory cards.

The NX3000 supports full HD 1080p video at 30 fps, as well as at lower resolutions, down to QVGA for more convenient sharing. A built-in stereo microphone provides audio capture and video can be shot in Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority and Manual Exposure modes. A dedicated one-touch button on the back panel enables immediate switchover to video capture.

Given its relatively large sensor and feature set, the NX3000 packs a lot into a compact body. It does not utilize a viewfinder, instead relying on a 3.0" 460.8K-dot TFT LCD flip monitor for image composition and playback. The flip monitor can be tilted up for easier composition at low angles and to avoid glare in bright sunlight. For simple selfies, tilt the LCD up fully and utilize the Wink Shot function to automatically trigger the shutter when a wink is detected.  Also, a pop-up flash is eschewed in favor of a hot-shoe mount for external flash units, including the supplied SEF8A Flash Unit.

Being a camera designed for any level of shooter, the NX3000 supports full manual control but also provides Smart Modes and assistive features such as Face Detection and numerous filter and “Picture Wizard” effects to add creative flourish to your images.

The bundled 20-50mm f/3.5-5.6 ED II lens is a very compact, retractable zoom lens with the 35mm focal-length equivalence of 31-77mm. It provides a versatile set of focal lengths for day-to-day shooting, from wide-angle to short telephoto, and still retains the mirrorless compact advantage. This autofocus lens offers iFunction control over camera settings via a button on the lens barrel and, with one ultra-low dispersion lens element and one aspherical element, aberrations are reduced and the result is sharp, high-contrast imaging. Adobe Lightroom 5 photo management software is also included with the NX3000 kit.

	NX3000 Mirrorless Digital Camera	NX2000 Mirrorless Digital Camera
Lens Mount	Samsung NX	Samsung NX
Image Sensor	23.5 x 15.7mm APS-C CMOS	23.5 x 15.7mm APS-C CMOS
Effective Pixels	20.3 MP	20.3 MP
Total Pixels	21.6 MP	21.6 MP
Maximum Resolution	5472 x 3648	5472 x 3648
Aspect Ratio	3:2, 16:9, 1:1	3:2, 16:9, 1:1
Still Image File Format	JPG, RAW	JPG, RAW, MPO
Storage Media	microSD/HC/XC, UHS-1 compatible	microSD/HC/XC, UHS-1 compatible
Card Slot	1 x microSD	1 x microSD
Viewfinder Type	N/A	N/A
Shutter Type	Not specified by manufacturer	Electronically controlled vertical-run focal plane shutter
Shutter Speed	Auto: 1/4000 - 30 sec.; Manual: 1/400 - 30 sec (1/3 EV steps); Bulb: Up to 4 min.	Auto: 1/4000 - 30 sec.; Manual: 1/400 - 30 sec (1/3 EV steps); Bulb: Up to 4 min.
Flash Sync Speed	Not specified by manufacturer	1/180 sec.
Drive Modes	Single Shot, Burst, Timer, Bracket	Single Shot, Burst, Timer, Bracket
Top Continuous Shooting Rate	30 fps at 5 MP resolution, 5 fps at full resolution	30 fps at 5 MP resolution, 8 fps at full resolution
Self-Timer	2 - 30 sec. in 1-sec. steps	2 - 30 sec. in 1-sec. steps
Exposure Metering System	TTL 221 (17 x 13) Block Segment	TTL 221 (17 x 13) Block Segment
Metering Method	Multi, Center-weighted, Spot	Multi, Center-weighted, Spot
Metering Range	0-18 EV at ISO 100, 30mm, f/2	0-18 EV at ISO 100, 30mm, f/2
Exposure Modes	Smart Auto, Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Manual, Panorama, Smart, Wi-Fi	Smart Auto, Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Manual, Panorama, Smart, Wi-Fi
Exposure Compensation	±3 EV in 1/3 EV steps	±3 EV in 1/3 EV steps
Exposure Bracketing	±3 EV	±3 EV
ISO Sensitivity	Auto, 100-25600 in 1 or 1/3 EV steps	Auto, 100-25600 in 1 or 1/3 EV steps
Autofocus System	Contrast	Contrast
Number of Focus Points	Normal: 21 points; Close-up: 35 points	Normal: 21 points; Close-up: 35 points
Focus Modes	Single AF, Continuous AF, Manual	Single AF, Continuous AF, Manual, Touch AF & Shutter
Autofocus Sensitivity	Not specified by manufacturer	Not specified by manufacturer
Built-In Flash	N/A	N/A
Flash Modes	Not specified by manufacturer	Smart Flash, Auto, Auto Red-Eye Reduction, Fill in, Fill-in Red-Eye Reduction, 1st Curtain, 2nd Curtain, Off
Flash Compensation	Not specified by manufacturer	±2 EV in 1/2 EV steps
Flash Bracketing	Not specified by manufacturer	N/A
External Flash Interface	Hot shoe	Hot shoe
White Balance Modes	Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent (W, N, D), Tungsten, Flash, Custom, Kelvin (Manual)	Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent (W, N, D), Tungsten, Flash, Custom, Kelvin (Manual)
White Balance Bracketing	Yes	Yes
Movie Recording	1920 x 1080, 1280 x 720, 640 x 480, 320 x 240	1920 x 1080, 1920 x 810, 1280 x 720, 640 x 480, 320 x 240
Movie Frame Rate	30 fps (NTSC), 25 fps (PAL)	30 fps (NTSC), 25 fps (PAL)
Movie Metering	Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Manual	Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Manual
File Format	MP4	MP4
Compression	H.264	H.264
Audio Recording	Yes, stereo	Yes, stereo
Audio File Format	AAC	AAC
External Microphone Input	N/A	N/A
Headphone Jack	N/A	N/A
Maximum Recording Time	29 min. 59 sec.	29 min. 59 sec.
Monitor	460.8k-dot 3.0" (7.6 cm) HVGA TFT-LCD 180° Flip-Up Screen	1,152k-dot 3.7" (9.4 cm) WVGA TFT-LCD with Touch Panel
Monitor Viewing Angle	Not specified by manufacturer	Not specified by manufacturer
Interface	microUSB 2.0, micro HDMI 1.4a	microUSB 2.0, micro HDMI 1.4a
Wi-Fi	802.11 b/g/n, NFC	802.11 b/g/n, NFC
GPS	N/A	N/A
Power Source	B740A (3.8 V, 2330 mAh) Li-ion rechargeable battery	BP1130 (1,130 mAh) Li-ion rechargeable battery
Battery Life	185 min. / 370 shots (CIPA Standard)	170 min. / 340 shots (CIPA Standard)
Operating Environment	Temperature: 32 to 104°F (0 to 40°C); Humidity: 5-85%	Temperature: 32 to 104°F (0 to 40°C); Humidity: 5-85%
Dimensions	4.6 x 2.6 x 1.5" (117 x 66 x 39mm)	4.7 x 2.5 x 1.4" (119 x 65 x 36mm)
Weight	0.5 lb (230 g) without battery	0.5 lb (228 g) without battery