Samsung's latest NX200 system camera looks cool but the competition is hotting up

We have had a short opportunity to handle Samsung's new NX200 compact system camera (CSC) announced today, along with a batch of new NX lenses. The NX200, at £699, is a more expensive proposition than the NX100 that it will eventually replace. Curiously, the SLR-style NX11 is considerably cheaper, too. Part of this is explained by the relatively high specification of the NX200. It boasts a brand new 20.3 megapixel APS-C sensor, designed in-house by Samsung, for example. The ISO range is 100-12800. The all-new metal sharp-edged body design is an appealing combination of retro and modern design chic. It's also very light. As we have come to expect, the 3 inch AMOLED VGA resolution display on the back of the camera is superb. Focusing speed has also been improved and Advanced Auto Focus mode can now lock focus in around 100ms depending on the lens used.

There are some interesting new features, including a sweep panorama function that enables you to create horizontal or vertical panoramas by holding the shutter release down as you pan the camera. Unlike similar offerings from rivals, Samsung's also enables subjects to be repeated in what they call an Action Panorama option. 3D stills and panoramas, for viewing on a 3D TV, can also be made. 1080HD 30p full HD movies can also be recorded. It looks like 60p frame rate is possible in 720HD resolution. It's also easy to extract stills from movie clips, too, and there is an unusual Sound Picture function that let's you take a snippet of sound from a movie clip. There are ten Smart Filter effects and some enhancements to the user interface that are designed to help the user access function settings and modes more quickly and easily. Two mode adjust wheels help too. Fast continuous shooting rates are possible in various modes. 11 JPEGs (or 8 RAWs) can be shot at 7 frames per second, and 5 megapixel JPEGs can be shot at 10, 15, or 30 frames per second for up to 30 frames using the sensor as an electronic shutter by pressing the shutter release just once in Burst mode.

So far, so good, but in a summer that has witnessed a glut of new and very innovative CSC releases from key rivals, we note some features that those rivals have adopted are missing from the NX200. There is no provision for an optional external electronic viewfinder, for example. There is no integrated flash, although a compact removable flash is bundled with the NX200. While Samsung continues to pioneer the use of touch-screens in its premium compact camera models, the NX200 doesn't have this feature. It's also hard to overlook the fact that the NX200 is not as compact as several of its new rivals. The new NX lenses also announced today, apart from the 16mm pancake, while impressive in specification, are also relatively large and bulky, which seems to contradict the ideals of a compact system camera offering. Some rivals are now offering integrated GPS, and the NX200 only offers this as an option.

New lenses

Some of the new lenses we were able to get our hands on to briefly have been announced previously or hinted at, but some models will hit dealers' shelves imminently while others will arrive in the next couple of months. Once all the lenses have been released the tally for NX i-Function lenses will reach 9.

85mm f/1.4 ED SSA Available from the end of October

This is one hunk of glass! Equivalent to a 127.5mm full frame lens, this ultra bright f/1.4 optic will be of particular interest to portrait photographers. The lens promises paper thin depth of field when you need it and should also be very effective in low light, without the need for flash. As far as I know, Samsung is the only CSC manufacturer to use sonic motors (SSA) for lens focusing and the 85mm is one such example. Sonic motor autofocus is fast, precise and relatively quiet. A distance scale is linked to the focus mechanism and manual focus is mechanical, rather than fly-by-wire. Other manufacturers have had problems getting the technology to work well with contrast detect autofocus systems that CSCs rely on, so it's interesting to see Samsung's SSA technology implemented on NX lenses. This 85mm lens does not, however, feature optical image stabilisation. It does have a 9-blade circular profile aperture diaphragm. Like all the new NX lenses, i-Function operation is supported. The filter thread size is 67mm.

60mm f/2.8 Macro ED OIS SSA Available from mid-October

Another formidable looking new NX lens is the 60mm f/2.8 macro, which makes it equivalent to the classic 90mm focal length in full frame terms. Like the 85mm lens, SSA sonic focus is employed. At first glance the appearance of two rings on the lens barrel suggests this is a zoom lens, but we understand the secondary ring is for i-Function use, while the main ring is for manual focus control. This is a 'true' macro lens and reproduces the subject at life size on the sensor (1:1) at closest focus. Although the filter thread size is only 52mm, the 60mm macro is only 6mm shorter than the enormous 85mm f/1.4 lens and it's a sizeable 84mm in width.

16mm f/2.4 pancake Available September - guide price £299

Equivalent to a 24mm extra wide angle lens, the NX 16mm f/2.4 is a low profile, or 'pancake'-style, lens that enhances the pocketability of your NX camera. No ED (extra low dispersion) lens elements are used, but the optical design does employ a pair of aspherical elements. i-Function is supported.

18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 ED OIS Available September - guide price £699

Designed with video recording functionality in mind, the NX 18-200 superzoom (27-300mm equivalent) uses an ultra-quiet voice-coil motor for focusing, and it really is whisper quiet. i-Function compatible, the 18-200 can focus to half a metre and the filter size is 67mm. I originally thought the 18-200 was relatively compact when I first saw it, so it was a rather surprised to find that it's slightly larger and heavier than the Sony NEX 18-200, which has already attracted comments about its large size.

Full specifications and official Samsung press releases on the NX200 and lenses can be found here.

On page 2 of this article we have a gallery of product images taken at the presentation of the new NEX200 and lenses here in London yesterday afternoon.

We recently had a brief opportunity to handle the new NX200 and NX lenses that were announced today. Below is a gallery of images taken at the press briefing. The lighting was not very bright so the pictures are not nearly as good as studio shots, but they do give a reasonable feel for the products.

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