Review: Samsung Galaxy NX

Review: Samsung Galaxy NX

Introduction

The Samsung Galaxy NX was finally unveiled in all its Android 4.2 Jelly Bean-powered glory in June 2013, and we've now had a chance to test the camera fully.

Samsung was one of the first manufacturers to launch a compact system camera, unveiling the first device fitted with an APS-C sized sensor back in 2010 with the original Samsung NX10. Since then, several iterations of the NX brand have been unveiled, while the rest of the manufacturers now have at least one CSC in their arsenal.

There were a fair number of rumours th at the company would introduce a version of the NX loaded with the Android operating system ever since the compact Samsung Galaxy Camera was announced last year. The Samsung Galaxy NX was launched alongside the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom, a hybrid phone/compact camera.

The Samsung Galaxy NX combines the high quality features of the NX range, most notably the large (APS-C format), 20.3 million-pixel APS-C sized sensor, with the operability and fun of the Android Jelly Bean OS.

Like Sony and Panasonic, Samsung is an electronics giant and not a dedicat ed camera manufacturer. As such, it tends to do things a little differently, just because it can. The Samsung Galaxy NX is the world's first interchangeable lens camera to feature Android and 4G connectivity - but how long before the other manufacturers follow suit?

Inevitably, people will be questioning the merits of a camera fitted with Android, or wonder if it will also be capable of making telephone calls. What the Samsung Galaxy NX camera does, in theory at least, is combine high quality image making with the current desire to instantly edit and share your photographs as soon as is humanly possible.

By making a camera with Wi-Fi and 3G/4G connectivity and fitting it with the Android OS - for which there are hundreds, if not thousands, of ready-made apps - this kind of camera should meet a new kind of desire for the best of both worlds. Apps such as the ubiquitous Instagram, along with the dozens of Instagram-a-likes out there, make it easy to give your images a vintage or retro feel and upload them for sharing with your networks.

Along with the standout features of the sensor and Android OS, the Samsung Galaxy NX also has a number of other interesting specs.

It's fitted with a Drime IV Image Signal Processor, which Samsung says gives it speed and accuracy.

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The number of NX range lenses is growing, and although Samsung doesn't yet match the breadth of options available from the Micro Four-Thirds cohorts of Panasonic and Olympus, there are still a decent number.

At launch, it seemed likely that the Galaxy NX would occupy the same kind of territory as mid-range CSCs such as the Panasonic G6, but with the official price at a whopping £1300/US$ 1700, it seems that Samsung is aiming higher, making this a competitor for the likes of the Sony NEX-7, Olympus OM-D E-M5 and Panasonic GH3.

Build quality and handling

Samsung has gone for the DSLR-type styling, rather than flatter, compact style of cameras we've seen from the company of late. A chunky grip makes the camera easier to hold than some of the other NX cameras and helps it to feel secure in the hand, especially when shooting one-handed. That said, the chunky look won't be to everybody's taste, and definitely takes some getting used to.

This isn't really a camera that you can use one handed for long periods of time, due to the size and nature of the screen. You'll need one hand to hold the camera and another to operate the touchscreen.

On the back of the camera there are no buttons, since instead the entire rear is taken up by the extremely large 4.8-inch touchscreen TFT. This is much larger than the usual 3-inch displays found on most compact s ystem cameras and DSLRs, and certainly is a striking look.

The only physical buttons on the camera can be found on top of it, where you'll find the shutter release, a button for lifting the inbuilt flash and a video record button. There's also a dial that can offer a number of different functions, depending on what you're doing with the camera. It can be used to switch between the various modes, such as shutter or aperture priority, or it can be used to jog between different apertures, shutter speeds and so on, once you've selected this parameter on the touchscreen.

By default, scrolling the dial independently will switch between the different exposure modes, but you can also customise the dial to control various key functions such as aperture and sensitivity. Pushing the dial inwards wil l switch between these different parameters once this mode is set.

By default, the camera switches to sleep mode after 30 seconds. That's quite brief and it takes a little while to warm back up again when you need to use it. We tried switching it to a longer period, but even though it was changed in the menu, it still switched off after 30 seconds.

From completely off, the start-up time of the Galaxy NX is pretty slow - being akin to a smartphone or tablet. We're talking about 10 seconds or more to go from off to ready to shoot - not very useful when trying to capture a fleeting moment.

Fairly responsive and quick to use, the touchscreen on the back of the camera can be used to control every aspect of the camera's settings. In order to make a change to aperture for instanc e, you could touch the aperture display on the back of the screen, then swipe with your finger to alter the setting. Because the area you need to swipe is quite small, it's easy to be frustratingly inaccurate. A combination of using the touchscreen and the scrolling dial is probably the most sensible approach.

When using the camera in "professional" mode, touching a cog icon on the screen brings up the menu. The first screen contains a quick way to access various photographic settings, including metering and white balance. When using the camera in "standard" mode, this screen isn't present and you'll have to delve further into the menu, or use the iFunction lens button.

One of the benefits of a touchscreen is the ability to set the focus point anywhere you like quickly and easily. W hile it's true that you can do that on the Galaxy NX, there seems to be no way of keeping an AF point active. Press a point on the screen, take your shot, and hey presto, the point has returned to the centre if using Centre AF, or returned to a different point if using multi-AF. It's pretty annoying having to place the point back to where you want it if you're shooting multiple images, for instance when working on a portrait.

It's also impossible to change the autofocus point when using the viewfinder, meaning you'll need to remove the camera from your eye, set the focus point, then place it back. It's a process that is handled much better by other cameras, including Panasonic's TouchPad AF found on the G5, G6 and GX7 â€" that allows you to continue to use the touchscreen to set the AF point even when using the viewfinder. Alternatively, other cameras with buttons allow you to change the point while using the viewfinder. It's something that can quickly get very frustr ating, so we'd probably recommend using the centre AF point and focusing and recomposing for the majority of your shots.

If you're using one of Samsung's innovative iFunction lenses, then the lack of buttons is less of a problem, since you'll be able to make many changes to aperture, shutter speed and so on via the lens itself. If you're not a fan of touchscreens, though, this really isn't the camera for you.

One difficulty we've found is that when viewing images in playback mode, the virtual delete button can be found at the top right hand corner of the screen, which means if you're holding the camera by the grip, it can be easy to accidentally hit the delete button. It won't delete since you'll be prompted with a confirmation box, but it is annoying.

If you've been shooting in JPEG and raw format, when playing back images, you'll see two images displayed. This makes it a little tedious to scroll through, and isn't something we've seen on any other recent camera. You also can't display lots of images on screen to navigate though quickly â€" the best you'll get is a timeline of images at the bottom of the screen, this makes accessing an image you took a while ago pretty time consuming.

To get to the Android portion of the Samsung Galaxy NX, you'll need to swipe across the right side of the camera to bring up a Home button. From here, it's pretty much like using any other Android-powered device, and you'll find a number of pre-installed options, as well as the ability to add any app you like from the Google Play store.

It does seem however that the camera won't work with some apps. For instance, when using Instagram, the camera won't focus, so you can only really use images you've already taken. It's as if the Android section of the Galaxy NX is entirely separate from the camera section of it, which seems to miss the point a little.

Unlike many of the compact system cameras on the market, Samsung has included an electronic viewfinder (EVF) on the Galaxy NX. In terms of resolution and size, this is a very impressive device, with a sensor included to help produce a seamless transition from using the touchscreen to using the viewfinder - it automatically switches as you bring it to your eye.

The electronic viewfinder itself is very crisp and clear, and it's almost as good as using a traditional optical viewfinder. One of the benefits of using an EVF over an OVF is that you can see any changes you make as they happen, while you can also view images played back, helping you to determine whether or not you've nailed the shot much quicker than having to remove the camera from your eye frequently.

Shooting portrait pictures is a less than impressive experience however, as the sensitivity of the sensor isn't always strong enough to know when you've got the camera to your eye, leading to it flickering on and off when you're trying to shoot â€" pretty annoying.

Performance

Samsung has been sticking with the same sensor for quite some time now for its NX range of cameras. It's a good performer, so it's not hard to see why.

Colours are excellently reproduced, being rich and vibrant without excessive saturation. Similarly, the amount of detail captured by the camera is impressive. 20 million pixels also means you can crop a picture and still retain a good resolution.

General purpose meteri ng does a good job in the majority of situations, including some high contrast scenes. If you're finding that the camera is struggling slightly, switching to spot metering is beneficial.

The Galaxy NX comes packaged with an 18-55mm f/3.5 â€" 5.6 lens as standard. It's a reasonably good performer and makes for a decent carry-around lens. Images taken with it are sharp and detailed, and there's little sign of chromatic aberration or fringing.

Focusing is quick, though it still doesn't quite match the exceptionally quick speeds of the Panasonic and Olympus Micro Four Thirds cameras. Although accuracy is generally good, there are times when the camera doesn't seem capable of picking the most appropriate autofocus point. For instance, during our testing, while shooting a portrait, the camera would often choose to focus on a tree behind the model. This is especially frustrating considering that even after setting the AF point yourself, the camera will reset after each shot is taken.

Processing speeds are one of the biggest let downs of this camera. We're not sure if it's Android that is slowing down the camera, but processing speeds of up to 10 seconds per shot (when shooting in raw format) is not unusual. Worse still, the camera appears to randomly drop raw format files and occasionally JPEG files, which is extremely disappointing. If shooting in "professional" mode, we've found that changing a setting, such as sensitivity, means that subsequent shots are not saved. You can avoid this by shooting in "standard" mode, but it seems like a very odd thing to happen. We have tested this on more than one model of the Galaxy NX to account for any problems with our specific review sample and have found it to be the case on both models.

Unlike other models in the NX range, the number of creative options is a bit more limited. Perhaps this is because of the greater possibilities to download apps from the Google Play store if you want to edit shots. You can shoot panoramic shots though, which is good fun. Panoramic images are quite low resolution, but they're certainly good enough for sharing online and so on. Double exposures are also possible. It's worth exploring the different areas of the camera if you want to get a bit more creative, and of course, the amount of interesting photographic apps available for Android is pretty big.

Images are very good throughout the ISO 100-1600 range, with low noise and lots of detail. Above this, images are fine at small printing or web sharing sizes. At high sensitivities, such as ISO 3200, noise remains fairly l ow, but there is evidence of image smoothing and loss of detail.

The large screen is one of the selling points of the Galaxy NX, however it does suffer from glare and reflections, especially when using it in bright sunlight. Because you can't articulate or tilt the screen, it can be difficult to see what you're composing, and perhaps worse, the settings you're trying to change, in these conditions.

As you might expect, a camera which includes the Android operating system, requires a hefty battery life. The physical size and weight of the battery helps to explain the huge proportions of the camera. It's a decent performer, lasting almost all day, but less if you're using the Android portion of the camera a lot.

Image Quality and Resolution

As part of our image quality testing f or the Samsung Galaxy NX, we've shot our resolution chart.

If you view our crops of the resolution chart's central section at 100% (or Actual Pixels) you will see that, for example, at ISO 100 the Samsung Galaxy NX is capable of resolving up to around 24 (line widths per picture height x100) in its highest quality JPEG files with the 18-55mm kit lens mounted.

For a full explanation of what our resolution charts mean, and how to read them, check out our full explanation of our camera testing resolution charts.

Examining images of the chart taken at each sensitivity setting reveals the following resolution scores in line widths per picture height x100:

JPEG

Full ISO 100 image, see the cropped (100%) versions below.

ISO 100, score: 24 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 200, score: 22 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 400, score: 22 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 800, score: 22 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 1600, score: 20 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 3200, score: 20 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 6400, score: 16 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 12800, score: 14 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 25,600, score:10 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

Raw

ISO 100, score: 26 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 200, score: 26 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 400, score: 26 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 800, score: 24 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 1600, score: 24 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 3200, score: 24 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 6400, score: 22 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 12800, score: 22 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 25600, score: 16 (Click here to see the full resolution image).

Noise and dynamic range

We shoot a specially designed chart in carefully controlled conditions and the resulting images are analysed using DXO Analyzer software to generate the data to produce the graphs below.

A high signal to noise ratio (SNR) indicates a cleaner and better quality image.

For more more details on how to interpret our test data, check out our full explanation of our noise and dynamic range tests.

Here we compare the Samsung NX300 with the Sony NEX-7, Olympus OM-D E-M5 and Panasonic GH3.

JPEG signal to noise ratio

The chart indicates that the Samsung Galaxy NX has performed moderately well, beating the Sony NEX-7 at its lowest sensitivity of ISO 100. In the mid ranges, it is beaten by all of the other cameras on test, aside from ISO 800-1600 where it very closely matches the Olympus OM-D. At the higher end of the scale, it beats the Sony NEX-7 by some margin but, competes very closely with the other cameras on test.

Ra w signal to noise ratio (after conversion to TIFF)

When shooting in raw format (and converting to TIFF), the Galaxy NX doesn't compare as well, being beaten by all of the other cameras on test at every sensitivity. At higher sensitivities, it is reasonably close to the Panasonic GH3, but it is well below the Olympus OM-D and Sony NEX-7 at the lower end of the scale.

JPEG dynamic range

Again the charts show that the Galaxy NX was not able to perform as well as the other cameras on test, being beaten at every sensitivity apart from ISO 200 where it is almost identical to the Panasonic GH3. It is quite marginal ly below the Sony NEX-7, at the lower end of the sensitivity scale, catching up at the higher end. The Olympus OM-D performs the most consistently here.

Raw dynamic range (after conversion to TIFF)

It's a similar story with the raw (after conversion to TIFF) dynamic range results, although the camera does more closely match with the Panasonic GH3, even beating it at the very top end of the sensitivity run. The Olympus OM-D E-M5 is the best performer here, outperforming the Galaxy NX by some margin at every sensitivity.

Sample images

Click here to see the full resolution image

The Samsung Galaxy NX comes equipped with an 18-55mm kit lens as standard. It puts in a decent performance, and makes for a good carry-around lens.

Click here to see the full resolution image

Use the touchscreen to set the AF point where you want to focus. If you're using the electronic viewfinder you'll lose control over the AF point selection, with the camera deciding for you.

Click here to see the full resolution image

The large sensor on the Samsung Galaxy NX helps to produce creative shallow depth of field effects.

Click here to see the full resolution image

The Samsung Galaxy NX's sensor is capable of resolving plenty of detail.

Click here to see the full resolution image

Colours directly from the Samsung Galaxy NX are well represented, without being overly saturated.

Click here to see the full resolution image

The Samsung Galaxy NX is compatible with the full range of NX-mount lenses, of which there are now quite a few. Several interesting prime lenses are available, including a 20mm f/2.8 optic.

Click here to see the full resolution image

The automatic white balance system does a good job of producing accurate colours in the majority of conditions.

Click here to see the full resolution image

Using fully automatic mode is a good way to let the camera take control over settings, leaving you free to worry about composition.

Click here to see the full reso lution image

Creating a panoramic image is easy to do from the smart menu. Simply select the Panoramic mode and hold down the shutter release button, while sweeping the camera across the scene either from left to right or up and down.

Click here to see the full resolution image

Another creative option is Double Exposure mode.

Click here to see the full resolu tion image

Since the Samsung Galaxy NX is equipped with the Android Jelly Bean operating system, you can download a huge number of apps to edit and manipulate your photos. This, for instance, has been created with the ubiquitous Instagram.

Sensitivity and noise images

JPEG

Full ISO 100 image, see the cropped (100%) versions below.

ISO 100 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 200 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 400 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 800 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 1600 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 3200 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 6400 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 12800 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 25600 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

Verdict

The Galaxy NX is a camera that we want to like, but unfortunately it seems like it's just not finished yet.

While the images from it are undeniably good, getting those images can be problematic thanks both to usability quirks and the random dropping of images when processing.

If you can see past these problems you've then got the huge asking price for the camera. For the same price, you can get some seriously impressive kit from other brands, so it's incredibly difficult to recommend spending this kind of money on something which clearly has a lot of work left to do.

Samsung's NX sensor is once again capable of producing excellent images which are finely detailed and display excellent colours. The range of NX lenses is growing, and there are some interesting prime optics available at the moment if you want to expand your range.

Including a full Android operating system on the camera is an excellent idea, in theory at least. It means that you have the instant sharing capability of your smartphone for your high quality images. The myriad of apps available to download also make it quite an attractive prospect, especially when it comes to image editing. It's a huge shame that some apps don't work with the camera though, such as Instagram.

We liked

In theory, there's a lot to like about this camera. The huge screen makes images really shine, and makes it nice to use when working with various Android apps. Image quality is also good, when you can get the camera to work as you want it to.

We disliked

Where to begin. Unfortunately, in practice, there's so much to dislike about this camera that it's ending up as a real disappointment. Probably the biggest problem is the dropping of raw and JPEG files at random intervals â€" that's a serious problem as it could mean missed moments. Processing speeds are also unacceptable when shooting in "professional" mode.

Final Verdict

Ultimately, we're just not sure who this camera is aimed at. The professional who has this kind of money to spend on gear like this will no doubt get very quickly frustrated wit h some of the camera's problems, while the beginner who is likely to be tempted by the large screen and Android is unlikely to want to spend this kind of cash.

Unfortunately, for the price, this camera just isn't good enough and we'd be hard pushed to recommend it to anyone but early adopters with money to burn. It's a good idea in theory, and Android-powered devices might just be the future, but it isn't quite here yet. Perhaps Samsung can work on an improved version, either via a firmware upgrade or a new model entirely, at which point we will re-evaluate our verdict.

First reviewed 12 September 2013.