Samsung Had a play with the NX30

Brian style

Regular
Actually found a Best Buy with an NX30 on display and got to finally play with one. Have been very curious about the NX30 since it was announced, but for me the price ($999 w/kit lens) kills the appeal pretty quickly. My impressions after about 15 minutes of goofing off with it:

-It is very light, and looks better in person than it does in pictures. Not that I personally thought it was ugly, but the viewfinder hump is a little on the tall side so it doesn't look as svelte as it could in frontal pictures.
-It is pretty comfortable to hold, a little more comfortable than a Rebel because of the boxier/deeper grip. About the same height and width of a Rebel but only half as deep in the body.
-The mirrorless size advantage shows in the lens as well, the Samsung 18-55 f3.5-5.6 kit lens is smaller and lighter than the Canon 18-55 f3.5-5.6 kit lens.
-The AF for single shot was quick and accurate. I really wanted to try the tracking ability to shoot moving subjects but there was practically no one in the area at the time :(
-The LCD screen looked very nice and it is super thin.
-It DOES feel plasticy. Build quality wise I put it deep in Rebel territory. Which is a problem when you're right next door to D7100, 70d, Fuji XTi, EM1 prices. Honestly, my NX300 feels more robust than the NX30, no doubt because of the brushed aluminum.

Overall I liked what I saw and think that the price is the only real issue. No doubt it will be two or three hundred bucks cheaper in a year and will offer a body only option here in the states, at which point it will be a much more compelling product (of course, by this time next year it will be competing with newer, better products in that same price range). IMHO, Samsung is running about a year too slow with what they're putting out for the price they are asking at release.
 
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