Samsung NX20 Digital Wi-Fi Compact System Camera - Black (20.3MP, 18-55 mm Lens Kit) 3.0 inch LCD

I've been using the NX10 for about 2 years, and loved almost everything about it. With firmware updates it matched the later nx11 in everything. Just wish it had a tilting screen.

That, and more has been added to the nx20. The amoled screen is bigger than the earlier camera and can swing out 180 degrees and rotate 180 up and 90 degrees down. The eye-level view finder is far better than the nx10s, though I seem to be having some minor trouble with the diopter adjuster - it keeps getting knocked, which never happened on the nx10.

Handling is fantastic. At first it felt a bit awkward, but I soon got used to the slightly different control positions (caused by the larger screen.) The extra wheel around the +control is a superb addition. This makes moving through the images (even when magnified) faster, and gives you a choice of how to change setting such as the aperture in manual (either the wheel or the iFn.)

If you're taking landscape or architectural photos, the built in level will come in handy. Accessed by pressing the display button (no longer a separate button, but up on the + control) this shows both horizontal and vertical alignment. It's a bit sensitive, but still useful to have. Add in the option to have grid lines (2x2 and 3x3 plus diagonal) and converging verticals should be a thing of the past - unless that's what you want.

WiFi. For a lot of people, this may be an important selling point. If you're one of those who always post on facebook or similar, then you can post you pictures straight to one of several sites. BUT, this only works with jpgs (which makes sense.) On the other hand, while you can also email pictures, you're still limited to jpgs.
I thought that maybe the WiFi would be useful for transferring images to my computer without using a card reader or usb cable (the camera is usb 2.0, my card reader usb 3.0.) In the instructions, it states that you'll have to turn off your firewall! Not a hope in hell of that happening. More irritating is the fact that once you have sent an image, you can't send it again, even if the transfer failed. So I'll ignore these features and stick to the card reader.

The final WiFi piece of the puzzle is slightly more useful, though it may become more usable with later development. You can use your android phone as an external screen and remote release for the camera. Range is approx 7 meters, but you have little control over the camera settings and worse (for me) the camera operates in "Smart" mode - the setting recommended for beginners. If you can live with the limitations, it works quite well, though there is a delay between operating the phone and the shutter firing.

Now you may think I've been a little negative on the nx20, so why the 5* rating. It's simple. The image quality. These 20mp images are really superb. I took a photo of a dragonfly with the standard lens from about 60cm. Every vein in the dragonfly's wings is visible. Like it's predecessors, the colour is excellent, being neither too vibrant nor overly subdued. Add 8fps for 8 frames - even the bracketing uses this speed where possible - and it should be quite good for sports. Maybe not motor sport though. There is a 30 frame burst mode, but that's only records 5mp images.

If like me, you use old lenses via an adapter, you'll be pleased to know that you can use manual focus assist (zoomed viewfinder) by pressing the OK button. This isn't in the manual.

Overall, this is easily a match for all but the top dslr's, but without their weight penalty. The raws are excellent and most of the features are a major step up from the earlier cameras. I personally have little use for the WiFi, and I haven't even touched the video or "creative" modes, other than taking note of them for future experiments.

If you have one of the earlier Samsungs and are looking to upgrade, you won't be disappointed. If you're coming from a compact or bridge camera, then you can make use of the beginners mode (set on by default) and know that you'll have a camera that will grow with you as your skill set expands. If you're looking for a camera that's lighter than your current dslr, then you'll probably look at that manufacturers csc range. But you really should take a look at this too. It has one of the best sensors for colour rendition, plus the Samsung lenses are a match for all but Leicas'. Give it a try. You won't regret it.

Samsung refer to this as a CSC - a Compact System Camera. In the US, it would probably be termed as EVIL - an Electronic Viewfinder Interchangeable Lens camera, which provides a clearer idea of what it actually is, although other descriptions may also be used. Consequently, always-on Live View is an important feature. Although designed to resemble a dSLR, there is no direct optical viewfinder but you do have the now usual 3-inch screen, which in this instance is AMOLED and folds out from the body and rotates around a horizontal axis so you can shoot at low or high angles with relative comfort and ease both in landscape and portrait orientation, and the EVF. There is a small dioptric adjustment knob at the side of the EVF to correct for individual users' vision.

The camera is sold as a unit; there is no body-only option. Were it available in that form, some may prefer the more compact 20-50mm lens offered with the non-dSLR-style bodies. Some retailers are offering it complete with the 50-200 zoom as a kit at around the same price as the standard outfit alone, which effectively provides a significant discount and a very useful additional basic outfit.

The NX range is now established and has been around for a couple of years or so. The lens range is growing slowly and an 85mm f1.4 has recently been announced (as at September 2012) currently only for the US market at around $1000 and is now on sale in the UK about £800. It is a rather bulky beast if illustrations provide an accurate impression and it is unlikely to feature in many people's kit. There is no fish-eye or extreme wide-angle, or a long telephoto zoom currently in the range - the 50-200 is the longest, but hopefully that situation will change!

The EVF provides a bright, but not outstandingly bright, image at an effective 800 by 600 resolution (equivalent to 1.44 million pixels), whilst the main screen provides a lower 640 by 480 resolution. The EVF comes alive only when the camera is close to the eye and is designed to be viewed from a distance of approximately 2cm rather than in close contact. On a camera with a retail price of just under £900, it is a little mean for the resolutions to be that low although, being AMOLED, it partly compensates with its higher contrast! Personally, I did not find the screen to be quite as bright as with some other recent cameras, especially not the Olympus OM-D, although it is perfectly usable in all but the brightest light, when the EVF will be a better option. Samsung claims to have treated the screen to reduce reflections, and it did not appear to suffer too much in that respect. It is slightly smaller in size than most other APS-C size dSLRs but is lighter than most. The lens in this instance matches in physical size that most often provided by its competitors, and offers a slightly greater than 3:1 18-55mm focal range and has a rather large 58mm filter thread. A petal-shaped plastic lens hood is supplied and fits over the lens by a bayonet fitting. It can be reversed when not in use.

The camera uses a recently developed and upgraded APSC-sized CMOS sensor, which is also shared with a couple of Samsung's recent top-of-the-range compacts, although it is unclear whether or not it is of the 'backlit' type, with slightly more than 20 megapixels at its disposal. As Nikon have recently released the D3200 at a considerably lower price and a similar construction and lens, which it considers as entry level with a mostly lower specification level than the NX20 but with 24 megapixels (although its images do not have the same delicacy as those from the NX20), Samsung may have to move quickly as I am sure that other manufacturers will at least try to match Nikon to introduce an equivalent MP count in their next entry-level models and may need to beat it for higher level ones.

The kit lens appears to possess an all plastic body although the mount which attaches to the camera is metal, as is its mate on the camera body. However the camera body also appears to be of the same plastic material, polycarbonate or similar, which although very strong is much lighter than metal. I do not have the impression that there is an internal metal frame, although there may be one, but the body does not flex when gripped as do those of another popular brand (not the two top ones). Many other cameras at around the £900-1100 price mark will have magnesium bodies for lightness and strength and Samsung may have replaced this expensive component with some equally expensive electronics which help provide some of this camera's performance gains (see later comments). However the feel and appearance of the camera do not quite provide obvious evidence of quality that I would generally expect for the level of outlay although other manufacturers seem to be following a similar concept for their non-pro models.

The strap, mostly nylon, is more than strong enough for the camera and probably most heavier lenses when attached and is of the type that needs to have its loose ends threaded through the buckles to secure. If done correctly, it is very secure but I have seen comments where users of other cameras using this style of strap have failed to realise that and just threaded the ends through the loops. The consequences are obvious!

There is one slightly unusual feature of the camera and that is that its internal electrical contacts are at the top, just below the EVF housing; every other brand I know has theirs at the bottom. I don't know of any particular advantage of this arrangement and I have never seen it mentioned in print or on any web-site.

In use, once the battery has been fully charged (about 1.5 hours from new but possibly longer when substantially or completely discharged, and when the charger light has turned green) and installed, the camera does seem to be slightly slow on start-up and also in shooting (apparently corrected in the 1.01 firmware). There are reports from several technical reviewers that after shooting 8 or 9 shots in rapid sequence, it will stop briefly and then continue but rather more slowly than before. However, on checking, I have found that there is a firmware update - v1.01 at the time of writing - although Samsung provides no information about the benefits of the upgrade or upon the available software upgrades (see subsequent comments).

In addition to the usual APSM and Scene shooting modes - and a few others - found on almost every other camera, there is a Smart mode. This is essentially auto-everything and reduces the number and variety of options available from the Fn button. Choose one of those four modes, and the number of options opens up significantly. One such is the option of an on-screen horizontal/vertical grid to help alignment and composition which is found elsewhere, there is also a diagonal grid which I have not seen previously although its possible advantages defeat me. The other options becoming available include white balance, vivacity and the various effects modes (equivalent to Olympus' Art Filter feature).

In terms of features, the camera is aimed at the serious amateur user, and possibly semi-professionals although there are claims made about its professional potential. I do not see that Samsung cameras have yet the prestige, history of longevity or the depth of system accessories that would attract the pros. However, for the less demanding user, most menu settings come with a short tip or explanation about what it does, and this is more typical of low- to mid-level cameras. For many users, and perhaps those unused to a less-often used feature, it may help when the full manual is unavailable, e.g. out in the field.

One feature that this camera provides is full Wi-Fi capability which could, in practice, provide for the wireless transfer of the images to a PC or to a web-enabled TV or printer. You can also do that via cable, which is provided. The camera also offers GPS facilities but you need an optional module to fully work with this feature. Curiously, Samsung offer a single GPS module but their own web site clearly states that it is incompatible with this camera! Whilst useful for some, I do not envisage either the WiFi or GPS being much used, the latter perhaps more useful for travel photographers and tourists.

There is a built in flash which, when not in use, fits over the EVF housing which is standard with this type of design, and is manually raised by pressing the release button to its left (marked by a lightning symbol) although it will rise automatically in poor light. There is a proprietary hot shoe which could accommodate either the GPS module or one of its external flash guns - according to several sources, the SEF-42A and SEF-220A are compatible with this camera but not the other of Samsung's flashes but the web-site says that none of those external flashes is compatible with the NX20. It is certainly curious that Samsung are stating that both its GPS module and external flash guns are not completely compatible throughout the NX range; either this is an error or they have a problem that needs investigation! In any event, there is a conflict between information in the camera manual and its web site that needs resolution.

There is a small focus assist LED which is high enough up on the body not to be accidentally covered in normal use and the green light it emits is certainly bright enough to do its job at moderate distances, although its range is limited. The Wi-Fi antenna is also adjacent to the EVF housing and it should not be touched when the facility is in use. There are suggestions from some sources that, when using the Wi-Fi to connect to some Android smart-phones and tablets, it will latch on and remain connected to some more reliably than with others. Read more ›

For people like myself who are dipping their foot in the water for the first time with a decent camera, this is a very good starting point. If, like me, you are used to the 'point and shoot' type of camera this is great because when you first take it out of the box you can use it as a 'point and shoot'. You set the dial to 'smart' and it does it all for you just like your old camera. The difference is the picture quality is so much better. The depth and quality of the pictures are of professional standard. The 18-55mm included lens is easily fitted. Incidentally for those new to this quality of camera that means the zoom is about 3x (ie 55/18, no I had no idea!). Your 'point and shoot' camera may go up to 26x but the quality of the zoomed picture will be poor. I have already been so impressed by the quality of pictures I am getting I have invested in the 18-200mm lens (200/18 = 11 times zoom according to my calculator). The reason being I want to do wild life photography. Birdies and badgers don't usually sit quietly for a photograph (mind you neither does my 3 year old granddaughter, there is a children setting!). Once you have got used to handling the camera you can start becoming less automatic. Becoming more and more manual as your confidence rises. You move the dial off 'smart' and suddenly adjustable shutter speeds and focus become available. Along with the ability to 'burst' ie take lots of pictures every second. Adjusting the focus and shutter speed are now second nature to me. As it is a samsung it has incorporated some of their phone/tablet technology into the camera. There is wifi for transferring pictures to your computer (there is also the old fashioned traditional usb wire). You can also transfer pictures directly to things like facebook if you are out in the field (and have a smart phone). Something of which I am unlikely to do but I can see the attraction of. The camera looks great and feels great. The quality of the photographs are outstanding. I have no hesitation in recommending this camera.