At the 2013 Samsung SEA Forum we saw the latest camera from Samsung, the NX300, a huge improvement from their NX200 line, and has that retro vibe as well. Rangefinder anyone?
Although it uses the same 20-megapixel APS-CMOS sensor as the NX210, the NX300 comes with a hybrid autofocus system consisting of 247 contrast-detection AF points and 105 phase detection points. This results to a faster and better focusing which I can personally attest to when I tried it out in the showroom.
Another improvement is the faster shutter speed (up to 1/6000 sec) and an improved 8.6fps burst mode.
One of the main features of this camera is that it can shoot 3D photos and videos. Although digital 3D photography is not new, what’s new here is the Samsung NX 45mm F1.8 2D/3D lens – the first 3D-capable one-lens system which captures still and full HD video in 3D. That’s 3D coming from the lens itself instead of the usual software-side 3D processing of yesterday’s digital cameras.
Samsung also introduced a 3.3-inch AMOLED touchscreen on the NX300 that can be tilted for easy shooting in high and low angles.
It also has WiFi capability via a dedicated dial so you can easily share and transfer photos to other devices or online wirelessly. If you’ve used the Smart apps on other Samsung cameras, you’ll easily notice the crude implementation when it comes to the apps. Samsung made some improvements on the apps for the NX300 though so that’s something you can look out for.
I saw something cool for the NX300 by the way, the Gold Package Special Edition, which we probably won’t see here. Instead of aluminum, some sections of the body are gold-plated which I’m sure is headed towards the Middle East market.