AN ERGONOMIC REVIEW OF THE SAMSUNG NX20 CAMERA
Contender or Pretender ?
Moving forwards or slipping backwards ?
Author AndrewS September 2012
Introduction After many years using SLR's then DSLR's as my main cameras I bought my first (mirrorless) interchangeable lens camera, a Panasonic G1, in 2009. I was not pleased with the G1's ergonomics so in 2010 I bought a Samsung NX10 which provided a nicer handle and a more user friendly control layout. I used the NX10 later followed by the NX11 (a very mild upgrade) for the next 2 years with a variety of Samsung NX prime and zoom lenses. I made thousands of photos with these cameras which proved very reliable and user friendly. However Samsung's image quality, EVF and performance failed to keep up with advances made by Panasonic and Olympus in the Micro Four Thirds group, Sony NEX and other manufacturers. So I switched back to M43 in the form of Panasonic GH2 then Olympus EM5 and a selection of zoom lenses. Then the Samsung NX 20 became available in Australia at a realistic price so I bought one, along with the NX 18-55 mm kit zoom, NX 50-200 mm tele zoom and an NX16 mm f2.4. While testing the NX20 I was able to compare it with my experience of the NX10/11 and side by side with the Panasonic GH2 and Olympus EM5.
Market Position and buyer expectations Samsung is marketing, to the extent the imaging division does any marketing in Australia, the NX20 as their "Premium" interchangeable lens camera. As such I think potential buyers would expect it to have a level of image quality, performance and ergonomics at least equivalent to premium ILC's from other brands.
Target User Group The NX20 has specifications (like the 20 mpx sensor, RAW capture, EVF and swing out monitor) which might appeal to the "Expert/Controller" experienced photographer but also has features (like wi-fi, smart filters and selective color) which might appeal to the broader, snapshooting, smart phone savvy group. The risk for a camera seeking to appeal to many is that it may satisfy none.
Review Priorities This is an ergonomic review so I will concentrate on ergonomics and issues relating to the user experience. However brief comment about image quality is appropriate as this too, affects the user's engagement with the camera. You can read elsewhere all the details about specifications and features. I have not tested video peformance for this review. Neither did I attempt to use the Wi-Fi feature, although I wonder how useful it would be with the 33-34 MB RAW files which this camera produces.
Image Quality
Resolution is potentially very high, even extremely high according to some reports. But top grade lenses are required for full realisation of that potential. Unfortunately only one of the lenses I tested (the 18-55 mm kit zoom) came close to revealing the sensor's resolution potential and then only in the central area of the frame at some focal lengths.
Noise Uncorrected RAW noise levels (straight off ACR 7.1 at default settings) up to ISO 3200 were slightly less than the GH2 and slightly more than the EM5. At ISO 6400 the NX20 gives you the option of very high noise levels (with hi ISO NR off) or mushy JPEG like images (with Hi ISO NR on). Neither appeals. This camera's characteristic tone curve is relevant to it's noise performance. I shot hundreds of photos of a variety of subjects using the NX20, GH2 and EM5 side by side. The EM5 typically delivers lighter mid tones than the other two cameras. The NX20 files often produce a histogram skewed to the left. These dark tones have to be pulled up with the sliders in ACR/LR. The problem is that most of the noise resides in those dark tones so pulling them to the right increases the overall appearance of noise to the detriment of image quality.
JPG images show signs of overprocessing with smearing of details and watercolor effect at higher ISO levels.
Dynamic Range My somewhat informal but practical method of testing DR is to photograph a set scene with high subject brightness range and check how well detail is revealed in highlights and shadows. This test ranked the EM5 best followed by the GH2 then NX20. I lack the technical expertise to put a number on DR but DXO rates the GH2 at 11.3 stops, so the NX20 appears to deliver less than that.
Note that I am comparing the NX20 which has an APS-C (28mm diagonal) sensor to two M43 cameras each having a 21.5 mm diagonal sensor. One (the GH2) is 2 years old and about to be replaced. The NX20 with it's larger sensor should easily beat the M43 cams on all measures of image quality but does so only for resolution.
Performance
Speed: Samsung's very first ILC, the NX10, was slow to write data to the memory card. I coped with this because I wasn't in a hurry most of the time. But I did miss the ability to snap off a series of shots in quick succession or follow focus a moving subject. Several firmware updates improved matters slightly but successive NX cams steadily fell behind M43 in overall operating speed. The NX20 is Samsung's eighth NX camera. One might reasonably expect the world's biggest electronics mega corporation to have fixed this pesky little problem by now. Unfortunately the NX20 runs just like my NX10 with the initial firmware. AF is slower than that on M43. Changing settings such as ISO brings up pretty screens and funky noises but is laggy compared to the M43 cams. But the main problem is writing to the memory card. My tests show that using RAW capture with image review turned off and a Sandisk Extreme Pro 95 MB/sec card the following are the shortest shot to shot times I could achieve, with AF and preview between each shot.
Shot 1>shot 2 = 0.3 sec. Shot 2>shot3 = 3 sec. Shot 3>shot 4 =4 sec. Shot 4>shot 5 =5 sec. It takes 17 seconds to make 6 consecutive shots and for most of those 17 seconds one is staring at a blank screen waiting for the cam to get on with it's job. The processing light continues to blink for a further 6 seconds during which time if you dare to try and adjust anything you will get the dreaded "Processing" message. By way of comparison the GH2 can make 6 shots in 3 seconds.
The NX20 is advertised as being able to make 8 shots per second but that is only possible if you don't want AF or preview between each frame. The camera will make 8 RAW photos this way then put up the "Processing" sign for the next 30 seconds.
Continuous AF with Continuous Drive produces 6 frames in 6 seconds with image quality set to JPG Large Fine. The Olympus EM5 can run at 3.3 frames per second with the same image size and quality and keep focus on moving cars in the process.
Autofocus: In Single Shot drive, Single AF, Selection AF, autofocus is accurate and reliable in a wide range of conditions. My NX10 and 11 went for almost two years and many thousands of exposures with an AF misfocus rate of less than 1%. If the NX20 uses the same technology I imagine it will be equally reliable. It operates at a decent speed although not quite as fast as the latest M43 cams. The active AF area can be easily shifted around the frame. Continuous AF with continuous drive is best forgotten. This cam's overall operating speed is way too slow for continuous AF to operate usefully.
Auto ISO: This is poorly implemented. The camera routinely sets an ISO and therefore shutter speed too slow for the focal length in use. The camera "knows" this because it puts up the shutter shake warning hand but fails to take the obvious next step and shift the ISO up to a higher level. This is particularly frustrating because other cams regularly get it right.
Ergonomics I will review this using my standard headings for the four phases of camera use and the three main tasks of Capture Phase. For further explanation about this please refer to my discussion under multiple headings elsewhere on this blog.
Setup Phase This mainly involves making settings in a main menu. Samsung's menu system is a model of clarity which other makers might do well to copy. It has (almost) enough options to do the job and is clearly laid out with no need ever to scroll down more than one page. Menus and submenus are clearly displayed. The lack of a "My Menu" heading for frequently used items is disappointing.
Prepare Phase Adjustments in this phase are made by a combination of hard modules (buttons, dials, scroll wheels) and the Fn screen. The Mode dial is of standard configuration and works well. The combination 4 way controller with rear dial is one of the best I have encountered. It is of rocking saucer design with a sharply defined circumference making it easy to find and operate by feel, without having to look at the module. It is a vast improvement on the Panasonic "five button" arrangement used on the GH2. There are two buttons on the top plate, just behind the scroll wheel . One goes to Metering Pattern and cannot be reassigned. If you don't change metering pattern often this becomes a wasted button sitting on a high value piece of camera real estate. The same comments apply to the adjacent green button. This is a carry over from the days when Samsung shared a DSLR platform with Pentax. It is a kind of universal reset button the function of which cannot be user reassigned. I use it to recenter the active AF area in Capture Phase but it is difficult to locate by feel so I end up having to take the camera down from my eye to locate the button visually.
The Fn screen is one of the best I have seen on any camera. It is very clear, easy to navigate and use. But OIS is missing from the Fn screen and can only be found in the main menu. When Samsung put their iFn button on the lens barrels, they removed the OIS on/off switch and failed to provide an alternative quick portal of access to this control. The iFn button cannot be configured as a quick OIS on/off control either.
Capture Phase, Viewing Viewing arrangements on the NX20 are generally good. The monitor is of the versatile swing and swivel type and provides a clear, sharp view of the subject. The EVF is big improvement over that on the NX10/11, providing a clear sharp view with good shadow detail. Colors tend to be a little desaturated. Key camera data are displayed clearly beneath the image preview in both the monitor and EVF. The only way to identify blown highlights in preview and review is the histogram, which is not always easy to read clearly. The only real problem with viewing is the excessive (compared to the latest M43 cams) blackout time after each exposure. The EVF eyepiece is reasonably well shaped to fit the anatomical curve of the orbit in landscape or portrait orientation, but a rubber eyecup would make viewing more comfortable.
Capture Phase, Holding The NX 20 has an integral handle of the parallel type which I have found to be optimal for a camera of this size. (please refer to my discussions elsewhere on this blog) There is a thumbrest of adequate size. This is a more natural and comfortable arrangement than the "projecting handle with shutter button perched on the end" which you find on the Panasonic G1/2 GH1/2. So far, so good. However the spatial dynamics of handles and holding are subtle. When Samsung changed from the NX10/11 shape to the NX20 shape they altered several key ergonomic dimensions. The swing monitor takes up more width, leaving less width for the "control panel" area on the right side. In addition the designers chose, for reasons known only to themselves, to lower the shoulder height of the camera body and to alter the contour of the handle. People with small hands might find the new design an improvement, but my average sized adult male hands find the NX20 slightly less comfortable to hold than the NX10. In addition the horizontal distance between the center of the shutter button and the top scroll wheel has gone from 13 to 14 mm. Insignificant, you might think but the sum total of these changes in my hands leads to a slightly more awkward user interface.
Capture Phase, Operating Operation is generally straightforward with no dramatic faults. Both scroll wheels are readily located by feel and work well. Most actions in Capture Phase including change position and size of AF area, can be carried out by touch while viewing through the EVF. There are a few things which could be improved however. There are two buttons which are difficult to operate when you want them but easy to bump accidentally. One is the new red (video) button sitting under the right thumb. This is inset with a raised lip surrounding the button, presumably to prevent accidental activation. But some reviewers (not me) report they did bump it inadvertently yet it requires a firm push with the interphalangeal joint flexed to make it work on demand. The red button does not allow user reassignment of function. I would prefer this button to be moved 10mm to the left so the thumb is not sitting on it in the basic hold position. It could be made slightly more prominent thus easier to activate when required and allow user selected configuration from a wide range of options for those who do not routinely use video. I would use it for AF start/lock. The other problem button is the AEL button situated on the thumbrest. This is in exactly the same place as it was on the NX10 and has the same problems. I find I constantly activate this while carrying the camera in my right hand because my thumb lies right over the button. But when I want to use it in the Capture Phase it can only be reached by releasing grip with the right hand, taking the cam down from the eye and locating the button visually. The camera would be better served if this button were deleted altogether and it's functions made assignable to a button on the top plate. Good ergonomic practice strongly indicates that camera makers should not place buttons in this location.
iFunction: I am entirely underwhelmed by Samsung iFunction which I discuss in detail on another post on this blog.
Review Phase Image review facilities are very good. It is easy to jump from one enlarged image to the next with the rear scroll wheel.
Lenses Over the last two years I have bought and used a total of 12 Samsung NX lenses as follows:
16mm f2.4 (1), 20mm f2.8 (2), 30mm f2 (1), 20-50mm (1), 18-55mm OIS (3), 50-200mm OIS (4). Three of these were purchased new with the NX20, the 16mm, 18-55mm Mk3, and 50-200mm Mk2, all with iFunction. Readers please be advised that there is considerable sample variation between lenses. You may find yourself in posession of one which is better or worse than those which I have tested.
16mm f2.4: My copy of this lens delivered mediocre performance at all apertures with resolution lower than the not very exciting 18-55mm kit zoom.
20mm f2.8: My first copy of this was soft at all apertures with severe flare against the light. The second copy was decently sharp in the frame center but still had the flare problem.
30mm f2: This was the best NX lens I have owned with near perfect performance at all apertures.
20-50mm (non OIS): This came with a NX100 body. My copy was a decent kit lens, quite sharp at the wide end, less so at the long end.
18-55mm OIS: I have had three of these. The first was a Mark 1 with plastic mount, without iFn. It delivered a very decent performance at the wide and middle section of the zoom range, going a bit soft at the long end. The second, a Mark 2 with iFn was the best with good performance across the full range of focal lengths and apertures. The third one was a Mark 3 with metal mount and the worst performance of the three. It had a rough zoom action and a peculiar distribution of resolution. It was sharpest at the wide end but with strange soft sectors in the frame the like of which I have not seen in a lens before. Soft corners. The long end delivered good resolution on the test chart (close up) but gave very soft pix of more distant subjects at all apertures.
50-200mm OIS: I bought and used four of these in an unsuccessful effort to find one with good mechanical and optical performance. The first one (Mark 1) had a sticky zoom but was decent optically especially at the short end where it was excellent. The second and third were Mark2 's with a nice smooth zoom action but mediocre optical performance especially at the long end. Number four, also a Mark2 was the worst. The zoom action felt stiff with flexing of the outer barrel of the lens and excessive free play. Optically it was soft on the right side at 50mm, soft on the left side at 100mm and soft all over at 200mm.
Summary of my experience with NX lenses I think that 12 lenses over two years is a sufficient basis for some conclusions. My experience indicates poor sample consistency since the start of the NX line, with a recent decline in mechanical and optical quality.
Minor irritations
Memory Card: The NX10/11, GH2 and EM5 all locate the memory card behind a dedicated flap on the right side of the camera. But with the NX20 Samsung put the card in with the battery. Bad idea. Worse, the card sits very close to the opened battery cover making it awkward to remove. I have dropped the card many times as a result.
Caps: Samsung body and lens caps (the body cap is the worst) have bevelled edges, preventing the fingers from getting a proper grip on them. This makes them awkward to remove from the body, lens or each other.
Shoot without lens: The promotional material for the NX20 makes much of the camera's ability to shoot at 1/8000 of a second (something which I don't recall ever wanting to do) due to the availability of an electronic first shutter. I have "E Shutter" in the menu set to "on" but I can't work out if it operates with the most commonly used shutter speeds because the shutter will not fire without a lens. I do hear four distinct shuter sounds with the slower speeds indicating that E Shutter is probably not active at those speeds. Who cares? There is a phenomenon which I call "Shutter Shock Syndrome" (see my report about it on this blog) which does affect the NX cameras and which might be eliminated if E Shutter were available at all shutter speeds.
Conclusion At the start of this review I put two questions which the NX20 needs to answer.
1. Is the NX20 a contender for serious consideration by the expert/enthusiast photographer seeking high performance from a flagship camera and lens system ? In a word, no. The NX20 cannot match the latest offerings from M43 with regard to image quality, performance, ergonomics, lens selection or lens quality.
2. Does the NX20 move the NX system forwards or backwards, relative to it's competitors ? In my assessment, backwards. Samsung is gradually improving it's camera offerings (but not the lenses at present) but in piecemeal fashion so every time the NX cams move forward, the opposition has moved further.
Comment and opinion I really don't understand why Samsung bothers with NX series cameras. They make about 200 million !!!!! smart phones per year. Output of NX cameras last year has been reported at about 100,000 units which is 0.05% of the smartphone production. Maybe Samsung wants to be a player in every imaging sector. The NX line at present is long on attributes which are secondary to the process of making good photos (cute looking bodies, special effects, funky colors, i-function, wi-fi) and short on imaging fundamentals (image quality, performance, lens quality). Samsung's latest camera releases, significantly branded "Galaxy" appear to be hybrid smart tablet/camera devices with an emphasis on connectivity. It would appear this is the way Samsung is headed with it's imaging products.
