Samsung NX30 vs Sony A9 II Comparison

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Samsung NX30

20 MP | APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Sony A9 II

24 MP | Full frame (35.6 x 23.8 mm) BSI-CMOS Sensor

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Samsung NX30 vs Sony A9 II Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two Mirrorless cameras from Samsung and Sony. Samsung NX30 was introduced to market in January 2014 and Sony A9 II was launched in October 2019. As you can see, NX30 is 5 years older than A9 II. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Samsung NX30 has a 20.0MP APS-C sensor whereas Sony A9 II has a 24.0MP Full frame sensor.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Samsung NX30 and Sony A9 II before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Samsung NX30 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2014-01-03

20MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 25600

Samsung NX Mount

3" Fully Articulated Screen

2359k dot Electronic viewfinder

9 fps continuous shooting

Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution

Built-in Wireless

375g. 127 x 96 x 58 mm

Replaced Samsung NX20 Compare

Sony A9 II Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2019-10-03

24MP - Full frame BSI-CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 51200 ( expands to 50-204800)

Sony E Mount

Sensor-shift Image Stabilization

3 Tilting Screen

3686k dot Electronic viewfinder

20.0 fps continuous shooting

4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution

120fps High-Speed Video

Built-in Wireless

678g. 129 x 96 x 76 mm

Weather Sealed Body

Replaced Sony Alpha A9 Compare

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Samsung NX30 and Sony A9 II compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Samsung NX30 over Sony Alpha A9 Mark II

Built-in Flash	Yes vs No	Useful in low-light
Weight	375 g vs 678 g	303 g lighter

Reasons to choose Sony Alpha A9 Mark II over Samsung NX30

Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift vs None	Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Viewfinder Magnification	0.78x vs 0.66x	Larger Viewfinder
Max Sensor Resolution	24 MP vs 20 MP	19% more pixels
Max ISO	51.200 vs 25.600	100% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points	693 vs 247	446 more focus points
LCD Screen Resolution	1.440k dots vs 1.036k dots	38% higher resolution screen
Continuous Shooting	20.0fps vs 9.0fps	11 fps faster
Battery Life	690 shots vs 360 shots	330 more frames with a single charge
Headphone Port	Yes vs No	better video control
Environmental Sealing	Yes vs No	shoot at tough conditions
Timelapse Recording	Yes vs No	creative shooting
Viewfinder Resolution	3686.4k dot vs 2359k dot	56% higher resolution
Color Depth	25.0 vs 23.5	higher color depth
Dynamic Range	14.0 vs 12.4	higher dynamic range
Low Light ISO	3434 vs 1014	better High ISO performance
Sensor Pixel Area	35.30µm² vs 18.48µm²	91% larger pixel area
Max Video Resolution	3840 x 2160 vs 1920 x 1080	Higher Resolution Video
AE Bracketing Range	±5 EV vs ±3 EV	Wide Bracketing range is useful for HDR
Flash Sync Port	Yes vs No	Connect off-camera flash
Bluetooth	Yes vs No	Connect your camera to other devices via Blueetooth
Storage Slot	2 vs 1	Extra storage slot
UHS Card Support	UHS-II vs none	Read/Write in Ultra High Speeds
Animal Eye AF Tracking	Yes vs No	Easily lock and track focus on animals
Webcam Function	Yes vs No	Use your camera as a Webcam
Anti Flicker	Yes vs No	Reduced uneven color and exposure under flickering light
Eye Tracking Focus	Yes vs No	Autofocus system locks on the eye and tracks the subject

Common Strengths of Samsung NX30 and Sony Alpha A9 Mark II

Wireless Connection	Yes vs Yes	Better connectivity
Adjustable LCD Screen	Fully Articulated vs Tilting	Flexible shooting positions
External Flash Shoe	Yes vs Yes	Better for flash photography
Touch Screen	Yes vs Yes	Easy control of camera functions
Viewfinder	Yes (Electronic) vs Yes (Electronic)	Better framing and control
RAW Support	Yes vs Yes	Better image quality
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs Yes	very handy for portraits
Max Resolution	20 MP vs 24 MP	Bigger prints and more details
LCD Screen Resolution	1.036k dots vs 1.440k dots	High resolution screens
Microphone Port	Yes vs Yes	High quality audio recording option
AE Bracketing	Yes vs Yes	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
NFC Connection	Yes vs Yes	Easy wireless connectivity with compatible devices
Smartphone Remote	Yes vs Yes	Remote control your camera with a smartphone

Common Weaknesses of Samsung NX30 and Sony Alpha A9 Mark II

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Samsung NX30 vs Sony A9 II: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Samsung NX30 and Sony A9 II side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Samsung NX30 has external dimensions of 127 x 96 x 58 mm (5 x 3.78 x 2.28″) and weighs 375 g (0.83 lb / 13.23 oz) (including batteries). Sony A9 II has external dimensions of 129 x 96 x 76 mm (5.08 x 3.78 x 2.99″) and weighs 678 g (1.49 lb / 23.92 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Samsung NX30 and Sony A9 II. Samsung NX30 is 2mm narrower and 18mm thinner than Samsung NX30 but they have the same height of 96mm.

Comparison image of Samsung NX30 and Sony A9 II Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Samsung NX30 and Sony A9 II.

Comparison image of Samsung NX30 and Sony A9 II Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Samsung NX30 and Sony A9 II.

Top View Comparison image of Samsung NX30 and Sony A9 II Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Samsung NX30 is significantly lighter (303g ) than the Sony A9 II which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since Sony A9 II has a Full frame sensor and Samsung NX30 has a smaller APS-C sensor, Samsung NX30's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Sony A9 II lenses.

Weight Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

NX30

A9 II

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

NX30

A9 II

Min

Average

Max

Weather Sealing

Thanks to the weather sealed body of A9 II, you can use this camera with more confidence under conditions where there is risk of exposure to water and dust compared to NX30.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Samsung NX30 and Sony A9 II's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3".

Sony A9 II features a Tilting only screen which is mostly only good for shooting from waist or over the head levels. On the other hand, Samsung NX30 sports a Fully Articulated screen which is more flexible and useful especially for taking Selfie shots and video.

Samsung NX30 vs Sony A9 II: Sensor Comparison

Samsung NX30 has a 20.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features DRIMeIV processor. On the other hand, Sony A9 II has a 24.0MP Full frame (35.6 x 23.8 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor and features BIONZ X processor.

Below you can see the NX30 and A9 II sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Samsung NX30 and Sony A9 II Cameras

As seen above, Sony A9 II has a 2.3x Larger sensor area than Samsung NX30. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

DxOMark Sensor Scores

DxOMark is a benchmark that scientifically assesses image quality of camera sensors. It scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Samsung NX30 and Sony A9 II sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that A9 II has a better overall score of 93, 16 points higher compared to NX30's score of 77.

Model	Overall	Color Depth	Dynamic Range	Low-light ISO
Samsung NX30	77	23.5 bits	12.4 Evs	1014 ISO
Sony A9 II	93	25.0 bits	14.0 Evs	3434 ISO

Samsung NX30 vs Sony A9 II Comparison of Available Lenses

Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Sony A9 II has an advantage over Samsung NX30 There are 137 lenses for Sony A9 II's Sony E mount, on the other hand there are only 32 lenses for Samsung NX30's Samsung NX lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Sony A9 II has a big advantage in this regard because it has a sensor based image stabilization which means that all the lenses mounted to this body will be stabilized. NX30's built-in Image stabilization system is effective to compnesate vibration up to 5.5-stops according to CIPA standards.
7 lenses for Samsung NX mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.

Lens Type	# of Samsung NX30 Lenses	# of Sony A9 II Lenses
Standard Zoom	4	13 (10 Full Frame)
Standard Prime	5	20 (10 Full Frame)
Wideangle Zoom	1	8 (7 Full Frame)
Wideangle Prime	11	44 (28 Full Frame)
Telephoto Zoom	2	10 (8 Full Frame)
Telephoto Prime	3	19 (15 Full Frame)
SuperZoom	1	9 (2 Full Frame)
Wideangle Fisheye Prime	4	2 (0 Full Frame)
Macro Prime	1	8 (7 Full Frame)
Perspective Control Prime	n/a	2 (2 Full Frame)
Telephoto Mirror Prime	n/a	n/a
TOTAL	32	137 (89 Full Frame)

What types of Photography are Samsung NX30 and Sony A9 II Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Samsung NX30 and Sony A9 II for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Samsung NX30 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Sony A9 II for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Large Full frame (35.6 x 23.8 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Samsung NX30 for Street Photography

GOOD

Sony A9 II for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Large Full frame (35.6 x 23.8 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
Read the details

Samsung NX30 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Sony A9 II for Sports Photography

EXCELLENT

Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 9.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
247 Focus Points
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
No Image Stabilization
Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 20.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
693 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 690 shots
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
Anti Flicker feature
Read the details

Samsung NX30 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Sony A9 II for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT

Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
375g
Body Thickness 58mm
Read the details

Large Full frame (35.6 x 23.8 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Anti Flicker feature
Medium size Body
678g
Body Thickness 76mm
Read the details

Samsung NX30 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Sony A9 II for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Live-view
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Large Full frame (35.6 x 23.8 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details

Samsung NX30 vs Sony A9 II: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Samsung NX30 and Sony A9 II, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Samsung NX30 and Sony A9 II scores compare:

Samsung NX30

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #57 out of 88 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #122 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Sony A9 II

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #12 out of 88 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #13 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Sony A9 II is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Samsung NX30 in all criteria except one: Portability.
If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Samsung NX30. Otherwise, Sony A9 II is the better camera overall.

Sony A9 II vs Samsung NX30 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Samsung NX30	Sony Alpha A9 Mark II
Brand	Samsung	Sony
Announced	2014-01-03	2019-10-03
Body Type	SLR-style mirrorless	SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type	CMOS	BSI-CMOS
Size	APS-C	Full frame
Dimensions	23.5 x 15.7 mm	35.6 x 23.8 mm
Area	368.95mm²	847.28mm²
Megapixels	20 megapixels	24 megapixels
Max Resolution	5472 x 3648	6000 x 4000
Max Native Light sensitivity	25,600 ISO	51,200 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity	-	204800 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	100 ISO	100 ISO
Min Boosted Light Sensitivity	-	50 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points	247	693
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	Samsung NX	Sony E
Number of Available Lenses	32	137
Screen
Type	Fully Articulated	Tilting
Size	3"	3
Resolution	1,036k dots	1,440k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Electronic	Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution	2,359k dots	3,686k dots
Viewfinder Coverage	100%	100%
Viewfinder Magnification	0.66x	0.78x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/8000s	1/8000s
Max Electronic Shutter	n/a	1/32000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	No	Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	9.0 fps	20.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	1920 x 1080	3840 x 2160
Video Formats	MPEG-4, H.264	MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	Built-In	Built-In
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	375g	678g
Dimensions	127 x 96 x 58mm	129 x 96 x 76mm
Battery Life	360 shots	690 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None	None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	77	93
DxO Color Depth	23.5	25.0
DxO Dynamic Range	12.4	14.0
DxO Low Light ISO	1014	3434
	Report a correction	Report a correction