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Samsung NX30 Review

  • Overview
  • Alternatives
  • Lenses
  • Samsung NX30

    Main Features

    • 20MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
    • ISO 100 - 25600
    • 3″ Fully Articulated Screen
    • 2359k dot Electronic viewfinder
    • 9 fps continuous shooting
    • 1920 x 1080 video resolution
    • Built-in Wireless
    • 375g. 127 x 96 x 58 mm
    • Replaced Samsung NX20
    $698.89
    or
    CHECK TODAY's PRICE

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    Samsung NX30 Overview

    First introduced in January 2014 , Samsung NX30 is a 20.0MP Semi-Pro Mirrorless camera with a APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm ) sized CMOS sensor. Samsung replaced the older NX20 with this model. Follow the link to read our detailed comparison of these model:
    Compare Samsung NX30 vs Samsung NX20

    Samsung NX30 has an Overall Score of 77/100 and ranked #43 out of 179 in Mirrorless cameras (Top 10 Mirrorless), and ranked #84 out of 1166 in all Cameras (Top 10 Overall).

    Samsung NX30 Type Scores
    Imaging
    Features
    Value for Money
    Portability
    Overall Score
    Check our Smart Finder Tool to filter, sort and compare all digital cameras

    Samsung NX30 Compared to other Mirrorless Cameras

    Now let's get in to more details of our Samsung NX30 review by analysing its specs and features and listing out its pros and cons compared to average competitor cameras in its class.

    PROs
    Built-in Wireless (Wi-fi)
    NFC Connectivity
    Articulating Screen
    1920 x 1080 Max Video Resolution
    Touch Screen
    Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
    Face Detection Focusing
    20.0MP - High Resolution Sensor
    25.600 Max ISO
    247 Focus Points
    1.036k dots LCD Resolution
    1/8000s High Shutter Speed
    9.0fps Fast Continuous Shooting
    375g Light Body
    External Microphone Port
    2359kdot Viewfinder Resolution
    Good Low Light ISO - 1014
    Flash Sync Port
    Selfie Friendly LCD Screen
    Remote control with a smartphone

    Buy Samsung NX30 from or B&H PHOTO


    CONs
    No Image Stabilization
    Low Battery Life: 360 shots
    No Environmental Sealing
    Samsung NX30 Lens Mount and Lenses

    Samsung NX30 has a Samsung NX lens mount and currently there are 32 native lenses available for this mount. Samsung is one of the newest players in the mirrorless world so the NX mount lens selection is not very wide, optically they are well regarded though.

    Samsung NX30 doesn't have a sensor based image stabilization system but 7 of these lenses already comes with Optical Image Stabilization. There are also 2 lenses with weather sealing for NX30 but bear in mind that NX30 body doesn't have weather sealings.

    Here are some of the most popular Samsung NX30 Lenses on Camera Decision:

    Popular Samsung NX30 Lenses
    Model Focal Length on NX30 Max Aperture Weight Focusing Price
    Samsung NX 50-200mm F4-5.6 OIS
    75-300mm F4.0 - F5.6 417gr AF $349.00
    Samsung NX 16-50mm F2.0-2.8 S ED OIS
    24-75mm F2.0 - F2.8 622gr AF $729.00
    Samsung NX 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 ED OIS
    27-300mm F3.5 - F6.3 549gr AF $853.21
    Samsung NX 30mm F2 Pancake
    45mm F2.0 85gr AF $429.99
    Samsung NX 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 Power Zoom ED OIS
    24-75mm F3.5 - F5.6 111gr AF $219.99

    Check our Samsung NX30 Lenses page or use our Smart Lens Finder tool for more detailed lens search.

    Samsung NX30 Sensor and Photography Features

    Samsung NX30 has a 20.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features DRIMeIV processor. You can shoot at maximum resolution of 5472 x 3648 pixels with aspect ratios of 1:1, 3:2 and 16:9. NX30 has a native ISO range of 100 - 25600 and it can save files in RAW format which gives you a wider room for post processing.

    Samsung NX30 is not the highest resolution APS-C camera. Sigma Quattro with its 29.0MP sensor is leading in this class. Check the comparison of Samsung NX30 vs Sigma Quattro or take a look at Highest resolution Mirrorless cameras list.

    DxOMark Sensor Scores

    DxOMark is a benchmark that scientifically assesses image quality of camera sensors. Samsung NX30 sensor has been tested by DxO Mark and got an overall score of 77 for its image quality. You can find the details of their analysis of Samsung NX30 here.

    Let's look at how the size of the Samsung NX30's APS-C sensor compares with other standard sensor sizes.

    Samsung NX30 Sensor Size Comparison

    Samsung NX30 Physical Specs
    Samsung NX30 weighs 375 g (0.83 lb / 13.23 oz) and has external dimensions of 127 x 96 x 58 mm (5 x 3.78 x 2.28″). Considering that the average weight of Mirrorless type cameras is 416g, its weight is about average in its class. With a thickness of 58mm, it is large, 9mm thicker than the average of its class.
    Weight Comparison

    Mirrorless Cameras

    Samsung NX30
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    Thickness Comparison

    Mirrorless Cameras

    Samsung NX30
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    Here is the front and top view image of Samsung NX30 with the dimensions:

    Samsung NX30 Body Size Dimensions

    In order to give you a better idea about the real life size of Samsung NX30, we have added an image of how it looks next to a credit card and an AA type battery.


    Samsung NX30 Real Life Body Size Comparison


    Now lets compare the weight and thickness of Samsung NX30 with its main competitors:

    Samsung NX30 Size Compared to Main Competitors
    Model Sensor Weight vs NX30 Thickness vs NX30
    Sony A6000 24.0MP - APS-C 344g 31g lighter 45mm 13mm thinner
    Samsung NX500 28.0MP - APS-C 287g 88g lighter 43mm 15mm thinner
    Samsung NX20 20.0MP - APS-C 341g 34g lighter 40mm 18mm thinner
    Samsung NX300 20.0MP - APS-C 331g 44g lighter 41mm 17mm thinner
    Samsung NX1 28.0MP - APS-C 550g 175g heavier 66mm 8mm thicker
    Samsung NX3000 20.0MP - APS-C 230g 145g lighter 39mm 19mm thinner
    Olympus E-M10 16.0MP - Four Thirds 396g 21g heavier 46mm 12mm thinner
    Samsung Galaxy NX 20.0MP - APS-C 495g 120g heavier 26mm 32mm thinner

    Samsung NX30 doesn't have any environmental sealings on its body so you got to be extra careful to protect it against water and dust. If you shoot under these conditions very often, consider checking Top Mirrorless Cameras with Weather Sealing page.

    Samsung NX30 Other Features
    LCD and Viewfinder

    Samsung NX30 has a Fully Articulated 3″ LCD screen with a resolution of 1,036k dots. Both the screen size and the screen resolution is up to the standards of this class.

    LCD is Touch screen type, so you can change the settings and set the focus point with your fingertips. For those of you who loves shooting self portraits or group photos, Samsung NX30 will make your life easier with its Selfie friendly screen.

    NX30 has a built-in Electronic viewfinder. The viewfinder has a resolution of 2,359kdots and coverage of 100%. 100% coverage ensures that what you see in the viewfinder while shooting matches exactly what you will get later in your image, helping accurate framing your shots and minimizes the need for cropping images later.

    Max Shutter speed
    Samsung NX30 can shoot continuously at max speed of 9 fps and has max shutter speed of 1/8000 sec.

    Flash
    NX30 has a built-in flash, and it also has a flash shoe to mount your external flashes too.

    Focusing
    Samsung NX30 features both Contrast Detection and Phase Detection autofocus (AF) systems which ensures speed and accuracy of focusing in most situations. The AF system has 247 points to choose from.

    Samsung NX30 also features Face detection AF where it intelligently detects the faces in the frame and locks the focus automatically.

    Video Features
    With Samsung NX30, you can record your videos at a highest resolution of 1920 x 1080 at 60p fps and save in MPEG-4 and H.264 formats. Full HD resolution of Samsung NX30 will be adequate in most of the situations. But if you are after the highest resolution videos available, see our list of Top Cameras with 4K (Ultra-HD) Video.

    NX30 has a built-in Stereo microphone and a Mono speaker. Samsung NX30 also has a port for an external microphone so you can record high quality sound with the help of an external microphone.

    Connectivity and Storage
    Samsung NX30 features built-in wireless (Wi-Fi) connectivity ( Dual channel 802.11b/g/n) which lets you transfer your photos directly to compatible devices without any physical connection. With its NFC feature, NX30 can communicate with devices such as smartphones which are also equipped with this technology by simply touching each other.One other feature that we like is the ability to use our smartphone as a remote to control our NX30. You can change camera settings, release shutter, view LCD screen and tranfer files using remote control app.

    You can connect NX30 to compatible devices via its HDMI port or USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) port.

    Battery Samsung NX30 is powered by battery which provides a shooting life of 360 according to CIPA standards. Considering that the average battery life of Mirrorless type cameras is 357 shots, its battery life is about average in its class but it would still be wise to invest in some spare batteries for long photo trips.

    Battery Life Comparison in Semi-Pro Mirrorless Cameras

    Samsung NX30
    Min
    Average
    Max

    Panasonic GH3 with its 540shots is the model with longest battery life among Semi-Pro Mirrorless cameras. Check the comparison of Samsung NX30 vs Panasonic GH3 or take a look at Longest Battery Life Mirrorless cameras list.

    Samsung NX30 Features Compared to Main Competitors
    Model Max Video Battery Life Wi-fi Bluetooth NFC
    Sony A6000
    >>Compare to NX30
    1920 x 1080 360shots Yes No Yes
    Samsung NX500
    >>Compare to NX30
    4096 x 2160 370shots Yes Yes Yes
    Samsung NX20
    >>Compare to NX30
    1920 x 1080 360shots Yes No No
    Samsung NX300
    >>Compare to NX30
    1920 x 1080 330shots Yes No Yes
    Samsung NX1
    >>Compare to NX30
    4096 x 2160 500shots Yes Yes Yes
    Samsung NX3000
    >>Compare to NX30
    1920 x 1080 370shots Yes No No
    Olympus E-M10
    >>Compare to NX30
    1920 x 1080 320shots Yes No No
    Samsung Galaxy NX
    >>Compare to NX30
    1920 x 1080 440shots Yes No No

    Lowest Price
    Current Lowest price for Samsung NX30 is $698.89

    What type of Photography is Samsung NX30 Good for?
    In this section, we review and score Samsung NX30 in 5 different photography areas. This first spider web graph shows how the NX30 compares with the average Mirrorless camera.
    Hover your mouse over the points to see the score details for each photography type.

    Samsung NX30 for Portrait Photography

    Samsung NX30 has a score of 67 for Portrait Photography which makes it a GOOD candidate for this type of photography. If you are looking for a camera that is better suited to Portrait Photography, we recommend you to check our Top 10 Mirrorless Cameras for Portrait Photography list.
    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 of how we scored Samsung NX30 for Portrait Photography

    Samsung NX30 for Street Photography

    Samsung NX30 has a score of 69 for Street Photography which makes it a GOOD candidate for this type of photography. If you are looking for a camera that is better suited to Street Photography, we recommend you to check our Top 10 Mirrorless Cameras for Street Photography list.
    Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
    Live-view
    Face-Detection Focusing
    Fully Articulated LCD Screen
    Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm) sensor
    Medium sized Body
    No Image Stabilization

    Read the details of how we scored Samsung NX30 for Street Photography

    Samsung NX30 for Sports Photography

    Samsung NX30 has a score of 73 for Sports Photography which makes it a GOOD candidate for this type of photography. If you are looking for a camera that is better suited to Sports Photography, we recommend you to check our Top 10 Mirrorless Cameras for Sports Photography list.
    Fast Continuous Shooting: 9.0fps
    Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
    247 Focus Points
    Good Low Light ISO
    Wireless Connection
    Good Ergonomics&Handling
    Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
    Environmental Sealings
    No Image Stabilization

    Read the details of how we scored Samsung NX30 for Sports Photography

    Samsung NX30 for Daily Photography

    Samsung NX30 has a score of 65 for Daily Photography which makes it a GOOD candidate for this type of photography. If you are looking for a camera that is better suited to Daily Photography, we recommend you to check our Top 10 Mirrorless Cameras for Daily Photography list.
    Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm) sensor
    Medium size Body
    375g
    Body Thickness 58mm

    Read the details of how we scored Samsung NX30 for Daily Photography

    Samsung NX30 for Landscape Photography

    Samsung NX30 has a score of 60 for Landscape Photography which makes it a GOOD candidate for this type of photography. If you are looking for a camera that is better suited to Landscape Photography, we recommend you to check our Top 10 Mirrorless Cameras for Landscape Photography list.
    Live-view
    Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm) sensor
    Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
    No Environmental Sealings

    Read the details of how we scored Samsung NX30 for Landscape Photography

    Samsung NX30 Alternatives
    In this section, we analyse how Samsung NX30 compares with other Mirrorless cameras within a similar price range. In the Bubble chart below, you can see Overall Score vs Price comparison of NX30 and the top 10 contenders in the same range. Hover your mouse on the bubbles to see the details of the cameras.
    Read a more detailed analysis of Samsung NX30 alternatives.
    Popular Comparisons of Samsung NX30
    Here is the eight most popular comparisons of Samsung NX30 amongst Camera Decision readers.

    Sony A6000
    Sony A6000
    Compare
    Samsung NX500
    Samsung NX500
    Compare
    Samsung NX20
    Samsung NX20
    Compare
    Samsung NX300
    Samsung NX300
    Compare
    Samsung NX1
    Samsung NX1
    Compare
    Samsung NX3000
    Samsung NX3000
    Compare
    Olympus E-M10
    Olympus E-M10
    Compare
    Samsung Galaxy NX
    Samsung Galaxy NX
    Compare
    Samsung NX30 Alternatives in DSLR Cameras
    It would also be interesting to compare Samsung NX30 with DSLR Cameras. Below we have listed 4 highest ranked DSLR cameras in Samsung NX30's price range.

    Pentax K-3
    Pentax K-3
    Compare
    Canon 80D
    Canon 80D
    Compare
    Pentax K-S2
    Pentax K-S2
    Compare
    Pentax K-70
    Pentax K-70
    Compare
    Nikon D7200
    Nikon D7200
    Compare
    Pentax K-3 II
    Pentax K-3 II
    Compare
    Nikon D5500
    Nikon D5500
    Compare
    Nikon D5600
    Nikon D5600
    Compare
    Frequently Asked Questions about Samsung NX30
    Does the Samsung NX30 have Image Stabilization?
    Does the Samsung NX30 have RAW support?
    Does the Samsung NX30 have Weather Sealing?
    Does the Samsung NX30 have built-in GPS?
    What is the Max ISO of Samsung NX30?
    What is the Sensor Size of Samsung NX30?
    is the Samsung NX30 a Full Frame (FF) camera?
    Does the Samsung NX30 have Touch Screen?
    Does the Samsung NX30 have built-in Wireless?
    What is the Max Continuous Shooting Speed (fps) of Samsung NX30?
    Samsung NX30 Detailed Specifications

    General
    Brand Samsung
    Model Samsung NX30
    Announced 2014-01-03
    Body Type SLR-style mirrorless
    Price $698.89
    Lens
    Manual Focus
    Lens Mount Samsung NX
    Number of Lenses 32
    Focal Length Multiplier 1.5x
    Macro Focus Range n/a
    Screen
    Screen Type Fully Articulated
    Screen Technology AMOLED
    Screen Size 3″
    Screen Resolution 1,036k dots
    Live View
    Touch Screen
    Viewfinder
    Viewfinder Electronic
    Viewfinder Resolution 2,359k dots
    Viewfinder Coverage 100%
    Viewfinder Magnification 0.66
    Photography Features
    Min Shutter Speed 30s
    Max Shutter Speed 1/8000s
    Continuous Shooting 9.0 fps
    Shutter Priority
    Aperture Priority
    Manual Exposure Mode
    Exposure Compensation Yes
    Custom White Balance
    Image Stabilization
    Built-in Flash
    Flash Range n/a
    Flash Modes n/a
    External Flash
    AE Bracketing
    WB Bracketing
    Exposure Modes
    Multi-Segment
    Average
    Spot
    Partial
    AF-Area
    Center Weighted
    DxO Sensor Scores
    DxO Overall Score 77
    DxO Color Depth 23.5
    DxO Dynamic Range 12.4
    DxO Low Light ISO 1014
    Report a correction

    Sensor
    Sensor Type CMOS
    Sensor Size APS-C
    Sensor Dimensions 23.5 x 15.7 mm
    Sensor Area 368.95mm2
    Sensor Resolution 20 megapixels
    Max Image Resolution 5472 x 3648
    Max Native ISO 25,600
    Min Native ISO 100
    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
    Number of Cross Focus Points Unknown
    Video Features
    Video Resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p), 1280 x 720, 640 x 480, 320 x 240
    Max Video Resolution 1920 x 1080
    Video Formats MPEG-4, H.264
    Microphone Port
    Headphone Port
    Connectivity
    Wireless Connectivity Built-In
    HDMI
    USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
    Physical
    Environmental Sealing
    Water Proof
    Dust Proof
    Shock Proof
    Crush Proof
    Freeze Proof
    Weight 375g
    Physical Dimensions 127 x 96 x 58mm
    Battery Life 360 shots
    Battery Type Battery Pack
    Battery Model BP1410
    Other Features
    Self Timer Yes (2 - 30 secs)
    Timelapse Recording
    GPS None
    Storage Type SD, SDHC, SDXC
    Storage Slots 1
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