Samsung's new mirrorless camera tries to fuse style with modest specs
For some, Samsung's NX mini mirrorless camera went too far in catering to the style-minded; while it's eye-catching, that small sensor and reduced control won't please demanding shooters. Appropriately, the company is bridging the gap between the mini and the bigger NX300 with its new NX3000. It has a svelte profile closer to that of its tinier sibling -- like it or not, the NX2000's grip is gone -- but it has the larger (DSLR-sized) 20.3-megapixel sensor, mode dial and hot shoe (with bundled flash) of the NX300. This mid-range camera even straddles the line when it comes to lenses, as one variant includes a 16-50mm stabilized power zoom lens that's shorter than the 18-55mm kit optics from heftier NX models.
As with Samsung's other 2014 mirrorless cams, you can expect NFC pairing with mobile devices, WiFi image transfers and party tricks like the selfie-oriented Wink Shot. You're still giving up some features over the NX300, though. The NX3000 carries the mini's basic 480 x 320 flip-up display and microSD storage, and you're stuck with the slowest max shutter speed of the current lineup -- at 1/4,000th of a second, this may not be the best choice for shooting at high apertures in bright light. It may, however, be a good choice if you're cost-conscious. The NX3000 will start at $479 (with a regular 20-50mm lens) when it ships to the US on June 1st, and the power zoom kit will cost only a bit more at $529.
