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The new Samsung NX210 sits in the middle of Samsung’s compact system camera line-up.
It has the same body, layout and 20.3 million pixel APS-C sized sensor of its predecessor,
the NX200, but comes with the addition of integrated WiFi.
Featuring a more robust, metal body than the NX1000, the NX210 is designed to be a more
“stylish” option than the NX20, which is styled more akin to a traditional DSLR.
A common problem with large sensor compact cameras is that with the kit lens attached,
the camera can look a little unbalanced. However, with a pancake lens, such as this 20mm f/2.8
attached, the camera looks a little neater.
Most of the features of the camera have been brought across from the NX200. For instance,
we have the same fixed 3-inch, 614k dot AMOLED screen. The NX210 screen doesn’t boast the
same high resolution as many other cameras, meaning that images previewed can look a little
dull. However, the screen works very well in bright light, allowing for easy composition.
This mode dial on the top of the camera can be used to switch between modes. Here you’ll
see the standard P/A/S/M mode, but also Smart Auto, Scene mode, Magic mode and Wi-Fi mode.
Magic mode provides a number of Smart Filters and Magic Frames to help those looking to
get a bit more creative with their images. Some of these are a little bizarre, but they
are never the less fun to experiment with. It’s worth pointing out that images shot
in this mode can only be shot in JPEG, meaning removing a filter in post-production won’t
be possible.
Access to the WiFi functionality of the camera can only be accessed via the WiFi mode. Here
you’ll find various options such as social sharing, Email and Remote Viewfinder. This
allows the camera to be paired up with a smartphone or tablet to control the camera remotely.
We could see this being a really useful function, especially for wildlife photographers and
the like. Unfortunately however, the remote viewfinder only offers extremely limited functionality,
giving control over the shutter release but not any of the camera’s settings.
On the back of the camera, buttons are reasonably well arranged, with a scroll dial here used
to change settings such as aperture, depending on the mode you’re shooting in. One bugbear
here is that the exposure compensation button needs to be held down while scrolling the
dial – something which is pretty much impossible to do one-handed. Instead, what you can do
is hold down the button, and use this small dial on the top of the camera.
The camera uses the Samsung NX mount, which currently boasts nine proprietary lenses.
Six of these are iFunction optics, which include this button, which can be pressed to access
key camera functionality – such as aperture or exposure compensation. The standard 18-55mm
kit lens is an iFunction lens, while others such as a 60mm f/2.8 macro lens are also available.
Check out my full review of the Samsung NX210 in this month’s magazine / on TechRadar.com.