The established commitment to high-quality images may bring return customers, but it doesn't sell cameras like an attractive design. And the NX200 has the looks it needs to drive sales -- it'd be tough to argue that this is an unattractive cam. The sleek black housing is curvaceous and smooth, but doesn't come without a few quirks. The most peculiar design element is the NX lens mount, which extends beyond the front face by roughly half an inch, and is level with the front of the rather generous camera grip. In an age where sleek and flush designs have become the gold standard, including a mount that juts out this far from the body is a rather bold move.
The camera is comfortable to hold, with a textured patch just below where you'd rest your fingers and a curved design that feels natural in hand. There's a large Samsung logo positioned in the center of the grip -- it's covered completely when you're holding the camera, so there's no need to worry about eager Samsung fans approaching you on the street with a bevy of questions about your purchase. There's also a standard lens release button up front, along with a green focus lamp -- there's no built-in flash here, though a compact external strobe is included in the box.
Flipping to the back of the camera, you'll find a 3-inch AMOLED VGA display -- perhaps our favorite component on the NX200. In playback, images look fantastic, with accurate color and sharp details, though white balance in preview occasionally differs from what you'll see in instant playback after capturing an image. While the sensor is ultimately the most important component in any camera, the display clearly plays a critical role in verifying exposure and sharpness, and we really have few complaints here. To the right of the screen, there's a dedicated record control for activating 1080p video capture, along with exposure compensation, menu, function, playback and delete buttons. There's also a selection wheel, and a four-position button with dedicated options for display, speed, ISO and AF modes, along with an OK button in the center.
Up top are stereo microphones, a small speaker grill and a full-size hot shoe that's slightly recessed in order to maintain a near-flush top casing (we would have liked to see Samsung employ a similar design with the lens mount). At the far right is a mode dial, with direct access to manual, automatic and scene modes, a combination power slider/shutter release, and a wheel for zooming into images during playback. Flipping open a solid plastic cover on the right side reveals mini-HDMI and micro-USB ports, while the bottom of the camera includes a tripod connector, and a single compartment housing both the 1030 mAh battery and SD card.
The included 18-55mm optically stabilized kit lens has a maximum aperture of f/3.5-5.6, and a rather large 58mm filter size. It's a standard manual zoom/focus rig, but with a twist -- a customizable function button just above the AF/MF switch provides direct access to aperture, exposure compensation, ISO and white balance settings. It won't have a significant impact on your workflow, but it's a welcome feature nonetheless.
Performance and battery life
Sadly, focus is one critical area where the NX200 doesn't shine. The camera will eventually bring your subject into focus, most often with perfect accuracy, but it can be sluggish at times -- naturally in low light, but it was even slow in bright sunlight, where cameras like the
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