Samsung NX2000

The Samsung NX2000 ($649.99 direct) is a mid-level body in Samsung's NX mirrorless camera lineup. It's aimed squarely at fans of touch-screen devices, as it eschews most physical controls in favor of a big 3.7-inch rear LCD. Its image quality is excellent, thanks to a big 20-megapixel APS-C image sensor that captures impressive photos through ISO 1600, but performance is slow and I found the touch-based interface to be cumbersome to use, especially when shooting in very bright light. But I'm more of a traditionalist when it comes to camera controls; touch-screen aficionados will feel right at home. There's another Samsung mirrorless camera that we liked more; the NX300 is our current Editors' Choice for mirrorless cameras. It's a bit more expensive, but also more capable, as it sports both a tilting touch-screen and traditional controls.

Design and Features
The NX2000 is pretty small, especially when you consider the big image sensor that it contains. It measures 2.5 by 4.7 by 1.4 inches (HWD) and weighs just half a pound without a lens. It's not that far off in size or shape from the Sony Alpha NEX-3N (2.3 by 4.4 by 1.4 inches, 9.5 ounces). The 3N also uses an APS-C image sensor, but manages to squeeze a tilting rear display and an in-body flash into its body?the NX2000 offers neither, but does include a small external flash.

Unlike other interchangeable lens cameras, you won't find a lot of controls on the NX2000's body. There's a control wheel on the top plate, along with the Direct Link Wi-Fi button, the power switch, and shutter release. You'll find a movie record button, Home button, and image playback button to the right of the rear LCD, and an iFn control button on most lenses.

The control wheel takes a bit of getting used to. Simply turning it brings up an on-screen menu that allows you to adjust the shooting mode. You can do so by touch, or by turning the wheel to select a setting and pushing it in to confirm. Pushing the wheel in while shooting changes its behavior; if you're in aperture priority or program mode, the first press gives you direct control over the f-stop, and the second changes that to exposure compensation. The behavior is the same in shutter priority mode, substituting the shutter speed for the f-stop. In manual mode you can only adjust the aperture orthe shutter speed; the exposure compensation bar moves on its own to let you know if your shot is over or underexposed. You can shoot in manual mode with the ISO set to auto, giving you the option of controlling the depth of field and shutter speed without having to constantly fiddle with the ISO in order to get a proper exposure.

The iFn button, located on most NX lenses, comes into play with this body more than with other NX cameras. It makes up for some of the shortcomings. Pressing it gives you access to control a number of shooting settings, including the aperture, shutter speed, ISO, white balance, and digital zoom. Each press brings up a different setting. You can use the control wheel or the manual focus ring to adjust the setting, and press the control wheel in or half-press the shutter to set it and dismiss the menu.

The rear display is huge at 3.7 inches; it occupies almost the entirety of the NX2000's backside. It's quite sharp thanks to a 1,152k-dot resolution, and quite responsive to the touch. But I struggled to frame images when shooting outdoors on a bright summer afternoon. I also had the tiny Pentax Q7 with me, and its rear display was much easier to see in bright light. It wouldn't be as much of an issue if the screen titled, like the one on the NX300, so that you could better adjust to avoid glare, or if there was an EVF available. Shooters who are interested in a mirrorless camera and don't want to give up an eye-level finder should consider the Olympus PEN E-PL5; its rear screen tilts, and it has an accessory port so that you can add the inexpensive VF-3 ($180) or top-end VF-4 electronic viewfinder.

Touch controls are always active. There's a big box that represents the focus area, and you can move it and refocus the camera with a tap on the display; the camera can also be set to take the shot with a touch, rather than just refocusing. There's also a tracking option, where the camera will attempt to follow the object which you touched as it moves through the frame. All of these settings are accessed via the Touch AF setting on the left side of the display. Below that is a touch control that changes how much information is shown; you can set the camera to display the minimum, or to add current shooting settings, a live histogram, and a virtual horizon indicator. If you like the NX2000, but are turned off by the touch interface, consider the NX1100. It's the same camera as the NX1000 that we reviewed last year, with the added addition of a copy of Adobe Lightroom.

The other major touch areas on the display are the Menu (bottom left) and Fn (bottom right) controls. Menu does what you would expect it to; it gives you access to a detailed list of camera settings, including control over manual focus peaking, sound controls, and video quality options. The Fn menu brings up the Smart Panel, which allows you to see and adjust shooting settings from one place. From here you can adjust the shutter speed, f-stop, exposure value compensation setting, ISO, white balance, JPG color settings (including some art filters that will make Instagrammers happy), metering pattern, autofocus mode, drive mode, and flash settings.

Wi-Fi is built into the camera, and like recent Samsung models, it's one of the best implementations you'll find. There are numerous ways to share images, including integration with Facebook, email, Picasa, YouTube, and SkyDrive, all directly from the camera. You can also set up files to back up automatically to your PC, and use the free Samsung Smart Camera app to send photos directly to your iOS or Android device. If you have other Samsung Wi-Fi devices in your home, you can use Samsung Link to share photos with them via the DLNA protocol. There's also a Remote Viewfinder function; it works with an app on your phone or tablet and allows you to control the camera via your phone's screen. NFC pairing is supported if your phone or tablet supports that technology. The NX2000 also supports the company's unique 45mm f/1.8 2D/3D lens; the NX300 is the only other body available with support for this lens.

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