The Samsung NX3000 ($529.99 with 16-50mm lens) is the entry-level camera in the company's mirrorless lineup, but it doesn't cut corners in terms of image quality. Its 20-megapixel image sensor captures images with the same resolution as the high-end NX30 ($936.26 at Amazon) , but its contrast autofocus system is a bit slow to lock on. It's no match for our Editors' Choice in this category, the Sony Alpha 6000 ($398.00 at Amazon) , which also features Wi-Fi, adds an integrated EVF, and focuses almost instantly.

Design and Features

The NX3000 uses an APS-C image sensor, just like most D-SLRs, but is a lot smaller. It measures 2.6 by 4.6 by 1.5 inches and weighs 8.1 ounces without a lens. It's attractive, with a silver top and bottom plate, and a leatherette finish in your choice of brown, black, or white. The body isn't that far off in size from the Sony Alpha 5000 ($549.95 at Amazon) (2.5 by 4.3 by 1.4 inches, 9.5 ounces), but the Sony camera squeezes a pop-up flash into its body. Samsung includes an external flash, which slides into the NX3000's hot shoe.

Unlike the NX2000 ($399.99 at Amazon) , which is a pure touch-screen device, the NX3000 uses a traditional control system. The top plate includes the Wi-Fi button, Power button, shutter release, and mode dial. The rear houses a Record button for movies, a control dial with four directional buttons and a center OK button, the Fn button, and the standard menu, playback, and delete controls. Pressing up on the dial adjusts the amount of information displayed on the LCD, right adjusts the autofocus mode, and left adjusts the drive mode. The down direction toggles between the four settings that are visible along the bottom of the display: shutter speed, aperture, exposure value compensation, and ISO. Spinning the dial adjusts the active setting.

You can also adjust settings via the Fn menu. The full-screen overlay menu gives you quick access to a number of settings: shutter speed, aperture, exposure compensation, ISO, white balance, color output, the metering pattern, the autofocus mode and focus area, face detection, the drive mode, and the flash output. A lot of cameras have this type of menu; the similar Panasonic GF6 ( at Amazon) calls it the Q.Menu, but the concept is the same.

The rear display is hinged, but the design is such that it can flip up and forward only; there's no downward tilt. Flipping the screen all the way forward switches the camera to Self Shot mode. There are three focus options for selfies—standard Face Detection, Wink Shot, and Smile Shot. If you use the standard mode a three-second countdown timer displays on the screen after you press the shutter so you can pose. Wink shot takes a photo shortly after you close one eye, and I found that it worked, albeit inconsistently. But no matter how widely I grinned, how many teeth I showed, or how happy I looked, the NX3000 wouldn't take a photo based on my smile. I don't take it personally, but I do wonder if there's something wrong with my face.

The 3-inch LCD features a 460k-dot resolution. It's not the sharpest in its class, the Samsung NX300 ($895.00 at Amazon) has a sharper 768k-dot OLED display, but the NX3000's LCD is easier to see in very bright conditions. The NX3000 lacks the touch input support found in the NX300 and other premium mirrorless cameras like the svelte Panasonic GM1.

Samsung has traditionally led the pack when it comes to Wi-Fi features in cameras, and while the NX3000 has some strong features, it's not quite as versatile as some others we've tested. For example, transfer of Raw images isn't supported. Most phones can't read Raw camera formats, but Sony cameras like the Alpha 7 will convert a Raw file to JPG on the fly for transfer.

The NX3000 works with the Samsung Smart Camera App, which is available for free on Android and iOS, to transfer JPG images and video files wirelessly to your phone. The app also supports remote control. You're limited to shooting in Auto mode, but you can adjust the image or video resolution, drive mode, and flash output. You can also use your phone screen for touch focus. 

Other Wi-Fi features include Group Share, which can share images to multiple Android smartphones, Home Monitor+, which allows you to use the NX3000 as a home security camera, Samsung Link, which streams media to DLNA devices, and Auto Backup to copy photos and videos to a PC. Notably missing is the ability to post images directly to Facebook and other social networks, a function that is supported by many other Samsung cameras.

Performance and Conclusions

Performance and Conclusions

The NX3000 start and shoots in 2.2 seconds, which is on the slow side. It requires about 0.2-second to focus in bright light and about 0.9-second in dim conditions. Its burst rate is 4.8 frames per second, but it quickly slows down, capturing 13 JPG, 5 Raw, or 5 Raw+JPG images before slowing down. The burst rate slows to to just under 1fps when continuous autofocus is enabled. The Sony Alpha 6000 runs circles around the NX3000 in terms of speed. It starts and shoots in about 1.9 seconds, focuses in as little as 0.02-second, and can shoot at 11.1fps with continuous focus enabled.

I used Imatest to check the sharpness of the 16-50mm Power Zoom ED OIS lens that Samsung bundles with the camera. It's a strong performer at all tested focal lengths, with sharpness that exceeds 1,800 lines per picture height, even at the edges of the frame. There is some distortion at the wide angle, but it's only visible when shooting Raw—JPG files are corrected in-camera. You can save some money by buying the NX3000 bundled with the 20-50mm f/3.5-5.6 ED II . That kit is priced at $479.99, but the sharp images and optical stabilization that the 16-50mm lens provide are more than worth a $50 premium.

Imatest also checks photos for noise. When shooting JPG images with default noise reduction settings enabled, the camera keeps noise under 1.5 percent through ISO 6400. The noise reduction does detract from image detail. Close examination of photos on a calibrated NEC MultiSync PA271W( at Amazon) display shows that image detail does suffer a bit when pushed to ISO 6400. But when you drop the sensitivity down to ISO 3200 images are quite detailed, with very little noise.

See How We Test Digital Cameras

The default noise reduction setting is identified as Normal in the camera menu, but it can also be set to High, Low, or Off. The NX3000 can capture images in Raw format, which requires processing in software, but retains more data and doesn't apply any noise reduction. Raw images show a bit more detail than Normal JPGs at ISO 6400, but even when shooting in Raw there's a noticeable drop in image quality at ISO 12800 and the top ISO 25600 sensitivity settings. Samsung includes Adobe Lightroom 5, which has become the industry-standard photo workflow application, as a Raw converter. The Sony Alpha 6000 does a better job at high ISO—it controls JPG noise through ISO 12800 and its Raw images at that sensitivity show more detail than those from the NX3000.

Video is recorded at up to 1080p30 quality in MP4 format. The video footage is crisp, with accurate colors, and the NX3000 does a good job refocusing as the scene changes. There is some rolling shutter effect, which causes the bottom of the frame to advance more quickly than the top during very quick pans, but that's par for the course. There's a micro HDMI port to connect to an HDTV, as well as a micro USB port. An AC adapter is included, which plugs into the micro USB port, to charge the battery in-camera. If you want to add a second battery you can buy one that's bundled with a dedicated external charger for $59.99. The NX3000 supports microSD memory cards.

The Samsung NX3000 is a good choice for photographers looking for an entry-level mirrorless camera, but it's not without its shortcomings. On the plus side, it's available with a sharp, compact, and optically stabilized lens, and it delivers excellent images through ISO 3200. But it's not a great choice if you like to shoot fast-moving action, as its focus is on the slow side and the burst rate really slows down if the camera is set to focus before each exposure is made. It's one of the more affordable mirrorless models on the market, and if you do get it, we recommend that you spend the extra money and opt for the kit with the 16-50mm Power Zoom lens. Our Editors' Choice in this category, the Sony Alpha 6000, is a much stronger performer in terms of speed, and adds a built-in EVF, but costs around $800 when purchased with a lens. If you'd like to step up to a more refined model without breaking the bank, consider the Samsung NX300 or the Panasonic GF6. But if money is tight, and you're not trying to capture fast moving action, the NX3000 is a solid option.

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