Samsung NX Mini – Slim and Light ILC Announced
Samsung has announced the NX Mini, and yes it is very much a mini, one of the slimmest and lightest of the cameras in the ILC category.
Going into the features first to get a better perspective, the Samsung NX Mini has a 1 inch 20.5MP back illuminated CMOS sensor, a 3inch 180 degree tilting LCD display and a new lens mount. Presently the lens options are a 9mm f/3.5 prime (equivalent to 24mm) and a 9-27mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS (equivalent to 24-73mm), there is also a built-in flash and a proprietary flash port for the SEF-7A Flash. ISO Range is at 160 to 12800, shoots Raw and JPEG formats, shoots full resolution at 6fps up to 10 stills and has a highest shutter rate at 1/16000 seconds. Video recording on NX-Mini is on MP4 format at full HD 1080p at 30fps and also has options of 720 HD and standard definition of 640×480 and 320×240 all at 30 fps. There is a lens adaptor available for the NX-Mini to accommodate the lenses from its predecessor Samsung NX. This camera is practically built around the 2330mAH battery to make it powerful yet handy.
Connectivity options are quite impressive too with the Samsung NX Mini, which include WiFi and NFC technology, and the wired options are the standard USB and mini HDMI port. With the NFC technology NFC enabled Android Smartphones can connect to the NX-Mini via Samsung’s ‘Tap and Go’ system enabling the devices to pair to enable sharing as well as via the Samsung’s Remote View Finder Pro app which can remotely control the camera from the Smartphone.
There are options also on the NX-Mini to directly upload the photos and videos to either Dropbox or Flicker which would take care of the sharing as well as backup matters. There is also a new option on the NX-Mini called the “Baby Monitor” which would continuously stream the video directly to the assigned Smartphone or can be put to monitor for a set noise level and would send an alarm to the Smartphone to check on the baby, note though that this would only work on the local WiFi network and not over the internet.
Storage on the NX-Mini is via MicroSD memory cards, including HC, XC and UHS-I variants. The rechargeable lithium ion battery has a 2330mAh capacity that’s CIPA-rated for 650 shots with the 9mm lens and 530 shots with the 9-27mm lens. The battery is charged in-camera, and an AC adapter and USB cable are provided in the bundle.
Starting from early April 2014 the Samsung NX Mini would be available in Black, White, Brown, Pink and Mint Green body colors. Two kits are supposedly offered: A bundle including the 9-27mm f/3.5-5.6 lens and the external SEF-7A flash for about US$549, or paired with just the 9mm f/3.5 lens for about US$449. Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5 is included in the bundles. The 9mm and 9-27mm NX-M lenses can be purchased separately and will retail for about US$179 and US$279, respectively.
