Samsung's little NX10 was their very first mirrorless camera, and at the time it was notable for its large APS-C sensor and DSLR-like body style (only much, much thinner than an actual DSLR). These days, Sony has taken the crown from Samsung by cramming the APS-C sensor into cameras that are positively tiny in comparison to the NX10. While outclassed in the general mirrorless market, the NX10 currently sells for less than $400, making it a very attractive bargain for the savvy shopper.

The Good

Great controls. The NX10 has a DSLR style body, unlike the two Olympus models. DSLR-style controls give you direct access to all of the camera's most commonly-used functions, even though the NX10 is much smaller than a DSLR. While camera neophytes might find the abundance of buttons to be a touch confusing, enthusiasts will love how easy it is to find everything without touching the menu system.

Viewfinder. A real viewfinder, even a digital one, makes it much easier to compose photographs. The NX10's viewfinder is big and bright, though not as high-resolution as those on newer, more expensive mirrorless models. Still, it is something that few inexpensive cameras have. And hey, if you like the LCD screen, you can still use that.

Large sensor. Big sensors, like the APS-C in the NX10, give you great control over depth of field and, in theory, better low-light performance. In reality we didn't see a huge difference between the NX10 and the E-PL1 when it comes to low light performance (both go to 3200 ISO), but the NX10 definitely has better control over depth of field. This is especially true when shooting a lens with a wider aperture than the standard f/3.5-5.6 kit lens, but it's still true even using the kit zoom.

Our Samsung NX10 test photos give a good example of how you can expect photos to look, although you'll notice when comparing against the E-PL1 that the NX10 is not quite as detailed in some areas. This is why specs like sensor size are not an absolute indicator of image quality.

The Bad

Video. The bad news is that the NX10 is limited to 720p/30, just like the E-PL1 and E-PL2. The good news is that the NX10 uses H.264 to encode its video rather than the abominable Motion JPEG used on the Olympus models. H.264 takes up less space than Motion JPEG, and the NX10 can handle files up to 4GB instead of 2GB. The end result is a max recording time of 25 minutes on average.

Hard to find. Samsung's mirrorless models never really caught on the way models from Panasonic, Sony, or Olympus did. Despite putting out a good selection of mirrorless cameras with comparatively large APS-C sensors, consumers just never bought in. As a result, there aren't very many of them out there. Amazon doesn't sell the NX10. B&H Photo has a few in the Used bin, but no new old stock. We got ours from eBay for about $350, but finding them requires a bit of luck. Keh.com, a reseller of used cameras, has them for $380 in "Like New" condition with the standard 18-55mm kit lens. So what I'm trying to say is that you can find them, but it's not as easy as finding one of the Olympus models, which still seem to be everywhere.

The Verdict

The Samsung NX10 is a great little camera. It's especially promising if you are thinking about getting serious about photography and want a way to demo the whole DSLR experience without plonking down the money for a real DSLR. It's small and light, but not as small or as light as the Olympus models, so this too is a trade-off.