The Tale of Two Cameras: Samsung EX2F vs Sony A9 – Compact Meets Pro Mirrorless

When faced with the Samsung EX2F and the Sony A9 side-by-side, it’s hard not to chuckle at how wide the photographic universe stretches - from the humble compact to the 20-fps beast made for professional sports arenas. But comparing these two is not about picking a winner; it’s about understanding which camera fits your vision and shooting style. I’ve spent countless hours with both cameras in different environments - from bustling city streets to frosty mountain landscapes - so let’s unpack how these two devices stack up, and where each truly shines.

First Impressions: Size, Feel, and Design

At first glance, the Samsung EX2F is the quintessential pocket-friendly companion - compact, lightweight at just 294 grams, and sporting a sleek 112x62x29 mm footprint. It beckons with its fully articulated AMOLED screen, a rarity in small sensor compacts at its launch time (late 2012). The handling is comfortable for casual shooters and those who prize discretion - perfect for street photography or travel where lugging around a bulky camera isn’t an option.

In stark contrast, the Sony A9 is a bona fide pro-grade mirrorless camera weighing in more than twice as much at 673 grams, with a robust SLR-style body measuring 127x96x63 mm. It’s designed with performance, durability, and ergonomics for extended professional use in mind. The controls are plentiful but thoughtfully laid out, enabling quick access to settings on the fly - crucial when you’re trying to capture millisecond moments in sports or wildlife.

From a control perspective, the EX2F keeps things simple with a fixed lens and minimal external buttons, while the A9 offers customizable dials, button mapping, and even touchscreen functionality on its tilting rear LCD. It shows its roots as a camera built for those who want granular exposure control, focus flexibility, and more.

The Heart of the Matter: Sensor and Image Quality Showdown

If you’re keen on image quality, prepare to have your expectations finely tuned by what each sensor offers.

Samsung’s EX2F packs a 12MP 1/1.7” BSI-CMOS sensor - small, yet surprisingly capable, especially with its bright f/1.4–2.7 lens. While the physical sensor area is a modest 41.5 mm², this sensor excels in good light, delivering punchy color and sharpness typical of well-optimized compact cameras. However, its dynamic range and low-light capability are inherently limited, scoring a modest DxOMark overall of 48. With a native ISO range up to 3200, expect noise to creep in rapidly beyond ISO 800 in dim settings.

On the flip side, the Sony A9’s full-frame 24MP BSI-CMOS sensor truly shines in demanding conditions. The sensor size is gargantuan by comparison (847 mm²), allowing it to capture fine detail, broad dynamic range, and exemplary high ISO performance - the DxOMark score of 92 is testament to this. Native ISO tops out at 51,200 (boosted ISO up to a mind-boggling 204,800), meaning astrophotographers or night shooters will revel in the cleaner shadows and richer mid-tones.

Looking at the Screens and Viewfinders: Your Window to Creation

Samsung’s AMOLED screen on the EX2F impresses with vibrant colors and a fully articulating hinge, which is fantastic for low-angle macro shots or selfies (yes, it is selfie friendly). However, the screen resolution is unspecified, and there’s no built-in electronic viewfinder - just an optional add-on. This limits usability outdoors in bright light if you’re someone who prefers composing with your eye to the screen.

The Sony A9 counters with a 3” tilting LCD boasting a sharp 1440k dot resolution and an exceptional electronic viewfinder (EVF) with 3.7 million dots, 100% coverage, and 0.78x magnification. It’s arguably one of the best EVFs currently on the market, offering a nearly lag-free and bright representation of your composition, even in tricky lighting. Touchscreen support further enhances menu navigation and focus point selection - a boon for responsiveness.

Autofocus and Burst Performance: Speed and Precision Tested

You might expect the EX2F’s autofocus system to be basic, and you’d be right. It relies on contrast-detection AF only, with no continuous autofocus or subject tracking. The number of focus points is unspecified, though likely modest and center-biased by design. In practical terms: it’s perfectly fine for static subjects or casual snapshots but struggles with fast-moving scenes or low contrast.

The Sony A9 is in a league of its own here - featuring 693 phase-detection AF points covering a large portion of the frame, alongside real-time Eye AF for humans and animals. The hybrid AF system seamlessly blends phase and contrast detection for lightning-fast, reliable focus tracking, even during high-speed bursts up to 20fps with full autofocus and exposure tracking. This makes the A9 a dream for sports and wildlife shooters who need to nail fleeting expressions or rapid action sequences.

How Do They Handle Different Photography Niches?

Let’s break down practical performance across key photography genres:

Portraiture: Skin Tones and Subject Separation

For portraits, sharp eye detection and beautiful bokeh are key. The Samsung EX2F’s fast lens (f/1.4 at wide end) helps create a nice background blur for a compact camera sensor, but the sensor size limits the depth of field control when compared with larger cameras.

The Sony A9, with a full-frame sensor, offers exquisite skin tone rendition and fantastic subject isolation with compatible lenses. Eye AF ensures tack-sharp focus on the eyes, a feature I’ve tested extensively and observed to perform flawlessly even with moving subjects or behind obstructions.

Landscape Photography: Dynamic Range and Detail

The EX2F can capture pleasing landscapes when lighting is favorable, but smaller sensor dynamic range limits recovery of highlights and shadows in high contrast scenes. The 12MP detail level is fine for online sharing but restrictive for large prints.

The A9 excels here - boasting elevated dynamic range and resolution. Its robust weather sealing allows confident shooting in challenging environments (rain, dust), making it an excellent choice for serious landscape photographers demanding fine detail and tonal depth.

Wildlife Imaging: Speed Meets Reach

While the EX2F’s 24–80 mm lens with 3.3x zoom offers a modest telephoto reach (roughly equivalent to 115–384 mm in 35mm terms accounting for sensor crop), the autofocus lag and burst limitations reduce usability for fast wildlife action.

Conversely, the A9 thrives with its expansive lens ecosystem (over 120 native E-mount lenses available, including prime telephotos) and zippy processor for rapid AF and 20fps burst. In the field, this means more keeper shots of birds in flight or fleeting animal expressions.

Sports Photography: Tracking and Frame Rates

The Samsung lacks the fast shutter speeds, continuous AF, and high frame rates required for sports. While shutter speeds are unspecified, expect limitations compared to enthusiast or professional cameras.

The Sony A9 is purpose-built for sports shooters: silent electronic shutter up to 32000s and mechanical shutter up to 1/8000s, real-time tracking AF, and the aforementioned 20fps burst rate guarantee that decisive moments aren’t lost. Battery life also supports extended sessions, rated at 650 shots from a single charge.

Street Photography: Stealth and Portability

This is where the EX2F really impresses. Compact, quiet, and featuring an appealingly bright lens, it blends into crowds and enables candid shots with minimal fuss. The lack of a noisy mirror or mechanical shutter noise reduces attention.

The Sony A9, while more discreet than DSLRs thanks to electronic shutter, still commands a larger presence. It demands a dedicated bag and isn’t as straightforward for spontaneous street shooting.

Macro Photography: Close Focus and Stability

The Samsung EX2F does not specify a macro focus range, but its fast lens is capable of modest close-ups. Optical stabilization helps reduce shake at high magnifications.

The Sony A9’s worth is heavily determined by lens choice here - several top-tier macro lenses for the E-mount allow for precise focusing and detailed close-ups, supported by 5-axis in-body image stabilization (IBIS), a huge advantage for handheld macro work.

Night and Astro Photography: Sensitivity and Long Exposure

While the EX2F tops out at ISO 3200 with moderate noise, it lacks specialized long exposure modes or extended ISO boosting, limiting astro and night photography attempts.

The A9’s expansive ISO range plus support for long exposures up to 30 seconds, plus silent shooting options (no mechanical vibration), make it a compelling astro setup. Its high dynamic range helps retain stars and night sky detail without excessive processing.

Video Capabilities: Recording and Audio

The EX2F records Full HD (1920x1080) video using H.264, which was adequate for casual shooters in 2012 but lacks modern codec efficiency and 4K resolution. No microphone input restricts audio quality control.

The Sony A9 ups the ante with 4K video support, multiple codecs, and professional audio inputs including microphone and headphone jacks for monitoring sound. While video-centric rivals like Sony’s A7S series might overshadow it, the A9 delivers solid hybrid stills/video performance.

Travel Photography: Convenience and Versatility

Portability and battery life are pivotal here. The EX2F’s compact size, built-in stabilization, and straightforward interface make it easy to whip out and capture moments without fuss.

The Sony A9 is heavier and bulkier, but dual SD card slots and robust battery life (650 shots) support longer trips. The lens system versatility also allows travel photographers to tailor their kit - be it sweeping landscapes or cityscapes.

Professional Workflows: Reliability and File Formats

Sony caters heavily to professional workflows with the A9, offering extensive RAW support, sensor-based stabilization, customizable controls, and robust build quality with weather sealing. The dual cards allow for backup or relay recording.

Samsung’s EX2F supports RAW but lacks professional-grade durability features or modular flexibility, making it more suited for enthusiasts or hobbyists.

Build Quality and Weather Resistance

The Sony A9 has environmental sealing protecting against dust and moisture - an often overlooked but essential feature when shooting in unpredictable conditions. Samsung’s EX2F, designed for portability and casual use, lacks such protection.

Battery Life and Storage Considerations

While Samsung doesn’t publish exact battery figures for the EX2F, its compact build inherently limits capacity - expect to recharge frequently during intensive shooting days.

The A9 shines with the NP-FZ100 battery offering approximately 650 shots per charge in real-world use, a boon for event or wedding photographers who can’t afford downtime. Dual UHS-II compatible SD card slots enable both rapid storage and backup options, essential for professionals.

Connectivity and Wireless Features

Both cameras provide built-in wireless features - Samsung offers basic built-in Wi-Fi but no Bluetooth or NFC, restricting the ease of pairing with devices.

Sony integrates Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and NFC for seamless connection to smartphones and remote control apps. This makes instant sharing and remote operation straightforward, perfect for today’s on-the-go workflows.

Price-to-Performance: Who Gets What for Their Money?

Here’s where reality bites. The Samsung EX2F, cited at approximately $478 retail, offers a compelling package: a fast zoom lens in a compact form, decent image quality for day-to-day use, and ease of carry. It’s well suited for casual shooters, travelers who want better results than a smartphone, or street photographers valuing discretion.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Sony A9 clocks in near $4500, embodying a serious investment for professional use - sports photographers, wildlife shooters, wedding pros, or anyone needing the absolute best in autofocus speed, image fidelity, and rugged dependability.

Real-World Shootouts and Image Gallery

I put the EX2F and A9 through hoops from urban streets to nature treks. While the EX2F struggled on low-light streets yielding noisy, somewhat soft images, it excelled beautifully in sunny scenes, delivering vivid color and impressively shallow depth when wide open.

The A9 was a powerhouse across all scenarios - eye-catchingly sharp portraits, flawless fast-action sequences, and rich, shadowy landscape files that seemed to hold infinite tonal gradients.

Samsung EX2F front Samsung EX2F screen back Sony A9 front Sony A9 screen back

Specialized Genre-Based Scores

Let’s break down how each camera performs across genres, referencing a score spectrum (out of 10) based on my own experience weighted against DxOMark data and field testing:

Portraits: EX2F 6 / A9 9
Landscape: EX2F 5 / A9 9
Wildlife: EX2F 3 / A9 10
Sports: EX2F 2 / A9 10
Street: EX2F 8 / A9 6
Macro: EX2F 5 / A9 8
Night/Astro: EX2F 3 / A9 9
Video: EX2F 4 / A9 7
Travel: EX2F 9 / A9 7
Pro Workflows: EX2F 3 / A9 10

Clearly, the A9 dominates in professional and high-demand photographic scenarios, while the EX2F shines in lightweight, casual, and street photography.

Final Thoughts: Who Should Buy Which?

If you’re a serious enthusiast or professional craving uncompromised speed, image quality, and versatility - plus the lens lineup to back it up - the Sony A9 is your call, albeit for a substantial premium. It’s engineered to satisfy the most demanding photographers and videographers who need rock-solid autofocus, high frame rates, and excellent dynamic range. The A9 will reward you with images and operational reliability you can stake your career on.

For hobbyists, travelers, or street photographers seeking a pocketable camera that punches above its tiny sensor weight, the Samsung EX2F remains an intriguing choice, especially if you value a bright lens and fully articulating AMOLED touchscreen for creative framing versatility. It’s not the fastest or most advanced, but it’s a joy to carry and captures vibrant images in good light.

In the end, your choice boils down to your photographic ambitions, budget, and preferred shooting style. Both cameras come from very different worlds yet serve their audiences well - whether you want to slip silently into a cafe to capture life’s intimate moments or command the sidelines capturing a 200 km/h tennis serve.

Every camera has its story. Hopefully, now you’re armed with enough insight to choose the chapter you want to write. Happy shooting!