Samsung NX30 vs Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W330: A Thorough Comparison for Enthusiasts and Professionals

Selecting the right camera requires much more than scanning specs sheets. It demands understanding your shooting style, priorities, and the strengths and weaknesses of each system. Today I’m comparing two very different cameras - the Samsung NX30, an advanced mirrorless system, and the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W330, an ultra-compact point-and-shoot. Both target distinct user segments and come from different technology generations.

Drawing from extensive hands-on testing of thousands of cameras, this article will guide you through their nuanced capabilities, real-world performance, and who each is best suited for. Whether you care about portrait artistry, landscape detail, wildlife speed, or travel convenience, read on to ensure your next purchase fits your creative vision.

Getting to Know the Contenders: Design and Build

Right out of the gate, these cameras differ substantially in size, weight, and handling philosophy.

The Samsung NX30 sports a classical SLR-style mirrorless body with an electronic viewfinder, large handgrip, and a myriad of external controls for direct access to settings. Its 127x96x58mm chassis weighs about 375g, making it a robust companion for serious shooting sessions.

In contrast, the Sony W330 is a ultra-slim, pocket-friendly compact measuring just 96x57x17mm and weighing a featherweight 128g - perfect for casual shooters prioritizing portability.

The NX30’s ergonomics cater to deliberate framing and tactile feedback, essential for photographers who prefer manual tuning and long shoots. The W330’s simplicity embodies grab-and-go convenience but sacrifices depth of control.

If you value rich, adjustable physical controls for staking your creative choices, the NX30’s ergonomics feel reassuring and purposeful. But if your priority is true ultra-portability without the weight and bulk, the Sony W330 fits easily in a pocket or small bag.

Intuitive Controls: Navigating the Interfaces

Beyond size, how a camera puts controls at your fingertips makes or breaks the shooting experience.

Samsung’s NX30 features a full complement of dedicated dials for shutter speed, aperture, and exposure compensation. Its fully articulated 3-inch AMOLED touchscreen with 1036k-dot resolution supports intuitive touch focus and menu navigation. The electronic viewfinder offers 100% coverage at 2359k dots, delivering clear, distraction-free framing.

Sony’s W330 has a fixed 3-inch LCD of just 230k dots - adequate but noticeably less crisp - and no electronic or optical viewfinder. Its minimal physical buttons and lack of manual dials reflect its compact design ethos but limit quick exposure adjustments.

In low-light, or scenarios where you want exact settings, I found the NX30’s viewfinder and control layout invaluable. Sony’s W330 is best for simple point-and-shoot scenarios where quick snapshots are the goal.

Sensor Technology: The Image Quality Heart

This is where the cameras’ fundamental differences crystallize.

The NX30 employs a large APS-C CMOS sensor (23.5x15.7 mm) with 20 megapixels, paired with Samsung’s DRIMe IV processor. This sensor area of roughly 369 square mm is typical for advanced mirrorless cameras, allowing for excellent dynamic range, better low-light performance, and shallow depth-of-field control.

The Sony W330 hosts a compact 1/2.3” CCD sensor (6.17x4.55 mm) delivering 14 megapixels. This sensor is about 28 square mm, over 13 times smaller in area than the NX30’s. The result is more noise in low light and limited control over depth-of-field.

From testing, the NX30’s sensor delivers a DXOmark overall score of 77, with a 23.5 bit color depth and 12.4 stops of dynamic range. The W330, unfortunately, lacks DXO data but inherently can’t compete due to its sensor size and CCD technology, which generally have less dynamic range and higher noise at base ISOs.

For demanding disciplines - landscapes benefiting from range and color accuracy, portraits demanding smooth gradients and skin tones - the NX30 holds a decisive advantage. The W330 is better as an easy-snap casual camera, where sensor sophistication is less crucial.

Viewing and Composing Your Shots

The NX30’s AMOLED touchscreen serves dual roles - as a flexible angle LCD and confidence-building touchscreen AF and menu interface. This is particularly helpful for macro, low, and high-angle shooting, where composing on a tilting screen is invaluable.

The W330’s small fixed screen, by contrast, is low-res and non-touch, constraining dynamic composition and making precise manual focus tricky.

The presence of a high-res electronic viewfinder in the NX30 is a major plus, giving photographers eye-level stabilization and true framing control in bright conditions where LCD readability suffers.

Autofocus Systems: Speed, Accuracy, and Tracking

An effective autofocus system is crucial across genres, from catching fleeting wildlife to following athletes.

The NX30 incorporates a hybrid autofocus system with 247 points, including phase-detection and contrast-detection methods, and face detection. Continuous AF and AF tracking are supported, enabling accurate focus on moving subjects.

The Sony W330 offers a simpler system with only 9 contrast-detection points, no phase detection, and no face or eye detection. AF is slower and best suited for stationary subjects.

From hands-on testing with fast action and wildlife, I found the NX30 delivers snappier AF lock with better subject tracking, especially in continuous burst modes. The W330 tends to hunt in low light and can miss focus on moving targets.

Continuous Shooting and Burst Performance

For sports and wildlife, frame rate and buffer depth are often deal breakers.

The Samsung NX30 can sustain up to 9 frames per second continuous shooting - a respectable burst speed for its class.

Sony W330, designed as a casual compact, manages just 2 frames per second, which is insufficient for action.

This makes the NX30 much better suited to capturing decisive moments, while the W330 excels at leisurely shooting.

Durability and Weather Resistance

Both cameras lack weather sealing or ruggedization, typical of consumer-grade devices.

Neither is officially rated as dustproof, waterproof, shockproof, nor freezeproof, so caution is advised in harsh environments.

Professionals seeking reliability under demanding conditions should consider additional protective gear or more rugged camera alternatives.

Lenses and System Flexibility

A key strength of the NX30 is its Samsung NX lens mount system with a choice of 32 lenses. These range from ultrafast primes for portraits and low light to telephoto zooms for wildlife.

The W330 has a fixed 26-105mm equivalent zoom lens, which is versatile but limited by aperture range (F2.7-5.7) and no option to swap lenses.

For specialization, the NX30’s lens ecosystem offers tremendous creative scope. The W330 remains a convenient all-in-one with some compromises in optical quality and speed.

Battery Life and Storage

The NX30 uses a dedicated battery rated for around 360 shots per charge, respectable for its class.

The W330’s smaller battery (NP-BN1) is less specified but generally lower capacity. It supports internal memory plus SD/Memory Stick slots, offering flexible storage but shorter shooting endurance.

Connectivity and Extras

Both cameras include basic wireless: NX30 supports Wi-Fi and NFC; W330 lacks wireless features.

The NX30 has HDMI output, a microphone port, and USB 2.0; the W330 lacks HDMI and external mic input.

This makes the NX30 more future-proof and versatile for multimedia uses, including video capture with external audio.

Video Capabilities

The NX30 is capable of 1080p Full HD video at 60fps, using MPEG-4 and H.264 codecs. It supports manual exposure control and external microphone input, important for videographers.

The W330 offers only 640x480 resolution video at 30 fps in Motion JPEG, with no manual control or mic input.

As someone who tests video heavily, I can say the NX30 is by far the more viable hybrid still and motion camera.

Real-World Photography: Versatility Across Genres

Let’s explore how these cameras perform across key photography disciplines.

Portrait Photography

The NX30’s APS-C sensor provides excellent control over background blur, crucial for flattering portraits. Samsung’s face-detect AF reliably nails skin-tone rendering and eye focus.

The W330’s small sensor yields limited bokeh and less nuanced skin tones, with no advanced eye AF.

NX30 wins here handily for portrait artists.

Landscape Photography

Dynamic range and detail preservation are vital for landscapes.

The NX30 captures wide tonal range and fine detail thanks to its large sensor. The articulated AMOLED screen facilitates composition at odd angles.

The W330’s sensor can produce decent daylight shots but lacks range and resolution for fine prints.

The Samsung scores higher for landscape pros.

Wildlife Photography

Fast responsive AF and burst shooting are essential.

With 247 AF points and 9 fps burst, the NX30 handles wildlife action well, especially when paired with telephoto lenses.

Sony’s W330 is not really up to the task, with slow AF and limited reach.

Sports Photography

Rapid AF, frame rates, and tracking determine success.

NX30 delivers the necessary speed and tracking features; W330 falls short.

Street Photography

Compactness and discretion count here.

The W330’s small form factor and silent operation favor street candids.

The NX30 is larger and more conspicuous, but offers higher image quality.

Macro Photography

NX30’s lens options and touchscreen make macro shooting capable and enjoyable.

W330 has a 4cm macro mode but limited focusing precision.

Night and Astro Photography

Low noise and high ISO range enable night shots.

NX30 supports ISO up to 25600, with good low-light performance.

W330 maxes at 3200 ISO with higher noise levels.

Video and Travel

NX30’s 1080p video, audio inputs and articulated screen are significant assets.

The W330’s video is basic and low-res.

For travel, W330’s portability is unmatched; NX30 is more versatile photo/video tool.

Professional Work

RAW support, lens choice, controls, and stability make the NX30 suitable for pros on a budget.

The W330 is a casual snapshot camera.

Image Quality Verdict: Side-by-Side Samples

Here are comparable images showcasing the strengths of each model.

Samsung NX30 front Samsung NX30 screen back Sony W330 front Sony W330 screen back

Note the NX30’s richer colors, finer detail, and less noise in shadows. The W330’s images appear softer with muted tones.

Performance Ratings Summary

Here is a data-driven performance overview based on my evaluations and industry benchmarks:

Genre-Based Strength Analysis

And the breakdown by photographic genre:

Pros and Cons Table

Who Should Choose Which?

Pick the Samsung NX30 if:

• You demand superior image quality and control.
• You shoot portraits, landscapes, wildlife, sports, or macro seriously.
• You want a versatile system with interchangeable lenses.
• Video quality and external audio inputs matter.
• You need fast, accurate autofocus and burst shooting.
• You prefer physical controls and an electronic viewfinder.
• Portability is not the number one priority.

Pick the Sony W330 if:

• You want an inexpensive, pocketable camera.
• Casual snapshots and travel convenience trump image quality.
• You don’t need manual exposure or RAW.
• You prioritize simplicity and weight above all.
• Your subjects are mostly stationary, well-lit scenes.

Final Thoughts: Balancing Ambition and Practicality

Comparing the Samsung NX30 and Sony W330 is like contrasting a skilled craftsman’s toolkit with a handy pocket knife. The NX30’s advanced features, sensor size, controls, and image quality make it a compelling option for enthusiasts and semi-pros who want capable, flexible imaging tools. It won’t replace a flagship, but punches well above its price.

The Sony W330 fills a complementary niche as a small, easy point-and-shoot for effortless photography, suitable for beginners or casual users who want a lightweight companion for everyday moments without fuss.

Remember, choosing a camera is not just about pixels per dollar but matching a device’s strengths to your artistic goals. I recommend handling both in person if possible, but my extensive testing affirms the NX30 delivers meaningful advantages for those serious about photography, while the W330 offers value and portability with understandable compromises.

If you found this comparison valuable, be sure to check out our other camera evaluations where I apply the same rigorous, practical testing standards to help you buy with confidence.

Happy shooting!