Comparing the Samsung NX30 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W560: A Detailed, Expert Analysis

In a market flooded with cameras designed for vastly different users and needs, choosing the right tool for your photography demands careful consideration of numerous features and performance factors. This article provides an exhaustive comparison of two very distinct cameras: the Samsung NX30, an advanced mirrorless camera launched in early 2014 targeting enthusiasts and prosumers, and the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W560, an ultracompact point-and-shoot from 2011 intended for casual snapshots and portability. By examining all relevant technical and usage aspects, from sensor technology to ergonomics and genre-specific application, this review aims to equip serious photographers with the knowledge needed to decide which camera, if either, fits their photographic pursuits.

Physical Design and Handling: Ergonomics That Influence Usability

Build and Body Type
The Samsung NX30 is a large, SLR-style mirrorless camera with a body size of 127 x 96 x 58 mm and weighing 375 grams. The Sony W560 is a diminutive ultracompact camera, just 94 x 56 x 19 mm in dimensions and a mere 110 grams in weight. This difference in physical size and mass profoundly affects the handling experience. The NX30’s larger grip and more substantial chassis facilitate secure, comfortable handling for extended shooting sessions, vital for professionals and enthusiasts who prioritize stable framing and tactile control.

The W560’s lightweight and compact form factor make it highly pocketable and low-profile, ideal for casual use and unobtrusive street shooting or travel snapshots where size constraints prevail.

Control Layout and User Interface
Examining controller layouts from the top, the NX30 features a traditional DSLR-style control scheme with dedicated dials for shutter speed, exposure compensation, and shooting modes, complemented by an articulating touchscreen that supports intuitive operation and live view navigation.

In contrast, the Sony W560’s ultracompact design offers minimal physical controls, relying almost entirely on menu systems and automatic settings, restricting manual intervention. The absence of physical dials, coupled with a fixed, low-resolution LCD, limits customization and rapid parameter changes during shooting.

Screens and Viewfinders
The NX30 is equipped with a 3-inch fully articulated AMOLED screen boasting 1036K-dot resolution and touchscreen capability, providing flexibility to shoot from creative angles and straightforward touch-based menu access. Its electronic viewfinder (EVF) with 2359K dots and 100% coverage delivers a bright, real-time preview with an approximate 0.66x magnification, allowing precise composition in bright or complex lighting conditions.

Conversely, the Sony W560 has a 3-inch fixed Clear Photo LCD with only 230K-dot resolution, lacking touchscreen support and an EVF altogether. The absence of a viewfinder constrains usability in bright daylight where LCD glare can impede visibility.

Durability and Weather Sealing
Neither camera offers environmental sealing or rugged weather resistance. The NX30’s plastically constructed body with metal reinforcements feels professional but is susceptible to moisture and dust ingress. The W560’s low-cost plastic construction emphasizes portability over durability. Photographers working in challenging environments should note these limitations.

Sensor Technology and Image Quality: The Core of Photographic Performance

Sensor Size and Resolution
The Samsung NX30 utilizes a significantly larger APS-C CMOS sensor measuring 23.5 x 15.7 mm with 20 megapixels of resolution. The sensor area of approximately 369 mm² allows for superior image quality, greater dynamic range, and improved low-light performance compared to smaller sensors.

The Sony W560 houses a tiny 1/2.3-inch CCD sensor, around 6.17 x 4.55 mm, with 14 megapixels. The sensor’s 28 mm² area reflects its point-and-shoot heritage, placing intrinsic limits on image quality, especially under demanding lighting.

Image Quality Metrics
According to DxOMark benchmarks, the NX30 scores a commendable 77 points overall, an excellent color depth (23.5 bits), and dynamic range (12.4 EV), allowing it to capture nuanced tones and handle highlight-to-shadow transitions gracefully. Its maximum native ISO of 25600 offers flexibility in low light, though practical noise performance begins to degrade well before maximum ISO.

The Sony W560’s image quality metrics have not been officially benchmarked on DxO, but the 1/2.3-inch CCD sensor restricts dynamic range and high ISO usability. With a modest maximum native ISO of 3200 and typical noise at ISO 800, low-light and high-contrast scenes challenge the W560’s imaging capabilities.

Anti-Aliasing and Optical Considerations
The NX30 retains an anti-aliasing filter to mitigate moiré patterns, typical for APS-C mirrorless cameras. The W560 also features an anti-aliasing filter, but given its low-resolution sensor, this impacts detailed rendition less markedly.

Autofocus and Performance: Capturing the Moment with Precision

Autofocus System
The NX30 boasts a hybrid autofocus system combining phase-detection and contrast-detection with 247 focus points spread over the frame, including face detection capability. This affords fast, accurate focusing with reliable subject tracking and continuous AF modes suited for action or wildlife photography.

Conversely, the W560’s autofocus is a basic contrast-detection system with only 9 points and no face detection or advanced tracking features. The camera’s design limits it primarily to stationary subjects and casual snapshots.

Continuous Shooting and Shutter Speeds
The NX30 supports burst shooting at 9 fps, sufficient for sports and wildlife applications demanding multiple frames per second. Its mechanical shutter speeds range from 30 seconds to 1/8000s, empowering control over exposure across varied conditions.

The W560, however, manages only 1 fps continuous shooting and shutter speeds from 2 to 1/1600s. This means it is less capable of handling fast motion or broad exposure ranges, restricting creative options.

Lens Ecosystem and Versatility: Adapting to Photographic Needs

Lens Mount and Options
The Samsung NX30 uses the proprietary Samsung NX lens mount, with a catalog of approximately 32 lenses including primes, zooms, and specialist optics covering wide-angle to telephoto focal lengths. This allows photographers to adapt the system to portraiture, macro, and landscape applications as needed.

The Sony W560’s fixed 26–104 mm (35mm equivalent) zoom lens with a moderate aperture range of f/2.7 to f/5.7 defines its imaging limits. The lack of interchangeable lenses constrains photographic creativity and optical quality enhancements beyond the built-in lens capabilities.

Photography Genres and Use Cases Explored

To translate these specifications into practical advice, it’s useful to assess how each camera performs across key photographic disciplines.

Portrait Photography

Capturing accurate skin tones with pleasing background separation demands sensor quality and lens options.

• NX30: The APS-C sensor and available fast prime lenses allow creamy bokeh and excellent detail rendition. Face detection AF enhances focusing accuracy on subjects’ eyes, delivering consistent portraits.
• W560: Limited by small sensor and fixed zoom, bokeh is less pronounced and skin tone rendition is more compressed. Lack of face detection reduces AF reliability for portraits.

Landscape Photography

This requires high resolution, dynamic range, and weather robustness.

• NX30 delivers the resolution and dynamic range needed to conserve detail in shadows and highlights, plus it supports lens filters and tripods well.
• W560’s compactness aids portability but imposes limitations on both resolution and dynamic range for serious landscape work.

Wildlife Photography

Speed and tracking accuracy are paramount.

• NX30 excels with 247 focus points, 9 fps burst, and continuous AF tracking - important when photographing unpredictable animals.
• W560's contrast-only AF and 1 fps shooting limit its use to static subjects or casual wildlife images.

Sports Photography

Fast reflexes and fast frame rates are critical.

• NX30 is suitable with its 9 fps and quick shutter speeds.
• W560 not practical for serious sports given its slow continuous shooting and AF.

Street Photography

Balancing discretion and image quality is key.

• W560 offers discrete, lightweight handling suitable for candid shots but at the cost of image quality.
• NX30 is more conspicuous but yields superior results, especially in varied lighting.

Macro Photography

Requires precise focusing and magnification.

• NX30’s interchangeable lenses include macro options offering sharp close-ups.
• W560 has a macro focus distance of 5 cm but lacks manual focus refinement, limiting precision.

Night and Astrophotography

High ISO and exposure control decide usability.

• NX30’s ISO range to 25600 and manual exposure provide real shooting flexibility.
• W560 maxes at ISO 3200 with limited shutter speeds, restricting night work.

Video Capabilities

Video quality benefits from sensor size and codec support.

• NX30 records 1080p60 video with microphone input, offering better video quality and audio options.
• W560 records only up to 720p30 with no audio input, suitable only for casual video needs.

Travel Photography

A jack of all trades, requiring battery life and compactness.

• W560 shines with its pocketability and ease of use.
• NX30 is bulkier but vastly superior in image quality and versatility.

Professional Workflows

Professional demands include reliability and high-quality RAW support.

• NX30 supports RAW shooting and integrates with professional editing software.
• W560 lacks RAW support, limiting post-production.

Samsung NX30 front Samsung NX30 screen back Sony W560 front Sony W560 screen back

Additional Technical Considerations

Image Stabilization
The NX30 lacks in-camera stabilization, necessitating stabilized lenses or tripods to manage camera shake. The W560 includes optical stabilization, which helps handheld shots at slower shutter speeds but cannot compensate for its sensor drawbacks.

Battery Life
The NX30’s rated 360 shots per charge is modest among mirrorless cameras, highlighting the need for spares on extended shoots. The W560’s unspecified battery life is generally limited but enhanced by its simpler electronics and smaller sensor.

Storage and Connectivity
Both cameras rely on one SD card slot, with the NX30 also supporting SDHC and SDXC. Wireless connectivity is better executing on the NX30 with built-in Wi-Fi and NFC, facilitating remote control and image transfer - a feature absent in the W560, which only supports Eye-Fi cards.

Ports and Expansion
The NX30 includes micro-HDMI, USB 2.0, and a microphone input but lacks headphone out and advanced sync ports. The W560’s port options are minimal with no audio inputs.

Value Assessment: Pricing Versus Performance

At a current price around $700, the Samsung NX30 offers professional-level build, advanced autofocus, superior sensor, and considerable flexibility. In contrast, the Sony W560 is priced below $140, clearly targeting users valuing compactness and ease over image quality or control.

Summary and Recommendations

Who Should Choose the Samsung NX30?

• Enthusiasts and professionals seeking a versatile, advanced mirrorless camera with excellent image quality.
• Photographers needing interchangeable lenses, reliable autofocus, and video capabilities.
• Users prioritizing manual controls, RAW workflow, and creative versatility across genres including portraits, landscapes, wildlife, and sports.

Who Is the Sony W560 Suitable For?

• Beginners or casual users desiring an easy-to-carry, no-fuss camera for snapshots and travel photos.
• Those prioritizing compactness and simplicity over image quality or manual controls.
• Users with minimal post-processing ambitions who do not require professional-grade results.

Conclusion

The Samsung NX30 and Sony W560 occupy fundamentally different segments of the camera market. The NX30’s contemporary and more advanced technologies serve demanding photographers across many genres with superior speed, control, and image fidelity. The W560 caters to casual shooters valuing convenience and compactness, sacrificing performance and flexibility in the process.

In practical photography terms, the NX30 opens doors to creative expression enabled by its sensor size, lens versatility, and autofocus sophistication, justifying its premium. The Sony W560, while commendable within its ultra-budget niche, lacks the features and imaging quality to satisfy serious photography needs.

For enthusiasts and professional photographers researching a dependable camera with potent capabilities, the Samsung NX30 stands head and shoulders above the Sony W560. This analysis reflects a cumulative understanding gained from extensive hands-on testing of sensors, autofocus systems, and real-world shooting dynamics. It emphasizes informed decision-making based on performance merits rather than brand or marketing claims.

A carefully considered purchase aligned with photographic objectives will invariably lead to more satisfying results and a productive creative journey.