Samsung NX3000 vs Sony A77 II: A Thorough Head-to-Head for Photographers in 2024

Selecting a camera is always a balancing act among features, handling, and performance tailored to your photographic ambitions. The Samsung NX3000 and Sony A77 II, both announced in May 2014, represent two distinct philosophies aimed at different segments: the NX3000 as an entry-level mirrorless system and the A77 II as a robust mid-size advanced DSLR. After extensive hands-on testing under varied conditions - from studio portraits and landscapes at dawn to the messy chaos of sports arenas and the whisper-grey streets at night - I’m here to unpack their strengths, limitations, and practical use cases.

Size, Build, and Ergonomics: Who Feels Better in Your Hands?

Looking first at physical form factors, there's a stark difference. The Samsung NX3000 is compact and lightweight at just 230g and dimensions 117 x 66 x 39 mm, reflecting its entry-level mirrorless positioning. It’s a rangefinder-style design with minimal bulk - easy to slip into a jacket pocket or purse. The minimalistic control layout caters well to casual shooters and beginners.

The Sony A77 II, by contrast, weighs nearly three times as much at 647g, measuring 143 x 104 x 81 mm. It’s a mid-size DSLR with a substantial grip, robust build, and weather sealing - features aimed squarely at enthusiastic amateurs and professionals who need durability and all-day comfort with larger lenses. This size and weight duo also translate to increased stability when shooting handheld in challenging conditions.

Ergonomically, the A77 II’s extensive button array and customizable dials give it the edge for fast, intuitive operation. The NX3000’s sparse physical controls mean relying more on the menus, reflected by its simpler rear interface - an aspect we’ll explore in detail soon.

For photographers prioritizing portability - think street photogs darting through urban canyons or travel photographers hiking long trails - the NX3000’s trim form will be welcome. For those seeking a confident tool that feels “just right” when paired with a telephoto zoom on a wildlife expedition or sports shoot, the Sony’s heft and grip speak to a more professional intent.

Sensor Technology and Image Quality: The Heart of the Matter

Both cameras sport APS-C sized sensors measuring roughly 23.5 x 15.7mm, which establishes their shared potential for sharp images with degree of background separation superior to smaller sensors.

The Samsung NX3000 features a 20MP CMOS sensor - suitable for social sharing and moderate enlargement. However, it includes an anti-aliasing filter, which softens some fine detail to avoid moiré but reduces ultimate sharpness slightly. Samsung’s image processing engine, while competent, sits behind some rivals in delivering punchy, vibrant output.

In contrast, the Sony A77 II leverages a more advanced 24MP CMOS sensor coupled with the BIONZ X image processor. This duo not only yields higher resolution files for large prints but excels in dynamic range - capturing detail in both shadows and highlights effectively, critical for landscape and HDR work. Sony’s 82 DXOMark overall score attests to solid color depth (24.4 bits) and impressive low light prowess, with an ISO low-light score of 1013.

Dynamic range and noise performance make the A77 II the clear winner in image quality metrics, especially when pushing beyond ISO 1600. The NX3000, while decent at base ISO and with good daylight detail, struggles as noise creeps in quickly beyond ISO 3200.

Viewing and Composing: To Viewfinder or Not to Viewfinder?

Neither camera is perfect when it comes to framing interfaces. The NX3000 lacks an electronic or optical viewfinder, relying solely on its 3” tilting LCD screen with a 461k-dot resolution. This diminutive screen, while convenient for creative angles, suffers outdoors under bright sunlight due to relatively low brightness and resolution.

The Sony A77 II boasts a fully articulated 3” LCD with a sharper 1229k-dot resolution and, importantly, a high-quality 2.36 million-dot electronic viewfinder (EVF) with 100% coverage and 0.73x magnification. The EVF provides a bright, lag-free window for precise framing, even in tough lighting. My testing outdoors affirmed that the Sony’s viewfinder was a trustworthy asset for critical focus confirmation and manual exposure adjustments in the field.

If composing without a dedicated viewfinder seems too limiting in your routine - especially for fast-moving subjects or bright conditions - the Sony here offers enormous practical value. That said, travel or casual users may find the lightweight NX3000 manageable by composing exclusively on the tilt screen.

Autofocus Systems: Snappy or Sluggish?

Focus is critical, and here the cameras diverge sharply.

The Samsung NX3000 uses contrast-detection autofocus with 35 points, offering face detection and tracking modes. While effective in good light, I observed significant hunting in low light or with moving subjects. Continuous autofocus tracking is serviceable but not dependable for fast action like sports or wildlife.

Meanwhile, the Sony A77 II incorporates a hybrid autofocus system with 79 phase-detection points and 15 cross-type sensors, making it a compelling choice for tracking erratically moving subjects. Its speedy 12 fps continuous shooting combined with this sophisticated autofocus is invaluable during fast-paced shooting scenarios like sports or wildlife photography.

Performance in Different Photography Genres

Let's stack these two against practical photographic disciplines and see where each shines.

Portrait Photography

Portrait shooters prize natural skin tones, accurate eye detection for sharp portraits, and pleasing bokeh quality.

The Sony A77 II’s superior autofocus precision and face detection make locking onto eyes effortless, yielding consistently tack-sharp portraits. The 24MP sensor provides extra resolution for printing large photos or cropping without loss. With sensor-based image stabilization, handholding lenses at lower shutter speeds feels more secure.

The Samsung NX3000’s 20MP sensor captures good skin tone rendition, but autofocus is occasionally hesitant in dim studio lighting. Additionally, the lack of stabilization requires faster shutter speeds or stabilized lenses. Its 1.5x crop factor offers tight framing with moderate portrait telephotos but can restrict wide-aperture prime use slightly.

Landscape Photography

For landscapes, we look at dynamic range, resolution, and environmental resilience.

Sony’s A77 II stands out with its high dynamic range sensor retaining shadow and highlight detail on sunrise scenes. Its weather sealed build resists dust and moisture - a godsend on misty mountains or windy shores. The camera’s articulating screen aids composition from awkward vantage points.

The Samsung NX3000 captures respectable daylight landscapes with decent color but lacks weather sealing and trails off with higher noise in low light shadows. Dynamic range is visibly narrower in high contrast scenes.

Wildlife and Sports Photography

Here, speed and tracking reign supreme.

With its class-leading 12fps burst rate coupled with 79 phase-detect AF points and advanced tracking algorithms, the Sony A77 II proves formidable for wildlife photographers pinning flying birds or athletes zooming across fields.

The NX3000’s modest 5fps and contrast-detect AF makes it less suited to these challenging subjects. Its more limited native lens selection with telephoto reach restricts long-distance shooting options, although the system covers 32 lenses including some telephotos. Still, the lack of image stabilization reduces handheld reach stability.

Street Photography and Travel

Travel and street shooters often prioritize compactness, discretion, and low-light usability.

The NX3000’s diminutive, quiet body is less obtrusive for candid shots and far easier to lug around for all-day exploring. While its limited dynamic range hampers low-light street scenes with high contrast, the camera’s vibrant color rendition compensates somewhat.

Sony’s heftier A77 II is not as portable, and its louder shutter may attract attention, but the superior high ISO performance and EVF for framing in dim environments make it a better choice for demanding low-light urban work.

Macro and Night Photography

Neither camera boasts specialized macro focusing aids or focus stacking, but we can still assess usability.

The Sony’s superior sensor noise control aids astrophotography and long exposures. Its articulating screen facilitates composing tricky macro shots with manual focus, while sensor stabilization helps mitigate shake at high magnifications.

Samsung’s NX3000 lacks stabilization and has noisier high ISO output, limiting night time creative opportunities mostly to shorter exposures on a tripod.

Video Capabilities

Both shoot Full HD 1080p video, but Sony’s formats and frame rates are more versatile: 60p for smooth motion and support for AVCHD, MPEG-4, and the progressive XAVC S codec. Sony also includes a microphone input jack - important for serious videographers.

Samsung outputs Full HD at 30p with H.264 encoding but lacks microphone or headphone ports, limiting audio control, and no 4K options.

Lens Ecosystems: Choosing Your Glass

Lens availability shapes system potential.

Samsung’s NX mount hosts a compact but limited lineup - approximately 32 lenses spanning wide to telephoto. While decent for the entry-level user, this ecosystem lacks the breadth and third-party support of more entrenched mounts. Also, Samsung’s exit from the camera market has left the system dormant.

Sony’s A-mount benefits from a vast selection of over 140 lenses, including high-quality primes, telephotos, macro, and specialty optics, with excellent support from Sony and third-party manufacturers like Sigma. For a photographer investing long term, this lens diversity is a significant advantage.

Battery Life, Storage, and Connectivity

Sony offers longer battery endurance - approximately 480 shots per charge compared to Samsung’s 370, important if you’re shooting all day without charging.

Both cameras support one memory card slot, with the NX3000 using microSD cards and the Sony more traditional SD cards plus Memory Stick. For speed and capacity, SD tends to be more versatile.

Connectivity-wise, both offer Wi-Fi with NFC for quick pairing and wireless image transfer. HDMI outputs expand multimedia options.

Environmental Durability and Weather Sealing

The Sony A77 II’s weather sealing is a boon under harsh conditions - light rain, dust, or cold environments - tested extensively during cold morning wildlife sessions and dusty stadium stands. The Samsung NX3000 has no sealing, demanding caution if you shoot outdoors frequently.

Price-to-Performance Considerations

At current asking prices - roughly $900 for the Samsung NX3000 and $1,200 for the Sony A77 II - budget-conscious beginners might gravitate toward the NX3000 as a capable entry mirrorless offering.

However, the Sony delivers significantly improved image quality, autofocus sophistication, frame rates, and weather resistance for just a moderate increase in investment. For photography enthusiasts aspiring to professional workflows or diverse shooting scenarios, the A77 II represents better value despite the higher cost.

Samsung NX3000 front Samsung NX3000 screen back Sony A77 II front Sony A77 II screen back

Overall Scores and Genre-Specific Performance Breakdown

When stacked side-by-side in our comprehensive testing matrix, the Sony A77 II consistently earns higher scores across image quality, autofocus, low-light handling, and burst speed, particularly excelling in action and landscape.

The Samsung NX3000 fairs well for casual portraits and travel but falls short under demanding or professional use.

Final Verdict: Which Camera Fits Your Needs?

The takeaway? If you’re entering photography with a tight budget, value portability, and primarily capture casual portraits and travel snapshots in bright conditions, the Samsung NX3000 can deliver satisfying results.

Conversely, if you require a versatile, tough, and high-performing system for portraits, landscapes, sports, and video, with an expansive lens ecosystem and advanced autofocus, the Sony A77 II remains a compelling choice nearly a decade after its launch.

Having tested thousands of cameras, I appreciate that technology evolves rapidly, but few cameras align so clearly to a photographer’s practical needs as these two do on opposite ends of the spectrum. Your decision should be guided by what you shoot, how you shoot it, and how much you want to invest in growing your craft over the coming years.

Helpful Advice for Buyers:

• Try handling both bodies in-store; ergonomics profoundly impact shooting comfort.
• Consider lens availability and future upgrades.
• Factor in whether you need video capabilities beyond casual use.
• Match price expectations against feature sets rather than brand allure alone.

In the camera marketplace, there’s rarely a one-size-fits-all “best”. But armed with this detailed comparison, I hope you feel more equipped to find the right fit and create your own photographic legacy.

Happy shooting!