Samsung’s NX500 is the point where the company in the emerging market where very few cameras achieved shooting 4K video (4,096 x 2,140 pixels)-now. The NX500 uses a BSI CMOS sensor with a maximum resolution of 28MP; this specification is far greater than that for the same part of the mirrorless segment. The hybrid AF system – combined with contrast and phase detection, the NX500 has very fast focusing speed, no less than a DSLR. In addition, the camera has a full rich 9 frames per second and low resolution at 30 frames per second. The ISO range of 100 to 25,600 which can further be expanded up to 51,200 matches well with the performance of the NX500 in low light.
In addition, the camera is equipped with a Super AMOLED touch screen of 3 inches that turns flipping and makes it possible to control very easily, high or low angles, or for selfies. The Wi-Fi and the NFC connections make it easy for the users to control the camera remotely for effortless and easy sharing of photos.
The lens 16-50mm has an Optical Image Stabilizer (OIS), uses an ED lens for better sharpness and distortion correction, and also gives impressive reduction in light scattering. This lens is fitted up with an electric zoom to make it easier to take zoomed images and vibrations are also reduced while shooting videos.
Ultimately, the price of $ 799 with kit lens included makes it the most favorably viewed merit of Samsung NX500 by editors. This price helped to make NX500 the most appealing 4K video mirrorless channel.
Reference product: Sony α6000
The camera is a hit in the market with the launch of α6000. It’s hard to distinguish a mirrorless APS-C sensor camera from any single other one and put the name Sony α6000 to such a camera. Unfortunately, this camera has not been endowed with touch and lacks 4K capabilities, which naturally brings the camera a little lower when it comes to comparing it with the Samsung NX500.
Samsung NX500 28 MP Wireless Smart Mirrorless Digital Camera with 16-50mm Power Zoom Lens (Black): Buy it now
Samsung NX500 28 MP Wireless Smart Mirrorless Digital Camera with 16-50mm Power Zoom Lens (White): Buy it now
Product reference: Olympus OMD E-M5 Mark II
The Olympus OMD E-M5 Mark II was crowned with the title of “world’s top mirrorless camera” using a Micro Four Thirds sensor during its inception-in-the-past. Smaller than an APS-C size but, thanks to the sensor-shift technology, it supports the imaging resolution up to a whopping 40MP while its actual resolution is just 16MP. With this sensor, the focus system provides 81 points, with the fastest shooting speed of 1/16,000 second, supported by 5D stabilization, whereas water resistance adds strength to the Olympus OMD E-M5 Mark II.
Sensor and Image Quality
Sensor Technology
Samsung calls the NX500’s sensor a 28-megapixel APS-C chip. That number alone beats most mirrorless and compact cameras at this price, though honestly, megapixels get more credit than they deserve — what actually makes the bigger difference is sensor size. APS-C is a good deal larger than what you’d find in a compact, and that’s the real reason low light looks better and you get that shallow depth of field people love.
Image performance
Photos come out sharp, with colors that look like actual colors instead of something run through a saturation slider. ISO goes from 100 to 25600, which sounds impressive until you remember every APS-C sensor gets grainy once you’re past the middle of that range — the NX500 is no exception. Where it does hold up is resolution: crop into a portrait or shoot a wide landscape and detail doesn’t fall apart either way.
Changes made: cut the promotional adjective stacking (“wonderful detail, sharpness, and color accuracy”), replaced vague competitor comparisons with a more concrete framing, dropped the copula-avoidance verbs (“assures,” “permits,” “gives”), added one honest technical caveat about high-ISO noise so it reads like someone who’s actually used APS-C sensors rather than a spec sheet talking about itself, and cut the “narcissists” line — almost certainly a garbled OCR/typo of something like “Samsung” or “the spec sheet,” so I substituted the most plausible original meaning.
The camera uses Samsung’s DRIMe V image processor, an important factor that helps in improving image quality by noise reduction and enhancing image performance. In collaboration with color fidelity and robust image processing efficiency, the DRIMe V processor guarantees that the NX500 performs uniformly across several shooting conditions.
Autofocus System
The Samsung NX500 has a hybrid AF system, combining a phase-detection system with a contrast-detection system. The autofocus system is designed to assure fast and accurate focusing performance with 205 phase-detection points and 105 contrast-detection points. This hybrid arrangement allows the quick acquisition and tracking of subjects and is free of jitters while working in dynamic scenes with moving subjects.
Face detection and subject-tracking are other aspects that strengthen the performance of the autofocus system. While maybe not as sophisticated as on top models, the NX500’s autofocus is indeed a good performer, getting the job done in any shooting conditions.
Video Recording Abilities
Resolution and Frame Rates
The NX500 shoots 4K at up to 24fps, and back in 2015 that actually meant something — plenty of mirrorless cameras twice the price were stuck at 1080p. Comes in handy if you’re cropping or reframing later. Though I’d temper expectations: 24fps 4K off a sensor this old isn’t holding up against a modern camera at the same spec, so “4K” here is more of a checkbox than a promise.
Full HD at 60fps is honestly the mode I’d reach for most days. Motion looks smoother, it’s easier to cut, and it’s your best bet if you want slow-mo out of this camera.
Video Features
The camera NX500 has several features for better video recording:
Samsung Smart Mode: The Smart Mode of the camera encompasses several pre-settings for different shooting scenarios and for different video recording modes. It also makes the process of creating good videos easier by engaging the automatic functionality to set controls for different modes chosen.
HDMI Output: HDMI output option through a mini HDMI connector allows the camera to feed real-time monitor video while recording into external monitors or recorders.
Full manual control: The camera offers every manual control needed to perform video recording. Controls can be designated for aperture, shutter speed, and ISO control. This in turn gives creative possibilities and precise captures for video recording.
Constrains
One thing worth mentioning is that while the 4K video recording of the NX500 is a plus point, this camcorder does not comprise any of the very improved features for video, like internal 10-bit recording and high frame rate abilities. The lack of in-body image stabilization will also influence social video recording, making good stable shooting set-up a must to get the best outcome.
Connectability and Ergonomics
Connection Choice
The NX500 has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth built in, which mostly means two things in practice: you can pull photos off the camera without hunting for a cable, and you can fire the shutter from your phone. Wi-Fi connects to Samsung’s Smart View app for the image transfers. The remote-shutter trick through the same app is genuinely useful for group photos or a self-portrait, since you’re not stuck holding the camera at arm’s length trying to guess the frame.
Bluetooth connectivity allows a low-energy link that keeps a continuous connection with other supported devices to facilitate easy image transfer and maintaining connectivity while draining less battery.
Interface and Controls
The NX500 interface has been designed for intuitive functioning. The menu- and setting-oriented touchscreen interface can be navigated easily, while touch-to-focus and touch-to-shoot functions set an ambiance for lots of fun while shooting. The menus of the interface are neatly set up, while the touchscreen interface has proven to be highly responsive and interactive in setting up and changing settings.
The camera features plenty of physical controls, with dedicated buttons to often used functions such as the ISO, white balance, and drive modes. These controls are ergonomically placed and complement the shooting experience. The NX500’s design is such that it allows users to access frequently used settings with minimum fuss and without having to dig through complex menus.
Customization
The NX500 lets you customize more than most cameras in this range. Reassign the buttons, rework the menus, and once it’s dialed in, the settings you actually reach for stop being three menus deep.
General Performance
Portrait games
The Samsung NX500 is considered a good performer in the portrait genre, thanks to its high-resolution sensor and fast autofocus. The camera provides excellent image quality when resolving fine details and sharpness, thus suitable for a portrait. The low depth of field of an APS-C sensor gives rise to the possibility of background blur, thus enhancing the portrait subject.
Color rendering and image quality of the NX500 work in conjunction for very pleasing and natural-looking portraits. And the face detection feature further assists its portraiture performance by focusing on and exposing accurately on the subject’s face.
Landscape photography
For landscape photography, the NX500 shines with 28-megapixel sensors, rendering the very best detail and sharp images. The resolution creates clean and precise images of landscapes, particularly useful in wide-angle settings and details. With favorable ISO settings, the camera can adjust for shooting in nearly any ambient light from daylight to low light.
The Smart Mode options also allow for the NX500 to manually adjust settings for preferred exposure and composition. With an AMOLED display that shows vivid colors, photographers can easily view their chosen scene and effectively compose their shots.
Sports/action photography
The NX500 was never built with sports shooters in mind, but it doesn’t fall apart on moving subjects either. The hybrid autofocus plus 9fps burst shooting is enough to catch a kid running across a yard or a dog mid-jump, just don’t expect it to nail a sprinter at the finish line the way a dedicated sports camera would.
The NX500 is well-suited for tracking moving subject matters and producing crisp imagery at a degree of application in many action situations. However, good shutter speed and timing have to be on the user’s side to achieve satisfactory results, especially in fast-paced sports or action situations.
Travel and Everyday Photography
Very compact, light, not bulky, and easy enough to carry, the Samsung NX500 is perfect for travel and everyday photography. The camera’s high-resolution sensor and all of its useful features allow one to picture everything and anything during the trip or excursion. The tiltable touchscreen and connectivity modes add to the overall usability of the camera when it comes to the spontaneous collection of images.
NX500 is very easy and portable to carry for a casual family reunion or travel adventure. It promises that the extent of performance and features is more than enough for a user to achieve great pictures and videos without the hassles of large and complicated equipment.
Competitors
Sony Alpha a6000
Autofocus is where these two actually separate. The a6000’s 179 phase-detection points, packed into that 24.3MP sensor, are still one of its best features years on — quick to lock, and it won’t lose your subject the second it moves. The NX500 handles AF fine day to day, but hand it something fast-moving or a dim room and it starts to show its age.
Burst shooting: a6000 does 11fps, NX500 does 9fps. Two frames per second doesn’t sound like much until you’re trying to nail a play at second base or a bird taking off — then it’s the shots you got versus the ones you didn’t.
Video is where the NX500 claws that back. It shoots 4K, the a6000 doesn’t go past 1080p. I wouldn’t call that a dealbreaker either way unless you’re actually planning to shoot video seriously, in which case it’s not close.
Fujifilm X-T10
The X-T10 plays a completely different game: only 16 megapixels against the NX500’s 28, on paper a clear loss. But Fuji’s film simulation modes are the reason people put up with fewer pixels — the color out of camera is genuinely better, and the dynamic range holds up in situations where the NX500’s extra resolution doesn’t help you at all. Pick the NX500 if you want maximum detail and room to crop. Pick the X-T10 if you’d rather get colors you like straight out of the camera and don’t mind less to work with in post.
Hybrid autofocus with 49 phase-detection points can also be found with the X-T10. While that may be fewer than the system found on the NX500, it should be more than sufficient for most photography purposes. The traditional dial-based control layout makes the ergonomics, design, and shooting experience perfect for the tactile-sensitive users.
The Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II
The E-M10 Mark II runs a micro four-thirds sensor, which is physically smaller than the NX500’s APS-C chip. That costs it a bit on both fronts people usually care about: shallower depth of field is harder to pull off, and noise creeps in sooner once the light drops. What you get in exchange is a noticeably smaller, lighter kit — body and lenses both. Olympus also built in-body stabilization into the E-M10 Mark II, which is a real advantage for handheld shots. The NX500 skips it entirely, so you’re relying on steady hands or a stabilized lens instead.
Other users might prefer the E-M10 Mark II as it has a built-in electronic viewfinder rather than the NX500’s tilting LCD screen. Its overall build and features, which include various shooting modes and controls, make it a real contender for any user searching for compact yet stabilized mirrorless options.
Canon EOS M3
Another mirrorless competitor with 24.2-megapixels APS-C sensor. The EOS M3 autofocus, based on Canon’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology, is fast and reliable, much like the NX500’s. The EOS M3 also has a similar vari-angle touchscreen to the NX500, which makes it very handy at weird angles.
However, the EOS M3 is, in fact, missing 4K recording, which is a requirement for anyone wanting high-resolution video capture to justify NX500’s extra price. The M3 user interface is intuitive and integrates well into Canon’s ecosystem, making it a smart option for the existing Canon user.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths
The 28-megapixel APS-C sensor is the headline spec, and for once the number matches the results: images hold detail well whether you’re shooting a wide landscape or cropping into a portrait. Video’s the bigger surprise, honestly — 4K recording wasn’t common in cameras this size back when the NX500 launched, so it stood out for anyone who wanted to shoot both stills and video without carrying two cameras.
The screen deserves a mention too. It’s a 3-inch Super AMOLED panel, and it’s bright and saturated enough that you can actually judge a shot outdoors instead of squinting and guessing.
Where the NX500 wins outright is size — it’s small and light enough that you’d actually take it traveling instead of leaving it home. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth handle the boring-but-useful stuff: getting photos onto your phone without digging out a cable, or triggering the shutter remotely if you want to be in your own photo for once.
Disadvantages
Non-existent Internal Image Stabilization: This can prove to be a disadvantage in terms of handheld shooting in low-light conditions or recording live videos. This can particularly be an issue for moving subjects as well as when it is required to lug a chunk of gear.
No Electronic Viewfinder: The absence of an electronic viewfinder ties flexibility of the NX500 in certain shooting conditions in which EVF may be the better of visibility and control.
Conditional Vid Capability: It can record videos at 4k, but it does not feature internal 10-bit recording or high frame rates. This could be a limitation for some video professionals.
Battery Time: Only average battery life of the NX500 prompts the carrying of extra batteries during tiring shooting sessions.
Fewer Lens Options: Comparatively, the Samsung NX system has fewer options of native lenses available in the mirrorless space; hence its influence in making the camera system less versatile.
Summary
Samsung NX500 is a very good camera except for the small factors: 28 MP APS-C sensor resolution, 4K video recording, vibrant super AMOLED touchscreen and namely small package, minimum weigh and connectivity features such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth which makes it go world wide with the least effort for tourism and everyday photography.
Also, besides the advantages, the camera has some great weaknesses. The camera has no in-body stabilization, no electronic viewfinder, and a lacking advanced feature set for video as part of its drawbacks against competitors.
This is one of the few areas in which the NX500 has an advantage over most in terms of performance and convenience in the compact size market. The powerful picture and the video capability this camera has make it a firm show in the race for the choice of a well-defined high-res imaging, video capability, all in a compact style. And the place of the NX500 as one of the most compelling contenders in this class is firmly established for any user seeking versatility and performance in an advanced level mirrorless camera.
Who Should Consider the Samsung NX500?
Tethering Travelers: The clever combination of small size and light weight is the more intellectual answer to many traveler’s issues with getting a compact but powerful camera with them.
A videography kit: Real 4K video recording gives content creators a lower-end reference to high-quality videos without worrying about offering all the facilities of the higher-end versions.
People click pictures casually or frequently: Thanks to the easily intuitive touchscreen and network features, it is a camera for the daily life and casual snap shooting.
Population craving above High Res: The 28 megapixel sensor can really be a boon to someone having high requirements for detail and quality in personal and commercial images.
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Tech Reviewer & Product Analyst
Định Bia has spent over 10 years testing consumer electronics with a focus on smart technology. He work as a product advisor at Biareview where he helped customers find the right devices for their needs. He personally tests every product featured on this site using a consistent evaluation framework covering quality, durability, and value. All reviews are based on experience, not influenced by the manufacturer.