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If you want solid image quality from an APS-C sensor camera for an affordable price, you might want to try one of these to see if it’s singing your song.

The Samsung NX100 offers the straightforward operation of a compact camera while adding a larger, dSLR-size sensor, and the ability to swap lenses. The end result is largely a success.

The NX100 holds its ground well in the mirrorless ILC category, but the lack of an onboard flash may deter potential buyers.

It took a little more work to reach this conclusion, given the very soft images we saw onscreen, but following our usual procedures revealed a camera with hidden qualities that cannot be denied. Fast autofocus, good industrial design, an innovative interface, and good RAW and printed image quality...

Poor battery life, limited buffer size for shooting RAW files and limited image quality at mid-high ISO and the NX100 falls short of the mark in a number of areas.

It represents good value at $599, but most users would be better off spending more to get a more fully featured camera that handles better and which includes the features that the NX100 is missing.

While it's innovative in many ways, you have to ask yourself whether the limited lenses (both in terms of focal length and choice) make it a wiser buy than a similarly priced DSLR like the Nikon D3100 – or a top Micro Four Thirds hybrid like the Panasonic Lumix GF1. We'd still go for the latter.

Samsung has taken their popular NX10 and shrunk it down to form the NX100. With loads of useful exposure options, robust performance, and excellent image quality, the NX100 is a formidable opponent in the compact EVIL category.