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Samsung NX1

ohnri

New member
The NX1 is a pretty penny but I don't think it is more than the Canon 7D mk ii with a good lens. The Sony A7s alone is well over $2,000 I believe.

I certainly don't have any other camera that can do as much for me so it has been well worth the expense.

Personally, I hope Samsung comes out with some more high grade lenses and accessories as the system matures.

-Bill
 

ohnri

New member
Last weekend I shot ice hockey and indoor gymnastics with the NX1.

Mostly stills for hockey and mostly 4K video for gymnastics.

As with hockey, I pulled nice frame grabs off the video. It made getting the moment of maximum extension or altitude quite simple.

As before, it was also easy to pop the images over to my iPhone, edit them and share them.

High quality stills. High quality video.

-Bill
 

jeffreybehr

Member
Hi; forum newbee here...

...but I've been shooting digital since early 2000. Have been, generally, a Canonite, but have owned LOTS of other gear--SIX camera systems--the last 1-1/2 years. Bought an NX1/16-50S/BG package last fall, liked (but didn't love) it, and sort-of-defaulted to a Canon 5D3 system...until I retried the NX1 a month or so ago and fell in love with it. The 16-50 and 50-150 S lenses are excellent, while the Samyang 12mm/2 was plenty good enough (with its barrel distortion fixed in ACR) for a WA.

Lately I tried the Canon 24mm TS-E-II (with dumb adapter) and love that so much I bought a 17mm TS-E and Fotodiox SuperPana filter system...
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?p=17540362
...for it. I'm still evaluating it--that really means playing with it--but that combo sure looks good so far.



Things I like much about the NX1 are its excellent--for my hands--ergonomics, very good menu system, dedicated buttons for two of the three things I change often*, and high rez. I'm a happy owner.

:D :D

* ISO and MF/AF buttons, but no IOS on/off button for Samsung lenses without a OIS switch.
 

ohnri

New member
Samsung continues to provide significant FW updates, similar to Fuji.

The latest for the NX1 has significantly buffed up the low light focusing which I considered a weak area.

I have not fully tested it but I already see very good improvement. Enough so that the NX1 will be my main travel camera this summer.

In the old digital days I carried an Olympus E-1.

I replaced that with a Nikon D700.

Then I travelled with a digital Leica, most recently the M9.

When the Olympus EM-5 came out I felt it was more robust, reliable and versatile than the Leica so it became my travel kit.

The fabulous Sony A7 replaced all my micro4/3's gear even though it has a few shortcomings.

Now the Samsung NX1 has pushed aside the A7.

Far better AF, incredible 4K video with 8MP frame grabs, butter smooth 120fps HD video, terrific stills that have gorgeous color and are nearly grain free at low ISO, weather sealing, very good connectivity, this camera can do so much.

For example, just put it on Face Detection and use a wide lens then by holding the camera out in front of me a bit I get wonderful, spontaneous shots of kids and their friends or parents while we are walking, sitting, playing or whatever. At 15fps I usually get at least one shot where the micro expressions are completely charming. I don't have to use the viewfinder or back screen at all.

Or, if they are kicking around a ball, just a few seconds of 4K video will generally provide at least one or two really nice frame grabs that show some peak action. The NX1 has pretty fast and accurate AF during video.

Of course, I also use the single shot mode where I carefully frame and focus for each capture. Even there, the ability to move the focus point anywhere in the screen is a welcome feature.

Highly underrated, the NX1 is, IMO, the best all-around interchangeable lens camera available at any price.

Best,

Bill
 

Malina DZ

Member
From a stills shooter stand point, based on IQ at low and high iso (12800+), I see no reason to choose NX1 over 6D, if I had to start afresh.
 

Jorgen Udvang

Subscriber Member
From a stills shooter stand point, based on IQ at low and high iso (12800+), I see no reason to choose NX1 over 6D, if I had to start afresh.
The same goes for me when comparing to the D810 (there's a reason why I have that camera), but if I were shooting more video than I do at the moment, the equation would look dramatically different.
 

ohnri

New member
At low ISO I'll put the NX1 IQ up against any FF camera. The difference mostly comes down to taste.

The high fps, ability to easily use the rear screen, great face detection and being able to put the focus point anywhere are also all big pluses for my still shooting.

Additionally, I often use the video to get stills, as opposed to shooting video as an end product.

Overall, I would choose my NX1 for stills the vast majority of the time over my D800, D4 or Sony A7.

Lens selection and inferior very high ISO performance are the biggest bugaboos.

So many great choices and not enough time to really try them all.

Best,

Bill
 

ohnri

New member
Recent firmware upgrades to the NX1 and the high end 'S' lenses have moved the AF performance of the Samsung into another category altogether.

Any reviews of the NX1 that predate the latest firmware are essentially talking about a completely different camera, especially concerning AF and low light AF.

That is one of the unfortunate things about the usual internet reviews. Cameras like the NX1 are judged on day one then little to no effort is made to make the reviews meaningfully accurate as time goes by.

Even worse, the review sites leave the old, incorrect information available forever without even bothering to note that the camera has been upgraded.

-Bill
 

ohnri

New member
I have been using the NX1 and the two 'S' lenses, the 16-50 and the 50-150 extensively on my vacation in Maui.

On the plus side, the IQ is excellent. Great color, fine DR, very good files that are robust, fast AF and amazing video.

No doubt the best travel camera I have ever used. Not only are the stills really, really good but the video is just jaw dropping. The 4K is, as expected, top shelf but the 120fps HD is also butter smooth and just lovely.

Both lenses are well worth their asking price.

On the down side, I have had a couple of lockups, at least one of which required a quick battery removal and replacement. Lockups are never welcome and lend a slight unpredictability to an otherwise solid performer.

The other issue I have is with the very fast AF. When shooting landscapes I will find a set of 3 images will often have at least one which is ever so slightly less sharp than the others. I don't know if this is an OIS issue or a focus accuracy problem. It has made me more likely to always shoot a duplicate of any important image. Since I tend to do this anyway, it is not a major inconvenience.

I have also found the jPEGs to be very, very good. With my old Leica's I never shot any JPEG's because they were abysmal. With my old Olymus EM-5, I often shot JPEG's as they were very good. With my Nikon's I generally shoot RAW only as the JPEG's are mediocre. With the NX1, I find the JPEG's to be as good as any I have ever seen so I only shoot RAW when I plan extreme manipulation in Photoshop.

Overall, the Samsung NX1 is one of those really rewarding cameras that can fulfill almost any role.

But, the fly in the ointment is the limited selection of high end glass.

When my Sony A7R ii arrives I will be doing some comparison shooting to see if it can supplant the Samsung. With the ever growing lens choices for Sony it is a tempting option. At only 5 fps it may not be fast enough for sports though.

Best,

Bill
 

ohnri

New member
The great NX1 would now appear to be the late, great NX1.

No one can divine Samsung's next step.

I hope Samsung puts their incredible tech into another body. I hope they make a lot more top shelf lenses.

In the meantime, I still have my 15fps NX1 with great 4K video.

Oh, and a couple of next gen Sony bodies with some crazy good lenses.

-Bill
 

Jorgen Udvang

Subscriber Member
The great NX1 would now appear to be the late, great NX1.

No one can divine Samsung's next step.

I hope Samsung puts their incredible tech into another body. I hope they make a lot more top shelf lenses.

In the meantime, I still have my 15fps NX1 with great 4K video.

Oh, and a couple of next gen Sony bodies with some crazy good lenses.

-Bill
If how they handled things here in Thailand is typical their efforts, I'm not surprised. The NX1, and the other NX cameras, have only been sold through their existing dealer network, mainly electronics stores with little knowledge about cameras on this level. So far, I haven't seen a single NX1 here, in spite of looking on every one of my numerous visits to camera shops.
 

ohnri

New member
If how they handled things here in Thailand is typical their efforts, I'm not surprised. The NX1, and the other NX cameras, have only been sold through their existing dealer network, mainly electronics stores with little knowledge about cameras on this level. So far, I haven't seen a single NX1 here, in spite of looking on every one of my numerous visits to camera shops.
There is a near firestorm of rumors flying about with people claiming that every possible outcome is the only one that makes any sense.

Personally, I expect we have seen the last of the high end Samsung cameras.

But, given how technologically advanced and capable my NX1 is and how good my S lenses are, I am dreaming that maybe the Samsung fanboys are right and something sweet is just around the riverbend.

I recall loving my Olympus E-1 years ago and holding on for some time before finally accepting that 4/3's cameras were a dead end. Of course, Olympus and Panasonic now have the excellent micro 4/3's bodies ...

And, now that the well read site DPReview has publicly called out Samsung, in what seems like an unprecedented action, I expect further muddy waters and excited claims and counter claims to be the order of the day.

Rah Rah Samsung. Finally, attention is yours.

-Bill
 

ohnri

New member
Well, the latest rumor is that Nikon has bought up the Samsung tech.

That would certainly put them on par, or ahead of, Sony in terms of know how.

Nikon also knows how to market a new camera when they want to.

Interesting ...

-Bill
 

hot

Active member
Price for NX1 body in Switzerland is € 550 :)

1:1


NX500+lens = €460
 
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