Samsung NX1 Review

grammieb14:

The Canon 5DIII is not a particularly strong full framed high ISO body.

At ISO 3200 the Sam NX1 and 5DIII would be pretty close.

The 6D would best the NX1 by a good bit.

Then the Nikon D750 would be even better.

Grammie, did you read my post? I used a 6d and the difference is subtle. With 5d the difference is even lower with nx1. You always have to compare resizing the bigger image to the lower res.

grammieb:

Right the D810 is a better high ISO camera than the NX1, but that's not a camera you've brought up. The D750 is also a better high ISO camera. Both Nikons are a good bit better than the Canon 5DIII or the 5DS. And the 5DS has plenty of noise at ISO 3200.

The optically better lenses from Samsung are better than Nikon's best.

Totally clear that you never tested a nx1. The sensor is the best apsc, and operations are blazing fast. But ppl with biases will never change mind. So be happy with the 'lesser' camera you are using ;-)

Wow! You now insult ;-) pretty tipical....you suffer so much from having paid that much for an objectively inferior camera.

Btw, they just addressed the jpg issue with 1.3 fw. And look at those exposure pulling tests compared to your camera! Wow ;-)

So all the sites giving higher ratings to nx1 are dreaming like me ;-) and same for high rated blogs and so on. Cool to be a dreamer, I like it!

Keep your old tech camera and be happy with it :-D

P.s. I suggest adding a nx500 to get significantly better iq. So you won't spend other money, having invested in the wrong horse...

Thx, let's hope those rumors are real and true. The nx1 is a young product, with many months to live as the top end camera in the samsug lineup. I think they should do everything they can to improve it (especially its af) in order to compete with the best of other brands.

Even 1080p H265 is still a pain, even to play. !
Try DVD FAB 9 for convert and you have a player too
He work fine

Yes, Samsunglenses are better than from "Canikon", that's the reason why everyone uses them professionally. All hail the emperor.

It seems there is no way for fanboys to enjoy a good camera like the NX-1 without peeing on someone else.

vscd,

The best Samsung NX lenses, of which there are about two, rival good, not best, Leica and Zeiss.

The best Canikon lenses don't rival Leica and Zeiss for optical quality.

Just good Samsung NX lenses, of which there are a few, easily rival the best from the likes of Fuji. And the best Fujis easily beat Canikon for optical quality.

When Samsung has been in the still camera business as long as Nikon you can make your point and be taken seriously.

I like the NX1 well enough, but it's not amazing. The 50-150mm f/2.8 lens on the other hand is.

I'm specifically talking about birding lenses. I usually have to get a 3rd party lens like a Tamron or Sigma. I can't afford the Sony lenses. Birding lenses need to be focal lengths of 500mm +. That's with APC, FF 600 +.

Tamron and Sigma usually only make their lenses for Nikon, Canon, and often Sony. Pentax and Olympus have more of a Lens Legacy. Samsung is just starting out and needs to play catch-up. It seems that an adapter could really open it up for users of their cameras. Until they can develop more lenses.

I'ts just this one type of photography that would be impossible at this time. By almost all accounts this is an outstanding camera. My point is Samsung needs to develop an adapter so owners or prospective owners can use the impressive 15 FPS for bird photography.

H,

Not the A6000, because of lenses, and because of the fact that Samsung already makes the NX30.

I even doubt about x-t1 as a competitor. Perhaps the incoming (??) x-pro2. And all the other quoted apsc cams can at most be considered competitor for stills, but NOT video.

Look at the Fuji road map. It took them a short period of time to create it, an 85mm F1.4 is 130mm lens in APS-C, a little long for say protrait use. I look at the noise, compared to the Fuji. Fuji wins hands down. My point is the need a road map of lens and NX2 with a lower MP sensor for low light. Other wise I think it is a fine camera. If youwant a high MP APS-C, this would be good choice.

km25:

The Samsung NX1 has less noise than the Fuji XT1/XPro1/XE2. Those Fujis simply use a noiser sensor. No one has made the claim you've just posted. I've shot test raws in difficult lighting with all.

The NX1 is amongst the best APSC sensors for high ISOs and noise. (Now at about ISO 800, it's noiser than say the Nikon D5500, but that's a single bump, and then further up the Nikon and Samsung stay even.) Therefore this NX1 is not simply a better choice for high pixel count.

The Nikon D7200 is the only APSC body that seriously betters the NX for high ISOs--possibly the 7DII too, but that Canon blurs high ISOs more.

You skipped the 30mm and 45mm Samsung lenses, both are optically excellent, like the best Fujis.

So you are broadly wrong.

The Fuji is 16MP. Like the Nikon Df. Fuji can go to ISO 3500. Samsung makes some nice glass, all I can say is Fujion 56mm F1.2.The lower the MPs the larger the pixles, higher ISO. Now the Fuji would be in the same boat with MPs, but they already have a low light camera. Want Samsung needs is a lower MP version of the NX1 for low light and some nice fast primes. As far as a high IQ camera, with some very good lens, they have it. What I am saying is not negative. Look at Fujion reviews around the web. All of the Fujion very good, most are excellent, ones like the 56mm is outstanding. Look at the test for the XT-1, one of the plus is low light. Fujion is on the level of CZ and Lecia.

The Fuji is an APSC sensor, the Nikon Df is a full framed sensor, entirely different.

The Nikon can easily be used at ISO 25600. (ISO "3500" isn't really a setting, 3200 is close, and the Samsung NX1 is easy to use there, and now with ACR 9 can be used at ISO 12800.)

I agree that Samsung should go for higher ISOs than already possible with the NX1.

The NX1 is a better high ISO camera than the Fuji by a good bit. Then the Nikon is much better than the Samsung--for obvious reasons.

You are very very confused on this subject.

Yes, Fuji makes good lenses, the best Samsungs are better. I am NOT basing this claim on something I read online.

Fuji lenses don't really rival Leica and Zeiss, I am NOT basing this on online reading.

The absolutely best Olympus lenses are also better than Fuji. SigmaArt and Fuji, at the best are approximately equal.

I'm sorry to belabor this: You made a huge error bringing up the Nikon Df and the fact that it has the same pixel count as the XT1.

Believe what ever you want, I own a Leica M7 and have three Leica lens. One of them is the 90mm F/2.0 APO, one of the sharpest. Fuji qaulity in optics and construction are right up there.Fuji has been making lens for decades. They have made medium format lens and view camera lens. They make lens for nes digital Hassi not CZ.

km25,

Sharpness is far from the only way to judge a lens.

The 90mm f/2.0 Leica M is good, but not one of Leica's best.

Yes, Fuji lenses are well made, and are optically good. They are not optically up to Leica or Zeiss, or the best Olympus or Samsung. Ultimately the weakness in Fuji lenses is colour. (I guess there's the possibility that something Fuji released in the las 10 months has overcome this.)

Fuji also makes those Hasselblad H digital bodies---they are nearly exact copies of Fuji bodies.

Remember: It's hard to take your comments on cameras seriously after the equation of the sensor in the Df and XT1.

My calling the Nikon Df and Fuji X caneras as two of the best low cameras around. Along with the D4(s) and the Sony 12mp, now top of the heap . The 90mm Asph F/2.0 APO Sumcron is only bettered by by the new $8k 50mm Asph F2.0 APO Sumcron. Please tell me what lens is the better then 90mm, besides the 50mm.
You have become a Fan Boy. A Nikon D4s is going to better in low light then a Nikon 750 or D810, it has to do with pixel size. Aagin Fuji is only 16 MP. The laws of physics, you may very well need one.

km25:

The Fuji XT1 is far from one of the best low light cameras around. It's not even the best APSC body for low light--that's the Nikon D7200, followed closely by the D5500 and NX1.

Sorry, the newish 90mm Leica 2.0 is bettered by plenty, including the old film 75mm 1.4 and the old 1.0 Noticlux, I owned both. Not to mention the current 50mm f/1.4 or the 0.95 Noctilux.

Why do you think I ever said that the Nikon D750 is better in low light than the D4S? It isn't.

You've redefined fanboy to suit your ends.

The Fuji sensor packs those 16MP into a sensor near half the size of the sensor in the Df, learn to calculate the area of a basic planar rectangle, and don't pretend to be citing "laws of physics".

The D750, D810, the D610, 6D, M240 and the A7II are all better low light cameras than the Fuji XT1, but of course I'd skip bringing up full framed bodies in this test.

km25–

Indeed the XT1 is one of the “leaders” in APSC photography.

However, where you are WRONG is in claiming that it is one of the best high ISO APSC cameras.

You’ve changed the subject, after you were challenged with facts you don’t like. Then because of your loss of face, you’ve decided to toss insults.

And yet you still equated the Df and the XT1.

FYI: The NX30, the NX3000, the NX500, the NX1, the A6000, the A5100, the D7200, the D7100, the D5500, the K3 and the 7DII, amongst others, are all better high ISO APSC cameras than the XT1.

km25:

You do that, it's not going to make the Fuji XT1 one of the best APSC cameras for high ISOs in 2015.

Knowing about current gear doesn't by necessity have much to do with insight in to photography.

In all seriousness, Fuji should be proud of the XT1, and I'm sure they are at work on replacement with more pixels and better high ISOs. But it doesn't help to have demonstrably inaccurate claims posted about the Fuji XT1--in not news for example it's still a weak video camera compared to many others.

Panpen: so you buy expensive stuff just because 'you can' and not because they are any good?

Tecnoworld
I can afford to buy expensive stuff.

Managarm
With very few exceptions, American cars are garbage. Unless is a rental, I would never spend my money on such manure. Sorry if I offend anyone.

Wow, what a weird analogy!

Build quality of the newest Hyundai cars are as good as a BMW. I love German engineering. They almost always get things spot on. But your analogy of paying X dollar for Hyundai and paying X + Y dollars for BMW solely based on brand is a bit weird. If we are talking about Nissan GTR vs Ferrari, where GTR is as good or better in terms of value and performance, yes totally understandable, brand image comes in to play. But for a camera!? Really?! Come on mate!

Well I suppose numbers are a useful guide but they aren't everything, and of course this is only the sensor.

Im sure you don't need me to explain why the Nx1 costs more than the a6000, and you know full well that the DXO scores are sensor based only. It is the same reason the original 7D cost much more than the 550D even though the had the same sensor. If your argument holds, then every manufacturer is "overpricing" their top of the line APSCs.

Not to mention the a6000 and a7r have both been out much longer than the NX1 and have therefore received a higher fall in price due to this.

mediasorcerer:

Two weaknesses in the A7R in comparison to the NX1 (though one doesn't usually compare full framed and APSC bodies): The A7R has slow AF, and the A7R has a very loud mechanical shutter.

Then further: The weather sealing on the NX1 is much better than that on the A7R.

If you want a camera that easily competes with the A6000 for image quality, albeit without the fast frame rate of the A6000, but with a better EVF and it takes good Samsung lenses, buy the cheaper NX30.

In other words, you totally ignored the direct Samsung competition for the A6000, and instead compared a top of the line Samsung to a midrange Sony.

Last the A6000 doesn't shoot 4K video.

mediasorcerer:

When you look at the NX1, think about how it compares to the Sony A77II.

What dxo stands for? I'm out shooting most of the time but never heard about dxo. Maybe I'm too busy learning how to use a camera?

pan:

Data Xchanged for Operation.

Numbers gear heads can quote, in place of using the gear.

I see. Back in the day people used to go out and learn to use a camera. Nowadays is all about pixel peeping and companies that tell us what to like and what not.
No wonder companies like Leica can afford to ask a premium for all those cameras they throw on the market. They are all aimed to photographers. Buy an Olympus, Panasonic, Canon or even Nikon and the only thing people do is to spend months to set up all those buttons and when they finally learn everything about the settings, another camera comes on the market and start over again.

p:

Got no problem saying I'd buy a D750 tomorrow if I had the dollars for that and the lens I'd want.

I already know what 3/4s of the buttons do. And Leicas have plenty of those. I'd buy an ME too. And an LX100. Then there's plenty to recommend the EM1 or EM5II.

It seems the recent price drop of a few Canon/Nikon FF models has little impact on NX1 which is pretty much staying at the same price when the camera was introduced last year.
After all, it still comes down to supply and demand. Samsung is going to keep the price firm if NX1 continues selling strong at this price level.

5Form,

The A6000 is an excellent camera body, but the Sony APSC lens selection for that mount is weak. Though there are better bigger FE mount lenses--they also cost more. (There are also good aftermarket lenses for the Sony from Zeiss and Sigma.)

The NX1's EVF is much better than that in the A6000.

Then there's the weather sealing and 4K thing.

Finally Samsung doesn't have the washed out colors problem. Also the Samsung is a tiny bit better as a high ISO body.

Jj:So for you dxo numbers are more important that real results?
As I said in my other post below, please go on dpr, nx1 review, and compare images with their tool. Specifically, compare:
- iso 3200 and 6400 (with a6000, nikon 7200 and whatever other apsc you may want), resized to the lower mp among the two
- iso 3200 and 6400 with a7, resized to 24mp
- iso 100 +6ev and compare to whatever other camera, again resized to match the lower mp camera of the selection
The last one is the most surprising.

Samsung NX1 video lose more details compared to his biggest competitor Panasonic GH4 in low light situations, and it's all because of heavy compression.

I won't be posting links on this forum, but I'm sure you can find comparison between Samsung NX1 and Panasonic GH4 in low light, high ISO.

Let me be clear why I'm annoyed by this issue.

1. It's an easy fix.
2. I really don't want in the future to see this this trend of heavy compression and small files only to justify philosophy of new codec. This is like "micro four-thirds lens needs to be small".

Refill...the most obvious things are: much better evf, bigger buffer, faster burst, faster af, better overal iq and dr, weather sealing, much, much better video. And s lenses.

refillable:

More solidly built, greater weather sealing, better APSC lenses, better EVF, uncompressed raws.

The A6000 is nice, and most of the FE (full framed E) lenses are excellent.

ref:

Have you handled a NX1? Or say a Fuji XT1, or Oly EM1?

I bring up those last two because like the NX1 they have a higher build quality and a better EVF than the Sony A6000, even if yes Sony is the supplier for the EVF on at least the Fuji.

The NX1 is a remarkable camera. The A6000 is remarkable for what the price gets you--and has big native APSC lens problems that the Fuji, Samsung and Oly/Pan don't.

Refill, I get your idea. But then a6000 can have a better performance/price ratio (even if I'm not 100% sure about this) while yet a lower (about 10% lower) total score.

With your idea, cameras costing several k$ would never reach high votes (since they are not 3x or 4x the performance of others costing, say, 1000$).

That said, having paid 1.225€ (shipping included) for nx1, almost 3 months ago, I think it's worth every cent I took out of my pockets. Rather, when I bought the nx300 at 580€ (2 years ago) I immediately thought it was too much for that camera.

Jylppy:

Can't speak to every mechanism or switch in the NX1, but the body is magnesium not plastic.

You're not the first person to think that a magnesium body feels like a plastic body.

Want a good OVF, the D4S or the old Sony A900.

Refill...obliterated? Actually up to iso 6400 I prefer nx1 to a7, when nx1 is downsized to match a7. A7s is better, but not more than 1 stop (as also dxo mark confirms) and has less than half pixels.

A7r is the only one beating nx1 and having more mp. But has worse af, no 4k and slowmo fhd, much slower burst, smaller buffer. And when you use s lenses on nx1 vs f4 zooms on a7r, the difference in iq and dof is negligible to say the least.

I think my eyes are different from yours. It is much more logical to buy a FF from any other brand with the same price, although it depends on the type of your photography.

Remember when I said low light.

I'm talking about FF in general, which costs the same as this NX1. In terms of IQ FF is still invincible against any APS-C as far as I know.

If I normally use a 450mm lens and am on a budget, it is NOT logical to buy a FF camera.
And can you point us to the FF body that can shoot at 15 FPS for under $6000?
I would say almost ANYONE on a budget would be better served with an APS-C camera over a FF camera with expensive bulky lenses.
And at ISOs 100-3200 I can't see much of a difference between the NX1 and the A7 in the studio scenes, so any claims of which is better in real life has no impact.

nandbytes:

Don't treat DXO sensor scores real seriously. They're mostly a joke.

Junz, you too.

Well care to explain why they are a joke?

don't you just love it when someone explains themselves so well... :P

p.s. I don't take them too seriously, at least not seriously enough to base my decisions on them.

Well they were not a joke when people were Predicting the DXO Scores for the NX1 and proclaiming and trolling all forums about how it will be the best APS-C sensor on the market!!.

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3733533

Now when it is finally out, boooh they are a Joke.

JunzInc,

Nope DXO sensor scores were also a joke then.

And the NX1 is far from a joke. It has amongst the best APSC sensors.

Junz:

I didn't bother to read the tread.

Note, I never claimed that you stated that the NX1 is a joke.

You're not gettin' this point, DXO scores are a joke, no matter the camera. I'd not pay real attention to a high score either.

16-50 is very nice and I often have it in my nx1. But at 50mm I prefer the 50-150.

P.s. consider also the 30mm (great pancake), the 45mm (great and cheap) and the 60mm (ultrasharp and macro). If you like wide lenses, the 10mm and 12-24 are very good as well.

In the other words, it will push Sony to release better sensors little bit early as SONY planted.

Win-win.

"We'll see if sony can actually compete".

SONY a600, A7 along with other SONYs have been always out-sale NX1 and/or NX500.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/electronics/3109924011/ref=pd_zg_hrsr_e_1_4_last

Samsung has been getting better these years, but far not in the position to compete with SONY yet.

yeah... and Canon will still make sensors based on 7 year old design....

Mike: one thing is having the best product on the market. Another thing is convincing ppl to buy it. Samsung seems very good in the former and quite bad in the latter.

Nx1 is, imo, the best aps-c camera (not only csc) on the market now. It even is better than most ff cameras and, when price/performance/features is taken into consideration, is probably the best in general.

But again, ppl are not giving credit to samsung, and many comments here reflect this situation.

Perhaps things will change if samsung can keep innovating and improving.

Sony still need to sort out the problem with based ISO shadow noise and the high iso messy noisy picture even with glowing edge noise that were seen in A7 which is not good.

http://www.dpreview.com/galleries/187176019/photos/3188801/dsc01013 < That one I took photo near dark and this shows glowing edge high ISO noise problem coming from A7. Not very impressed. And it was only ISO 3200 btw.

Yeah, I wasn't too impress with my A7 either, since it was a FF. I don't think the noise is due to the size, as the NX500 is even smaller. Anyways, I will do a comparison when I get my hands on NX500.

Other than A7R which has too many MP, A7, A7s, and A7-2 are all out sale NX1/NX500 by miles as well as almost all SONY APS-C cameras.

NX1 was in #15, and now is behind #20.

I do not think price is a major problem. Amazon cut the NX1 kit by $400 last week, but it did NOT help the sales' ranking a bit.

A $400 price cut may NOT be deep enough for boosting the sales.

I'm not sure when Amazon/Sam will try more deep price cut ($600 or $800) to testing the water again.

They will for sure, but I'm not sure it helps the sales, as well as Amazon/Sam did not know b/c Amazon/Sam did not know what's wrong with NX1 in the first place.

Mike, being invested in nx lenses, I've been really happy that they released something like this nx1. I'd have preferred a different body style (rangefinder with evf) but I'm more than satisfied with the performance and so on...

I think there is nothing wrong with nx1. Perhaps there is something wrong in the perception of potential customers.

I guess that most don't even try to fully understand the potential of this camera, just because it's a samsung.

If it were a canikon, it'd be totally different.

We'll. I guess that samsung can't do much more, now. They have the best overall camera, or one of the best anyway. They have very good lenses up to 150mm, and decent ones up to 200mm. They just have to release a couple of faster primes and a couple of longer teles.

AmateurSnaps:

Nope, there isn't really any "issue" (meaning deficiency) with the Samsung NX lens line up, with the exception of not having released the big fast telephoto yet. But it exists.

So, incorrect.

And "quality" is not an adjective.

Samsung/Amazon is/are ONLY interesting on one ISSUE - the SALES ranking.

- Last week's $400 cut did not help NX1 sales a bit

- NX1 was #15 when I post/checked above link 24 hours ago

- NX1 was #21 8 hours ago.

- NOW, it is #53.

If I was Sam/Amazon, I will try $800 cut to testing the water again as I do not think $600 cut will work.

Buyers can wait, and wait and see.

Why so concern about sales ranking. Just buy a camera that fits your needs, else everyone will just buy a Canon.

@ChuckTa;

"Why so concern about sales ranking", that's the question for Samsung/Amazon as a $3K camera kit has very HIGH margin/profit.

YES?

BTW: Which system camera(s) that you just bought?

I recently got a Sony A7 to play with FF, but I only use it for legacy lens, don't really care for Sony AF lens. I plan to get the NX500 soon. Samsung is my main system, I also have Fuji XE1 and Olympus EPL5.

@Mike FL - you seem to be very insecure trolling about Samsung without any specific reason. What keeps you here? You keep repeating your agenda without new information over and over again. Is this your day job? You don't have Samsung and have no intersted in it- we got it from the first 10 identical comments, in every single one you hinted on Saony beating everyone. Dream your dream, just stop your spam.

M:

The price for the NX1 is still 1500usd for the body alone and 2800usd for the body plus f/2.0-2.8 16-50mm zoom, with battery and grip.

This is the price listed at both Amazon and B+H.

No, of course Samsung doesn’t have strong market share in a field it was barely in 6 years ago, which already had strong names. And the NX1 is a high end body, meant to compete with cameras that are mostly sought out by those who already know a lot about big sensored digital photography.

I think you need to drop the market percentage claims and the quotation of stock prices. It displays a general uninterest in photo gear. (As I'm sure I've pointed out, it reads like people attacking Apple Computer circa 1998, and at that point Windows was a joke for stability, so there was already a giant flaw in the pro Windows camp.)

Mike,

You don't like the fact that you got caught posting incorrect price drop information, and then also conflating market share with gear quality. Dismissing the points as coming from a "fankid" doesn't help your position.

AmateurSnaps:

But your original point wasn't to compare the lens line up with Canon's.

Rebel is a Canon body line in the US, not a lens line.

I stand by my exact original point: Except for a fast telephoto, which exists but hasn't released, there is no significant deficiency in the Samsung NX line up.

And the inexpensive Samsung 30mm and 45mm are in most ways optically better than even Canon L lenses.