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Good genes: Samsung NX500 review posted

Published Nov 9, 2015 | Jeff Keller, Dale Baskin

1 Introduction

2 Next

Samsung NX500 Review

Key Features

28MP BSI CMOS sensor (APS-C)
DRIMe Vs processor
Samsung NX lens mount
Hybrid autofocus system
3" flip-up touch Super AMOLED display
9 fps continuous shooting
4K/UHD video recording
Wi-Fi with NFC and Bluetooth

With the release of its NX1, Samsung showed that they can play with the 'big boys' in the enthusiast ILC arena. The company's NX500 brings the majority of the features from the NX1 and put them into a compact body with a more consumer-friendly price point. The most significant features inherited by the NX500 are the NX1's excellent 28MP BSI CMOS sensor and hybrid autofocus system.

Some of the other features on the NX500 are very similar to those of its big brother, just scaled back. The image processor is not as powerful, video recording not as elaborate (no full-sensor readout), burst speed slower and the body not weather-sealed. The NX500 also lacks an electronic viewfinder, built-in flash and and top-mounted LCD info display.

So what does the NX500 have, aside from the aforementioned sensor and autofocus system? It has a compact, lightweight body with a 180 degree tilting touchscreen LCD. Unlike a lot of mass market ILCs, the NX500 has twin dial operation, making shutter speed and aperture adjustments a snap. It doesn't have a built-in flash, though it does have a hot shoe and a small external flash comes in the box. The NX500 also has an advanced Wi-Fi system that uses Bluetooth to maintain connections, so there's no need to re-pair every time you want to transfer a photo (with compatible devices). The one feature that really separates it from other cameras in its price range is its 4K video capability, which will be covered in more detail later in the review.

To say that the NX500 is in a crowded market is an understatement. Every major player has a camera that matches up against it, including the Canon EOS M3, Fujifilm X-A2, Nikon 1 J5, Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF7, Olympus PEN E-PL7 and the Sony Alpha a5100. By the end of this review you should have a pretty good idea as to how the NX500 stacks up.

System

Samsung has quietly built up a good-sized collection of NX-mount lenses. In addition to standard kit lenses (18-55mm, 20-50mm) and inexpensive zooms (50-200mm, 18-200mm) there are also a decent selection of primes, ranging from 16mm to 85mm (plus a 10mm fisheye).


This is the 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OIS kit lens. It's a power zoom, which keeps it compact when shut off and zooms when you rotate the ring on the front of the lens or the + and - button on the barrel.	Above is Samsung's premium S-series 16-50mm F2-2.8 OIS lens, which we've been very impressed with.

The two most impressive lenses are in Samsung's S-series, which include a 16-50mm F2-2.8 and 50-150mm F2.8 OIS. They look kind of silly when mounted on the petite NX500, but they're fantastic lenses.

Colors and Pricing

The NX500 comes in three colors - brown, black and white - and includes a 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 power zoom lens with optical image stabilization at a suggested retail price of $799.

Tags: review, samsung

Next page 2 Specifications

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Gear in this story

Samsung NX500

152

I own it

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Comments

Total comments: 514

One of my friend who is a landscaper loves this camera

0 upvotes

No longer in production, so how will the support from Samsung be?!

0 upvotes

After a month of deciding and waiting, I finally got this camera and I am loving it! Aside from the 16-50mm PZ, I paired it with the 30mm f/2.0. I also got an adapter for my Nikon lenses, my other system. In my opinion, the range of Samsung lenses is more than enough. We got the 12-24mm at the widest end; the 16-50 (PZ or S) standard zoom; primes at 30mm, 45mm, 60mm, 85mm; and the 50-200mm at the longest (PZ or S). One caveat though is the lack of third-party support by say, Sigma or Tamron, Yong Nuo or Nissin. As for the H.265 codec for the video, Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2015 can natively handle that; or MediaCoder does conversion very well. Windows MPC plays them with ease. Apparently, VLC could not play the videos at least on my system.

1 upvote

I got this camera a week ago, and i am IMPRESSED.
Intros price range, you are not going to get any better deal in photography.
Samsung lenses are very capable and sharp still cheap.
I am loving it.

1 upvote

I think i am sending it back only for Video codec, it took me 45 minutes to convert 8 minutes of 4K footage.
Sorry Samsung.
For Pros, may be it normal, for being a consumer camera, it is too much to deal with.

Edited 1 minute after posting

0 upvotes

That's probably the converters fault or your hard drive is too slow. It never took so long for me

0 upvotes

really, i will try on my Macbook, i tried on a Lenovo Desktop, using Samsung converter.
thanks for the info.
I really love this camera, i do not want to return.

0 upvotes

@altafbusal,

h.265 can be a challenge, but it definitely has its benefits (especially the ability to use smaller/slower memory cards).

You may want to try Wondershare Video Converter Ultimate for converting your NX500 video files. In our tests it worked quite a bit faster than Samsung's converter app, and it provides a lot more options for converted file format. It's not free, but it's not too expensive either.

1 upvote

Dale Baskin,
Thanks for your insight.true, it comes with benefits. I been using Samsung's provided software only to ensure that i do not loose the details in the converting process.
I have to admit that even with the kit lens, it is a wonderful camera specially combined with the current price.
I will explore different options before i give it up.
Since Adobe just added native support for H.265 codec, i am hoping that apple will follow along.

0 upvotes

price will be $499 next week http://www.samsung.com/us/shop/black-friday/digital-cameras so be patient :)

Edited 1 minute after posting

1 upvote

An even better deal is the nx1 at 1099$! Compare it to the cost of the much lower specced 7d-ii...wow.

1 upvote

There is much to applaud here. Samsung came first with BSI in the APS-C size, netting the highest resolution APS-C chip with the lowest noise floor. They fixed the JPEG engine and adjusted the noise reduction appropriately. They've got a pair of pro-type, low aperture zooms and a lot of inexpensive primes, so what's to give? The camera market is a problem, with lots of conservatism and FUD flowing. Personally, I still don't get the stylishness of the rectangle. What's the relation? Once you get a decent lens on, you hang the camera on a strap and quiet down about pockets. Without an EVF, this camera is, alas, a high grade tourist camera. Am I alone? Or has anyone else noticed? Rectangular camera owners tend only to buy one or two lenses, so they are not really enthusiasts either. Get a camera with an EVF! It is not a preference, but a key feature on a better tool.

1 upvote

I will buy NX 500 because its very good camera given for a good price ... and because it comes with out VF which I don't use for many years now .. and because it gives VERY good results with quit a quick AF, and its not heavy - and because... don't need anything else.

3 upvotes

Pro:
High pixel and great image quality.
Good battery life can easily get up to 400 shots.
Easy and fast panorama mode.
Can do 4K video.
Compact design
Support wifi and bluetooth also email.
The kit lens is pretty sharp
Included smart buildup flash

Cons:
Lack of lens selections
Continuous burst mode is a hit and miss.
Focus not that well in low light and close subject
The touch screen isn't as smooth as canon EOS M which was a surprise.
No Build in Image stabilizer.
NO EVF or accessory for it.

0 upvotes

Lens selecton as a con?

Do you need long telephotos? That's pretty much the only weakness.

And it tells me you didn't check.

0 upvotes

This camera should have got gold award and much higher rating than D-Preview gave it.

7 upvotes

Just wondering... How come 78% is gold awarded (ex Canon SL1) and 81% is silver awarded? What is the key component that separates gold and silver ?

3 upvotes

Scores are independent of any award that we give a camera. Scores are meant to be comparable to other cameras in the same class based on mostly objective criteria. They are also 'point in time' scores, meaning the scoring is done based on the competitive landscape at the time of review. (Which is why you sometimes see a second generation model getting a lower score than the original model.)

Awards are meant to represent our overall opinion of a product. Sometimes you get a camera that has high specs on paper, but somehow fails to live up to the promise of it's individual specs in everyday use. Conversely, we sometimes see a camera which doesn't achieve as high a score, but introduces some very useful technology or otherwise adds up to a much better camera than the score would indicate. Hence, the awards don't always correspond to specific scores.

You can read about the scoring system in detail here:

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/4416254604/camera-scores-ratings-explained

1 upvote

Limited lens selection compared to cameras at similar price point, no EVF or flash-- which raises cost, adds bulk and hassle for anyone who uses EVF or flash--not weather sealed...
So we have a nice retro look but lack of basic options.
No thanks.

2 upvotes

Which lens would you need?

3 upvotes

They only make one good telezoom and its pretty short IMO.
Also a few longer primes and a longer macro lenses.

1 upvote

The lens selection is hardly limited.

3 upvotes

Tem:

The 60mm f/2.8 lens is macro.

Do you just not check?

Right the NX line needs more good telephotos and big zooms, but they won't be cheap.

1 upvote

It comes with hotshoe flash. Lens selection is more than what most people need. Excellent 4K H.265 video, and high quality photos. Mine works great, even outdoors, LCD is good to see.

4 upvotes

while I agree that I'd sometimes need something longer than 150mm and even longer (and better) than the 50-200mm, consider that with 28mp you have some more headroom for cropping. For example, when compared to fuji, the NX1 with the 150mm gives you a 300mm equivalent, cropped to 16MP, while the 150mm on fuji gives you 225mm in 16mp.

Still it would be very, very cool to see a 150-400mm f4-5.6 for nx.

1 upvote

So which lens do you need?

1 upvote

it's ironic to see the review of a a camera that, 10 months ago, created quite a stir, but now is kind of a white unicorm as it's already disappeared from majority (not many in the first place) stores across Europe and Samsung are vague, at best, about their plans on digicam market.

2 upvotes

Just curious, where does one obtain such store statistics for europe?

3 upvotes

Well, for starters:
http://www.eoshd.com/2015/11/samsung-nx1-officially-dead-samsung-announce-complete-discontinuation-in-europe/
"Samsung NX1 dead – Samsung customer support & retailers say camera discontinued in Europe."

0 upvotes

The biggest chain to sell Samsung NX cameras in Australia did a fire sale on the NX500 before the first rumours came out. They since discontinued sale of all NX models. Other cameras stores (the few that did stock Samsung NX) have been having sales on the whole line and as stock is depleted of certain products (sold out) that product is being removed from the site. No 'awaiting stock' of a product out of stock, this is discontinuation of products, whether there is an official announcement or not, that is what is happening here.

0 upvotes

@abortabort
its the exact same things in many countries. Huge discount on some products and no more is ordered.

0 upvotes

@abortabort
which chain was that? Harvey or Myers? can you remember what it sold for on sale?
I tried to buy one at the HK Samsung superstore, ( may or may not be an official store, its really hard to tell lol ) and the prices were above USA RRP retail pricing so I bailed out.

0 upvotes

I thought Samsung wasn't making NX1 cameras any more. Good to see that's not true.

0 upvotes

I just read a new announcement is that the NX1 is cancelled for Europe.

0 upvotes

So did I:
http://www.eoshd.com/2015/11/samsung-nx1-officially-dead-samsung-announce-complete-discontinuation-in-europe/
"Samsung NX1 dead – Samsung customer support & retailers say camera discontinued in Europe."
(Sorry, 3DSimmon)

0 upvotes

Now it's dead again?

0 upvotes

The NX1 is a killer! extremely organic, for a digital camera. I use one for macro. I research in fungi and the Samsung made very very nice pictures in mycorrhiza processes. Love the camera :-) Waiting now for a big brother!!!

2 upvotes

Did you ever research lens fungus? (somebody should.)

0 upvotes

SAMSUNG is NOT quitting the (NX system) camera business

http://www.imaging-resource.com/news/2015/09/23/rumor-busted-samsung-is-not-exiting-the-camera-business-at-least-not-the-on

2 upvotes

"Withdrawing from the camera business is not true and there is no official plan to stop production of cameras and lenses."

this has to be the most pathetic "official announcement" Samsung ever made.

It basically says nothing at all. They could just produce a single p&s to make this announcement true.

1 upvote

Good genes?! It's coming from the worst bloodline lollll

0 upvotes

So you have no idea what you're talking about?

You've barely ever handled a digital camera with that kind of line.

Many NX cameras are excellent as are the lenses.

And the NX1 is extraordinary, and those are the genes to which the headline refers.

11 upvotes

Ofcoz I have idea, Samsung makes great cameras, no doubt.
No one buys them regardless, also no doubt.

I have used all major brands, Samsung included, and I parted with it the quickest. There's just something not right with it, which I really can't explain lol....

0 upvotes

qwertyasdf:

Um, okay, but I kept NX bodies for years.

Also you read like you've made a choice based on one body.

I would not reject or recommend say Olympus or Sony based on one body.

In other words, it still reads like you don't know much about digital cameras, despite how many you claim to have owned.

Edited 2 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

Well, one of the main reasons I ditched Samsung is becoz I can't adopt Leica M lenses to it, which I have a decent collection. The relatively long flange distance is silly, it turns pancake lenses to cupcake lenses. I know many disagree, but that's just me.

Edited 2 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

qwerty:

There is an adapter for M lenses to NX bodies.

Though you do need to know how to use a screw driver.

0 upvotes

I wouldn't advice operating on expensive leica and/or voigtlander lenses when you can just use them on many other cameras without affecting them or their warranty in way.

1 upvote

Gee, HowaboutRAW,
Is there some reason for your hostility? It is leading you to make comments like:
"it still reads like you don't know much about digital cameras, despite how many you claim to have owned."
I don't have a dog in this fight, but quertyasdf's comments don't "read" like anything of the sort. And who are you to imply that others don't own (or haven't owned) cameras or lenses they say they own or have owned?
News flash: people who disagree with you may actually have valid points and may actually be right.
You make yourself sound like fanboy.

3 upvotes

Kawika:

Plenty of people who disagree with me have valid points, but not qwerty.

It very much reads like q picked up a Samsung some body and didn't like it and projected his/her negative conclusion to the whole NX line.

0 upvotes

nandbytes:

Just so you're clear the screwdriver is for use on the NX body.

One removes the mounting ring for NX lenses, and replaces it with a mounting ring for M mount lenses, it's a tiny bit thicker than the NX ring.

I wouldn't advise assuming I meant changing anything about the M lenses.

0 upvotes

ah ok, a forum post I read from a few years back suggested modifying the m-mount lenses themselves (I assume the person also wanted to use NX lenses which wouldn't be possible with mount change).

0 upvotes

nandbytes,

Changing the ring is quick and easy. 4 screws.

1 upvote

Can someone told me where I can go download a NX500 4k movie file so I can test if my computer can play it?

Thanks

0 upvotes

go to the samsung forum of this page.....the file you are looking for maybe is there

0 upvotes

Imaging-Resource has H.265 files shot with the NX1 for download.

0 upvotes

And they are still a PITA to edit in fcpx for example.. I cannot help but feel if samsung made an external breakout box, with an H.265 converter chip built into it to make converting a day worth of filming painless.

At the moment it's not worth the trouble for me, as on my machine, it'll take 24mins to convert one min of h265 into h264 or even prores.

- for my normal working day use..., I shoot multicam interviews that run for 15-20mins.
so 3 cameras, say 20min interview, time to convert into 4k prores or h264 @ 24mins per 4k one min -

24x20x3/60=24! THATs 24hours of just converting footage before I can even touch it - using 3rd party mountain converter.

what Samsung should have done from the start is at the very least allow us to simply "convert the footage in camera" straight down the usb cable as we get the footage off the camera. so we download prores straight away - that would have made everyone happy.

the other major issue is the lens flange is too long

Edited 6 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

Rexy:

That seems like a long conversion time, and I've done the conversions to ProRes on my Win7 laptop with Rocky Mountains Converter.

According to PC Magazine, the new Skylake Intel CPUs support H.265 much better, and those are at least starting to show up in Windows machines.

0 upvotes

on these macs right now, rocky mountain is the way to go..
yeah I'm hanging out for a skylake macbook pro...

0 upvotes

Why did you not list no IBIS as a negative? It makes for larger more expensive lenses. And it leaves most primes without stabilization. Same with Canon EOS-M and Fuji. For me it is a definite deal breaker.

Edited 10 minutes after posting

2 upvotes

The 16-50pz (kit lens) is tiny and has ois. And also good optically.

5 upvotes

IBIS doesn't work well with longer lenses and make the camera more heavy. Photographers have shot without IBIS for over a 100 years and were able to take tack sharp images without this aid for the impaired.

There are advantages and disadvantages of both systems.
If you think you need IBIS then you are being grabbed by marketing. Not saying it doesn't help, but its not a need either. At least not for those that know how to handle a camera.

5 upvotes

"over a hundred years" on big wooden tripods yes, because they had no stabilization.

6 upvotes

@ Just a Photographer
"IBIS doesn't work well with longer lenses and make the camera more heavy"
huh? really? Tokina FD 300mm on EM1, under 1/50s by me, still and video

"Photographers have shot without IBIS for over a 100 years and were able to take tack sharp images without this aid for the impaired."
same thing with ILIS

"There are advantages and disadvantages of both systems."
agree ... my Nikon D750 has VR, my Oly EM1 has IBIS

"If you think you need IBIS then you are being grabbed by marketing."
same thing with ILIS too, isn't it?

"Not saying it doesn't help, but its not a need either. At least not for those that know how to handle a camera."
again, this is hilarious. IBIS stabilizes ALL LENSES, that's why I chose Oly over Pany.

IBIS and ILIS are a useful feature. I don't live in the past :)

1 upvote

Nope you are not living in the past...

However you are poisoned by marketing and you are lacking technique if you really believe you can't live without it.

2 upvotes

WTF! why would you need IBIS for large lenses, do you hand hold it? Really? without a tripod?

4 upvotes

Marketing? Tehcnique? LOL
If I have IBIS and VR I use them, not turn them off. Simple ...

yeah I hand hold the big lenses, Nikon lenses I have are bigger. Nothing's wrong with that. I can do that. I'm young enough :)
I can use tripod when I use the FDs with my Canon F1. Relax, I've used Fuji XT1 with the FDs too, Fuji doesnt have IBIS. Yes sir I know the technique.

I didn't say IBIS is better than ILIS, and I didn't say Samsung's choice is wrong. I'm getting an NX1 soon for video work.
But if some said IBIS is just a marketing BS bla bla, I can say that claim's BS too. I use it, I know it, I'm not talking BS :)

ok. i'm outta here
Happy shooting, people ... with or without image stabilization :))

0 upvotes

Just a Photographer - So I guess you feel all image stabilization is a useless feature? I think what you really mean is it's nice to have but you can live without it. That's true about a lot of things, auto focus for example.

1 upvote

From his comments, it appears that what "Just a Photog" actually feels is a vast and undeserved* sense of superiority to those who like IBIS and those who (here's the cardinal sin) don't yield to his image as a superior being.
*Undeserved because truly superior people in any field feel no need to denigrate others.

1 upvote

Samsung, please give me a fixed 28mm equivalent fast lens camera with built-in flash and evf for under $500 with your nice sensor.

1 upvote

What about the f/2.4 16mm--that's 24mm in full frame terms?

0 upvotes

Yes but still doesn't address EVF. I have taken to holding Hoodman LCD loupe up to the LCD which is awkward to say the least since I need the same hand to turn the zoom ring. I could mount it to the camera with a holder but then the whole thing looks like some steampunk contraption. And the loupe hanging around my neck makes me feel like some pompous movie director. Just hope the next edition of this camera has an EVF.

Edited 47 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

Dabbler,
The lack of EVF is a shame. I went through the same contortions and contraptions you describe several years ago; finally decided it wasn't worth it because it made photography and videography into a chore (not to mention that the results were affected). From then on, it's been only EVF and only mirrorless (for the videography) and I am so glad that I made that decision.

1 upvote

I find it interesting that "Manufacturer commitment to firmware updates" is listed as a pro.

1 upvote

We listed it as a pro because the manufacturer (Samsung) has made significant improvements to the camera through firmware updates since it was released. It's a better camera than when it first came out, and it follows a pattern Samsung established with the NX1, which also continues to see major improvements through firmware updates.

If that's not a pro, I don't know what is.

11 upvotes

I say PRO too.

Samsung has a very good reputation of updating software and firmware. I have a couple of Samsung tablets and Smartphones... (Note 4 and wife Note 5 & Galaxy S4s before that). They all get updates to the OS and Samsung apps. Not including Google Play, Just Samsung... Wife and I have older (2013) Acer tablets and a laptop of the same age. No Updates for those from Acer on anything... Orphaned. I will not buy an Acer product again for that reason. The laptop was heavily discounted and that was the only reason I bought it. HP is my preference PC wise..

1 upvote

I can understand those saying it's a pro but it needs to be severely tempered with Samsung's withdrawal from the camera market. In the longterm, arrr's comment will be far more accurate.

0 upvotes

BrightT:

Samsung is not withdrawing from the camera market.

0 upvotes

Dale has a good point, but so many manufacturers release significant firmware upgrades that it really seems this is more like par for the course. The lack of upgrades would be a negative; unless the upgrades are incredibly more significant than those of competitors they would simply rate a passing mention.

1 upvote

The nx500 is a great camera, have it with me all the time now, fits snug in my work satchel when I'm commuting to and fro'. I've taken more pictures with it in the last 3 weeks than I have with my dslr's the last year. Soo much joy I have with this little cam.

3 upvotes

"Switch to low light (tungsten balanced) and the advantage is largely maintained, though it's much more modest. "

Was there alcohol involved when this was written? or do I need to use some when reviewing the studio test scene.

the black noise on the low light scene for the NX500 is insane, even the pedestrian A5100 / A6000 creams it, it's more blue than black, even if you don't use the 1:1 viewer and just look at the overall scene in RAW mode, and in jpg mode causes the entire hue of the image to change unless people should go from skin tone (slightly pinkish) to yellow as you increase ISO.

https://i.gyazo.com/f4cd0137e712e06ef4fb0ed3a5649153.png

https://i.gyazo.com/ebfa65a05431f1e36e6037251c99ab4f.jpg

Edited 3 times; latest 6 minutes since posting

5 upvotes

And do you always shoot at 6400? I mean come on are you gonna shoot at 6400 and include those photos to your clients? In real world at 6400 it only happens on dinner with family, parties with family but not for professional work or semi-pro.

3 upvotes

deflect much?

I was talking about the commentary from dpreview.

what dpreview states in their "findings" about the the camera, and what their OWN studio shots show, are two different things.

reading is a concept, I know.

Edited 24 seconds after posting

2 upvotes

I just discovered the reason why ' rrccad ' has already posted 15 bashing comments against Samsung on this page : the $800 tiny NX-500 gets better Overall, Portrait and Landscape Scores from DxoMark than the $3800 big Full-Frame Eos 5DS(R) !!! lol ;)

5 upvotes

> ' rrccad ' has already posted 15 bashing comments

So what? It doesn't make his comments less (or more) valid.

Please note that I'm not saying he's right (or wrong), I'm just saying that I find your observation irrelevant. "Lies, damned lies, and statistics", you know...

2 upvotes

@7seven7 .. that's weird . what does canon have to do with it?

I seem to mention sony..and didn't mention canon. and DxO? sad when you have to hang your hat on that one .. lol.

seems like you're trying to find excuses versus facing reality.

now on this post you are so questioning.. oh please.. look at those snips and you in your expert opinion tell me how THOSE match what dpreview states in the summary.

yeah.. can't.. which is why you have to cry and try to find another reason..

next thing you know you'll pull out some other fanboy logic and state you can't judge unless you own one..

I'll wait for it.

Edited 4 minutes after posting

2 upvotes

No EVF is off-putting, but no built-in flash is a deal killer for me. I had a Nikon V1 which also does not have a built-in flash and it was a real pain putting the flash on and then having to take it off when stowing the camera. Sometimes I forgot or misplaced the flash. I use the convenient built-in flash of my Nikon Coolpix A often to good effect, both indoors and outdoors, (for fill flash). Why some camera designers think a flash is a rarely used accessory that one should carry separately is beyond me.

2 upvotes

no EVF, no flash and no battery charger.

3 upvotes

No battery charger is a plus, any compact nowadays without in-camera charging is unacceptable. You can always find an Ebay or Amazon 3rd party external charger for $10 anyways.

I don't see how being able to charge your camera with your DC or AC phone charger / on the field with a cheap USB portable battery is a bad thing.

No flash is lame though.

Edited 4 minutes after posting

1 upvote

LOL .. how is it a plus? ever hear of using one battery while you charge another? especially with a mirrorless?

7 upvotes

like CarlosMp has said....you can buy a 3rd party USB charger and charge the batery with a powerbank....the plus, at rea,l is the microusb standard on camera and on the 3rd party adapter....i did a 7days travell with a 20000mha powerbank+2 batteries+external charger+nx500....while i used the camera the other battery is charging on my bag...and when you no use the camera can charge the battery on camera and the other battery on the external charger with at the same time

3 upvotes

Every decent camera that has in camera charging has a 1st or 3rd party charger available , 3rd party is usually $10.

So its either a) have a camera with an external charger , be forced to bring that box everywhere you go on vacation, and only charge one battery at a time.
b) have a camera with internal charging (like every other electronic device on the planet) spend $10 and have the ability to charge two things at once, and not be forced to take/lose a charger with you on vacation.

And no, I normally charge all my batteries before they are needed.

2 upvotes

lol .. nice absolutes.. here's one for you .. every normal manufacturer includes a battery charger.. why? so you can charge a battery while you use the camera. nothing stopping them from including the battery charger and still having the ability to use the usb port as well.

also a mini USB port isn't the most durable of interfaces to be continually charging batteries from.

it's a cheap move.. sony was derided for the same thing.

3 upvotes

I have a whole shelf full of chargers, I don't need another one. Usb charging is awesome because my phone chargers are everywhere. And using an external power bank to top up away from a power outlet is worth gold.

3 upvotes

You should have extra batteries for any camera you own. I buy a Wasabi kit with charger and two batteries whenever I buy. New camera.

0 upvotes

teddoman:

There's a 16mm f/2.4 lens for the NX system.

0 upvotes

Samsung goes down as the only camera company that i can think of that hasn't released a lens for any of it's formats in over 1 year, and apparently according to some here, are still in the business of supporting ILC's. the last lens release was Sept 2014.

A manager in USA won't know anything if Samsung Korea has changed their mind on product strategy, and he certainly isn't going to say anything to a layperson and keep his job which would now be at risk - by leaking information to the public. He'd be the last person to know. lol.

Samsung also didn't deny they were producing existing cameras and lenses, they didn't state they were going to continue to develop new products though.

Also the Mini-NX2 was shelved this year, and the 300mm failed to appear as well as other promised lenses from last photokina in 2014. crickets?

looks like they are also pulling the NX out of most countries around the world.

shame, it was an intriguing camera line that is totally on life support.

8 upvotes

I would expect new cameras at CES.

And the 300 f/2.8 lens exists, still, just not launched.

0 upvotes

it "exists" as demo units. at the NX1 launched it was stated for release this year.

hasn't happened.

the Mini-NX2 was totally leaked. images everything. sweet looking little camera actually.

again, where's it?

while someone can explain off new NX cameras, no lenses and no advancement of the Mini-NX .. is extremely odd.

Not to mention, cameras is one thing, ignoring lenses for an ILC is entirely another.

it's a mount with no lenses over 200mm and supposedly a top end pro orientated camera body.

that makes alot of sense to me.

1 upvote

rrccad:

I'd not seen the NX-Mini V2 rumors, except in some DPR comments. The lenses are still for sale at B+H.

Can't speak to the why of not releasing the 300mm f/2.8.

0 upvotes

http://www.samsungcamerarumors.com/here-are-the-very-first-images-of-the-new-samsung-nx-mini-2-4k-camera/

take a look at the photos (btw, what a nice looking little camera). these weren't mocked up photos but grabbed from a dutch retailer than yanked never to be seen again.

that's one sweet little camera. for a toss in your pocket everywhere camera .. couldn't want much more. that would even take a run at RX100 sales.

Edited 2 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

rrccad:

Interesting enough, but my point wasn't to claim the NX-MII didn't exist.

As I say the lenses are still for sale at B+H, and not a firesale either.

0 upvotes

having inventory for sale really doesn't prove a thing you know.

it seems like development of new products has certainly dwindled, between the Mini 2 and the lack of ANY lenses for the NX or NX mini system over the past 14 months would indicate there's a machine going PING on Samsung's ILC lineup.

0 upvotes

rrccad:

The inventory doesn't prove much, it's the fact that the price hasn't dropped that tells me there's more likely to come.

1 upvote

well, seems that the strongest oh oh .. in regards to Samsung just came out.

"“We quickly adapt to market needs and demands. In Europe, we will be discontinuing sales of NX1 cameras for now since there is already much better and upgraded cameras. This is specific to the region – and is not necessarily reflective of conditions in other markets. We will continue to thoroughly evaluate market conditions and will make further adjustments to maintain our competitiveness in emerging Camera categories.”"

hard to spin doctor the fact that you no longer sell your FLAGSHIP to an entire region and the second largest camera sales region behind Asia.

0 upvotes

rrccad:

Interesting where did you read that?

Also it seems to imply they are about to announce something to replace the NX1.

I can't speak to camera marketing in Europe.

0 upvotes

Samsung offer cutting edge technology, but the NX1 and NX500 need to be priced lower in order to compete. The competition in this segment is fierce:

Micro 4/3:
- Current bodies in all price ranges (GH4, G7, E-M1, E-M5, E-M10)
- Strong video line-up
- Large selection of zoom and primes

Sony:
- Low priced APS-C bodies (A6000, A5100) previous generation
- Upgrade path to full frame A7 series
- Decent lens selection

Samsung:
- Class leading technology
- Above average prices on current bodies (NX1, NX500)
- Competent lens selection

Samsung have positioned themselves at the upper end of the mirrorless price spectrum. In order to continue to command a sustained premium, Samsung need to show a long-term commitment to this user group. The recent Pentax Gold Service program for the 645Z is a perfect example of how to compete at the upper end.

Otherwise, Samsung will lose sales to customers who feel that bodies like the A6000 and A5100 ($478 & $378) are good enough and a better value

4 upvotes

The NX1 goes on sale, for $1200 for the body.

But you're right, there are certainly other bodies to look at like the Fuji XT1.

0 upvotes

JF,
Thanks for the comparison; it's useful.

0 upvotes

Just a Photo:

Yes, Samsung has denied the rumors.

Samsung has NOT said what they are doing with their camera lines that's new and different though.

And yes, something like an NX500 with an EVF will be announced at CES.

2 upvotes

...and BIF would be nice touch. New, lightweight, compact, $500
16-50mm, f2.8 lens and I might consider Samsung again!

0 upvotes

JN:

I suspect the price will be higher.

And that lens already exists, but it's big and not cheap.

0 upvotes

The only one denying these rumors seems to be you.

I and many others have not seen this story debunked, nor have read an official written statement from Samsung that they are committed to conquer the market for high end cameras.

Don't get me wrong. I think these Samsung cameras are really well specced and competition is a good thing.

However, many camerastore managers here in Europe have received information from Samsung about not getting new cameras anytime soon.

Isn't that a little weird?
Especially because season sales are pretty important to many retailers.

To me it all looks like Samsung is in a slow retreat from this side of the market.

That said - I do think they will stay very committed to be at the forefront of the smartphone market. Which nowadays is a large portion of the camera market of the past. In that sense you can still say they will stay committed to camera and sensor making.

Edited 2 times; latest 3 minutes since posting

3 upvotes

Just:

Then you haven't been reading if you think I'm the only one pointing out that Samsung has clearly said they're not leaving the camera business.

I already provided the Imaging Resource article from Sept 2015.

I have no idea about Samsung NX sales in Europe.

Samsung will not be announcing a new camera before early next year. In the USA the NX1 is available to purchase today.

To me it looks like Samsung is re-orienting the NX line and dropping the old 20MP sensor models.

0 upvotes

No they didn't 'clearly' said it.

They said they are not commenting on rumors.
They did not say it was untrue either.

To be commited to the cameramarket is only confirming to stay in the business to smartphones. They didn't say anything about still developing new cameras and lenses only that they are still selling their current stuff. Which can mean emptying the warehouse as well.

4 upvotes

Just a Photo:

Yes they did clearly say it.

What Samsung didn't clearly say is what is next.

If they were emptying the warehouse, the NX1 and lenses would be on sale like the Lytro Illum.

Neither are.

Samsung would not have been at the NYC photo show last month either.

I can't speak to Samsung's reasoning behind announcement timing, but clearly something is coming out in NX cameras at CES.

0 upvotes

Samsung:
"We do not officially
comment on rumors or speculation."

But this rumour keeps sticking on them.

Of course Samsung says "we're not going to drop out of the camera business.

However Samsung lost its PR credibility since they announced something very similar about their plans in the laptop business, and despite soon afterwards they quit that league. So nothing is busted, no development and solid future is confirmed. This could easily turn into comedy.

Edited 37 seconds after posting

3 upvotes

Just a Photo:

I didn't know that Samsung no longer makes laptops.

It's a problem at least in the USA, that one can't order an Acer or Asus laptop configured how you want it. Samsung is similar.

HP, Lenovo and Dell didn't fall into that trap.

Sony made the same mistake. Oh wait, Sony dropped laptops, does that mean Sony will drop cameras, they sold of sensors?

And here are NEW Samsung laptops for sale in the USA at a store you should have checked:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?atclk=Brand_Samsung&catName=Portable&ci=18818&N=4110474292+4291237751

Note 3 are tagged as "new release".

So you're just spreading rumors about Samsung laptops--great. Not.

Edited 2 times; latest 7 minutes since posting

0 upvotes

actually it was clearly stated they will continue to produce cameras and lenses.

smartphones use cameras and lenses too.

they didn't say squat about the NX line.

3 upvotes

rrccad:

Not an original point, however Samsung was out in force with cameras at the NYC show.

So indeed like smart phones the NX line would be included in the statement made by Samsung.

Also screen name Just a Photographer got caught saying that "Samsung doesn't make laptops anymore, but had promised to keep producing new laptops."

The problem here that destroys the credibility of Just a Photographer: There are plenty of newly released Samsung laptops in stock and ready for purchase.

Then by your logic Samsung could be dropping out of the smartphone business, after all Apple has had a very good two years with the iPhone, and cheaper Android phones have really cut into Samsung's smartphone sales.

0 upvotes

“We quickly adapt to market needs and demands. In Europe, we will be discontinuing sales of NX1 cameras for now since there is already much better and upgraded cameras. This is specific to the region – and is not necessarily reflective of conditions in other markets. We will continue to thoroughly evaluate market conditions and will make further adjustments to maintain our competitiveness in emerging Camera categories.” - Samsung
Another nail in the coffin. Very interesting wording and concession speech.

1 upvote

Bright:

Um, it's reach to call that a "nail in the coffin" or "concession speech", it means though that the NX1 didn't sell in Europe.

The NX1 is certainly still for sale at regular retail pricing in the USA.

One way to read that announcement, if it's accurate, is "there's something else on the way."

0 upvotes

badi:

Samsung has said: "We are not leaving the camera business".

And privately, a senior Samsung camera type, USA, told me to expect new cameras at CES 2016.

5 upvotes

Samsung can do camera business today because they were making money from the other devisions wishing they could beat Japanese camera companies someday. I don't think they will quit the camera division, but considering todays Korean economy, we can't expect a lot from them.

2 upvotes

plasnu:

Oh, there's definitely some changes going on.

But it's not like Samsung sales of everything they make mostly come from the Korean market.

2 upvotes

Sadly it doesn't breed confidence when it's extremely difficult to source their kit in a fairly major market (the UK).

The NX1 is carried by one UK retailer that I can find (not even Amazon stock it) and Samsung's absolute refusal to budge on the price or offer any sort of incentive to purchase their gear is a little worrying.

Fuji, Panasonic, Olympus and Sony have all promoted their mirrorless efforts well in the UK and would appear to be enjoying reasonably healthy sales as a result.

Samsung are absolutely non-existent, which from a longevity standpoint is worrying as they've already basically dropped their entire NX line once in the UK in the past.

8 upvotes

The NX1 is on a decent, regular, sale this week at B+H in New York. Not the lenses though.

I'm sure they can ship it to you, though you may have to pay custom's duties.

0 upvotes

I think he said - No sales deals in the UK.
Nor are there any sales deals in the rest of Europe.

While many shop owners got to hear from Samsung, not to expect new shipments anytime soon.

What does that tell you?
And how much confidence does this give you as a customer or potential customer to buy into Samsung?

As BH is the only company that may have a promotion, that only tells me that BH potentially wants to clear out stock....

Edited 37 seconds after posting

3 upvotes

Just a Photo:

B+H has perfectly normal promotion for the NX1.

Not the lenses.

Now things liken NX30 have clearly been discontinued.

And there will be new cameras at CES.

I can't speak to Samsung camera marketing in the UK.

0 upvotes

@Just a Photographer

Not just no sales deals, no stock whatsoever in this country aside from a few units.

They are not a company trying to make any in-roads whatsoever into the camera market, that much is absolutely clear.

3 upvotes

I really don't think the problem lies with the camera, the lens mount is of limited appeal as I'm not aware of any third party lenses, and adaptor are often a bit of a compromise but this may not be a deal breaker for the dedicated.
I think the issue is that Samsung are not well regarded in the camera market in the uk and people are conservative about change in the presence of other solid options.

0 upvotes

Why would anyone want this camera when an a6000 has an EVF, and beats it in almost every spec? And costs less?

10 upvotes

14 bit raws.

More better native APSC sized lenses.

A tiny bit better at higher ISOs.

But indeed the A6000 is a very nice camera.

2 upvotes

The truth is the NX500 beats the A6000.
Better IQ
Higher resolution sensor
Better at high ISO
Better video
More PDAF points for better C-AF
And of course the kit zoom is sharper for better IQ out of the box.

I just saw Sony doesn't sell an ILC that shoots 4K internally for under $3000. That's crazy

7 upvotes

Sports Dad:

You went further than I was willing to.

0 upvotes

The NX500 does have its flaws, mostly AF-related, un-usual 4K Recording Cropmode, for those who really need it "cheap camcorder" it's an affront, besides that, the IQ into the stills department is very good, and easily beats the A6000, hands down. But the 16-50 PZ from Samsung does have soft corners, and its not all that it is a good lens, same goes for the 16-50 PZ from Sony, it does have heavy-distortions, if un-corrected.
In short: FullHD Video quality is better onto the A6000 thanks to XAVC-S, for stills, i would choose the NX500, and there is also the 4K Video mode onto the NX500 as Bonus, plus the Top Plate is Aluminium, not Polycarbonate (Plastic)

0 upvotes

NX500 has 1:1 readout 4K in crop mode that can use PDAF. Def something A6000 doesn't have. Too bad there isn't a wide fast video AF prime to go with it.

0 upvotes

teddoman:

There's a 16mm f/2.4 lens for the NX system.

0 upvotes

teddoman, also Samyang has 12/2 NX-lens. Manual only, but thats ok for video, although with nx500's good video focus tracking, an af-c can be utilised too.

0 upvotes

Yeah I know about some of the existing wide primes, but I have not heard anyone say they AF quickly and quietly and are good to use in video. If you know differently, I might be a buyer :)

1 upvote

Better lenses, better video, somewhat better stills. But the lack of EVF, like I have said ever since the NX200 cam out, is deadly. Let's call it by its name: plain stupidity.

With an EVF such a cam would suite me fine for landscapes. it will take a very long time before a m43 cam can reach this sensorperformance. Current m43 IQ is barely better than Nikon D300 from 2007 so somehwere in 2020 or so may be.

The only redeeming factor here (when it comes to still IQ) is upcoming handheld HiRes mode. That will get us Medium Format IQ that can be used most of the time. If Olympus delivers what it promised that is...

I think Samsung simply deserves a lot of credit for the bodies especially and the sensor. They truely made a huge step forward in 2014 so cheers to them!

1 upvote

teddman,

I don't know how quiet the AF on the 16mm lens is.

0 upvotes

Review lacks some key points (if I didn't miss anything):
-NX1 has IBIS while NX500 doesn't. This has not been mentioned as much as I see in the review.
-16-50 OIS PZ kit lens IS effectiveness during video panning has not been mentioned as well. Most people buying this small ILC will mostly wish to use the small kit lens.
-No idea of the size of small flash unit. We don't know how normal (or how weird) it looks when added flash is attached. We even don't know if we can tilt the screen fully upwards at full 180degrees when flash is attached. If not, than low light flash selfies can't be taken at all.

1 upvote

SAMSUNG needs to declare an official statement about their solid decision about the camera business (as even their official SAMSUNG sales shops are saying the exact rumors; no smoke comes from a place where there is no fire!). As a consumer (who has some Canon glass) and some cash, I had hesitation to buy a Samsung (however no problem with the brand as all our smartphones are Samsung). I just need to hear an official statement to pull the trigger.

8 upvotes

They did quickly put out a statement. But some would rather believe a n anonymous rumors and discount what the manufacturer says.

Edited 15 seconds after posting

1 upvote

Cihangir:

Samsung has said "We're not leaving the camera business."

0 upvotes

Source...

I have not seen that official statement either.

0 upvotes

Just a Photograph:

Imaging Resource sourced it officially from Samsung months ago.

You've not been paying attention.

Here you go, and no there's NO exact announcement of what the future NX cameras will be:

http://www.imaging-resource.com/news/2015/09/23/rumor-busted-samsung-is-not-exiting-the-camera-business-at-least-not-the-on

1 upvote

Howabout RAW,
You are right! But it may also means that "we will keep on making BSI sensors for the industry but stop producing cameras and lenses". Because altogether even only sensor is a business in camera industry. It is such a round political statement that it goes wherever you pull it. They need to say "We will continue producing NX cameras, sensors and lenses in the future" to evaporate those rumors (the rumors that even their own SAMSUNG camera shops are saying in face to face or even on the phone). We (as customers) our hard earned cash and have lots of alternatives. Buying a system item is like an investment. Here there is a promotion with NX1+18-200 or 85 for 1233-USD. It seems like it is a quick garage sell (which mostly happens when there is a new model coming up very soon). Beware of NX1 MK2 or NX2 or (worstly) complete halt of production. Possibilities with absolute opposite meanings makes it very hard to pull a trigger.

Edited 2 minutes after posting

1 upvote

Cihangir:

Well that's somewhat different.

The 85mm f/1.4 has sold for about 800USD for more than a year. That is true today.

There are no special mark downs on Samsung NX lenses in the USA.

Given what I've been told, it's safe to figure there are new NX cameras to be announced at CES.

0 upvotes

HowaboutRAW,
In that case we may guess that a new model is coming instead of NX1 (85mm 1.4 is offered cheaper than worth or NX1 is cheaper than worth; 2nd is more possible regarding US market. But here in Turkey they would need to clear out their warehouse as well) . From Samsung's history of smartphones we know that they upgrade the model to offer a firmware upgradable specification or a very small change. NX1 is already beyond the industry offerings regarding loads of specs. It is a matter of another discussion to guess what is left for a possible NX2. Probably ISO100000 which is as good as A7SII.Let's wait and see CES. Probably "empire will strike back" to kill Sony, Canon, Nikon altogether :)

0 upvotes

HowAboutRAW: I posted that link earlier already, yesterday, together with that Store that ditches all their Samsung Gear as discount, into one Post here. ;)

0 upvotes

It's quite amazing what Samsung was able to pull out of their ass with little to no background in the industry. If they had released this when I was switching to mirrorless, I would probably have gone with Samsung, instead of Sony.

I really really hope they don't go out of business. With the kind of BS Canon & Nikon are putting out, it would probably be a monopoly for Sony in the Mirrorless world. And that would be bad for all of us.

17 upvotes

Don't you worry: Samsung are one of, if not the largest conglomerate in the world. Pictures for them were probably worth a piece of grass to them. But they couldn't grab traction. If they leave the photography business, I hope they keep up with sensors and I hope they farm them out.

2 upvotes

Mirrorless is now a Sony and Fuji game. I would not discount Fuji. Their cameras are great the lens line up is very enticing - close to or often better than Sony and cheaper. I really cannot see much attractiveness in Samsung or m43. May be m43 with standard zoom featuring f/2.8 aperture and very light weight is interesting option e.g. E-M5 + 12-40 seems like a winner and you have options for 7-14 and 40-150 f/2.8 zooms too....

3 upvotes

The Samsung cameras feel damn good in the hand too. Nice and solid and everything where you want it. They get top marks for that.

1 upvote

Mind you, I dislike Samsung as a corporate entity as much as I can. I lived in South Korea for two years and discovered that they owned basically the entire country. That's not good. But, it's also proof that sales or non-sales of a few cameras won't do anything to them.

Nothing really can hurt them.

2 upvotes

Kiril:

Samsung, Olympus, Panasonic, Leica and yes Nikon make strong mirrorless cameras.

And even Canon has picked up bit.

Fuji cameras are fairly notorious for bad video.

1 upvote

Here I disagree completely. It is quite amazing how one of the first makers to come up with a mirrorless line (already in 2010) did drag its feet so long. Just one stupid cam after another with no real Unique Selling Point. Even current Samsung cams lack that but at least now they are on top of their game.

If Samsung sinks its mirrorless endeavour it is because of lack of ideas from 2010 to 2014. NX500 still has those genes in it: the adly missing EVF (not even an addon option) simply means you need to buy the large and expensve NX1 if yiou want one. Or you need to look at Sony, Panny, OLy or Fuji for anything that does....And that is what many people did.

1 upvote

@Kiril

Fuji isn't manufactoring their own sensors, instead they use Sony Sensors with their own CFA, known in Marketing Speech as "X-trans".

0 upvotes

A built in EVF is pretty much a necessity these days ... these should have one.

17 upvotes

EVFs are hideous. The only reason you'd want one is in bright light but they don't work very well in bright light.

Cameras like this aren't for serious work, they are big compacts and very good at that job indeed.

1 upvote

no EVF, no sale, sorry Samsung.

5 upvotes

I always needed an EVF for my Sony cameras, in bright light the screen was useless, however my Samsung does much better and negates this need for me. I can use my Samsung with the Electronic Waistlevel Finder (EWF) in bright sun quite effectively.

0 upvotes

Hugo: you are behind the times. EVFs are great. I love my GH4 over the one in the D800e. And I use them side by side sometimes. But the correct reply is: it depends on the person what is better or what not. And even that shows how good EVFs have become.

5 upvotes

Does the camera's 3" screen show a 3" image in stills (3:2) or movie (16:9) mode? I hope Samsung didn't cheat the way Sony did with the NEX/Alpha cams, where you only get a 3" image in 16:9 mode, and the display is smaller in stills (3:2) mode.

1 upvote

It's full screen when taking stills.

1 upvote

Good on Samsung! And thank you for the reply. :-)

0 upvotes

Ssmsung have 2 great cameras on there hands but I think they should start to focus on Sports and wildlife photography there speed and pixel density will serve that market well... It be much harder to get pro wedding and studio photographers to switch over.. I'm sure the new gen of photograhers will gravitate to the high tech features but if they don't make the lenses sales men will still steer people to Canon & Nikon...I would have bought the Nx1 but had to go with the canon 7dm2 and a sony 6000 as a side kick.. Oh and heres a fact. I go to B@h about once a month and the Samsung booth is all the way in the back and the salespeople never know jack about how awesome the new cameras are...there just standing there playing on there cell phones. All of the other camera booths the sales people are enthusiastic and know there gear...

0 upvotes

I may have to get one of these.

0 upvotes

Maybe its better for you to wait until Samsung officially debunks al the rumours about stepping out of the market.

At least the restructuring part is true, and there are quite a few camera shopmanagers here in Europe that get to hear that they should not expect new cameras either anytime soon.

That doesn't say Samsung will stop, but it also doesn't look very promising.

I think it would be wise from Samsung to come out with an official statement.

11 upvotes

Indeed an official statement will help, but even that will not be of great value.

I know it does not sound good, but if they are thinking to quit, they can say now that they don't have any plans to quit, put another camera out in a year, and quit afterwards ... When buying just a camera (or a smartphone) it doesn't really matter if the company will fail, but if you invest in a system, you pretty want a 100% involvement from the manufacturer.

Things can happen, every company can collapse, but just knowing that the company is not sure about it's path definitely will scare a lot of potential clients.

1 upvote

badi:

Samsung has said: "We are not leaving the camera business".

And privately, a senior Samsung camera type, USA, told me to expect new cameras at CES 2016.

1 upvote

Tx. for the info, that is good, as i find very interesting what samsung is doing.

Still, the rumors alone might have done some damage to samsung...

1 upvote

badi,

Well except for the NX1, I don't think Samsung was having strong sales.

They are definitely re-aligning things, they withdrew the NX-mini, and dropped the Android controlled Galaxy NX.

And I'm pretty sure the 20MP sensored bodies are no longer in production--perhaps the NX300 is.

I was told to expect some kind of NX500 like camera with an EVF but costing less than the NX1 at CES in 2016.

2 upvotes

Interesting replies. Thanks guys.
From what I've read Samsung isn't exiting the market but the rumor that some have taken for true hasn't helped.... Like badi said.

0 upvotes

Mr Low,

Samsung was at the PhotoPlus show in force with cameras in NYC in Oct. And that is by far the biggest US photo gear show.

Pentax-Ricoh was there too after having skipped the last 2 years. But they had a small booth.

2 upvotes

Great!! Glad to hear that! I like Samsung products.
Thanks!! :-)

0 upvotes

"there are also a decent selection of primes, ranging from 20mm to 85mm"

You missed the 10mm (fisheye) and the 16mm by Samsung and the 12mm by Samyang/Rokinon.

2 upvotes

Thx!

0 upvotes

Wish it had a built-in flash like the Fuji x100 series.

0 upvotes

PLEASE use the cyclist for future AF testing.
its becoming embrassing for DPreview to continually say they don't know
how to do AF tracking test

3 upvotes

1 upvote

what the heck?

0 upvotes

I use the cyclist for just about everything. This is excellent advice.

0 upvotes

@maximme you probably mean the man on the bicycle in the video, don't you? Yes, this shows nicely the AF tracking problems of the camera.

0 upvotes

Really, really funny. Keep up the good work.

0 upvotes

i mean any cyclist on a road bike,
its fast enough and has enough size for reasonable targetting.

trying to shoot a bird in flight would need too much skill, ie, test the photographer more than the camera AF tracking.

0 upvotes

someone who spread false rumors should be in custody with charges. Samsung has already lost many customers. Samsung should make an official announcement that they will keep going on camera business.

3 upvotes

Oh great, restraint of speech, a not good idea.

Edited 13 minutes after posting

3 upvotes

How about if you own a business and that customer spreads false rumors about your store?

5 upvotes

HS:

I'm guessing you're not from the USA.

It's very hard to restrain that kind of libel in the US. It's possible but really really hard with public figures and businesses.

2 upvotes

"By HS Wells: Samsung should make an official announcement that they will keep going on camera business."

Yes, the continuation of the rumor is Samsung's fault, for failing to make a definitive official announcement on the subject.

Edited 60 seconds after posting

8 upvotes

Samsmug themselves still have to debunk the rumor.
They neither confirmed, nor denied these rumours.

As long as they don't deny it. Then to me it seems that there is at least some truth to the story. True or false I would be very skeptical to step into Samsung if I were in for a new system.

Edited 58 seconds after posting

11 upvotes

>Samsung has already lost many customers.

Samsung had customers?

5 upvotes

Just a Photo and justmeMN:

Except Samsung did say "We're not leaving the camera business."

What they didn't announce is what their exact future plans are.

1 upvote

@HS Wells
The only culprit here is Samsung. Why would the 85mm f1.4 and many other lenses getting 50% discount ??? There are even some crazy deals on the NX1 (-$600) and NX500 going on.

Samsung should just announce a new camera or at least make an official statement abount those "rumors".

Edit: Oh and some dealers are dropping Samsung btw.

Edited 3 times; latest 3 minutes since posting

1 upvote

Temporel:

Samsung did make an announcement. "We are not leaving the camera business."

Samsung NX lenses, including the vaunted f/1.4 85mm are NOT on any particular sale.

The NX1 has NOT been marked down $600, at B+H this week, it's marked down $300, this has occurred several times before and is not remarkable for a year old camera. The NX1 kit is marked down $400, still perfectly normal.

1 upvote

mmm yes those sales were available last week on the lenses (50% on the 85mm) and the NX1 kit is $600.00 off right now (for the past 2 or 3 weeks actually, its started @ $400.00 and has of yesterday it is now -$600.00).
I even post the link for the deal on the 85mm in the Samsung forums last week.

And where is the Samsung official announcement ?

Edited 3 times; latest 59 seconds since posting

2 upvotes

here is one of the deal still going on : http://www.lozeau.com/en-CA/products/lenses/samsung/samsung-85mm-f-1-4/

Some other stores are sold out and wont EVER get this lens again (Memory Express is a well known small chain in Alberta, no more Samsung Camera for them, same for many other dealers)

Edited 28 seconds after posting

2 upvotes

Temporel:

The question isn't if you can find the lens for less, the question is if it is on sale for much less by retailers with a good reputation.

In the USA it isn't.

I have no idea about Samsung camera/lens marketing in Canada.

Henry's (Canada) has that same lens for $1000, this tells me something is wrong about the Lozeau pricing.

Edited 6 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

nothing wrong with Lozeau (not an error).

0 upvotes

But such a huge price difference between a Toronto based store and a Montreal store means something.

0 upvotes

@HS Wells.. "in custody with charges.. " lol.

a bit extreme don't you think?

it's not anyone's fault other than Samsung's that outside of the two people they have working on firmware mods, they haven't done a damned thing since this camera came out in February.

no active camera company is ever this quiet for nearly a year.

no lenses in 14 months, no cameras in 10. speaks volumes.

just some firmware updates.

Samsung lost whatever dozen customers they had themselves.

0 upvotes

Please fix this line:
"This is the 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OIS kit lens. It's a power zoom, which keeps it compact when shut off and zooms when you rotate the ring on the front of the lens."

As far as I know because that lens is a power zoom lens then no there's no zoom ring on it. It uses plus and minus button to zoom in and zoom out.

0 upvotes

Until you switch it to MF mode the ring operates as zoom control, with the buttons being an option. Added the buttons to the description.

7 upvotes

Thanks!

My bad for I have never used MF with this lens.

0 upvotes

Not exactly Sam, the Zoomring automatically switches to Focusmode when focus is aquired in Single Point AF, you do not even need to press any button when you want to use the DMF function

3 upvotes

wow, 16-50 f2-2,8 lense sound nice..

3 upvotes

I thought Samsung was getting out of the camera business.
Why purchase this?

5 upvotes

I've been told directly they are NOT.
Look for a big splash at CES in January.

3 upvotes

Stop trying to spread rumors.

Here's a fact for you. Sony closed all Sony stores in the U.S. and Canada and stopped selling products online through Sony's own website. From those facts you could assume that Sony was getting out of the electronics business, but that is not the case. They just re-structured how they sell products. Sony did not let anyone know in advance that they were closing all of their physical stores. They just did it one day.

There is a good possibility that Samsung is switching its strategy of how it sells cameras. There is rumor that Samsung has merged its camera department with its cell-phone department, which could mean that you would see Samsung cameras at the Samsung booths at all the Best Buys where you normally see Samsung cell phones being sold.

5 upvotes

And except for the A5100, Sony has not announced a single new APS-C body or lens in nearly 2 years. What does that tell you?

4 upvotes

@ surfguy:

"Stop trying to spread rumours"... " there is a rumour that..."

So which is it? Oh you mean don't spread the bad ones that you don't like?

5 upvotes

@ captura
They announced the A68 just last week.

2 upvotes

>I thought Samsung was getting out of the camera business.
Why purchase this?

With an entry level camera like this, the majority of people will simply only use the kit lens. Some may buy just one additional lens like a telephoto or prime lens, and that's it. They don't need a strong growing eco system of lenses, and Samsung already has a telephoto kit lens and plenty of primes. So if Samsung were to discontinue their entire NX range, it wouldn't matter.

1 upvote

I thought, I heared, my neighbor's wife told me ...
either you use good cameras (made by Samsung) or you believe for SantaClaus/EasterRabbit & Co. :-)

0 upvotes

@Captura: What that tells me is that all those FE lenses announced by Sony and others this year can be used perfectly on all my E mount cameras. Bonus: Every time I buy an FE lens, I actually get two lenses. One FL for FF and a longer FL for crop mode, or my apsc cameras.

Edited 2 times; latest 1 minute since posting

0 upvotes

The "best destiny" for such a camera is with a pancake lens of high quality, 25mm-45mm, stuffed into a pocket of a coat. In that instance, it's better than most others out there.

2 upvotes

That's exactly why NX lens lineup consists of quality pancakes and compact prime lenses in 16, 20, 30, 45 and 60mm. IMO this is the true virtue of cropped ILC concept that Nikon and Canon (and, to some extent, Sony APS-C) have failed to put together despite their sales record. M43 systems also strive to serve this role and one could argue they do it pretty well. But once you compare them against the NX, they start to look less appealing pretty quickly due to lower IQ and no meaningful reduction in size, weight and price. At least that's how I arrived at NX after looking at different options.

10 upvotes

M43 system needs better quality pancakes. Like Pentax's f/2.8 units which are very flat and very good.

0 upvotes

@MikeDPR Put a viewfinder on it and I'd dump my m43 system.

0 upvotes

I wouldn't. There is more to the system than EVF's, but the Samsung sensor is definitely a good one, worth using even if Samsung bails out of cameras.

0 upvotes

Yes, not having an EVF is an issue in bright light. I can attest to this myself and I would not recommend its use in bright landscapes. However Samsung makes NX1 for that, and hopefully will come out with an intermediate model before they close the business :)

0 upvotes

m43s look compelling to me still, also over NX-system because it is smaller and has an EVF. The size difference between this cam and a GM5 (if size is so important) is pretty significant. On top of that, you do not have to restict yourself on some very small primes. You can get a 12-32 and 35-100 zoom that is very small too.

Also in a recent German test (in one of their magazins) the NX500 was "very good" but it lost out to the GX8 which received a "super". And GX8 was super because IQ was really very good, while all other features were there. It is a very complete package you have in the GX8. We know the price is clearly different but it is more to show Samsung could do much more.

Where Samsung has lost it, in contrast to your assertion, is precisely on size. Because there are only so many people happy with primes. The good zooms are much bigger than mFTs. The 12-35 f2.8 and 35-100 f2.8 combined wiegh less than the 16-50 f2 -f2.8 only from Samsung (!).

0 upvotes

In cons:

Please fix the H.265 play back error.

No the format won't play with WinMedia Player on a Win 7 machine, nor will QuickTime play that format on a Mac.

However plenty of other AV programs play it on a Mac and PCs running Win 7.

Win10 will play it with Windows Media Player.

No, Ubuntu 15.04 not so much.

1 upvote

There is no H.265 playback issue. Issue with your system or player. Also you are contradicting yourself. You say "No the format won't play on Win7", then you say "However plenty other programs play it on Win7/Mac". Which is it?

H.265 4K playback needs powerful CPU/GPU to play it back. You can convert to H.264 with TmpGENC software easily. Samsung has nothing to fix. It is the video players responsibility to play the H.265 codec back correctly.

Edited 1 minute after posting

1 upvote

VisualFX:

Unless you've tweaked WinMedia Player with special non-Microsoft codecs, NO, Windows 7 will not play H.265 with Windows Media Player.

I've not contradicted myself, you missed the condition.

DPR needs to do the fixing under "cons" at the end of the review.

Plenty of other programs will play H.265 on a Win 7 machine, some examples PotPlayer, GOM, VLC.

DPR made a rather large mistake in the review, and needs to fix it.

1 upvote

@HowaboutRAW

Fair point - I think we used poor wording in saying that H.265 files 'need' to be converted to another format for use. You are correct that there are systems and software capable of opening these files directly. I've updated the wording a bit to reflect this.

However, we're still listing H.265 as a con. These files won't open on systems or software in use today by many people, meaning they will have to take additional steps to use the files. H.265 doesn't enjoy the virtually universal support that H.264 does.

This isn't a knock on H.265 as a format. Given a bit of time it will probably be somewhat universal as well. But we're reviewing the camera today when it doesn't have that level of universal support, and lots of people will be surprised when they try to open these files on their computer and discover they won't play.

1 upvote

Dale,

There are also programs (for Windows) that will import H.265 files for editing.

I've not tried it, but CyberLink 13 is specced for H.265.

Yes, the files open, the files don't import into many editors, there's a difference.

A bigger issue, you'll need a really serious CPU for playback, even the normal HD res H.265 files.

1 upvote

Addional steps to use H.265 is fine with me. I just use TmpGENC Video Mastering Works to convert to H.264 as needed. 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray uses H.265, so you can be assured Windows will add support for the codec. In any case, it is very easy to load a small file(codec) for playback.

http://tmpgenc.pegasys-inc.com/en/product/tvmw6.html

0 upvotes

I'm not disagreeing with anything you guys are saying (I think...). There's software out there now that can support it, but you do need some CPU power. That said, the 'standard' (and I use that word in quotes because someone will disagree with me) NLEs like Premiere and Final Cut don't yet support it - though it's certainly coming.

Wide H.265 support will get here, but our complaint with it being used as the standard codec on this camera is that wide support is not here yet. We've run into more than a few people who simply couldn't figure out why the video files wouldn't open on their computer. I'm not talking about the tech-savvy crowd or serious video shooters, but regular people who got one of these cameras and decided to shoot some video with it.

BTW, my personal favorite way of handling Samsung's H.265 files is to convert them to ProRes using Wondershare Video Converter. I've been really satisfied with the results and it edits smoothly.

0 upvotes

You don't need a serious CPU for H.265 playback. You need a real new CPU with HEVC hardware decoder. It can be budget.

0 upvotes

Dale B:

But Final Cut took years before it would natively import AVCHD files.

And native play back of AVCHD only came to Mac last year--before that it could be done if you had the card the file had been shot to which includes more information than the file.

The point is by counting how far Apple was behind on AVCHD files, support for H.265 is far in advance of AVCHD, on a Mac at least.

And as others have pointed out, CyberLink and Magix will import H.265 files for editing.

Also I don't think a lot of inexperienced video shooters simply move the file to their computer with the expectation of editing it. Playback yes, but video editing is a different story.

Edited 8 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

bluev:

Be that as it may, those are still very very new CPUs.

0 upvotes

I have no problems with H265. Wondershare/Aiseesoft can handle/convert it, MPC-HC can play it.

0 upvotes

Codecs never are the problem, the problem is if the people are either too lazy to install them or don't know about VLC that comes with everything ready.

2 upvotes

Lassoni:

VLC isn't great with H.265 files, perhaps when CPUs with the right hardware are in wider use, VLC will be better.

For example H.265 files will crash VLC on iMacs from mid-2015.

0 upvotes

I've no problem with MPC-HC and H265. All works fine and okay.

0 upvotes

@ VisualFX
TmpGENC can't even load H.265 videos on Windows 10 (the operating system itself has no problems with them).

0 upvotes

kociasek,

For conversion of H.265 to ProRes try Rocky Mountain Converter, but to be fair I've not tried it on Win 10 yet.

0 upvotes

Hope you enjoyed your trip to the Big Island (of Hawaii). Let me know next time you're here and I'll show you some hidden spots in return for a peek at the gear you're reviewing ;)

0 upvotes

Rating

NX1 87%
NX500 81%

HMMMMM.....

0 upvotes

Nx1 with fw1.4 should be at least 90-92%. Much faster af, much faster transfers to sd, deeper buffer, dis for video, higher bitrate for video and more.

4 upvotes

1. There is an inflation in the percentage as all cameras are getting better.
2. The values are very imprecise. They are based upon the reviewer's judgment and not some objective measurement.

1 upvote

Roland, some of the values are based on a reviewer's judgement because it's almost impossible to quantify things like 'how a camera handles' in any reproducible way. By it's very nature this aspect of a review is based on the opinion of someone (in most cases multiple people) who have handled a lot of cameras from numerous manufacturers. I don't think we suggest anywhere that opinion doesn't affect certain parts of a review.

However, many of the values in the scoring system are based on objective measurements and comparisons that can be made between cameras. You can read about the scoring system in detail here:

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/4416254604/camera-scores-ratings-explained

Edited 24 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

The two cameras are scored in different categories.

2 upvotes

@Dale - I know how it works. But, if a camera gets 78 or 82 can easily be affected by how much the camera is liked, and that is subjective. Many people that read scores tends to take it too serious., thinking tat a camera with 1% more is a winner.

Moreover, just as @BB says, the score has to be taken into context. What score would the LSST camera get? 3500% Or 8% ? Extreme? Yes, but it shows a point.

Edited 2 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

@Roland Yep - part of any review is subjective. No way to avoid that. Does it affect the score? Yes. But it's worth noting that in almost all cases the subjective parts of the scoring system are determined collectively by multiple editors, all of whom have used a lot of cameras and have pretty deep perspective. This prevents the score from being skewed by a single reviewer who has an outlying opinion.

Are there people who will look at a score in isolation and decide what camera to buy using just that one data point? I'm sure there are. However, our hope is that they would also notice the (approximately) 8-25 pages of the review to which the score is attached and consider that information as well.

0 upvotes

I was looking for a small walk around camera and like this NX500 but the lack of a VF is kind of ridiculous. I mainly shoot outdoors and I know I would run into problems so unless they bring out a model with one I will wait to see if something new comes out from another company or if Sony decides to upgrade the a6000. The other issue is whether Samsung is keeping their camera division. I hope they do, this and the NX1 looks promising and they have some nice lenses.

2 upvotes

I can assure you that the display is exceptionally good and it is tiltable (which helps in harsh sunlight) - I had no issues using it on a Mediterranean beach this summer!

1 upvote

I'm not opposed to the idea of a VF-less ILC--I've considered one in the past as an inexpensive complement to the DLSR--but calling it "midrange" as the article does is indeed kind of ridiculous. Kind of like a "midrange" sports car with no manual transmission option.

0 upvotes

NX500 is more than midrange, more like high-end in ILC cameras. I have no issue using the LCD outdoors for my landscape photos.

1 upvote

@VisualFX
VF is critical for more spontaneous photographies where a split second of losing sight of the screen due to surface reflection can result in a lost opportunity. This is usually not the case for landscapes. Even on DSLRs, landscape photographers often use live view on a tripod for more accurate focusing and exposure preview.

Also, being suitable for landscape does not imply a "high-end" body, unless you're talking about physical ruggedness for shooting in extreme conditions. A camera is suitable for landscape if it a) has a sensor with reasonably good dynamic range and a decent pixel count, b) supports lenses that are nice and sharp stopped down, and c) damps shutter shock well enough to have high yield at low shutter speed. All entry-class ILCs available today should satisfy all three conditions.

2 upvotes

Question to DPReview (Barney Britton?) or any owner of NX500 - can you please confirm that video clips from NX500 cannot be imported into Lightroom CC? I bought the camera recently and was very disappointed to notice this limitation. The conversion tool provided by Samsung didn't help to resolve this. I tried a number of third party conversion programs before I found one that works, but it costs 40 bucks :-(
BTW, I have no problem with opening those videos directly in my Windows 10.

0 upvotes

Once converted to h.264 using the Samsung tool, I don't have any problem importing to LR5.

1 upvote

Lightroom is the wrong tool anyway to work with video. Premiere is more suited for video editing.

0 upvotes

We don't normally use Lightroom to manage our video files, but we just ran a test on this (using the latest version of LR CC) and got some interesting results.

LR could not import H.265 files straight out of camera.

LR did recognize and import H.264 files created from the original H.265 files using Samsung Movie Converter. It would also show a thumbnail image, but we couldn't get the files to actually play within LR. It would get a couple frames in and just freeze up. These same H.264 files played smoothly on the same computer when opened directly from Mac OS in Quicktime Player.

We then tried converting the H.265 files to H.264 using Wondershare Video Converter. LR recognized and imported these files as well, but it was also able to play them within LR with no problems.

This is obviously a limited test, but it does seem like there's something about the files from Samsung Movie Converter that LR doesn't like.

Edited 30 seconds after posting

1 upvote

@ Dale Baskin
Thanks for testing video compatibility with Lightroom. I installed Wondershare Video Converter Free but it can't handle H.265 codec on Windows 10, only audio gets previewed and converted. Am I right in guessing that you tried it on a Mac computer?

0 upvotes

@ VisualFX
I import vidoes into Lightroom mostly to catalog and watch them. If you know an alternative free or inexpensive DAM program for videos, I'm all ears, but Adobe Premiere doesn't fit the bill.

0 upvotes

@ Dale Baskin
FYI, even the full version of Wondershare Video Converter is hopeless - yes, it converts H.265 to H.264 but in the process changes the resolution to 1920x1080. Those low-res files get recognized by Lightroom CC, but who cares.

0 upvotes

@ kociasek We ran into that problem initially as well, but it turns out Wondershare can convert to H.264 in 4K, though it's a bit confusing. Instead of selecting the 'MP4' option for conversion, look further to the right and you'll see a 'MP4 4K' conversion option.

It's a bit confusing but it works. Just to clarify, the quick test we performed above was done with files converted to H.264 in 4K with Wondershare.

0 upvotes

It would be nice for them to add IBIS - does it stabilize video?

0 upvotes

For all those who complain about lack of viewfinder and outdoor visibility...
Get an aftermarket foldable lcd hood. I actually prefer this over viewfinder as I feel it offers better peripheral visibility and doesn't get in way of my glasses.

4 upvotes

'Kinda defeats the purpose of having a small camera, doesn't it? Adds quite a bit of size to the package.

18 upvotes

This is the best one:
http://www.kinotehnik.com/products/lcdvf/overview
But it is very big and expensiv. And one might find that the resolution of the screen is not sufficiant for the use as an EVF. And if it is a touchscreen you can not touch anymore. (with some cameras the screen can be used as a trackpad when the EVF is on).
I had a camera without VF and will never buy one again. I can not reccomend any Camera without VF optical or electronic. (The ground glass of a view camera counts as VF in this case)

1 upvote

A VF is an absolute necessity or else it would be just a tourist snapshot camera.Which there are plenty out there.

11 upvotes

Do they make them hoods for an iPhone?

0 upvotes

ttran88:

Shoe box with hole in it?

0 upvotes

tourist camera #1 is phone, #2 is tablet. No freaking point having ILC with no VF this day.

0 upvotes

But why don't just use a phone?
It might be no concern for enough people, so they can sell cameras without VF. Nontheless I can not recommend it.

Edited 5 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

@ veroman
Usually a fold-able one is quite small, only adds around 5mm thickness. Of course it will be larger when in use but honestly I think that's a moot point.

0 upvotes

I think my description confused a lot of people. I wasn't talking about EVF converter like the one LJ mentioned -although it would work as good- something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Kaiser-206075-Folding-Screen-Black/dp/B00175PNXQ.

0 upvotes

Oh no! I tried this one first beacause it is much cheaper than the LCDVF, but I was not worth even the small money. It did not help at all. It made it even worse. It has a protective "glass" made of PVC that reflected much more than the screen itself. I had to break it out of the frame. Then I had to hold the camera higher to see the screen. It provided not as much shadow to the screen as one may expect and then it broke after some time of use. No recommendation.

0 upvotes

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History Repeating: Olympus PEN-F Review Feb 24, 2016	Bang for the Buck: Olympus OM-D E-M10 II Review Aug 25, 2015	Action packed: Shooting the Sony a6300 in Miami Mar 9, 2016	Retro through-and-through: Fujifilm X-Pro2 Review Mar 14, 2016

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