Mozim

Hey! I'm looking to upgrade my current camera, a Panasonic GH3 that has delivered some very good results. I was very close to buying a Samsung NX1, in fact I still am, but something tells me that I should get a D750 instead. I know that these cameras aren't exactly comparable. I shoot a lot of sports events (downhill mountain biking) which is quite demanding. I have no control over the lighting whatsoever, it's either rainy or very dusty, I only have one chance to get the shot, shooting in forests in bright daylight is tough in terms of dynamic range etc. What I like about the GH3 is the fantastic resolution, in fact I doubt I'd need an even higher resolution anytime soon. It also has a very fast sensor readout and it gives very sharp, detailed results in 60p. What I dislike about it is the colours I get from the camera; greens and neon colours look off and it's hard to fix them in post. I will most definitely keep the GH3 as a B-Cam though. I've considered the NX1 because of the 4K, the supposedly good colours, nice highlight rolloff, 120fps mode and high frame rates when shooting stills. I'm hesitant to buy it though because there also seems to be a drawback to each of the pros... 4K suffers badly from rolling shutter, dynamic range is fairly limited, 120fps doesn't record sound plus I'm not willing to invest into native Samsung lenses. What I like about the D750... great colours, dynamic range seems to be very good, resolution is supposed to be very good, it offers 60p plus it's one hell of a good stills camera. I shoot 80% video and 20% stills but I'd love to have a camera that is capable of shooting pro-quality stills. I also like the way it feels in my hands, it seemed very solid and laid out very well. I don't really care about an EVF, I'd rather use an LCD Viewfinder attached to the back of the screen, so not having an EVF is no drawback in my opinion. I also don't need full frame for video, although I suppose it would be nice to have. For stills though, full frame would be absolutely fantastic. Additionally, it shouldn't be difficult to sell the D750 in a year or so whereas other cameras lose their value much quicker (Sony, Samsung, Panasonic). As far as lenses go, I have a couple of Canon lenses (APS-C mainly) and a couple of MFT lenses. I will pick up a Nikon 80-200 2.8 AF-D soon as well as some fast primes. Regardless of which body I'll purchase, I'll buy all my lenses in Nikon mount so that isn't a concern at all. So... am I stupid to consider the D750 or should I go and get one? I'm looking forward to hearing your input! Thanks a ton in advance!

​Same question, sort of. I already have some Canon EF lenses and I plan on purchasing some Nikon-lenses soon. My idea is to buy a Canon EF to MFT Speedbooster. Is it possible to stack the adapters?

I agree that the record button placement on the A7s is horrible and I'd be fairly upset if I missed important shots because of that. One user on here showed a picture of his cage and he actually used the Sony remote control attached to the right side of his cage instead of hitting the record button. Not ideal either but it looked far more practical than hitting that tiny button. Might be worth looking into.

A recent rumor indicates that Samsung will implement a 4K crop mode (which should result in a faster readout speed & less rolling shutter) with the next Firmware update. Also, the NX500 seems to have a 240fps option. There's a picture floating around that clearly shows 240fps as an 1080p option in the NX500 menu.

​It's hard to name one defining moment but I guess knowing that the camera will perform reliably without any software issues? Other cameras may not sound as appealing on paper but they work, and they work well. The NX1 certainly works well when it does but so far, I wouldn't really want to rely on it.

Some very bold claims... DSLR killer? Looks a lot better than the FS7? As good or better than the Sonys in almost every regard? I'm excited about these new products but some of the posts on here make me wonder if people on here actually test the products or simply jump to conclusions based on one or two sample videos. That's a bit annoying to say the least. For events and run&gun, this looks like a decent option. I don't really get why one would compare this camera to an extremely small, portable full frame camera that has amazing low light capabilities and I don't really get why one would compare this camera to a 4K/60fps & 1080p/180fps camera almost twice as expensive. But yes, let's call this a DSLR killer and challenge to the FS7.

That was an interesting article and you do bring up some valid points. The way I see it is photography has gotten very accessible to a huge amount of people thanks to affordable smartphones. This isn't exactly beneficial for enthusiast point & shoot cameras or even entry-level DSLRs and mirrorless cameras. Why buy a complicated camera with interchangable lenses when you can achieve the same results with an iPhone when viewed on a smartphone screen? But then again, I also think the more accessible photography is to the masses, the more the masses will also appreciate high-quality content... stuff that you simply can't shoot with a smartphone. That's one of the main reasons why people love the full-frame look (which may or may not be a myth, haha). It's impossible to shoot super shallow DOF-stuff with a smartphone. I also don't care about super-sharp, detailed 4K video shot on a tiny sensor... might as well use a GoPro or a Samsung smartphone for that kind of stuff. In my opinion, it would be lovely to have a Facebook or Instagram app on your camera. Take a high-quality picture and upload it almost instantly. Now that'd be a huge selling point and appeal to both enthusiasts and pros. There's no logic reason why this should be impossible and Samsung and Sony would be WAY ahead of Canon and Nikon if their cameras actually had a software that allows you to shoot pictures and share them.

​From your experience, how does then D5300 compare to the D750 in terms of video? I imagine the D5300 isn't very good at ISO 1600 or higher, but apart from that (and the fact that the D750 is full frame), is there a significant difference in terms of video quality between these 2?

​Haha, sort of. It'll be interesting to see how the D7200 compares to the NX1 for video and to the 7D MkII for photo. I'm hesitant to pick up a NX1 because I'm not ready to invest into the Samsung camera and lens system. Plus I shoot a lot of fast-paced sports stuff (videos and photos) and DSLRs are superior to Mirrorless cameras in that regard. I'm actually thinking about purchasing a NX1 for video purposes, but if I can get a camera that offers similar video capabilities (except for 4K, which I could do without) AND offer much better photo capabilities (for my purposes), then I'd much rather go with the D7200.

Personally I'm looking forward to the D7200. I'm hoping for a photo camera that is as at least as good as the Canon 7D MkII, as in: 10fps burst rate, great autofocus, fantastic dynamic range, durable and rugged body, basically a small version of their D4s. I also expect the video mode to be at least as good as the D5300 / D750 video mode (which is very good already). Being able to change the aperture in live view is a must (and they'd be stupid not to include it). It'd be nice to see a high-quality 120fps mode, flat picture profile, Zebra, Peaking etc. It's going to be a photo camera first and foremost, but if it offers good video capabilities like they've done in the past, then I'm sure people who shoot both video and photos will appreciate the camera.

​I'm not sure. I just found out about the Shure microphone/recorder actually. I doubt that pressing the record button on your camera triggers the microphone, but hopefully I'm wrong.

As far as I know (and hopefully I'm wrong!), you can only shoot in 4K when using an external recorder. I don't think using a Shogun with a NX1 makes a lot of sense since it records 4K internally, so all you gain is a really good monitor and you can skip the transcoding process, but I doubt it actually improves image quality. It would be nice to see an improved 1080p mode (less banding, no macroblocking etc) with a way faster workflow when using something like the Atomos Ninja Star though. That'd be a huge improvement. Andrew, would you mind hooking up your Nina Star (or any other 1080p recorder) to your NX1 and let us know if you can actually record 1080p externally?

​The camera doesn't record sound internally though, at least when shooting 96fps with a GH4 or 120fps with a Samsung NX1. There's nothing to sync the audio file of the external recorder with, so that's a fairly big problem.

Andrew Reid is collecting feedback about the NX1 and will forward it to Samsung. Please go ahead and post your feedback here: http://www.eoshd.com/comments/topic/8005-samsung-nx1-firmware-v121-up-now/?page=2

Do you shoot events or in controlled scenarios? If you're shooting races and stuff like that... I wouldn't want to use an external recorder for that. Stuff happens very quickly and you're constantly have to push the record button on your camera, push the record button on the external recorder, pause both recordings, somehow sync it up in post. It might work when you shoot the race runs where there's a one or two minute gap between each rider but it's close to impossible when shooting practice in my opinion and experience. If you shoot in controlled scenarios, as in you shoot a video with one specific rider and you shoot several takes of specific sections of the trail, then an external recorder will work better. In that case a clapper board should do the trick. When you're filming specific sections of a trail that you know, you can also skip the clapper board, hit the record button on your camera, hit the record button on the recorder, position yourself in front of the camera and say for example "section XYZ, take #3" and then sync it in post. There's a Shure microphone (VP83F) that has an integrated recorder. It's a lot less clumsy than an external recorder plus a shotgun microphone and fairly affordable, so that might work for you.

Andrew, is it possible to rename this topic? Or create a separate topic about NX1 feedback? Anyways, there are some improvements I'd like to see with the most important ones being on top... - improved 1080p quality - proper manual focus mode on native Samsung lenses (they're fly-by-wire so they're not going to feel as good as lenses with a proper mechanical focus, but it must be possible to offer a linear focusing mode with a 90° or 180° focus throw!? As long as it allows for repeated focus pulls it's fine in my opinion and I know a lot of people who are hesitant to invest in Sony / Panasonic / Samsung lenses for video simply because of the non-repeatable focusing!) - proper 120fps 1080p mode with sound - cache record function, so as soon as you hit the movie trigger the last 4 or 8 seconds will be saved - tele mode / crop mode that uses a smaller part of the sensor, which should drastically reduce rolling shutter and result in a very detailed, downsampled 1080p image - stepless ISO compensation when shooting in manual mode (not sure if it's already implemented) - ability to switch between EVF and LCD screen while recording - different zebra modes (not just 100% zebra) - punch in focus assist WHILE recording (as it's found on the Sony A7s) - implementation of h264 for the time being ​

​Adding weight to the camera will also improve the way your footage looks when you move your camera around stuff. There's also certain techniques to keep in mind when shooting hand-held. I'm not sure using a steadycam is a good idea, especially when you're just starting out. It takes a lot of time to set them up correctly and small changes can completely throw your set up off balance. You will spend a lot of time adjusting the steadycam and very little time actually shooting. It's fun to experiment around with a steady cam but I wouldn't use one in an uncontrolled shooting scenario unless you have a lot of experience with your set up. A slider is also a great way to add movement to your shots. You don't just have to slide from left to right and back but you can use it in many different ways. You'll need a tripod for that but in most shooting scenarios it's much more practical than using a steadycam.

Would you like to improve the stability of your shots or would you like to add motion to your shots? That's a pretty big difference obviously and the tools you pointed out (steadycam etc.) will not make your footage more stable. If you want to stabilize your shots outdoors, then my suggestion is to pick up a proper tripod or a monopod if you want to be more flexible. Another option is to build up a rig around your camera. The heavier weight of your setup will reduce the shakiness of your footage and you'll get more professional hand-held results. By adding a cage around your camera, you add weight and a lot of mounting options for accessories. You can also get a rod support and add handles to the rods, and/or add a shoulder pad to the rods. The more stuff you add, the more bulky the camera will be. This does have a lot of advantages but some drawback as well. A flycam will not make your footage more stable. It will help you achieve shots with a lot of movement if done properly. But it takes a long time to properly adjust the camera and the steadycam, plus a ton of practice. Don't expect to put your camera on a steadycam and get great results right away. You could also pick up a 3-axis stabilizer such as the Nebula and that's supposed to work very well, but also comes at a price.

Speaking of in-depth knowledge... does anyone know if there's a EF smart adapter in the works? If I recall correctly, it's very difficult if not impossible physically to design a speedbooster in order to achieve a full frame FOV on the NX1. But what about a smart adapter that allows you to change the aperture and use the image stabilization of EF lenses? That'd certainly be fantastic. Anyone know if something like this is in the works?

​Not sure what exactly you quoted, but yes, I agree. A good and heavy rig, less coffee and a lens with IS will certainly help reduce the small wobbles and jittering. Rolling shutter will still be very visible when doing pans, even when the camera is locked down on a tripod. That's why I suggested to use the 4K mode for fairly static, wide angle-shots and use the 1080p mode for fast-paced hand held stuff etc.

​There was a topic about this on the Magic Lantern forum. It was only visible to ML moderators and admins and I never got to see the content of the topic, but apparently Samsung contacted ML and they started talking. That's all I know. Maybe someone with a bit more in-depth knowledge can chime in.

Thanks for the videos. I've already seen the Gizmodo video review and that was one of the reasons I was curious to hear your opinions about the NX1 vs the A7s. I still find the A7s 1080p image to be more detailed than the NX1 1080p image, plus dynamic range seems to be better, too - but that's very hard to judge when the footage isn't shot side by side. I'm also curious to find out how the NX1 1080p mode handles shooting at higher ISOs. The 4K footage is fine up to ISO 3200 and then falls apart, so I imagine that the 1080p footage is usable up to ISO 800 or ISO 1600. It would be great if someone could test this. Ed, the Drummers on the Beach video looks great. The blacks look crushed in a very silky way, sort of the NX1 trademark. I'm not too fond of that and prefer the blacks to be less contrasty, but that's just my taste. The detail and lack of rolling shutter does look fantastic. I'm wondering if it makes sense to use the 4K mode for wide, locked-down shots and use the 1080p mode for everything handheld and focal lengths above 30mm. Now if only I could rent an NX1 over here before buying it...

​The C300 comes close to being optimal for all situations though, doesn't it? You can put a 24-70mm f/2.8 with image stabilization on it and shoot beautiful footage on the run. I doubt that your D7100 will produce as lovely images as a C300; it's the same sensor size and the C300 has better DR, better highlight roll off, more detailed image, less/no aliasing etc. Of course that comes at a price point that is arguably way over the top, but there's very few alternatives, if any.

I'm interested in hearing your thoughts about the NX1 1080p vs A7s 1080p. The NX1 footage looks good and I like the feel of it. Rolling shutter, or lack thereof, is great, too. I find it hard to believe that the image is better than the A7s image. The NX1 footage seems to handle motion and hand held stuff fine... looks like the image holds up when there's motion. But there's also quite a bit of banding in both the highlights and the shadows, and sharpness / resolution is definitely different than 4K. Not neccessarily in a bad way, but I'm interested to see a comparison between the NX1 and the A7s. Would you mind testing the low light capabilities in 1080p? It seems to be worse than in 4K, some people claim that the footage starts falling apart above ISO 800. Thanks a ton for your effort and the comparison videos... they're extremely useful!

​Yeah right, we get it. This is a videography forum. F*ck those who might be interested in a camera that shoots very decent full frame video and takes pretty awesome stills.