H.265 NX1 image quality improvement 2018

[Andrew Reid]

Is it me, or is the H.265 out of this camera getting better and better as OS support improves?

I could never shoot at ISO 3200 before without it falling apart from noise and blockiness.

Now I can with ease.

I had the hack installed but now don't because it was giving me crashes and hangs...

The bitrate increase doesn't seem to be needed because the files look without it, almost ProRes-like.

Back in 2014 the NX1 was never this impressive on the codec front. I swear.

And playback is so smooth in Premiere now...again like ProRes.

Could it be the hardware acceleration of the latest GPUs coming into affect, lifting both playback performance AND image quality?

PS...Full support in Quicktime now and latest VLC Player. No playback glitches, and Finder shows thumbnail previews.

[Inazuma]

Using Windows, had no problems with playback early last year when I tested the nx1 out. Smooth experience. I wish I could like the image as much as you do. Would save me a lot of money. 

[Beritar]

5 hours ago, Inazuma said:

Using Windows, had no problems with playback early last year when I tested the nx1 out. Smooth experience. I wish I could like the image as much as you do. Would save me a lot of money. 

Same experience in Windows for me, playback is still as smooth and good as ever.
The 4k image quality is  the best i've seen so far (i own the A7 III and GH5) especially with the 16-50S and 50-150S. 

[Andrew Reid]

I just invested in the 50-150S. That and the 16-50 are the best APS-C lenses ever made. Fujifilm come close though.

[DBounce]

The NX1 was ahead of it’s time. But I have to say, other than the great UI, I do not miss it. The build quality was suspect, with the handgrip never aligning properly when attached. I’m a bit nitpicky with things like that. Dynamic range also was not great. I know many here swear by it, but I have yet to see any videos that show good dynamic range from this camera. 

Too bad Samsung didn’t make a NX1 Mk2. I’m sure it would have fixed most of the issues and upped the game significantly.

[Andrew Reid]

No really, the dynamic range is fine. You have to get the settings bang on. Gamma DR, -2 contrast (not too low), 16-235 and Smart Range + ON. I adjust the master pedestal as well and increase bitrate with the hack.

None of that existed in firmware 1.0, so people thought it lacking. It isn't.

The sensor tested for 12.8 stops on DXOMark if I remember correctly...That is more than a Canon 1D X Mark II and 1D C.

On the build quality I'm afraid I have to have a divergent opinion to you sir there as well! It's superb for the price. All the controls feel solid and the magnesium alloy chassis feels like metal not plastic like it can do on a lot of other cameras (cough, cough GH4).

It's also very responsive. When does it ever lag? Have you seen how fast it puts down a 28MP RAW before starting 6K readout for video? Compare that to the GH5 with it's laggy end to recording video and on many other cameras there are much slower buffer clearance times.

Colour science is in Nikon-Canon league.

Autofocus with the S lenses is superb, on-chip phase detect.

Better ergonomics than a Sony A7 III.

£800 used.

NX-L for full frame.

It's still the best bargain ever.

So feel free to nitpick it on the basis that your battery grip might be faulty

[Kisaha]

40 minutes ago, Andrew Reid said:

No really, the dynamic range is fine. You have to get the settings bang on. Gamma DR, -2 contrast (not too low), 16-235 and Smart Range + ON. I adjust the master pedestal as well and increase bitrate with the hack.

None of that existed in firmware 1.0, so people thought it lacking. It isn't.

The sensor tested for 12.8 stops on DXOMark if I remember correctly...That is more than a Canon 1D X Mark II and 1D C.

On the build quality I'm afraid I have to have a divergent opinion to you sir there as well! It's superb for the price. All the controls feel solid and the magnesium alloy chassis feels like metal not plastic like it can do on a lot of other cameras (cough, cough GH4).

It's also very responsive. When does it ever lag? Have you seen how fast it puts down a 28MP RAW before starting 6K readout for video? Compare that to the GH5 with it's laggy end to recording video and on many other cameras there are much slower buffer clearance times.

Colour science is in Nikon-Canon league.

Autofocus with the S lenses is superb, on-chip phase detect.

Better ergonomics than a Sony A7 III.

£800 used.

NX-L for full frame.

It's still the best bargain ever.

So feel free to nitpick it on the basis that your battery grip might be faulty

Ergonomics, UI, menu system still, and definitely best in business.

NX500 is still at the top of the "smaller" sensors at DxO. I bet if they tested the NX1 with a better firmware version that would top the charts also.

Our GH5 cameras already have their "skin" peel off, LESS than a year of use. Build quality in both my NX1 cameras is exceptional, one is heavily used which I bought used a couple of years ago, still going strong being my main camera most of the time. Sensors still no dead/stuck pixels.

74min continuouss video recording.

I did a couple of photographic jobs with the GH5 and the results are night and day. Not even close, plus the most APS-C megapixels count still in the industry.

H265 is mainstream, even the torrent sites share everything in H265. 500MB of the Expanse series, is equal or better than 2GB of the expanse in H264 (just downloaded some episodes recently and I was shocked of how good the small H265 were).

I consider the NX video AF more reliable than a600/a6300 cameras I have used (it could be user error of course, I couldn't find anything on that paranoid menu system).

The S lenses, unique and a great advantage. The 16-50 is THE workhorse.

Top screen, everyone's snobed back in the day!

Great Super Amoled Screens.

Best wi fi/bluetooth implementation back in the day. Others catched up though.

Color science still better than most.

No issues with my battery grip!

I did a 3 hours photo shooting the other day, just half (and a bit more I guess) of my battery gone.

No overheating in the hottest Mediterranean summer days. Not even the NX500.

Mic in and headphones out IN body. Not even this is a standard, even in those days.

DIS (I know, it isn't IBIS but it's there, and working).

If I found more time I will add some more.

[fuzzynormal]

12 minutes ago, Kisaha said:

Our GH5 cameras already have their "skin" peel off

Can confirm.  Same on mine. 

[Inazuma]

Yeh that 16-50mm f2-2.8 sure is a doozy. Wish they'd made more lenses for the system. Specifically a 23mm f2 (35mm) and 35mm f2 (50mm). Still waiting for Canon to have a 23mm f2 on their aps-c dslr's and 35mm f2 on their mirrorless..

[Don Kotlos]

Born too early died too young. RIP NX1. May your footage live for ever. ?

[SGPhotography]

Agreed. I'm still using mine after 3 1/2 years and have no reason to move to anything else. In fact I'm looking to buy another one, just in case. In my opinion Samsung are capable of producing hardware with processing power unheard of in the consumer camera market, and this is coming from someone who has been watching the market from before, during and after working for Samsung Cameras. Sales, not engineering (I wish).

The AF on the camera is simply... reliable. I've shot all sorts with it, and the one time I thought it would fall flat on its face was when I shot for a nightclub during an EDM night in Edinburgh. Low light, lasers everywhere, smoke machines, disco balls and endless drunk people. It just keep nailing it, I would say over 95% of the time. I used the 16-50 S because it rocks. Took extra batteries, a spare flash, didn't need them.

I never understood people's obsession with trying to whack the bitrate up to 200MB or whatever, the HEVC spec says that for Main 5.1 the max is 160MB which is the max I would use with the hack.

They could have made huge strides sales-wise by simply marketing it better.

The rolling shutter in 1080P is measured as one of the lowest on record. Using the picture settings lets to channel the data into a 3D space closer to what you want your output to be, in a way it's letting you direct the imaging pipeline.

I had an Ninja Inferno I used to use with it but ended up selling as it's just not needed, plus it deactivates loads of stuff in-camera.

It writes metadata during video (the software just didn't encode it into the HEVC files).

I remember shooting with the NX1 and the A7rii during an opera shoot and the Sony kept back focusing, put me off the cameras. Plus I hate the ergonomics, makes me want to get it out of my hands as soon as possible.

It's quite simply fun to shoot with and produces great results. Still have the 12-24, 45, 16-50 pz, 16-50 S and 50-150 S and the Samyang 85.

Of course it isn't perfect, what does that even mean? It is however fantastic and probably my favourite camera I've ever used.

P.S. During my time in camera retail I discovered it is one the most elitest snobbiest insular environments to place a product in. I'm not surprised Samsung shuttered ops.

At least for now :-)

[DBounce]

8 minutes ago, Stryfe said:

This is why I'll never get rid of my NX1 & NX500.  I've yet to see a better image right out the camera from anything currently on the market when paired with the S-lenses.  Still amazed by the AF as well.  I bought a A7III but just for super low-light shots.  The NX1 is still my workhorse.

Can’t say I agree. But maybe the new firmware is amazing. Please do post some examples. 

[Trek of Joy]

It would be interesting to see how the NX1's DR, AF, EVF blackout when shooting action and such compares to current cameras like the XH1, GH5 and a73. I don't remember it being as good as the video from the a7r2 in s35 mode or on the stills side compared to the a6300 when shooting fast paced action, but its now been a few years since I had the NX1. Most reviewers have moved on to other systems, comparisons are rare. But the zombie camera lives on....

Cheers

Chris

[ryne275]

4 hours ago, Stryfe said:

This is why I'll never get rid of my NX1 & NX500.  I've yet to see a better image right out the camera from anything currently on the market when paired with the S-lenses.  Still amazed by the AF as well.  I bought a A7III but just for super low-light shots.  The NX1 is still my workhorse.

in terms of video , can nx500 compete with a7iii ?

[DBounce]

It was great for it's time but I believe times have moved on. If the NX1 was so great none of us would have sold it. To compete with the modern contenders Samsung would have needed to release a NX1 Mk2... which they did not.  I've seen nothing online to convince me that the NX1 is a better choice than the GH5 or GH5S. I don't recall being sad when I bought the A7R2 after ditching the Samsung either.  And as expected,  no one has posted any footage to support these claims of far superior DR. Yes there was some very good glass for it, but that glass was created for a doomed system... so I sold my glass... and camera... and never looked back. Let's not build this camera up into something it isn't, that could send so folks down the wrong path. 

 

[Kisaha]

If the NX1 wasn't that great, then all of us would have sold it, but we still going strong. Let the others do the catching up.

[DBounce]

1 hour ago, Kisaha said:

If the NX1 wasn't that great, then all of us would have sold it, but we still going strong. Let the others do the catching up.

If the NX1 was that great then Samsung would not have canned it. Bottom line, more of us choose to either ditch it, or not adopt it in the first place. Samsung had the money to keep it going for the next few hundred years. They made the choice not to. For most of us, that speaks volumes.

I get the feeling these post are created so people holding these cameras can unload them on eBay for more money. Just like that hoax thread about the superdooper third party firmware.

Much talk here... but alas, no amazing footage to back it up. Nuff said!

[Kisaha]

15 minutes ago, DBounce said:

If the NX1 was that great then Samsung would not have canned it. Bottom line, more of us choose to either ditch it, or not adopt it in the first place. Samsung had the money to keep it going for the next few hundred years. They made the choice not to. For most of us, that speaks volumes.

I get the feeling these post are created so people holding these cameras can unload them on eBay for more money. Just like that hoax thread about the superdooper third party firmware.

Much talk here... but alas, no amazing footage to back it up. Nuff said!

That's not bad I guess,

https://www.eoshd.com/2014/12/lets-see-samsung-nx1-really-capable-shooting-4k-sunny-lisbon/

and honestly, I haven't seen any worthy footage from you either, whatever expensive camera you have bought the last few years.

NX1 was competing with the GH4, 7Dii and some 16megapixel Fuji cameras with barely any video capabilities. So glad I did the "mistake" and invest on the NX system.

[anonim]

28 minutes ago, Kisaha said:

That's not bad I guess,

https://www.eoshd.com/2014/12/lets-see-samsung-nx1-really-capable-shooting-4k-sunny-lisbon/

and honestly, I haven't seen any worthy footage from you either, whatever expensive camera you have bought the last few years.

NX1 was competing with the GH4, 7Dii and some 16megapixel Fuji cameras with barely any video capabilities. So glad I did the "mistake" and invest on the NX system.

I have to admit that clip from mr Read doesn't look to me so favorable for NX1 because of too much crushed black (probably temporal stylistic preference) that leaves a question about DR. But I have some other personal favorites of NX1 shots - simply, contrary to some other or of the most members, I'm continually impress with results of all modern cameras in capable hands, looking to all of them as flowers in the garden So, to be remembered or some sort of hommage  

 

 

 

[flip21]

On 6/9/2018 at 2:28 PM, Andrew Reid said:

No really, the dynamic range is fine. You have to get the settings bang on. Gamma DR, -2 contrast (not too low), 16-235 and Smart Range + ON. I adjust the master pedestal as well and increase bitrate with the hack.

None of that existed in firmware 1.0, so people thought it lacking. It isn't.

The sensor tested for 12.8 stops on DXOMark if I remember correctly...That is more than a Canon 1D X Mark II and 1D C.

On the build quality I'm afraid I have to have a divergent opinion to you sir there as well! It's superb for the price. All the controls feel solid and the magnesium alloy chassis feels like metal not plastic like it can do on a lot of other cameras (cough, cough GH4).

It's also very responsive. When does it ever lag? Have you seen how fast it puts down a 28MP RAW before starting 6K readout for video? Compare that to the GH5 with it's laggy end to recording video and on many other cameras there are much slower buffer clearance times.

Colour science is in Nikon-Canon league.

Autofocus with the S lenses is superb, on-chip phase detect.

Better ergonomics than a Sony A7 III.

£800 used.

NX-L for full frame.

It's still the best bargain ever.

So feel free to nitpick it on the basis that your battery grip might be faulty

Where can I buy the NXL? Is there any one willing to sell one to me... thanks

On 6/10/2018 at 10:14 PM, Kisaha said:

That's not bad I guess,

https://www.eoshd.com/2014/12/lets-see-samsung-nx1-really-capable-shooting-4k-sunny-lisbon/

and honestly, I haven't seen any worthy footage from you either, whatever expensive camera you have bought the last few years.

NX1 was competing with the GH4, 7Dii and some 16megapixel Fuji cameras with barely any video capabilities. So glad I did the "mistake" and invest on the NX system.

well said Kisaha...  It is because of people such as DBounce, that great products like the NX1, don't go any further, and disappear from the market, with no follow up products... people should buy the best product, the best bang for the buck, and in that way, reward the efforts of such brands such as  Samsung that deliver better and cheaper products than competition... for me the NX1 has no parallel. It is simply the best camera I have ever seen to this date...