The Samsung NX1 Review (evolving) - the legend of the un-editable codec and one giant leap for specs-kind!

[Taranis]

Wow, the AF is amazing:

[amanieux]

why don't you mention there is a 30 minutes recording limit, deal breaker for many !

 

[Prefabsprout]

 http://***URL not allowed***/lab-review-samsung-nx1-video-mode-frustrating/

 

Not all are positive!

[cjwilliams0013]

 http://***URL not allowed***/lab-review-samsung-nx1-video-mode-frustrating/

 

Not all are positive!

 

Its pretty amazing to see different reviews from different sites on total opposite ends of the spectrum. The only problem I had with the review above is they didn't give us any video to look at to see what they were seeing. 

[andy4nothin]

I'm finding a bit of a problem with the built in mics. Even when set at 2 on a scale of 12, it seems to bring distant sounds up to the level of closer and louder sounds. It sounds awful and is unusable, but it does seem better with an external mic, although this is less desirable for me.

 

Next opportunity I may take the GH3 along for audio comparison.

[Andrew Reid]

Wow, the AF is amazing:

 

That was rather impressive actually. It won't be that reliable all the time though :) 

 

He used the Samsung 16-50mm F2.0-2.8. Good lens.

[cjwilliams0013]

I'm finding a bit of a problem with the built in mics. Even when set at 2 on a scale of 12, it seems to bring distant sounds up to the level of closer and louder sounds. It sounds awful and is unusable, but it does seem better with an external mic, although this is less desirable for me.

 

Next opportunity I may take the GH3 along for audio comparison.

 

Is there a reason why you prefer the internal mic over an external mic? I can't imagine in any situation that you would get better quality with an internal mic and it limited uses. 

[andy4nothin]

Is there a reason why you prefer the internal mic over an external mic? I can't imagine in any situation that you would get better quality with an internal mic and it limited uses. 

 

This is just my hobby so I'm less concerned about ultimate sound quality, but what I'm getting from the NX1 at the moment is pretty awful. I'm wondering if I've just got a dodgy unit. I don't recall ever hearing audio as bad as this from the internal mics of any camera I've ever used! It's like everything in an audio scene has been brought up to the same high volume!

[andy4nothin]

I'm finding a bit of a problem with the built in mics. Even when set at 2 on a scale of 12, it seems to bring distant sounds up to the level of closer and louder sounds. It sounds awful and is unusable, but it does seem better with an external mic, although this is less desirable for me.

 

Next opportunity I may take the GH3 along for audio comparison.

 

Made a side by side comparison and there is no issue with the sound. NX1 slightly better than the GH3 and NX1 may give a little more emphasis to quieter sounds. As pointed out by CJ, I should be making more use of my Rode.

[cjwilliams0013]

I saw someone post that the NX1 has a recording limit of 30 min, has anyone tested this and know if this is true? 

[Go Scrub]

Fantastic and very complete review! Thanks for the work that went into that.

 

I bought a Samsung NX1 and the 16-50mm f/2-2.8 lens to test but I am going to return it. I LOVE this camera and it breaks my heart to return it. The feature set and handling of the NX1 seems just about perfect to me

 

Since I could not find any store in Texas with a NX1 in stock I checked the return policy of a mail order store to make sure I could return it if necessary. I've been using Canon cameras for 22 years and the transition to the controls for the NX1 took less than one day to get totally comfortable.

 

The issue for me is the focus changes so quickly in video mode that it is jarring to watch. Continuous autofocus is pretty darn good. It only falls apart if there is significant distance between the focus points selected by touch during video shooting. The result is video that I would not give away much less be able to charge a client for. My Canon 70D does a great job creating smooth cinematic focus changes in the same situation though the video is lower quality. 

 

After using follow-focus rigs for years I will never go back to that. Touch screen combined with auto following facial recognition for video focus allows a very high percentage of good takes. And lens changes are very quick!

 

Trans coding h.265 1080-30p to ProRes 422 takes a little longer than 1 minute for 1 minute of captured video. No big deal. 4K takes a lot longer but none of my current clients want 4k yet anyway. No doubt h.265 is the future. NX1 file sizes are LESS THAN 1/9th the size of Canon All-I and are better quality. Since I typically shoot video with multiple cameras and do a lot of work in edit I ALWAYS transcode to ProRes. Hard drive space is cheap and ProRes makes the workflow fast and reliable.

 

I was very disappointed that the 7D Mk II didn't have a tilting touch screen. Or a higher res and better sensor. Canon is now two generations behind Samsung on sensor fabrication. There is a startling improvement in image quality between the 70D and the NX1. I really hope they can create a firmware fix for the video focus selection issue.

 

Does anyone have experience with the Sony A7? Can it move between selected focus points smoothly and cinematically? I am interested in very high quality 2k and very high quality stills. The A7s doesn't have enough resolution in still photography for me.

[Xavier Plagaro Mussard]

This is just my hobby so I'm less concerned about ultimate sound quality, but what I'm getting from the NX1 at the moment is pretty awful. I'm wondering if I've just got a dodgy unit. I don't recall ever hearing audio as bad as this from the internal mics of any camera I've ever used! It's like everything in an audio scene has been brought up to the same high volume!

 

Are you sure there is no control set on auto for audio?? 

 

 

I saw someone post that the NX1 has a recording limit of 30 min, has anyone tested this and know if this is true? 

 

 

It would be nice to know. My Nex 5R heats and stops recording after 20 minutes more or less!

[andy4nothin]

Fantastic and very complete review! Thanks for the work that went into that.

 

I bought a Samsung NX1 and the 16-50mm f/2-2.8 lens to test but I am going to return it. I LOVE this camera and it breaks my heart to return it. The feature set and handling of the NX1 seems just about perfect to me

 

Since I could not find any store in Texas with a NX1 in stock I checked the return policy of a mail order store to make sure I could return it if necessary. I've been using Canon cameras for 22 years and the transition to the controls for the NX1 took less than one day to get totally comfortable.

 

The issue for me is the focus changes so quickly in video mode that it is jarring to watch. Continuous autofocus is pretty darn good. It only falls apart if there is significant distance between the focus points selected by touch during video shooting. The result is video that I would not give away much less be able to charge a client for. My Canon 70D does a great job creating smooth cinematic focus changes in the same situation though the video is lower quality. 

 

After using follow-focus rigs for years I will never go back to that. Touch screen combined with auto following facial recognition for video focus allows a very high percentage of good takes. And lens changes are very quick!

 

Trans coding h.265 1080-30p to ProRes 422 takes a little longer than 1 minute for 1 minute of captured video. No big deal. 4K takes a lot longer but none of my current clients want 4k yet anyway. No doubt h.265 is the future. NX1 file sizes are LESS THAN 1/9th the size of Canon All-I and are better quality. Since I typically shoot video with multiple cameras and do a lot of work in edit I ALWAYS transcode to ProRes. Hard drive space is cheap and ProRes makes the workflow fast and reliable.

 

I was very disappointed that the 7D Mk II didn't have a tilting touch screen. Or a higher res and better sensor. Canon is now two generations behind Samsung on sensor fabrication. There is a startling improvement in image quality between the 70D and the NX1. I really hope they can create a firmware fix for the video focus selection issue.

 

Does anyone have experience with the Sony A7? Can it move between selected focus points smoothly and cinematically? I am interested in very high quality 2k and very high quality stills. The A7s doesn't have enough resolution in still photography for me.

 

It is a pity that the autofocus moves between focus points so quickly. I'm hoping Samsung will address this by adding some speed options at the next firmware update. I find the autofocus for video is pretty impressive and I'll be testing on a slider today to see how well it tracks objects.

 

Are you sure there is no control set on auto for audio?? 

 

 

 

 

It would be nice to know. My Nex 5R heats and stops recording after 20 minutes more or less!

 

I did wonder if I'd missed an audio setting, but I can't see anything in the menus. The manual for the camera isn't the greatest.