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How crippled is the Samsung NX500?


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What is the current state with the Samsung NX500 for filming with? Time limit with no auto restart like the NX1? Crop mode with 4K? Correct? Tossing up in my mind as to if it is too crippled or not, because it is on sale currently. 

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Vs the NX1, no mic socket, no headphone jack, crop in 4K, no 1080/120fps (only at 720p), time limit 15min in 4K, no gamma DR, no luma range setting or black level, but yes it is cheap though for such an amazing image and crop you can get used to.

Stills quality also unbeatable for the price.

I've shot a shootout between the two and it is coming soon in final part of my NX500 review which I decided to resurrect because I rather like the cam for the price. Decided to keep it even though I had the NX1 as it goes in a jacket pocket with a pancake 30mm F2.

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TheRenaissanceMan, that is exactly the same auction I have my eye on. 

So cheap for 4K! And I do like my NX300.

The crippling time limit is what concerns me the most, as I'd like to use a few of those bodies for weddings this coming season. And is why my old Panasonic GH1 bodies are still rocking it! Maybe I should just pick up an extra GH2/G6 instead of switching over to Samsung. 

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Guest Ebrahim Saadawi

What is the 4K crop again... 2.7x?

Yes 2.77x in UHD but hey, we got some pretty amazing shallow DOF images with the 3x crop Pocket Camera, and at 350$, I'd happily take a s35 28mp stills camera plus a larger than s16 4K one with Samsung electric client-impressing colours. Plus when shallow DOF is really needed it does do 1080p at s35. So one can use 4K for wide detailed shots and 1080 for close-ups. 

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Yes 2.77x in UHD but hey, we got some pretty amazing shallow DOF images with the 3x crop Pocket Camera, and at 350$, I'd happily take a s35 28mp stills camera plus a larger than s16 4K one with Samsung electric client-impressing colours. Plus when shallow DOF is really needed it does do 1080p at s35. So one can use 4K for wide detailed shots and 1080 for close-ups. 

But in 24p, it is cinema 4K... does that change the crop factor? I am not too worried about the shallow dof... as long as you frame your shots, with that in mind, you will definitely get some. I have a Tokina 17mm and a Canon FD 17mm... with the crop, it will give me about a 47mm lens, at 3.5... it won't be swirly bokeh, or anything, but I'll definitely get a little background blur.

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But in 24p, it is cinema 4K... does that change the crop factor? I am not too worried about the shallow dof... as long as you frame your shots, with that in mind, you will definitely get some. I have a Tokina 17mm and a Canon FD 17mm... with the crop, it will give me about a 47mm lens, at 3.5... it won't be swirly bokeh, or anything, but I'll definitely get a little background blur.

No, you can also shoot 24p in UHD (in NTSC or PAL mode).

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The more I am reading about this camera, the more I think I made a good choice slapping down the $350 for it. I just love these summer deals. Two years ago, I picked up my EOS-M for $197, on the 4th of July this year, I picked up my a5100 for $245, and now this little beast at $350... I better go order some adapters, so I have a lens to shoot with.

No, you can also shoot 24p in UHD (in NTSC or PAL mode).

How's the battery life? Also, I have a couple Transcend 64gb cards... I think it's the UHS-3 95mbps card... is that good enough for the cinema 4K? 

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Guest Ebrahim Saadawi

About the crop factor. The Samsung sensor is a 1.55x crop (it's 1.5/Sony size but has 30.3 MP and 28mp are used). In UHD mode, there's an additional 1.77x Crop. Meaning a total of a 2.75x crop. In Cinema DCI 4K yes you will get additional 128 pixels on each side horizontally, a bit wider, 4096 pixels vs 3840, but not vertically both are 2160 pixels. I'd estimate a 2.68-2.7xish on that mode.

In all practical means to get a sense of how the sensor size aesthetic is going to be without getting too much into numbers, it will be exactly the same size a 1 inch sensor like the Sony RX10/II and the Canon XC10. Meaning a bit more cropped than a GH4 in 4K and a bit wider than a S16 Pocket/Bolex. 

It will be able to produce great looking images I am sure and shallow DOF using the fast prime lenses from Canon FD/Nikon Ai-s lines, and/or longer lenses and stepping back a bit, how we used to do it in the old days. A 50mm 1.2 Nikon Ai for example will give an equivalent to a 135mm f/3.2, that's extremely shallow.

Getting wide shots is going to be more tricky, it needs a Canon 10-18mm, or a Tokina 11-16, or a Sigma 8-16mm to be able to get anything wide, any lens close to 20mm will give a normal tele 50mm equiv. 

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 Also, I have a couple Transcend 64gb cards... I think it's the UHS-3 95mbps card... is that good enough for the cinema 4K? 

The only stat that matters for the card is the video bitrate. The highest NX500 bitrate is 70 Mbps (<10 Megabytes per second), regardless of whether you are shooting HD, UHD, or 4K. Your card has a nominal 95 megabytes per second, not megabits per second, spec. That spec stat is meaningless, as it could be the read rate or "maximum" read rate. What matters are sustained write rates. The u3 rating provides a minimum sustained write rate standard. It is sufficient for the max bitrate of the camera.

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They just updated the firmware for "Pro" bitrates in video mode too, which is a nice bump.

Also, you can buy one grey market off Ebay for $350. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Samsung-NX500-Mirrorless-Digital-Camera-Black-/191641873596?hash=item2c9ebeecbc

Thanks, bought one. I think it's a great second camera for those with NX1 (I have one) and makes one heck of an ultra zoom out of your regular 70-200. With the APS-C crop, the 4K crop, and then the 2x 4K->1080p crop if you use that, it will be massive - there is no way to get that kind of zoom at that price. I will post some of these ultra zoom shots as well as some comparisons and cross-cuts once I get the camera, especially for the benefit of others thinking of getting this.

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Thanks, bought one. I think it's a great second camera for those with NX1 (I have one) and makes one heck of an ultra zoom out of your regular 70-200. With the APS-C crop, the 4K crop, and then the 2x 4K->1080p crop if you use that, it will be massive - there is no way to get that kind of zoom at that price. I will post some of these ultra zoom shots as well as some comparisons and cross-cuts once I get the camera, especially for the benefit of others thinking of getting this.

Yes, many people don't appreciate the advantages of the crop. Here ar two videos taking advantage, shot in UHD using the 50-200mm lens at the long end (=550mm!):

https://vimeo.com/127099564

https://vimeo.com/127889416

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