mercer Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 As some may know, I ordered the NX500 two days ago from the eBay seller that has the body only priced at $344. I have been itching to shoot 4K for awhile now, and at this price, I had to go into debt, and get one. Of course, now I have to sell off some lenses to pay for it.Anyway, I received the camera yesterday, which is pretty fast, even if the seller is in the same state as me.Yesterday afternoon, I only had time to open the box, and inspect the camera. Everything looked good, and new. The camera has a nice, balanced feel to it, and doesn't feel cheap... But most importantly... It just looks cool.The first "problem" I've encountered is that Samsung went the cheap route and didn't include an external battery charger... So if I decide to keep the camera, I'll have to order one, and a couple extra batteries... Good news is the batteries, and charger are cheap.So, I plugged the camera in to charge, and turned her on. Since it was a body only sale, and I don't have any NX lenses, I was only able to check out the menu, and set some preferences, until my adapters arrive... Hopefully by tomorrow. The menu is simple to navigate, and organized well. The first thing I checked is the firmware, and as I assumed, it is 1.0. From what I have read, it is a cinch to update the firmware through the camera's wifi. Once the battery is charged, I will giver her an update. I really like how they employed the FN button for on the fly changes. It's much better than some systems where you have to go deep into the bowels of the menu to make basic changes. From the FN button you can also set up, and customize your picture profiles, and they give you a lot of options for the customization... More so than the Sony or Canon cameras I have had in the past.Along with normal preset profiles like standard, and vivid, etc... you also have a few custom profiles, where you can adjust the RGB, sharpness, saturation, contrast, and hue. Without the ability to see the image, I dropped everything down to -10, except saturation.I'm sure once I get a lens on her, I will tweak them a little more to get the flattest image. But with so many customizable options, it seems like you could do a dirty and sloppy in camera "grade" for videos where you may need a quick delivery. Anyway, that's about all for now. I'll add to the post as I progress. To Be Continued Damphousse 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronFilm Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 Did they ship the camera with an invoice included? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercer Posted July 30, 2015 Author Share Posted July 30, 2015 Yes. Why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronFilm Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 Damn.... maybe I can ask them to ship without it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercer Posted July 30, 2015 Author Share Posted July 30, 2015 Do you not want your wife to see it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronFilm Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 Haha, something like that! ;-) Edit: darn, they won't let themselves be contacted on eBay!! Sent a message to customercare at 6ave.comcom instead. mercer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sekhar Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 The first "problem" I've encountered is that Samsung went the cheap route and didn't include an external battery charger... So if I decide to keep the camera, I'll have to order one, and a couple extra batteries... Good news is the batteries, and charger are cheap.Wait, I thought they were going to include the charger? The eBay ad has it included. Did you check the whole box, sometimes they have it under a flap, well hidden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercer Posted July 30, 2015 Author Share Posted July 30, 2015 Wait, I thought they were going to include the charger? The eBay ad has it included. Did you check the whole box, sometimes they have it under a flap, well hidden.There's a USB charger that charges the battery in camera. I prefer an external battery charger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricardo_sousa11 Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 Just like the Nx1, it charges by USB (like a phone), you can even use one of those external powerbanks as a charger (I hear thats a popular choice). I too have my Nx1 in the box and can only fiddle with menus until my adapter for my canon lenses arrive, but it does feel quite good, and ergonomically, fits perfectly in my hands. mercer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Andrew Reid Posted July 30, 2015 Administrators Share Posted July 30, 2015 The power banks are cool. Just found a 13,200mha one in Berlin for 38 euros that charges my RX100 IV approximately 10x over.Charges it quick too... from nothing to 100% in about an hour and a half. mercer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercer Posted July 30, 2015 Author Share Posted July 30, 2015 Okay, the battery charged, in camera, fairly fast... Between an hour and two.The first thing I tried was updating the firmware using the onboard wifi. So, I set up the wifi, and that was pretty straightforward. Then I went to the "Device Information" option in the menu, but the "software update" option was greyed out.I tried signing in and out of wifi... It still didn't work. And then, finally, I realized I probably should insert an SD card... Yeah... That was it... Duh. Anyway, I selected "software update" and away it went. The whole process took about 3 minutes, and couldn't have been simpler. Now the camera has the "Pro" quality, and should have constant movie standby mode, but I can't test the Custom button until I have a lens attached.To Be Continued... The power banks are cool. Just found a 13,200mha one in Berlin for 38 euros that charges my RX100 IV approximately 10x over.Charges it quick too... from nothing to 100% in about an hour and a half.Andrew, a little off topic, but do you know the best picture profile to use to get the flat look? I assume it's just custom with everything dialed down?Also, did you use edit ready to transform the h.265? If so, did you convert it to prores? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRenaissanceMan Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 I've heard you shouldn't dial your contrast lower than -5 or -6 or it'll ruin your colors without giving you any more DR. H.265 is just too compressed for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercer Posted July 30, 2015 Author Share Posted July 30, 2015 I've heard you shouldn't dial your contrast lower than -5 or -6 or it'll ruin your colors without giving you any more DR. H.265 is just too compressed for that. good to know, that makes sense. There's not a lot of info out about this camera, so I suspect a good bit of trial and error. I'm gonna have to brush up on my grading and correcting so I can really understand how much I can push this camera. With my Canon's, so many people, before me, had already figured out the best mojo for them. Here's a stupid question... When someone says stops of dynamic range, how is that measured in an NLE? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sekhar Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 I did some tests on NX1 some time back and came up with these as the best: DR gamma, sharpness -10, contrast -5. See my post NX1 DR settings thread for examples and discussion. Given that NX500 is so similar, I'm pretty sure the same settings apply (except for DR gamma, which I believe NX500 doesn't have...yet anyway). mercer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRenaissanceMan Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 good to know, that makes sense. There's not a lot of info out about this camera, so I suspect a good bit of trial and error. I'm gonna have to brush up on my grading and correcting so I can really understand how much I can push this camera. With my Canon's, so many people, before me, had already figured out the best mojo for them. Here's a stupid question... When someone says stops of dynamic range, how is that measured in an NLE? It isn't. That's why they make text charts like the Xyla. http://www.provideocoalition.com/cameras_sony_fs700_dynamic_range_presentation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damphousse Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 mercer,Thanks for posting. Please keep us informed. It looks like this isn't a very limited deal. The seller is still showing more than 10 available... although if demand picks up I'm sure we'll be treated to a price hike.What is your plan for lenses? I'm reluctant to buy a Samsung lens and I only have access to a Canon 50mm FD lens which will be too long for general work given the NX500's 4k crop. Of course I have a few EF and EF-S lenses but the issue there is electronic linkages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercer Posted July 30, 2015 Author Share Posted July 30, 2015 mercer,Thanks for posting. Please keep us informed. It looks like this isn't a very limited deal. The seller is still showing more than 10 available... although if demand picks up I'm sure we'll be treated to a price hike.What is your plan for lenses? I'm reluctant to buy a Samsung lens and I only have access to a Canon 50mm FD lens which will be too long for general work given the NX500's 4k crop. Of course I have a few EF and EF-S lenses but the issue there is electronic linkages.I've bought a camera from them in the past, and on occasion the price will drop even further, but then go up an hour or two later. Either way, I would expect it to hover around that price for a little while, at least. Oh lenses, that is the issue with this camera. I didn't buy it to shoot 1080p, so before I even considered it, I took a look at my collection. Luckily I have a 17mm FD lens, which will give me about 45mm in Cinema 4K. I also have the FD 28mm f/2, 35-70mm f/4, and the 50mm f/1.4. I'm a vintage lens guy, so I like to have more than one option, so I also have a Tokina RMC 17mm, and the RMC 25-50mm. None of my lenses will afford me proper wide angle, so I guess I will have to settle on stepping back a little bit... Or a lot. Eventually, I may look into one of the Rokinon cinema lenses... Maybe a 12mm. I think they make an 8mm fisheye as well, or one of the Tokina wide angle zooms. Damphousse 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRenaissanceMan Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 I'm planning to sell my EOS M and pick one of these up soon. While it'll mainly be used with my Canon FDs and Minolta Rokkors, I will for sure be buying the 30mm f/2. It's a tiny pancake with great image quality, a wide aperture, and a nice versatile focal length. The best part: You can grab them used for less than $200. If you're a hybrid shooter, why the hell not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liam Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 If it's not your only camera, and it was such a good deal, 45mm equivalent could be really nice as your only lens on certain shoots if you like. Considering now I mostly use my 80mm equivalent, that lack of wide wide doesn't sound so bad anymore. Glad this camera is having a bit of a resurrection from when everyone was so mad about the crop at first TheRenaissanceMan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercer Posted July 30, 2015 Author Share Posted July 30, 2015 If it's not your only camera, and it was such a good deal, 45mm equivalent could be really nice as your only lens on certain shoots if you like. Considering now I mostly use my 80mm equivalent, that lack of wide wide doesn't sound so bad anymore. Glad this camera is having a bit of a resurrection from when everyone was so mad about the crop at firstI also have the a5100, which I like a lot, so you're right, the 45mm doesn't really bother me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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