Advertisement

Camera review: Samsung NX1

The giant South Korean Samsung Corporation has thrown out a challenge to traditional market heavyweights Canon and Nikon with the recent launch of their first camera aimed squarely at the serious enthusiast and professional end of the market.

The Samsung NX1 is set to lock horns with cameras such as the Canon EOS 7D Mark II and the Nikon D7100, so it better be good. A quick glance at the specs will show you that this is no pretender, a 28.2 megapixel APS-C sensor, an extremely fast and accurate autofocus system, 15 frames-per-second burst shooting capability with continuous autofocus and 4K video recording, all crammed into a weather-resistant magnesium-alloy body.

The NX1’s looks and features compare very well against its DSLR competitors but it is a mirrorless camera with an EVF (electronic viewfinder) instead of a reflex viewfinder, so despite all the similarities it is not a DSLR in the true sense of the word. EVF technology is improving in leaps and bounds and it is only a matter of time before it takes over and eliminates the need for the bulky mirror box in DSLR cameras.

I pick up a Samsung NX1 with a 16-50mm f/2-2.8 Premium S lens from Camera Electronics and sit down to familiarise myself with it. It is a good- looking camera with a clean, uncluttered modern design. The magnesium-alloy body is solid, well padded and feels nice to hold and the large f/2-2.8 zoom complements the professional look of the camera body.

Samsung NX1.

Two large dials and an LCD info display dominate the top of the camera. The dials seem a bit too large for the sleek body but they function well and are easy to use. The one on the left has four buttons on the top to set ISO, AF, metering and white balance. Underneath the buttons is the drive-mode dial to set self-timer, continuous, single shot etc. The right-hand dial sets the various shooting modes such as program, shutter and aperture priority as well as auto and scene modes and two slots for custom settings. Next to it on the far right is the large LCD display that clearly shows you your key settings at a glance.

A large comfortable grip makes it easy to control settings, with two dials by your thumb and index finger.

The back of the camera is dominated by a high- resolution, three-inch, tilting touch-enabled display and to the right of the display is the navigation buttons and dial.

The 16-50mm f/2-2.8 Premium S lens has a built-in multi-axis optical image stabiliser and a clever i-Function button that lets you frame your shot, adjust manual settings and preview changes — all at the same time.

Samsung has packed the camera with clever technology. A BSI (back-side illuminated) APS-C CMOS sensor (which means that all the circuitry has been moved behind the light- capturing part of the sensor, enabling it to capture more light than conventional CMOS sensors), a fast, accurate AF system that covers 90 per cent of the sensor with 205 phase detection points and 153 cross- type sensor points, plus it can shoot video in the new ultra-high-resolution 4K format.

Evening light at the Riverton Bridge in Riverton.

Many commentators describe 4K video as a game changer. 4K video is four times better than 1080 HD, so not only will your videos appear sharper and crisper (because each frame of a 4K video clip is an 8-megapixel image) it is effectively like an 8-megapixel camera with a 30fps continuous shooting mode and no buffer limits. So rather than trying to capture the perfect still image of your kids playing, you can shoot a 4K video and choose any of the 8-megapixel images for an enlargement.

I can only see a couple of negative points with this camera. Samsung uses a proprietary lens mount and at this stage they have an adequate but fairly limited range of quality lenses available. They are set to expand their range fast and I’m sure other third-party manufactures will follow as the camera grows in popularity.

The camera has only one SD card slot and with the large file size, fast continuous shooting capacity and 4K video recording, an extra slot would be handy.

My tests shots with the Samsung NX1 convinced me that it is a seriously good contender that will make its competitors sit up and take notice. It is a well-designed camera with intuitive menus that makes it a pleasure to use. The fast AF performed faultlessly when tracking skateboarders doing their tricks in Fremantle and, when shooting an evening scene of the Riverton Bridge and night shots over the Canning River, the camera produced crisp, clean images with no hint of noise.

Camera Electronic, 230 Stirling Street, Perth, lent the Samsung NX-1 to Travel. See cameraelectronic.com.au.

NX1 key features

28.2 megapixel APS-C BSI-CMOS sensor

Hybrid AF system with 205 phase-detect points covering 90 per cent of frame

15 fps burst shooting with continuous autofocus

Weather- resistant magnesium-alloy body

Three-inch tilting Super AMOLED touch- screen display

2.36M dot OLED EVF with 5ms lag

LCD info display on top of camera

4K video recording

Built-in wi-fi and Bluetooth

The Samsung NX-1 camera body retails for $1899 and the 16-50 f/2.8 is $1499