Samsung NX1 Hands-On Review

Chris Niccolls and Jordan Drake from from the Camera Store in Canada took the new and very interesting Samsung NX1 camera for a spin to test the stills and video capabilities of Samsung’s new flagship and got back with some pretty positive comments.

Samsung is not exactly new to the photography world (it starter a few years back with re-branded Pentax cameras but then moved to producing its own cameras and lenses). Now, Samsung is a giant when it comes to electronics and when a company this size decides that it wants to get into a new market it might take it some time (and a few iterations) but it has the resources to outdo almost anybody in the camera industry if it really wants to. The NX1 might be the first real sign that Samsung is dead serious when it comes to taking on Canon and Nikon.

So why is this camera so exciting? well, from a technical point of view, this is the most advanced APS-C camera on the market – it has the highest resolution sensor made with BSI technology (first for such a large sensor) and a unique manufacturing process that is way ahead of anything Canon or even Sony has. It includes a very fast processor capable of recording 6K video (which is down-sampled into 4K and recorded in the new H.265 format – which seems to be a pain to work with now as Drake explain in the video – but should get better with time). It is also super fast – up to 15 fps – making faster than any DSLR or mirrorless camera on the market.

As for Niccolls & Drake’s take on the camera – it seems to be living up to the specs for the most part – which is a very good sign – although we always found the AF to be the biggest problem with Samsung cameras and it seems that the AF on the NX1 is still not on the level of the best Canon and Nikon cameras – especially in low light.

The NX1 with the 50-150mm f/2.8 lens

This is not the first or second time that we have been looking at the Samsung NX1 here on LensVid. As the camera was announced we had a quick look with two guys from Samsung and more recently with the U.S. lunch of the camera we had a real-world test with photojournalist Jordan Stead and DRreview. We are hoping of doing our own take on the camera, hopefully – early next year.

Here is a reminder of some of the main features of the NX1:

Sensor: 28.2MP BSI APS-C CMOS.
Processor: new quad core DRIMe V.
Sensitivity: 100-25,600 ISO with expansion up to 51,200 ISO.
Focus system: hybrid 205 phase detection AF points (153 cross type points with 90% coverage).
Video: 4K video recording at 30/24 fps (UHD video recording at 30 fps and pro level DCI 4K @24 fps with the new 265 codec + zebras, focus peeking and more).
LCD: Super AMOLED 3.0″ 1036k dots tilt touchscreen.
Viewfinder: 2.3 million dot OLED EVF.
Shutter: 30-1/8000 sec.
Continuous shooting speed: 15 fps Burst with AF (buffer: around 70 JPEGs and 20 RAW).
Connectivity: WIFI-802.11ac/BT and USB 3.0.
Headphone and mic connections.
External grip option.
Dust and moisture sealing.
Weight: 550 grams.
Price: $1500 body only (on Amazon).

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Iddo Genuth

Iddo Genuth is the founder and chief editor of LensVid.com. He has been a technology reporter working for international publications since the late 1990's and covering photography since 2009. Iddo is also a co-founder of a production company specializing in commercial food and product visual content.