DOF gurus, please help!

imo, neither the samsung nor the older oly pen series work well over iso800.

Which Samsung are you referring to? The 20mp sensor (NX200 and later) is well ahead of the 12mp Olympus Pens, and I'd put the earlier 14mp models in front as well. The caveat with every Samsung (with the possible exception of the new NX300) is that if you use jpegs, the noise reduction is backwards. Detail gets smeared but colour noise is seemingly left alone.
 
Which Samsung are you referring to? The 20mp sensor (NX200 and later) is well ahead of the 12mp Olympus Pens, and I'd put the earlier 14mp models in front as well. The caveat with every Samsung (with the possible exception of the new NX300) is that if you use jpegs, the noise reduction is backwards. Detail gets smeared but colour noise is seemingly left alone.

LP, i was not certain of the technical reason about jpeg processing, i was only offering that i havent personally seen a samsung lowlight picture over 800 that i found acceptable given the competition, nor that was any better than what the older oly sensor produced.
 
The big advantages of the 32mm over any FT-1 combination:

Max aperture (even though it's really acting with the DoF of an f3.5 compared to FF)
AF compatibility - all AF points, as well as AF modes and Face Detection, plus likely the lens will drive "faster" to the point because it's lighter and lens motor is optimized
Size and weight
Nano coating and the other optics features (present on some FF lenses as well)

Even with all that, not sure if that's worth the 900 bucks. I think a lot of that price is also an attempt to recoup some R&D costs knowing that this will be a niche item in terms of volume sales.
 
Wonderful images Milan, sorry I have to break the gear talk with a compliment however I so wish I had been able to photograph my children like that when they were growing up. No funds and no gear like we have today. Control of DOF is seriously important to me as well which is why I always go for 2.8 and wider even if I don't have to use it. While I have no experience with the m4/3 systems.. and it seems like you are doing well with what gear you already have, if parents are pressing you into photographing events for them and you will actually be delivering to them a number of photos, perhaps they might like to help you via a small stipend to invest in the right lens to do so? I don't know if that suggestion applies to your situation or if you perceive the idea as rude, however that would help you in obtaining the 32 1.2 if you feel that lens might best help you to achieve your goal. Or any other lens that is just beyond your budget for that matter. If they are just asking you, hey, can you take a shot of my kid too, then my suggestion would not apply as it wouldn't be a repetitive thing. But at the point where you need to consider another lens to do what other people want you to do for them, I thought I would toss the idea out there. :)
 
Nick, as you mentioned you have NX200 and 30mm, would you mind sharing a couple of portraits done in similar fashion to my samples? Not necessarily kids, of course, just anything to give me a rough idea of DOF possibilities :) I don't think that AF speed of Samsung would bother me - anything is fast compared to manual focusing:)

I don't do many portraits, and I have none properly edited and uploaded from my NX200. However I've done a quick 'n dirty upload of some images taken with the NX200 on my current trip. These are just jpegs (not strength of the NX series, IMO) taken with the 30mm pancake at wider apertures to give you an idea of the DOF effect from this lens and sensor combination. Out of old habit I usually back the lens off a little from the largest aperture but on this lens it really isn't necessary.

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^ I love that lens, always makes me wish I had a Samsung NX series :tongue: and nice pics!

Thanks Bart :)

You know, I thought that I had found my favourite lens in the Panasonic 25mm f1.4, but then this one came along to contest for first place. I'd be intrigued to see how the hybrid AF NX300 handles focusing with the 30mm, which is where it lags behind the Panny. What I do quite like about the Samsung 30mm pancake is not that it is capable of super shallow, one-eyelash-in-focus DOF, but that at f/2.8 or less for a half or even full body portrait it will get the WHOLE person in focus but still achieve decent separation with the background. Not bad for a tiny pancake lens.
 
Thanks a lot, Nick, exactly a kind of comparison I thought of. I can tell that extra stop of Samsung 30mm makes a difference, compared to my Vivitar 28mm at 2.8. Like Bart said, that little 30 is a reason to own a Samsung NX camera :) Images are lovely and it looks you had a great fun. Samsung jpeg engine wouldn't bother me as I shoot raw.

And to answer rbelyell's earlier suggestion of X100, when I was on a business trip to Belgium I had a chance to try a collegue's X100 and liked it very much. The output is great, as is the size, viewfinder and controls. At 35mm eqv it's a bit on a wider side for me, but I think I could live with it it for all the other goodies :) But it cannot be bought here, as neither Ricoh can. I just saw one GXR once in Paris in a window of a closed shop. Never had a chance to play with it; a dual-combo of 28 and 50 modules would be great, though :)
 
Thanks Bart :)

You know, I thought that I had found my favourite lens in the Panasonic 25mm f1.4, but then this one came along to contest for first place. I'd be intrigued to see how the hybrid AF NX300 handles focusing with the 30mm, which is where it lags behind the Panny. What I do quite like about the Samsung 30mm pancake is not that it is capable of super shallow, one-eyelash-in-focus DOF, but that at f/2.8 or less for a half or even full body portrait it will get the WHOLE person in focus but still achieve decent separation with the background. Not bad for a tiny pancake lens.

I understand why you love NX30mm, Nick. It's not always about the shallowest DOF or creamiest bokeh; those mid-range shots with just enough separation are quite lovely in their own way, I agree.

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Wonderful images Milan, sorry I have to break the gear talk with a compliment however I so wish I had been able to photograph my children like that when they were growing up. No funds and no gear like we have today. Control of DOF is seriously important to me as well which is why I always go for 2.8 and wider even if I don't have to use it. While I have no experience with the m4/3 systems.. and it seems like you are doing well with what gear you already have, if parents are pressing you into photographing events for them and you will actually be delivering to them a number of photos, perhaps they might like to help you via a small stipend to invest in the right lens to do so? I don't know if that suggestion applies to your situation or if you perceive the idea as rude, however that would help you in obtaining the 32 1.2 if you feel that lens might best help you to achieve your goal. Or any other lens that is just beyond your budget for that matter. If they are just asking you, hey, can you take a shot of my kid too, then my suggestion would not apply as it wouldn't be a repetitive thing. But at the point where you need to consider another lens to do what other people want you to do for them, I thought I would toss the idea out there. :)

Thank you for compliments, Isoterica, and for your suggestion also! It was more than a year ago when I debated with myself investing more in photo equipment, when I noticed that people around me generally like my shots and I was being asked to photograph birthdays or ballet performances by other parents in the kindergarten. But I backed off, as heavier investment would force me also into investing much more time. I cannot afford it as drawing already takes so much of my time and energy. I did a few smaller lower-profile gigs and it went pretty well, I earned a bit and learned a lot :) But going into it deeper would interfere to much with drawing and I'm bound by contracts and deadlines I cannot evade or postpone.
 
More Nikon Series 1 DoF Samples

More Nikon Series 1 DoF samples - I almost forgot I had these - all J1 + 10-30mm VR

Here is a case where MORE DoF is helpful:

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Nikon has announced a diopter/close-up lens coming soon. But if you get the right subjects (not too skittish) and a clean background, well, the kit lens can do double-duty!

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samsung photos are beautiful. really underrated sensor/lenses. cant help but feel its a dead end though. its just my silly intuition based on nothing. but ive always been impressed with what samsung produces.

on ability to buy an x100 in serbia, is it not possible to pick one up on ebay? thats how i got mine!
 
samsung photos are beautiful. really underrated sensor/lenses. cant help but feel its a dead end though. its just my silly intuition based on nothing. but ive always been impressed with what samsung produces.

Who knows? I've read seemingly a million times that Micro 4/3 is also a dead end despite the fact that they continue to push out some of the very best products in the MILC market. Samsung still seems to be moving forwards as well but I don't know how successful or profitable the NX cameras are on a world scale. My current spend on Samsung gear is $400 for an NX200, 30mm and 20mm pancake lenses so I can't say that I am heavily invested in it.

The only photographic brands and systems that seem to be very successful at the moment are Canon and Nikon DSLRs, but to me they are both technological dead ends so I had to take a punt and put my money elsewhere.
 
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