Brian style
Regular
(Only handling, I won't put IQ stuff in this post)
It is a good feeling camera, and a good looking one as well. It will EASILY be mistaken for a DSLR. The fact Samsung uses a large flange distance for a mirrorless camera affects that as well. Even with that, the lighter weight vs. a midrange DSLR is immediately noticeable.
Despite the size, it isn't a heavy camera on its own. Without a lens, or with something light weight like the 45 1.8, it feels comfortably light compared to a mid-tier DSLR. Add the 16-50S and the weight becomes substantial. You know you're holding some pretty serious equipment once that S lens goes on. The grip is surely appreciated with such a meaty lens!
The menus should be familiar to anyone who's used an NX30/300/etc. There is a lot of stuff in there and with some fiddling you figure it all out pretty easily. Samsung's "help guide display" does help (that's the pop up that explains the menu option you might be scrolling on). It comes in handy as you fool around in the menus and then you can turn it off when you're comfortable with everything. Nice feature Samsung puts on their cameras and useful if you've never used a Samsung before.
I wasn't a big fan of the finish, had a bit too much "sheen" to it, but mine appears to have "dulled" a bit, which I prefer looking more matte. Of course, this could just be psychological
The mode dial feels rugged with a nice knurled grip. The multi-function dial with AF, WB, etc feels solid but I have noticed it isn't one solid dial like the mode dial. It has a tiny bit of "give" if you purposely push it to see it move. Not something I'm concerned about and not entirely unexpected since it does rotate under the af/wb/metering/ISO top plate. It isn't meant to be "pushed" the way I did when just checking but it isn't an issue. Nitpickers might fuss about it
The mode dial locking button is great. Want a dial that locks, you have it. Don't want a dial that locks, you have it. A simple button that gives users options!
The ISO/AF/metering/WB buttons are slender but work fine. Being on the top left of the camera means one-handed operation isn't really an option out of the box, but you can remap most if not all of those to the customizable function buttons that you can reach with your right thumb.
The OLED back screen is really nice and I appreciate the zebras you can activate (displays blown out highlights). The zebras work in the EVF as well.
The EVF is 100% coverage and sharp, but DOES look like an EVF. Like you're looking at a tv screen...which of course, you are It seems to be cooler, temperature wise, but refreshes very quickly and although I haven't really tried, I haven't noticed any lag. I am LOVING WYSIWYG. You know what the exposure will be before you ever push the shutter button (have to turn that on out of the box though). Did you forget to change your settings when you went from indoors to outdoors? Won't matter anymore, because you'll immediately know before you can even blow the shot!
The shutter is QUIET! It is pretty awesome. If you aren't near the camera, you probably won't hear it. Only problem it could present is if you are working with a model used to hearing the shutter as a cue to change the pose...but that's pretty much a nit pick and I'll take a shutter being too quiet over one being too loud everyday of the week!!
AF works perfectly fine in good light, as I expected it would. As the light gets lower it gets slower, as I expected it would. In lower-very low light you might as well switch to MF and use the focus peaking/zoom in if you don't want to use the bright green AF assist light. Apparently the NX1 is rated to focus to -4EV but that must be with assist light, there is NO way it is finding focus in -4EV conditions. My 6d is rated to -3EV at the center point and I believe it. The NX1 is no where near there, especially if you want it to lock pretty fast.... or at all.
Face detection works pretty well but can get fooled by subjects not facing the camera (a child laughing and moving their head to the side for example). AF also struggles with backlighting. Of course, even a DSLR can struggle here too, but the NX1 definitely struggles more.
Bottom Line: The AF on the NX1 can get the job done for portraits/candids/still life for paid work. I stand by my assertion that Samsung should have used 2 processors and used one strictly for AF like the Canon 7d does. It could have made the NX1 a serious AF contender to DSLRs. It is not, and even with face det AF on, it still misses from time to time. It CAN get the job done but is still well within mirrorless territory for speed&accuracy. I had some luck capturing a child on a swing but it wasn't as easy, reliable, or as accurate as even my 6d (which is not an AF speed champ). Side-side tracking works well but to-from tracking is less reliable. I think the EM5 I rented was faster focusing than the NX1. The EM5 was almost instant every time, the NX1 is fast but feels like it struggles during the session. :/
Pretty much everyone will rattle off hundreds of shots as they play with the 15 fps. It is damn cool to listen too! You can change it though, to 15, 12, 10, or 8 fps in high speed burst mode I switched mine to 8. I just don't need more than 8 fps for most things although 15fps will come in handy for some users.
Why Samsung didn't put a dedicated wall charger in the package for a serious level camera I STILL can't understand. Especially at the price point! You say it is a pro camera, well a pro will have more than one battery, and you want me to have to stay plugged in to charge the battery when I could be shooting??
The top LCD uses bars to display battery power, and the back OLED displays percentage. I WISH the top displayed percentage as well. 62% and 44% both display as 2 bars on the top LCD.
Having 3 dials is definitely "pro" but the customization is limited. The two command dials can only be set to control aperture or shutter. They have a lot of choices for customization with the iFunction button on lenses and the function buttons, dials, and wheel on the body. But until they release firmware to improve this... :/
Overall functioning is a light year ahead of my NX300. It works faster in every way. Menus, scrolling, activation of selections,... Even the image processing is very fast! I can rattle off a lot of shots and it clears quickly. I have to burst off a whole lot of RAWs before forcing the camera to take time to clear.
There are 2 modes for IS in the camera menus. One for when the camera is on a tripod to stabilize from pushing the shutter button, one for normal hand held use. I was concerned my 16-50S was soft as butter until I found that in the menus and switched to hand held IS from tripod IS (out of the box). Don't think I've ever been so happy to see my freckles and skin blotches in sharp 28mp glory LOL. Cool feature to put in but not sure why tripod IS was turned on by default.
Overall I'm enjoying learning the cameras quirks, strengths, and weaknesses. I can't seem to put it down, especially with the 45mm or even the 30mm on it. The 16-50S is a fat little bugger so less enjoyable to play with because of the weight, but it gets pulled out for pay.
I would have loved to see Eye detecting AF, a 2nd processor for that EM1/GH4 single point practically instant AF speed, and a camera mode on the dial knob (the video preview mode thing is just plain silly and not well thought out).
It is a good feeling camera, and a good looking one as well. It will EASILY be mistaken for a DSLR. The fact Samsung uses a large flange distance for a mirrorless camera affects that as well. Even with that, the lighter weight vs. a midrange DSLR is immediately noticeable.
Despite the size, it isn't a heavy camera on its own. Without a lens, or with something light weight like the 45 1.8, it feels comfortably light compared to a mid-tier DSLR. Add the 16-50S and the weight becomes substantial. You know you're holding some pretty serious equipment once that S lens goes on. The grip is surely appreciated with such a meaty lens!
The menus should be familiar to anyone who's used an NX30/300/etc. There is a lot of stuff in there and with some fiddling you figure it all out pretty easily. Samsung's "help guide display" does help (that's the pop up that explains the menu option you might be scrolling on). It comes in handy as you fool around in the menus and then you can turn it off when you're comfortable with everything. Nice feature Samsung puts on their cameras and useful if you've never used a Samsung before.
I wasn't a big fan of the finish, had a bit too much "sheen" to it, but mine appears to have "dulled" a bit, which I prefer looking more matte. Of course, this could just be psychological
The mode dial feels rugged with a nice knurled grip. The multi-function dial with AF, WB, etc feels solid but I have noticed it isn't one solid dial like the mode dial. It has a tiny bit of "give" if you purposely push it to see it move. Not something I'm concerned about and not entirely unexpected since it does rotate under the af/wb/metering/ISO top plate. It isn't meant to be "pushed" the way I did when just checking but it isn't an issue. Nitpickers might fuss about it
The mode dial locking button is great. Want a dial that locks, you have it. Don't want a dial that locks, you have it. A simple button that gives users options!
The ISO/AF/metering/WB buttons are slender but work fine. Being on the top left of the camera means one-handed operation isn't really an option out of the box, but you can remap most if not all of those to the customizable function buttons that you can reach with your right thumb.
The OLED back screen is really nice and I appreciate the zebras you can activate (displays blown out highlights). The zebras work in the EVF as well.
The EVF is 100% coverage and sharp, but DOES look like an EVF. Like you're looking at a tv screen...which of course, you are It seems to be cooler, temperature wise, but refreshes very quickly and although I haven't really tried, I haven't noticed any lag. I am LOVING WYSIWYG. You know what the exposure will be before you ever push the shutter button (have to turn that on out of the box though). Did you forget to change your settings when you went from indoors to outdoors? Won't matter anymore, because you'll immediately know before you can even blow the shot!
The shutter is QUIET! It is pretty awesome. If you aren't near the camera, you probably won't hear it. Only problem it could present is if you are working with a model used to hearing the shutter as a cue to change the pose...but that's pretty much a nit pick and I'll take a shutter being too quiet over one being too loud everyday of the week!!
AF works perfectly fine in good light, as I expected it would. As the light gets lower it gets slower, as I expected it would. In lower-very low light you might as well switch to MF and use the focus peaking/zoom in if you don't want to use the bright green AF assist light. Apparently the NX1 is rated to focus to -4EV but that must be with assist light, there is NO way it is finding focus in -4EV conditions. My 6d is rated to -3EV at the center point and I believe it. The NX1 is no where near there, especially if you want it to lock pretty fast.... or at all.
Face detection works pretty well but can get fooled by subjects not facing the camera (a child laughing and moving their head to the side for example). AF also struggles with backlighting. Of course, even a DSLR can struggle here too, but the NX1 definitely struggles more.
Bottom Line: The AF on the NX1 can get the job done for portraits/candids/still life for paid work. I stand by my assertion that Samsung should have used 2 processors and used one strictly for AF like the Canon 7d does. It could have made the NX1 a serious AF contender to DSLRs. It is not, and even with face det AF on, it still misses from time to time. It CAN get the job done but is still well within mirrorless territory for speed&accuracy. I had some luck capturing a child on a swing but it wasn't as easy, reliable, or as accurate as even my 6d (which is not an AF speed champ). Side-side tracking works well but to-from tracking is less reliable. I think the EM5 I rented was faster focusing than the NX1. The EM5 was almost instant every time, the NX1 is fast but feels like it struggles during the session. :/
Pretty much everyone will rattle off hundreds of shots as they play with the 15 fps. It is damn cool to listen too! You can change it though, to 15, 12, 10, or 8 fps in high speed burst mode I switched mine to 8. I just don't need more than 8 fps for most things although 15fps will come in handy for some users.
Why Samsung didn't put a dedicated wall charger in the package for a serious level camera I STILL can't understand. Especially at the price point! You say it is a pro camera, well a pro will have more than one battery, and you want me to have to stay plugged in to charge the battery when I could be shooting??
The top LCD uses bars to display battery power, and the back OLED displays percentage. I WISH the top displayed percentage as well. 62% and 44% both display as 2 bars on the top LCD.
Having 3 dials is definitely "pro" but the customization is limited. The two command dials can only be set to control aperture or shutter. They have a lot of choices for customization with the iFunction button on lenses and the function buttons, dials, and wheel on the body. But until they release firmware to improve this... :/
Overall functioning is a light year ahead of my NX300. It works faster in every way. Menus, scrolling, activation of selections,... Even the image processing is very fast! I can rattle off a lot of shots and it clears quickly. I have to burst off a whole lot of RAWs before forcing the camera to take time to clear.
There are 2 modes for IS in the camera menus. One for when the camera is on a tripod to stabilize from pushing the shutter button, one for normal hand held use. I was concerned my 16-50S was soft as butter until I found that in the menus and switched to hand held IS from tripod IS (out of the box). Don't think I've ever been so happy to see my freckles and skin blotches in sharp 28mp glory LOL. Cool feature to put in but not sure why tripod IS was turned on by default.
Overall I'm enjoying learning the cameras quirks, strengths, and weaknesses. I can't seem to put it down, especially with the 45mm or even the 30mm on it. The 16-50S is a fat little bugger so less enjoyable to play with because of the weight, but it gets pulled out for pay.
I would have loved to see Eye detecting AF, a 2nd processor for that EM1/GH4 single point practically instant AF speed, and a camera mode on the dial knob (the video preview mode thing is just plain silly and not well thought out).