Samsung Samsung NX is dead

stratokaster

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Name
Pavel
As it turns out, in September 2015 Korean news outlets learned that Samsung stopped production of Samsung NX cameras, lenses and accessories.

The company failed to gain significant market share (or any market share at all) and with recent downturn in its fortunes it simply can't afford to keep its camera division afloat.

Link to the original article (you can read it with Google Translate): 삼성전자 카메라 철수설 끊이지 않는 이유는
 
Oh well, it's sad news but not entirely unexpected. At least we now know that the rumours on DP Review were true.

As the loving owner of an NX500 I have to decide (a) do I keep my existing kit and possibly try to snap up a few lens bargains or (b) do I sell it off (inevitably taking a big financial hit) and try to find another system which offers such a winning combination of features and value for money?
 
I think the latter approach is better. When your current camera dies several years later, you probably won't be able to find another NX body (remember, Samsung never managed to sell them in quantity) to use your lenses with. So all that beautiful glass will turn into a collection of paperweights.
 
Yes, you're probably right but I have absolutely no idea what I'll replace it with. The NX500 is the perfect camera for me. It has most of the features of the NX1 (thank goodness I resisted that temptation), the lenses are gorgeous particularly the 30mm prime which is hardly ever off the camera and everything is just so easy, intuitive and usable. Parting with it will be a bit like having a much-loved pet put to sleep. :(
 
It's over. The evidence - and the economics - are overwhelming. I never felt that Samsung's heart was in it (I feel the same about Sony - watch this space next year...) Samsung felt like they were playing at it and fiddling with photography as a channel to market for Android.
 
When I was shooting APS gear I was always tempted to jump into that system. The glass was great and the cameras always seemed incredibly well thought out. But I could never make the jump because any club that's THAT small just isn't likely to be around for long. I'm sorry to see it happen because I love seeing anyone push the competition and Samsung was doing that, even if it wasn't selling that well. But not a shocker.

I'd be REAL surprised to see Sony do the same thing though. They do it in fits and starts, but between the RX family, which they've clearly put some R&D into, and the A7 group, which is finally producing some really compelling bodies, I don't think they're going anywhere. I don't know how much they'll throw at lenses and how much they'll rely on Zeiss and Sigma and others for the really high end stuff, but I don't think they're going anywhere. And also, their sensor business is driving the industry and that gives them a really nice competitive edge in developing the cameras that use them too.

-Ray
 
It's kind of ironic that in my e-mail inbox directly below the message telling me that Bill had commented on this thread was an e-mail from Samsung announcing their "Cyber Monday" deals including a couple of very attractive offers on the NX1 and NX500. I hope anybody tempted by either camera is aware of the background.
 
From what I read, Samsung had a pretty nice camera and a nice lens stable, but nobody took them seriously.

An example is that at my local Best Buys, the ILC Samsung cameras are not to be found with all the other cameras. It is only found in the separate Samsung only display. Someone who just walked in looking at ICL cameras would never see them.
 
it's a shame... They were innovating and getting pretty good.

As the loving owner of an NX500 I have to decide (a) do I keep my existing kit and possibly try to snap up a few lens bargains or (b) do I sell it off (inevitably taking a big financial hit) and try to find another system which offers such a winning combination of features and value for money?

If the lenses you have are all you need there could also be the option c) snap up a bargain spare body.
I probably wouldn't buy many more new lenses at this point - since they were quite pricey. But if you just want to extend what you have, then a spare body could give peace of mind. I wouldn't even necessarily jump on current Cybermonday deals (unless they're silly cheap). Used prices further down the line should get pretty low...?
 
it's a shame... They were innovating and getting pretty good.



If the lenses you have are all you need there could also be the option c) snap up a bargain spare body.
I probably wouldn't buy many more new lenses at this point - since they were quite pricey. But if you just want to extend what you have, then a spare body could give peace of mind. I wouldn't even necessarily jump on current Cybermonday deals (unless they're silly cheap). Used prices further down the line should get pretty low...?

That's an interesting idea which has certainly got me thinking. The only additional lens I was actively considering buying was the 45mm f1.8 but I've lived without it until now and I'm not going to spend £350 under current circumstances. But a spare body might be just the way to go....
 
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It's probably not time to go in as a new buyer to the system and load up on brand new bodies and a full set of lenses. But I think Samsung's bodies are just such a good value right now, for a certain user, that their future plans are basically irrelevant for someone like me who is only buying 2 lenses to go with my 2 new bodies (kit lens was bundled with the NX500 so I'm not counting that).

There is no high end 4K offering on a crop sensor right now that matches Samsung. m4/3 creates 4K from a much smaller sensor area than the NX1. And DFD is not a match for Samsung's PDAF. The cheaper $500 cousin, the NX500, not only has 4K but it lacks an AA filter too.

For me, I got into doing video of my family in the last year. And I just figure that in 10 years, 1080p videos are going to look hokey. I was poking through my archive of stuff and found some videos we took on an old Canon compact even as recently as 2010 that had 320x240 video. It looked pretty ridiculous on a 1440p monitor. And if I'm going to do 4K of people, Sony A7Rm2 or Samsung are the big dogs. And given the depreciation that will happen on a full frame Sony body after a few years, I could just buy my entire Samsung crop setup and not worry about the resale value.

I think there are some people who are using the sales now to fill out their existing Samsung systems and get lenses they always wanted but at a good price. Others like me are buying new bodies with a lens or two feeling like they're getting a superior tool (but not necessarily thinking they're "investing" in a "system"). But I think it wouldn't make sense to load up from scratch on a full system of bodies and lenses at this stage until there's more certainty on the outlook.
 
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^I feel compelled to note that the difference between m4/3 and APSC is only about half of the difference between APSC and full frame: ~2/3 of a stop between m4/3 and APSC, and ~1.3 stops between APSC and full frame. Other than that, makes sense.
 
^I feel compelled to note that the difference between m4/3 and APSC is only about half of the difference between APSC and full frame: ~2/3 of a stop between m4/3 and APSC, and ~1.3 stops between APSC and full frame. Other than that, makes sense.
The sensor size matters more to some than others. Me, for example, I have very little ambition to go full frame. The 3 in front of several zeros probably has something to do with it :)

That said, keep in mind the entire m4/3 sensor isn't used for 4K on the GH4 and G7. It's only half of the sensor (8 mp).
 
If the news is real, I wouldn't be surprised to see Samsung make a new attempt after some time passes.

It would be great for them and their user base if they had a Steve Jobs lurking somewhere, but the irony is, they don't need him. Unless the camera division were autonomous.
 
Very very sad news. The NX1 is/was ground breaking on many levels. It's a phenomenal camera and Samsung showed a lot of support in terms of firmware updates over the year. Both pro S zooms are fantastic. The 85mm is legendary.
I think the problem is as another poster mentioned earlier, that they marketed their equipment very badly.
That being said, I would not be surprised to see Samsung salvage something from this and make an announcement on the development of imaging sensors for the 35mm, APSC and compact camera markets to be made available to Canon/Nikon etc...
Imagine the innards of the NX1 in a D7300 body....
 
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