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Samsung NX cameras and audio/Mic Input - The reason for the flop in sales of the NX cameras...

Started Dec 15, 2015 | Discussions thread
Kisaha Senior Member • Posts: 2,300
Re: There are better reasons for the lack of sales
1

Lets discuss NX1 as a stills camera. Its not any better than a 70D. 70D has great AF, similar DR, and great IQ. Yet the 70D is cheaper, and carries forward one's investment in glass. Samsung has some really great glass, but its missing some rather obvious wholes, like f1.4 primes for popular portraiture lengths (30mm,50mm). It needed that on day one to be competing with the 70D and higher priced stills.

I have used the 70D twice, and only in manual mode (in general I am using mostly M mode in focus and all the other parametres with every camera) and I do not own the NX1, so I am not sure I can judge AF performances, but the 70D is really just a mediocre camera for a lot of money. The 70D sensor is worst than NX300 sensor. Even 7DmarkII has just a mediocre sensor. I am sure you have heard about how Canon is far behind in the sensor battle, that is objective. Now, how the pictures look, that is subjective, and one can have whatever opinion, and all are respectable.

I dare to say, the 60D was a better camera in its era (because there wasn't so much mirrorless competition) and I used it for a lot of low(no) budget projects, and not the 70D as they are much better options right now (that they weren't available back then when the 60D was "king"). The lens selection is another subject, and obviously Canon has a bigger lens selection, for my personal use NX is just fine, pro work is - again - a completely different subject. The glass investment is not exactly true, as Canon APS-C lenses are not working on FF Canon cameras.

Now as a video camera the NX1 had a great edge 4k video, 120fps for 1080p, H265. But even that advantage I think has diminished. The real cost of a Samsung kit for video would include, a great deal of money in glass plus the body. Ball parking estimate on the glass:

- Zooms 16-50mmf2.8, 50-150mmf2.8 (all Samsung) ~ $3k

- Primes: 12mmf2.8, 30mm f1.4, 50mmf1.4 (all Ronkinon MF), ~ $1.2k, 85mmf1.4 (Samsung) $800

Total glass ball park $ is $5K. One can probably shop around get some deals, but having priced these all out at different times its not a bad ball-park, but to be favourable lets say $4k with some digging.

The body was running on park with 7dmkII, at NX1 body $1.7. Grand total is $5.7k.

All the aforementioned prices are exaggerated. If you do the math, and you are familiar with what is going on in video productions, the price is very good, as it includes a full set of 2 top performing zooms and all the Rokinon cine primes (I do exchange the 85mm with the Rokinon one, as it is preferable for video). Try to do this in any other system and you will be surprised (with the low cost option of the Rokinonos for the other systems of course), the 16-50S is well priced for what it is, the 50-150S should have been closer to the 16-50S lens, price wise.

So at this point, I would suggest, if you want 4k video on an aps-c sensor, its cheaper to go for a BMD ursa mini 4k, at $3k, plus some fast SD cards, and resuse your battery and canon glass. This will come in lets be generous and say $4k, and you have a much better 4K camera with global shutter, and pro res 4:2:2 or if you really have the time 4k 12bit raw. Saving about $1.7k. So it looks to me that the NX1's days as the best 4k video option have passed.

Not that its a bad camera to have its just that all technology moves on, and if your trying to win a market share with an expensive glass+body system you have to carve out a niche.

I do not know if you have ever used a BMD camera before, I was really excited with the pocket a few years ago, but it was a disaster of a camera, as it was near impossible to use it as it was (just the camera and a lens), logically these cameras are very difficult to achieve mainstream acceptance, as their advantages are overshadowed by their disadvantages. I am not going to buy an Ursa, if I haven't test it first, as I have been burned a few times by them, even though the comparison is unfair, as it is a video camera and NX1 obviously is a hybrid (one of the few cameras that really deserve this distinction), I mean, try to take pictures with an Ursa mini...

The problem with the NX system is that it won't have any evolution, as you are talking about a camera (URSA mini) that is not really tested in the field yet, with a camera close to its end cycle (NX1). I am 100% that NX2 would have been a better video camera, even vs a dedicated video camera as the Ursa mini, plus the price comparison is again irrelevant, as the NX1 with the 16-50S, an SD card and a spare battery you are ready to go, while the Ursa needs, obviously a lens, V-lock battery(-ies), top handle, view finder (this alone is close to 1.500$ I think!) plus the CF fast cards that are quite expensive right now (do they accept SD cards too?), so I do not agree at all with your opinion budget wise, plus the Ursa 4K sensor is not anything amazing, and worst than the NX one in every sense (from what I have read, I do not have personal experience). I am more excited about the new 4.6K one and I will be follow them closely, as it is a very interesting and exciting company that can keep prices relatively low.

For video, nothing beats a dedicated video camera as an everyday tool, and that's why we mostly use FS700 (mostly for slow motion), C100 (the workhorse) and C300 for low to medium budget projects, and it is kind of a stretch to ask for everything a video user needs from a photo camera, and I replied to you because you seem to understand the differences between using a video camera, and a photo camera that captures good video as well.

Again, the Ursa Mini is a video camera, the NX1 is both a photo and video one, and my argument was, that as a camera, it is better than the 70D, 7Dii, GH4 which was the competition of NX1. These cameras have some pros as well, I am not going to negate them, as there isn't a "perfect" camera yet, probably will never be, and that makes perfect sense and its fine with me, as I am in no crusade finding the Holy Grail of Cameras.

The problem is the end of the NX system, as newer cameras and more lens options would have establish Samsung as a more serious player, do not forget that NX1 was their first serious (with pro characteristics) effort of Samsung, and they abandoned it as they just becoming to create some buzz.

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