Questions about NX1000 and NX1100

In my search for a camera with accurate colors, I discovered that the NX1000 produces JPGs with some of the most accurate colors on the market, so I'm looking at that camera or the NX1100, which appears to be substantially similar.  However, I have some questions:

1. Are these old cameras?  They are available on Amazon, but the large camera retailers have stopped carrying them.

2. Are macro photos sharp?  A web site which reviewed the NX1000 said that very close-up macro images are soft in the center; but I photograph my products from about a foot away.  Can I expect sharp images at that distance (with the kit lens)?

3. I had a Nikon camera which I returned because it displayed the camera settings (accompanied by a multitude of icons & symbols) on the screen for 3 seconds after each shot.  That made it hard to frame the next shot.  Can I set these cameras so that they show nothing on the screen after a shot except the view through the lens?

I sell colorful glass beads on the internet, and I'll be using the camera to take product shots; but I also want to use it as my all-around camera.

Thank you!

CMurdock wrote:

In my search for a camera with accurate colors, I discovered that the NX1000 produces JPGs with some of the most accurate colors on the market, so I'm looking at that camera or the NX1100, which appears to be substantially similar. However, I have some questions:

1. Are these old cameras? They are available on Amazon, but the large camera retailers have stopped carrying them.

Yes, they've been both discontinued - which means no more firmware updates, i.e. no support for 2014 and newer lenses (The 2014 ones work with the camera but are reported to zoom more slowly, miss some functionality etc.). However, I find the software to be quite stable - I haven't experienced any software freeze during few hundred hours I used this camera. Tizen-based ones (e.g. NX2000 and NX300) are reported to hang occasionally.

2. Are macro photos sharp? A web site which reviewed the NX1000 said that very close-up macro images are soft in the center; but I photograph my products from about a foot away. Can I expect sharp images at that distance (with the kit lens)?

This obviously depends on lens. I'm not sure what kit lens you were referring to, but I found 20-50mm to be sharper than 18-55mm in good lighting. Just keep in mind that autofocus may struggle with object close to minimum focussing range (28cm for both kit lens IIRC).

However, I wouldn't bother that much since you probably don't need to publish these pictures in A4 format and "softies" when downscaled will look much sharper (Downscaling can be performed in-camera.). If this bothers you - there are nice primes (incl. the 60mm macro) in the NX lineup which help to achieve better IQ.

3. I had a Nikon camera which I returned because it displayed the camera settings (accompanied by a multitude of icons & symbols) on the screen for 3 seconds after each shot. That made it hard to frame the next shot. Can I set these cameras so that they show nothing on the screen after a shot except the view through the lens?

Yes, you can disable UI elements selectively (icons on the left / on the right of display, histogram etc.). If you disable displaying preview of the photo after capture, you should get the behaviour you want. I can check this for you when I have some time to play with the camera.

I sell colorful glass beads on the internet, and I'll be using the camera to take product shots; but I also want to use it as my all-around camera.

I can assure you that this is a great all-around camera thanks to its size & weight.

CMurdock wrote:

The NX1100 was introduced just about 15 months ago. I wish they wouldn't change models so rapidly. Who knows if the replacement camera will have as good color reproduction.

NX1100 is actually a re-packaged NX1000, which was released in April 2012. The NX1100 might have been an attempt to sell the remaining NX1000 production in a more attractive package. The real NX1000 follow up was NX2000, which was released in May 2013, just a month after NX1100.

Samsung is known for its scattergun approach in TV and smartphone market. They refresh the lineup each year and spawn multiple variants of the base models throughout the year. It seems that they are trying to follow this model with their camera division as well - we just witnessed the transition from NX2000 to NX3000 this June.

With regard to color reproduction - the Samsung sensor develops through evolution rather than revolution. I'm not sure about the in-camera image processing part, though.

I checked the behaviour of the display between shots - it's perfectly possible to disable all UI overlays save the bottom bar which display shutter speed, f-stop, ISO value etc. and it is retained between shots (You can quickly cycle between UI settings by pressing cursor up key when needed.). The bottom bar is very small & transparent - it does not obstruct the live view significantly.

vatazhka wrote:

CMurdock wrote:

In my search for a camera with accurate colors, I discovered that the NX1000 produces JPGs with some of the most accurate colors on the market, so I'm looking at that camera or the NX1100, which appears to be substantially similar. However, I have some questions:

1. Are these old cameras? They are available on Amazon, but the large camera retailers have stopped carrying them.

Yes, they've been both discontinued - which means no more firmware updates, i.e. no support for 2014 and newer lenses (The 2014 ones work with the camera but are reported to zoom more slowly, miss some functionality etc.). However, I find the software to be quite stable - I haven't experienced any software freeze during few hundred hours I used this camera. Tizen-based ones (e.g. NX2000 and NX300) are reported to hang occasionally.

Is this true? Does discontinued really mean no support for new lenses and no firmware updates? Is this common for other manufacturers? (Nikon, Canon, Sony?)

It seems odd that a camera body would not support newer lenses of the same system. People seem to routinely use much older Canon and Nikon DSLR bodies. Can anyone confirm this?