I have to praise the Samsung NX system...

I realize that there are plenty of upset Samsung users right now, but I want to set that aside and just talk about my personal experience using the cameras. My setup is NX1, NX500, 30mm, 45mm, 85mm, and 50-150 S. I also have a Panasonic LX100 (mentioned later). I shoot mostly natural light portraits, including family and child photography. I do some studio work using manual Yongnuo flashes.

I’ve been through quite a string of cameras over the past few years, and thought I struggled with gear acquisition syndrome. But as I’ve looked carefully through that list of cameras, I’ve realized that every one of them had at least one key flaw that really bugged me. Not until I landed on the NX system did I really find what I wanted. Since I got my NX bodies and lenses (about 10 months ago), the gear acquisition bug has really gone away.

I’ve shot many thousands of pictures since I got the gear, mostly family and studio portraits (with a bit of landscape and other photography mixed in). I've been ecstatic about the results.

Ease of use with the Samsung interface is tremendous.

APS-C is just right. I’ve extensively used micro four thirds and full frame, and for me APS-C is clearly the sweet spot for balancing depth of field / shutter speed / ISO, while having significant enough pixel size for very high quality.

I love that I can go back and forth from a very compact body (NX500) to a full-featured yet light body (NX1) and have the exact same sensor and settings. The NX500 even has a true dual-dial setup, though they are understandably a bit dinky.

The lenses are fantastic. Yes, I get a little frustrated with the focus hunting of backlit subjects with the 30mm and 85mm. But overall the Samsung lenses delight me.

The system cost is well below any other option. As an amateur who does almost all of my photography for personal enjoyment or as a gift to others, I don’t have money to spend on gear. My Samsung setup cost me much less than the equivalent with other manufacturers.

28MP is just right. For all of the talk about how most people don’t need so many, I found myself constantly frustrated with the 16MP of Micro Four Thirds and the 20mp of my full frame Canon. But since I don’t shoot landscapes, I don’t really want the massive mp size (and file size) of today’s full frame cameras either. I have found 28 is perfect.

I love having high quality video, including 4K, easily available in the exact same bodies as my delightful still cameras. Here I must admit, though, that I find myself using my Panasonic LX100 much more for video. It’s just so easy to use, the video is gorgeous, and you have very little crop factor to deal with when you switch to 4K video. The stills on the LX100 are poor, but I do use it constantly as my video camera despite having the capabilities on the NX1 and NX500. I can also use the LX100 for high-speed sync with my flashes, though gratefully the NX cameras do go up to 1/250 sync speed (and work great with my Yongnuos).

I have little frustrations – like the inability to move the loupe when manual focusing, and the lack of a viewfinder on the NX500. Of course I wish Samsung would not have suddenly disappeared from the market right after my purchases. But overall, I am so delighted with my kit, the incredible quality of the images, and the low price I paid for it. Instead of worrying about what happens next with Samsung (though I understand the frustrations many are having), I’m very happily shooting (and maybe watching for a great deal on a 16-50 S, 12-24, or 60mm macro ).

Tim

Couldn't agree more with you. I currently have the nx1 and the Nx3000 (picked up cheaply so ideal for a holiday camera where there's a good chance it could get broken!)

I'm blown away by the nx1 especially 4k video and the ability to extract very high quality 8mp stills. I've collected quite a few lenses over the last few years so I have everything I need, minus the s lenses but I can't afford them

Before I bought my first nx camera (nx1000) I was frequently upgrading my phone for the latest best camera. Nowadays I don't feel the need to upgrade as I'm mostly using 'proper' cameras which make all phones look so inferior.

Overall I'm very pleased with my setup and don't see a need to change it any time soon.