Upgraded to NX500 Finally

I finally upgraded my NX210 to an NX500 , there was a good deal on an open box white one (I liked the white NX1100 I had) .. Wow is this thing fast compared to the 210 & 1100 - even sharper in RAW at pixel level (and the 210 & 1100 have very weak AAs) and the RAWs are finally compressed (Lossless too) !! . I was gratified to find that it takes proper SD cards (other new compact Sammy NXs take fiddly Micro SD) .. Glad to have 4K even if it is cropped.

The 16-50 PZ Kit lens hasn`t the perfect wideopen edge to edge performance of the 20-50 at the wide end but the long end is a bit sharper (a bit being the operative word, it`s not much sharper, and the 20-50 isn`t at its best at 50mm either) ,,for the record it vignettes a LOT-LESS than the Sony 16-50 but the Sony is sharper edge to edge end to end , though the Sony is pretty useless in RAW without heavy image damaging correction due to the incredible vignetting and distortion - I`d rather have the Samsung overall and like that they copied the Sonys fast ring zoom action - the edge softness is better at F5.6 (therefore usable) anyway so won`t be having to grab the 20-50 anytime soon .. the 30mm Prime Rocks on this cam, I`m hoping the 20mm will too when I get it back from who I lent it to ..

Really glad I did this, the Sammys have been my Hi-Rez Personal Compact Mirrorless since the NX200 Days as Ben Hermann will know .. the 500 is sadly is the NX lines Swansong and finally an almost perfect successor to the 200 .

mine arrives in a week, also open box white. Fingers crossed

Yup, Get'em while you can  , unlike NX200-300s, 1000-3000s and NX20-30s -- NX1s and moreso NX500s are going to get hard to get (far less made = few on the used market later on) , and until Sony make an APS-C E-mount Zoom lens of even half passable quality (doesn`t seem likely, they`ve not managed it in the past 6 years at any price) then there`s still a need for NX500s and NX1s

Why? 1st because the Sony A6300 is better, and less expensive than the NX1, even bought new. And there might be a price drop any time,

I did mention the NX1 but the focus of this thread is cheap end of line NX500s (the NX1 will drop like a stone in price in time) and it`s irrelevant how good the A6300 is when there isn`t a single decent native APS-C zoom for the thing - hence the massive market for manual glass adapters and even Sigma has made a canon AF Adapter for the thing

M43 has superb glass, the sensors are still quite a way behind

Ok Adam, but don't you think that it a rush decision never tooks us anywhere? I mean, prices should be dropping, not climbing... These prices are ridiculous, and there are people that is buyng Nx500, and Nx1, at these prices just out of fear...

I don`t know what Bancika paid but I paid far less for mine than A5100 kits go for , about the same as a Panasonic GF7 kit (Pannys cheapest camera)

I want to buy a NX camera, but these prices, and thes madness, is making me change to Sony, or to Panasonic...

What prices ? , I`ve been seeing open box stuff on E-Bay , Amazon and WEX used which are in the realms of used prices in the past few months .

these prices:

NX1

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SAMSUNG-NX1-BODY-GEHAUSE-28-2-MEGAPIXEL-DIGITALKAMERA-EV-NX1ZZZBZBDE-NEUWARE-/262446163185?hash=item3d1b02a4f1:g:HXMAAOSwyjBW3~iF

Nx500

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Samsung-NX-NX500-28-2-MP-Digitalkamera-Weis-Kit-mit-16-50mm-Objektiv-NEU-/141986327405?hash=item210f0b6b6d:g:dWMAAOSwNSxVInyo

Wow .. there`s no way they`ll sell at those prices !!

Good man Adam, the Nx500 is a powerful camera. A Futuristic powerhouse that fits in your hand. I bought a few when they were at a low price. They make an excellent video setup. Where did you pick yours up ?

Chopperguy wrote:

Good man Adam, the Nx500 is a powerful camera. A Futuristic powerhouse that fits in your hand. I bought a few when they were at a low price. They make an excellent video setup. Where did you pick yours up ?

Amazon warehouse deals , they pop up from time to time

Ah yes,

they can be v good alright.

I nearly got suckered in yesterday by a scammer on Amazon.de, pretending to sell many nx1 cameras and s lenses.  The seller is even listed as Amazon, until you look into it.

Theres a "contact the seller before buying" note, which in this case means .... im gonna take your money , and send you nothing.

they've been doing this for months, and

i dont know how they get away with listing these scams.

anyway i hope no one falls for it .

Fear of having spent so much on lenses, and end with no body to use them, because as we know, you can use canon lenses,Sony and nikon lenses, on loads of bodies, with adapters, but you can't use NX lenses on other than NX cameras, right? Fear of being stuck with a dead system...

Depends on how you look at it - I`ve never used NX as a "System" , for me,  it`s been a high resolution , high quality jacket personal camera alternative to a high end compact like the canon G series or panasonic LX series with a far better compact zoom lens than anything Sony have ever made or likely ever will ..

I tried the A6000 twice in the time it`s been out but the awful zooms drove me away both times , they drove me away from the NEX5 6 years ago and the NEX7 4.5 years ago previously .. Sony love to make more and more bodies but they STILL haven`t a single standard APS-C zoom capable of making anywhere near the most of their very first Mirrorless, the NEX5 !

Micro 4/3 has fantastic kit lenses (even better Pro lenses) and THE best superzoom for any ILC system period (DSLR or otherwise regardless of sensor size) and I make good use of a GM5 at events for silent shooting & video - the primes are superb too at all price ranges and even the oldest Panasonics have superb AF  but the sensors are still way behind  in DR as well as noise performance (compared to my small event camera , the D7200) and all bar one camera are more than 10Mp behind the NX500 in resolution too ..

Compromises always play a big part in camera choice whether as a single unit  with maybe a prime or two (how I see the NX200-500 range and where IMO they score best) or as a complete system .

Sony lose out full stop in my book because for me, the zooms fall well below the acceptable level of quality across the frame and sample variation is even worse than Samsung even with the most expensive glass  .... Fuji despite the superb glass and well designed bodies fell at the first hurdle for me with X-Trans (which I`ve never managed to get an acceptable RAW conversion from) and they`ve only very recently got their AF performance to a decent level , they also hung onto 16Mp sensors for far too long for an APS-C system (Sony had 24Mp nearly 5 years ago) , and they still are 16Mp bar the flagship X-Pro cam

Nothing`s perfect - pick the set of compromises which suit your shooting situation and needs best . I like the compact NX cams (well , the 200-500 and 1000/1100 anyway) despite no EVF, I can`t see me ever owning an NX1 though let alone the expensive bulky fast lenses  .

I love your postings - always have over the past decade or so.  The way you describe glass is like you're comparing fine wines.  Ya gotta love it!

Yeah, I love the NX500 also.  In fact, I regard the kit 16-50 PZ with a little more high regard than you do.  Right now, in addition to acquiring Samsung cameras where you can, I also suggest to folks to pick up an extra 16-50 PZ or two while you can.  Right now they are selling for a pittance from this outstanding vendor on eBay (out of Korea - 100% rating).  I've ordered several items from him - a few cameras and lenses (along with an additional 16-50 PZ) and I've absolutely delighted with this vendor.

Get 'em while you can....   Check here.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Samsung-NX16-50mm-PZ-Power-Zoom-ED-OIS-Lens-Color-Black-For-Samsung-NX-Series-/251550709678?hash=item3a919737ae:g:C1YAAOxyAbxTkQUZ

Yeah, I love the NX500 also. In fact, I regard the kit 16-50 PZ with a little more high regard than you do.

I`d describe it as a passable 16mm F3.5 prime which zooms if you`re absolutely desperate .. the downside is that the long end is pitifully softer than the Sony version (not suprising as the 20-50 is also) but the wide end is far better - the Sony is literally a fisheye at 16mm , one which produces black corners ..

Right now, in addition to acquiring Samsung cameras where you can, I also suggest to folks to pick up an extra 16-50 PZ or two while you can.

One is more than enough thanks - I may try a MK3 18-55 though (the Mk1 was awful) .

16-50s go for about £100 in the UK so not cheap here  . I`d rather have the 16mm prime, it`s just as good at 50mm and is F2.8 not F3.5

Well it`s been a couple of weeks with the NX500 and I`m knocked out with the performance (especially card write and AF which is DSLR like, leaves my GM5 and the GH3 for dead let alone the NX210) , knocked out with the flexibility of the RAW files (Noise floor, DR and recovery is very alike the D7200) and even the handling (despite accidently pressing the Custom / trash button all the time) ..

It doesn`t seem as sharp at pixel level in RAW as the D7200 or even the NX210 / A6000 but that could be down to having to use DNG converter for Capture one to handle the files instead of natively but it`s not miles out and there is a definite resolution advantage over the 24Mp sony sensored cams and  a massive one over Micro 4/3 , the converted Images from the NX500 seem to have more of a "full frame" look to them I can`t describe , in Sony terms, they look more "A7 than A6000" for some weird reason .

the cam does show up the weakness in glass, the 30mm isn`t looking too great at the edges unless stopped down to F5.6, the 20mm too but it`s better edgewise at F4 than the 30mm - the 20mm + NX500 is a far better bet than a Sigma DP1 Quattro (optically about the same, the 19mm lens on the Sigmas isn`t perfect either) and you can change the lens , this is my to go rig, if I need wider, I`ll use the 16-50 like a wide prime (where it`s at its best)

Verdict - a winner, the cam is responsive , the files are superb and the glass overall a far better bet overall than the Sony APS-C E mount offerings (Standard zooms & cheap primes - neither have a decent telephoto zoom, looks like neither will get one) ..