Is it unwise to buy NX now?

james _ wrote:

I have the NX10 and NX1 and these lenses:

• Rokinon 12mm
• NX 18-55
• NX 30mm
• NX 10mm fisheye

Bullet question list here, details below if you're interested

• Is it pointless to buy additional lenses for NX now, particularly more expensive S lenses? Or should I put that money to a new system (m4/3 is always interesting and capable, but for my love of APS-C I'm eyeing Fuji, albeit they are expensive)
• How long does a camera body last? Will the NX1 body I have now last me long enough to make use of an investment in lenses now?

I want a telephoto lens...but the 50-150 S is both rare and a pricey investment for a dead system, and I can't find the 50-200mm for a reasonable price considering it sold new around $150 when it was in production.

The 60mm macro is an even rarer find, which I remember being on sale new for $399 but I cannot find for less than $600 now.

It's now been 2ish years since the NX1 came out and it's become apparent to me that it is still one of the best cameras that can last me a decade for my enthusiast level goals.

I realize now I should have jumped on the deals when NX was known to go under rather than waiting to see, or I should have switched systems immediately.

It truly makes me frustrated....not just as a stuck consumer, but I really think Samsung could have done well if they had more patience to build photographic (and video) credibility around their brand name, and I wish we could have seen the system grow. Anyway...sorry to be that guy to lament the NX discontinuation again

"Sale" prices, are not normal prices, do you buy everything on Black Friday? or you buy the things are more discounted, rather than the products you like, or need? You start with a wrong mentality here, the "sales" mentality usually brings problems, or stuff we don't really want.

The 50-200 never was 150$ new. Maybe you saw that on Best Buy, on a lone lens, or somewhere, somehow? I do not know. I paid full money for money a lot of years ago, and I am very happy with my purchase. It is an incredible (for its tier) and cheap lens.

What other mirrorless brand has a stabilized 50-200 for 150$ new? and what performance does this lens have?

The similar Fuji is 600$, or more.

If you'd like to change, Fuji is the only way right now. X-T20 is one of the most amazing deals in APS-C cameras right now, it ain't that expensive, and selling all your Samsung, you can get the X-T20 with the rahter good 18-55 kit lens, and the 55-200, which is more than 600$ by the way, and half a stop better than NX.

If you like the native NX fish eye (in my top 3, I LOVE IT), then you have no option in any other APS-C mirrorless system.

If you want a very good touch screen experience, and you care only about a kit lens, a small pancake, and a cheap tele, then the M system would be at the top of my list, with its exceptional Dual Pixel AF, pleasing Canon colors, and cheap lens prices.

They have one of the cheapest macro lenses, albeit a weird one, 28mm/3.5f with a led light (300$), the excellent and worthy competitor to NX30mm, 22mm/2f for 250$, a very very good 11-22 for 400, and the 55-200, which is half a stop slower than NX, but for only 350 (which this is the normal NX 50- 200 price anyway). The problem with the M system, is that you are going to change the body really really soon, as it lacks a lot in features, but you can start with one of the very cheap bodies, and wait for a year or two for a better one.

The 50-150S lens is incredibly incredible by the way.

Maybe just buy a 50-200 somewhere, there are a lot around, get a macro adapter (it really works, I do not do any macro, so this adapter is great for my extra-limited use), and wait until your NX1 brakes. They seem to last, I have a heavily used one (the exterior is almost melted by the use!) that I take to all the difficult places, while shooting in boats, in Greek summers in the beach, in snowing mountains in the winter (plus this camera operated in Canada for a couple of years!), and it is still goes strong. No issues whatsoever. A cheap NX300 can be a good small camera, when you want to go light and small, and it is of similar quality of the Canon M system, just for a fraction of the price used, and it has amazing all touch screen control.

Right now it is the best time to sell though, prices have kept reasonably high, and the new APS-C cameras that will be definitely better than the NX1 haven't arrived yet.

Kisaha wrote:

"Sale" prices, are not normal prices, do you buy everything on Black Friday? or you buy the things are more discounted, rather than the products you like, or need? You start with a wrong mentality here, the "sales" mentality usually brings problems, or stuff we don't really want.

I have no problem with a sale mentality. I don't know where you have been but I feel like the lenses (and a lot of brands for that matter) have pretty regular discounts through regularly stocked stores like bhphotovideo.com. Whether it's Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas, Labor Day, Independence Day, etc. year after year, store rebates, or when there was that large thread on cheap new parts from Samsung spare part sites. I buy the products that I like and need when they are on sale - is that so hard to fathom? But, I don't have an immediate "need" since as I said, I am not a professional and my income doesn't ever rely on paying full price for equipment because I can wait a few months for the next sale cycle.

The 50-200 never was 150$ new. Maybe you saw that on Best Buy, on a lone lens, or somewhere, somehow? I do not know. I paid full money for money a lot of years ago, and I am very happy with my purchase. It is an incredible (for its tier) and cheap lens.

Maybe you are just bad at online shopping lol. There are plenty of examples of similar lenses here and that's just one search:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?mxp=200&ci=274&fct=fct_zooms-primes_4389%7czoom-lenses%2bfct_zoom-focal-lengths_2206%7c18-200mm%2bfct_zoom-focal-lengths_2206%7c28-200mm%2bfct_zoom-focal-lengths_2206%7c28-70mm%2bfct_zoom-focal-lengths_2206%7c50-200mm%2bfct_zoom-focal-lengths_2206%7c55-200mm%2bfct_zoom-focal-lengths_2206%7c55-250mm%2bprice%7c%5b*+TO+200.00%5d%2bfct_zoom-focal-lengths_2206%7c70-300mm&N=4288584247&token=c08bc386ec5fa8d4b2b71936a29fe68b&

What other mirrorless brand has a stabilized 50-200 for 150$ new? and what performance does this lens have?

The similar Fuji is 600$, or more.

To throw up that Fuji lens as your example support of prices is pretty outrageous.

If you'd like to change, Fuji is the only way right now. X-T20 is one of the most amazing deals in APS-C cameras right now, it ain't that expensive, and selling all your Samsung, you can get the X-T20 with the rahter good 18-55 kit lens, and the 55-200, which is more than 600$ by the way, and half a stop better than NX.

If you like the native NX fish eye (in my top 3, I LOVE IT), then you have no option in any other APS-C mirrorless system.

If you want a very good touch screen experience, and you care only about a kit lens, a small pancake, and a cheap tele, then the M system would be at the top of my list, with its exceptional Dual Pixel AF, pleasing Canon colors, and cheap lens prices.

Thanks for your perspective here. It is appealing in its positive Canon ways, but with the way the camera industry is and the rate Canon innovates overall, I'm waiting a bit longer to see what the system will mature to, particularly when it comes to Canon's backing of it.

They have one of the cheapest macro lenses, albeit a weird one, 28mm/3.5f with a led light (300$), the excellent and worthy competitor to NX30mm, 22mm/2f for 250$, a very very good 11-22 for 400, and the 55-200, which is half a stop slower than NX, but for only 350 (which this is the normal NX 50- 200 price anyway). The problem with the M system, is that you are going to change the body really really soon, as it lacks a lot in features, but you can start with one of the very cheap bodies, and wait for a year or two for a better one.

The 50-150S lens is incredibly incredible by the way.

Maybe just buy a 50-200 somewhere, there are a lot around, get a macro adapter (it really works, I do not do any macro, so this adapter is great for my extra-limited use), and wait until your NX1 brakes. They seem to last, I have a heavily used one (the exterior is almost melted by the use!) that I take to all the difficult places, while shooting in boats, in Greek summers in the beach, in snowing mountains in the winter (plus this camera operated in Canada for a couple of years!), and it is still goes strong. No issues whatsoever. A cheap NX300 can be a good small camera, when you want to go light and small, and it is of similar quality of the Canon M system, just for a fraction of the price used, and it has amazing all touch screen control.

Right now it is the best time to sell though, prices have kept reasonably high, and the new APS-C cameras that will be definitely better than the NX1 haven't arrived yet.

This is a good point; while the high prices make it hard for me as an owner, if I were to switch systems, it's in my advantage....

james _ wrote:

Kisaha wrote:

"Sale" prices, are not normal prices, do you buy everything on Black Friday? or you buy the things are more discounted, rather than the products you like, or need? You start with a wrong mentality here, the "sales" mentality usually brings problems, or stuff we don't really want.

I have no problem with a sale mentality. I don't know where you have been but I feel like the lenses (and a lot of brands for that matter) have pretty regular discounts through regularly stocked stores like bhphotovideo.com. Whether it's Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas, Labor Day, Independence Day, etc. year after year, store rebates, or when there was that large thread on cheap new parts from Samsung spare part sites. I buy the products that I like and need when they are on sale - is that so hard to fathom? But, I don't have an immediate "need" since as I said, I am not a professional and my income doesn't ever rely on paying full price for equipment because I can wait a few months for the next sale cycle.

I've been in Europe. Those days mean nothing to me, except Black Friday that we had for the very first time last year, and it is nothing like the US (or UK, I guess).

The 50-200 never was 150$ new. Maybe you saw that on Best Buy, on a lone lens, or somewhere, somehow? I do not know. I paid full money for money a lot of years ago, and I am very happy with my purchase. It is an incredible (for its tier) and cheap lens.

Maybe you are just bad at online shopping lol. There are plenty of examples of similar lenses here and that's just one search:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?mxp=200&ci=274&fct=fct_zooms-primes_4389%7czoom-lenses%2bfct_zoom-focal-lengths_2206%7c18-200mm%2bfct_zoom-focal-lengths_2206%7c28-200mm%2bfct_zoom-focal-lengths_2206%7c28-70mm%2bfct_zoom-focal-lengths_2206%7c50-200mm%2bfct_zoom-focal-lengths_2206%7c55-200mm%2bfct_zoom-focal-lengths_2206%7c55-250mm%2bprice%7c%5b*+TO+200.00%5d%2bfct_zoom-focal-lengths_2206%7c70-300mm&N=4288584247&token=c08bc386ec5fa8d4b2b71936a29fe68b&

Those are NOT mirrorless lenses. Keep reading.

What other mirrorless brand has a stabilized 50-200 for 150$ new? and what performance does this lens have?

The similar Fuji is 600$, or more.

To throw up that Fuji lens as your example support of prices is pretty outrageous.

This is the equivalent Fuji, and I mentioned EOS M also, which are cheaper, but still is 349$, same as the Sony, which is a lot worst than all mentioned here, definitely not 150$, that you throw at some point.

If you'd like to change, Fuji is the only way right now. X-T20 is one of the most amazing deals in APS-C cameras right now, it ain't that expensive, and selling all your Samsung, you can get the X-T20 with the rahter good 18-55 kit lens, and the 55-200, which is more than 600$ by the way, and half a stop better than NX.

If you like the native NX fish eye (in my top 3, I LOVE IT), then you have no option in any other APS-C mirrorless system.

If you want a very good touch screen experience, and you care only about a kit lens, a small pancake, and a cheap tele, then the M system would be at the top of my list, with its exceptional Dual Pixel AF, pleasing Canon colors, and cheap lens prices.

Thanks for your perspective here. It is appealing in its positive Canon ways, but with the way the camera industry is and the rate Canon innovates overall, I'm waiting a bit longer to see what the system will mature to, particularly when it comes to Canon's backing of it.

True. They just will go there, and they have the best AF system, the best User Interface, best colors out of the box and the best-CHEAP lenses, so they tick the most boxes for an amateur. My other proposal was the X-T20, but you have to spend a lot in glass.

They have one of the cheapest macro lenses, albeit a weird one, 28mm/3.5f with a led light (300$), the excellent and worthy competitor to NX30mm, 22mm/2f for 250$, a very very good 11-22 for 400, and the 55-200, which is half a stop slower than NX, but for only 350 (which this is the normal NX 50- 200 price anyway). The problem with the M system, is that you are going to change the body really really soon, as it lacks a lot in features, but you can start with one of the very cheap bodies, and wait for a year or two for a better one.

The 50-150S lens is incredibly incredible by the way.

Maybe just buy a 50-200 somewhere, there are a lot around, get a macro adapter (it really works, I do not do any macro, so this adapter is great for my extra-limited use), and wait until your NX1 brakes. They seem to last, I have a heavily used one (the exterior is almost melted by the use!) that I take to all the difficult places, while shooting in boats, in Greek summers in the beach, in snowing mountains in the winter (plus this camera operated in Canada for a couple of years!), and it is still goes strong. No issues whatsoever. A cheap NX300 can be a good small camera, when you want to go light and small, and it is of similar quality of the Canon M system, just for a fraction of the price used, and it has amazing all touch screen control.

Right now it is the best time to sell though, prices have kept reasonably high, and the new APS-C cameras that will be definitely better than the NX1 haven't arrived yet.

This is a good point; while the high prices make it hard for me as an owner, if I were to switch systems, it's in my advantage....

Good luck.

Ben Herrmann wrote:

IMO, to keep it simple:

1. If you don't care about the brand releasing more gear or provided adequate and timely service if needed: Then investing in more Samsung lenses is not a bad idea. After all you have NX cameras - so why not? If you're a fan of NX (which obviously we all are for the most part), then even buying more camera bodies is not a bad thing.

2. If wanting to get into a system that is vibrant and advancing: Then you should look elsewhere. I can tell you that shooting with M43 products and Fuji X cameras are a joy. You'll soon become acclimated to shooting with these cameras and the wealth of options you have with those systems are fantastic.

or...

3. Just buy stuff for both NX and the "other" brand. There are quite a few folks here who shoot with a variety of different brand camera systems. There's lots of joy and flexibility involved with doing so. Since you already have NX cameras, getting more lenses doesn't hurt, and then keeping pace with the other brand gear you are considering, keeps you up to date. Just a thought.

I second the opinion about Fuji.  I talked myself out of buying further into Samsung recently and instead sold off my remaining Samsung stuff and bought a couple used Fuji cameras.  Holy crap! Why didn't I do that sooner? I enjoy my Fuji's more than I ever did Samsung, and the jpegs are so good I don't have much need to shoot raw.  High ISO performance is way better (don't believe all that junk about ISO cheating), and overall it's nice not to shoot with a dead system.

I honestly think it depends on your budget. If you're still looking to get the best bang for your buck, NX1 is hard to beat in the used market.
You can get an NX1 in really good shape for about $1000 and a 16-50S for around $600.
There's not a $1600 combination in the world that can touch it. Fuji's equivalent zoom is around $1000, and the X-T2 is running around $1250, plus you'd need the $300 battery grip to get the same amount of video recording time.
If you need a bunch of fast focusing fast primes, I'd look elsewhere. But the 45mm at $250 is a gem. And the 85 1.4 is amazing, but is a little expensive ($500) and doesn't focus super fast.