Samsung NX1, $1300 4K flagman

markr041

@joe: Thank you for the warning, but this is not unexpected. Any stabilization system and pans are not good combos - essentially a stabilization system cannot easily distinguish between purposeful camera movement and shakes. Digital stabilization also cannot always identify camera shakes from subject movement (a subject can move in the frame because the subject moves or the camera shakes (moves)).

Why would anyone want to use stabilization for a pan on a tripod? Most camera manuals I have read advise to turn off stabilization when a camera is on a tripod, and some have cautioned on pans. The great Sony BOSS also has troubles with pans.

joe1946

Do you have a problem with me posting handheld pans with DIS on ?

Ralph_B

@joe1946

Thanks for the clips. Stabilization issues aside, what caught my eye was the lens. That Tamron 10-24mm is great! Question: Which lens mount is the Tamron using, and what sort of adapter are you using to mount it on the NX1? Is it working as a manual lens or is there any electrical connection?

johncaballero

Ok now, take the camera off the tripod and with DIS turned on hold the camera steady and walk while you record to see if you notice how steady the image is in the recording. This feature is about how to have movement of the camera, like when you use a camera steadycam, and record a nice smooth image.

brianl

what markr said.

DMZ

@joe1946: I think that part of the jello problem is the rather high rolling shutter for the 4K. The DIS may perform better for full HD that has a pretty small rolling shutter effect. What Markr said still applies, of course. It would be interesting to see whether there is a noticeable difference.

dimgial

@MikeLinn : posting the "Building Your Dream Ferrari Is A Beautiful Thing" youtube video from petrolicious channel, i am wondering do we know if the current setup used in recent videos contains only samsung nx1 and what lenses maybe? thanx

joe1946 · Screen Shot 2015-08-23 at 12.47.32 PM.png

My 10-24mm Tamron has a Pentax mount with Fotasy Pentax PK Manual lens to Samsung NX Mirrorless Camera adapter (Amazon). I just shot a short handheld clip with DIS on with my Pentax mount 15mm F2.8 Sigma of a Bee at minimum 5.9" focus.

markr041

This handheld 4K video consists of clips shot without and with NIS turned on of stationary objects to assess the effects of NIS when the subjects have no motion. The NX 16-50mm S lens was used at the long end:

markr041

DIS test with lens that has no OIS - the NX 45mm f1.8.

The first clip in each scene has DIS turned off.

markr041

Here is an example of why DIS is such an important breakthrough. This is a video of close-ups of insect life on flowers, shot with a 90mm (35mm-equivalent) macro lens handheld. You cannot efficiently shoot dragonflies, butterflies and bees at work with tripods - these insects move around and you have to "capture" them opportunistically - you have to be able to move after them with camera and shoot while they are in place. Without stabilization, the close-up video would be unwatchable - jitter and shaky. Well, here is what you can get using the NX1 with DIS and OIS combined:

DMZ

@markr041: Simply stunning! All your videos are very inspiring. Keep them coming!

I did my own tests yesterday evening and found that the DIS + OIS (16-50mm S lens) tears on most non-quasi static shots - as it's to be expected. But for hand-held static takes, and even limited (slow) paining in FHD, it works pretty nice.

feanorfinwe

What's happening, Samsung???

http://ikt.sk/4k-cameras.jpg

Vitaliy_Kiselev

@feanorfinwe

What this all mean? You need long lens?

JFKa

This superb video made by my mate Macgregor was made fully with a NX1.

kolinko

@JFKa It's really a beautiful video regarding the picture quality, so good! I'd definately go for the NX1, but since I have two voigtlander noktron micro4/3 prime lenses..

Vitaliy_Kiselev

Video sample - http://www.ixbt.com/digimage/samsung-new/nx1/video/vid-1.mp4

http://www.ixbt.com/digimage/samsung-nx1-part1.shtml

DMZ

New NX1 review from HD GURU (of Sept. 4th, 2015)

Conclusion:

The NX1 delivers both professional quality stills and spectacular pro-quality video.

As a still camera the 90 JPEG@1/8,000th second continuous image burst at 15fps surpasses cameras three times the price. With that kind of latitude the need for neutral density filters disappears.

The SRW RAW files contain a spectacular amount of image data that can be easily and creatively adjusted in Lightroom and Photoshop, or enjoyed straight from the camera. This is where the built-in creativity of the Smart Shot, Picture Wizard and Smart Filters come into play. And the built-in Wi-Fi allows emailing an image directly from the camera or a connected smartphone.

The video performance is stunning. Having tested it in low light on a night shoot of a Hollywood movie and in the overpowering brightness of a sunset, the camera consistently outperformed expectations.

There has been a lot of attention given lately to RAW and flat S-LOG file shooting, much of which has been overblown and misleading. While the NX1 does not offer a super flat image, a properly exposed shot can be adjusted in post to do everything that a flat profile can offer. Indeed, on the set of “Kickboxer Vengeance” the consensus was that the Samsung NX1 could be used side by side with the Red Epic footage in post production. You simply can’t expect better than that for a sub $2,000 camera.

Although there are adjustments for Luminance Levels and Master Black Levels these are not designed to expand the dynamic range but rather to match other cameras in given shooting environments. The base settings in combination with the Gamma DR setting grants the widest latitude in true dynamic range.

I found it very easy to use the Touch AF for set up of focus during those hectic points in shooting behind the scenes on a stunt-filled action movie. In fact, I was even able to pull off rack focus using the Touch AF and the AF Responsiveness adjustment in the menu. The results were as smooth as using the lens control but without needing a second-person focus puller.

When I had the time, the 1280×720 viewfinder was sharp and spectacular and the manual focus switch on the lens barrel was easy to access.

Where the NX1 could be improved is stepping up to 10-bit color depth, 4:2:2 color sampling and 4k 60p frame rates. Enabling 10-bit, 4:2:2 instead of 8-bit 4:2:2 from the HDMI port would bring the ability to use an Atomos Shogun, or similar video recorder, to its fullest potential in external video recording.

Audio has always been a weak link in all mirrorless cameras but the newest firmware upgrade has taken the first step in improving the external audio capture. But still more needs to be done.

The use of H.265 is a definite long-term advantage enabling storing twice as much as H.264 while maintaining professional quality standards, and as an added bonus there is no need for ultra-fast SDHC cards, which are prone to overheating issues and failure.

For serious amateur or pro-level photography and videography, there is no other camera in this price range that delivers the bang for the buck that the Samsung NX1 camera does.