andy4nothin

I'm pleased with the results from Rocky Mountains Movie Converter on my PC. It's free and whilst not offering any image adjustment, it does give the Samsung's H265 files quite a pleasing reduction in contrast when converted to Prores.

http://www.mydiyworld.net/?p=1805

On this Youtube page:

ISO works for me too during movie recording, I have ISO assigned to the large rear scroll wheel for quick adjustments. The exposure changes smoothly. I don't tend to change ISO during a shot, only before, but make no mistake, the NX1 has full manual control of everything in movie mode.

Brilliant Andrew. Thanks for the info. Works really well, but surprised you can't alter it from the ISO button. Using the custom wheel is much better though. Appreciate your help and LearningCameras for alerting me to the fact.

Is there any way you can get the control wheel to adjust ISO on the GH3?

That's interesting @LearningCameras. What controls do you use to adjust the ISO whilst recording, and are you able to change it in Movie Standby?

So wait you cant change the ISO while recording? What else can't be changed?
That's very disappointing.

It is a little annoying. Once in movie preview/movie standby and when recording, ISO appears to be locked and the IFunction button on the lenses appears to be disabled. Shutter and aperture can still be adjusted using the wheels, but effectively what it means is that Movie Preview mode - isn't!

Unless I missed something (very likely), you have to set ISO in manual stills mode, then either go into movie standby or hit the record button to tweak your aperture or ND.

Focus peaking (without magnification) and overexposure continue to work so you can pull focus while recording and get a good idea of DOF.

I think Andrew already pointed out that you can set the stills framing to 16:9, but this still doesn't offer an exposure preview.

You can shoot video in Shutter priority mode but the camera shifts to auto ISO and a Samsung lens goes to maximum aperture. With autofocus on it gives you a kind off full auto mode. Not tried video in any other modes yet and waiting for Santa to bring Nikon adapter to try manual lenses.

The other thing that is locked when you hit record or movie standby is your choice of screen or EVF. It ceases to automatically switch between the two.

For me personally, none of these issues detracts to the point where I want to go back to my GH3 or consider a GH4.

Battery time seems pretty good. 3 hours and 67 video clips in pretty cold conditions took the battery down to 38%.

@Vesku - Interesting to see that the colour can be pulled back from those cream infill panels on the carriage. Your version looks similar to my 360 degree pano: http://uktripper.com/visits/bridgnorth-cliff-railway/

Highlights seem to wash out quite easily in bright light. This camera needs some flattish custom profiles.

Although the DR doesn't appear to be that broad, I do like the overall quality of the image.

Just uploaded yesterdays footage:

Managed to get out with the NX1 in some decent light today and I'm very pleased with the results. First camera I've had with focus peaking, which after the GH3, just seems too easy.

Handling is generally good, but I would like to be able to adjust the ISO after hitting movie preview. Also once you start recording, you're locked into either the screen or EVF, depending on which was chosen when you hit record.

Very disappointed with Samsung's conversion app. First file went from 160mb to 773mb, with a loss of sharpness, contrast and saturation. Probably can be recovered in grading, but compared to the gorgeous image straight out of the camera - very poor.

Then went on to batch convert the remaining 66 clips and it wouldn't allow me to select the quality from the drop down menu!

Fantastic and very complete review! Thanks for the work that went into that.

 

I bought a Samsung NX1 and the 16-50mm f/2-2.8 lens to test but I am going to return it. I LOVE this camera and it breaks my heart to return it. The feature set and handling of the NX1 seems just about perfect to me

 

Since I could not find any store in Texas with a NX1 in stock I checked the return policy of a mail order store to make sure I could return it if necessary. I've been using Canon cameras for 22 years and the transition to the controls for the NX1 took less than one day to get totally comfortable.

 

The issue for me is the focus changes so quickly in video mode that it is jarring to watch. Continuous autofocus is pretty darn good. It only falls apart if there is significant distance between the focus points selected by touch during video shooting. The result is video that I would not give away much less be able to charge a client for. My Canon 70D does a great job creating smooth cinematic focus changes in the same situation though the video is lower quality. 

 

After using follow-focus rigs for years I will never go back to that. Touch screen combined with auto following facial recognition for video focus allows a very high percentage of good takes. And lens changes are very quick!

 

Trans coding h.265 1080-30p to ProRes 422 takes a little longer than 1 minute for 1 minute of captured video. No big deal. 4K takes a lot longer but none of my current clients want 4k yet anyway. No doubt h.265 is the future. NX1 file sizes are LESS THAN 1/9th the size of Canon All-I and are better quality. Since I typically shoot video with multiple cameras and do a lot of work in edit I ALWAYS transcode to ProRes. Hard drive space is cheap and ProRes makes the workflow fast and reliable.

 

I was very disappointed that the 7D Mk II didn't have a tilting touch screen. Or a higher res and better sensor. Canon is now two generations behind Samsung on sensor fabrication. There is a startling improvement in image quality between the 70D and the NX1. I really hope they can create a firmware fix for the video focus selection issue.

 

Does anyone have experience with the Sony A7? Can it move between selected focus points smoothly and cinematically? I am interested in very high quality 2k and very high quality stills. The A7s doesn't have enough resolution in still photography for me.

It is a pity that the autofocus moves between focus points so quickly. I'm hoping Samsung will address this by adding some speed options at the next firmware update. I find the autofocus for video is pretty impressive and I'll be testing on a slider today to see how well it tracks objects.

Are you sure there is no control set on auto for audio?? 

 

 

 

 

It would be nice to know. My Nex 5R heats and stops recording after 20 minutes more or less!

I did wonder if I'd missed an audio setting, but I can't see anything in the menus. The manual for the camera isn't the greatest.

I'm finding a bit of a problem with the built in mics. Even when set at 2 on a scale of 12, it seems to bring distant sounds up to the level of closer and louder sounds. It sounds awful and is unusable, but it does seem better with an external mic, although this is less desirable for me.

 

Next opportunity I may take the GH3 along for audio comparison.

Made a side by side comparison and there is no issue with the sound. NX1 slightly better than the GH3 and NX1 may give a little more emphasis to quieter sounds. As pointed out by CJ, I should be making more use of my Rode.

Is there a reason why you prefer the internal mic over an external mic? I can't imagine in any situation that you would get better quality with an internal mic and it limited uses. 

This is just my hobby so I'm less concerned about ultimate sound quality, but what I'm getting from the NX1 at the moment is pretty awful. I'm wondering if I've just got a dodgy unit. I don't recall ever hearing audio as bad as this from the internal mics of any camera I've ever used! It's like everything in an audio scene has been brought up to the same high volume!

I'm finding a bit of a problem with the built in mics. Even when set at 2 on a scale of 12, it seems to bring distant sounds up to the level of closer and louder sounds. It sounds awful and is unusable, but it does seem better with an external mic, although this is less desirable for me.

Next opportunity I may take the GH3 along for audio comparison.

Just got mine today, yet to shoot anything, but time lapse looks a little strange.

Under interval shooting it looks pretty straightforward: Interval Time/Count/Start Time.

If you want to create a UHD video the manual indicates you need to select 'Time Lapse = On' from the same interval menu and it will produce a video up to 60 seconds long at 10fps! Whats that about?

A maximum of 600 frames is good for 20/24 seconds though, so ample in my books.

Electronic shutter is first curtain only, so I'd be interested to know what the life expectancy of the shutter is.

Personally I'll be looking to trigger this from a Dynamic Perception MX3, so if anyone can suggest any outlets for a shutter cable, I'm all ears.

I must say, coming from a GH3, the viewfinder seems huge, and the I-Function button on Samsung lenses is a great idea. With one hand on the grip and the other on the lens, what better place to put shutter, apperture, white balance and ISO controls?

Spotted this NX1/A7s slomo comparison yesterday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TW5Ov1AkFHc

Thanks for the review, Andrew.

As a GH3 owner with a selection of lenses, the GH4 is the natural progression for me, but I just can't fall in love with the images from the camera. Similarly with the A7s. I appreciate the image quality the camera is capable of, but I can't say I've seen very much graded S-log footage that rang my bell! The images from the NX1, however, I am enjoying. The colours just seem slightly understated and as a previous poster mentioned, the highlights gracefully taper off.

I took a look at the original files that you linked to, and also noticed that the red of the manikins sweater is much more pleasing than in the Vimeo clip.

Thanks for helping me make the decision. Found a UK dealer yesterday who should have free stock next week and placed my order. I'm really looking forward to getting out with this camera!

Not sure if these are legit, but appears to be low light sample from NX1:

A very short video sample is posted here: http://***URL removed***/forums/post/54755337

Looks great, if a cow chewing the cud rings your bell!

I'm looking forward to seeing the next 'episode' of this review which will hopefully cover the video performance. Jessops in the UK just told me they expect stock by the end of this week so I would like to be in a postion to make a decission soon, so no pressure Andrew. If you could just test everything and publish by Friday, that will be fine!

You've certainly whet my appetite with your comments about the handling.

Let's hope that if they're happy for us to see the high ISO stills now that the sample videos will be coming soon!

I may have dreamt this, but yesterday I think Imaging Resource were asked by Samsung not to publish shots over 1600 ISO, but today I'm seeing them all the way up to 51,200 ISO! http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/samsung-nx1/samsung-nx1THMB.HTM

Checked them against one or two other cameras in IR's Camparometer, and to my untrained eye, I think it looks pretty good at high ISO. If the camera is scaling the entire sensor for video purposes, then the NX1 could be pretty decent in low light.

I mainly compared at 6400 where it appears to knock spots off the GH4 and is possibly marginally better than the A6000, whilst also looking like it has more colour depth. It trails the full frame sensors of the A7 and A7s which have more attractive noise and better colour depth, but considering the NX1's smaller sensor and higher pixel count, I think it stands up well.

What I took away from the real world photos posted on DPReview was that the NX1 appears to have bags of detail in the shadows and hopefully a broad dynamic range. Here's a shot into a bright sky: http://***URL removed***/galleries/reviewsamples/photos/3067149/betasample_iso100_sam_0752?inalbum=samsung-nx1-real-world-samples

and this looks like what they got after processing the RAW: http://***URL removed***/galleries/reviewsamples/photos/3067148/betasample_iso100_sam_0752-acr?inalbum=samsung-nx1-real-world-samples

I'd like to see a camera that can deliver a wide dynamic range without resorting to S-log.

Is this the first low light footage sample from the NX1? http://www.hitrecord.org/records/1689770/forum

Low res and heavy compression. Part of this project: http://www.hitrecord.org/collaborations/9625

I think I read it was going to be published on December 11th!

The intro to the project is on Hitrecord's Youtube Channel in HD:

I find myself in a similar situation to the OP. I just sold my Nikon gear because the sensor spots on the D600 were driving me up the wall when shooting time lapse, but I would like to replace it with something that has a decent dynamic range for stills and good low light performance with video.

Also owning a GH3 and several lenses, the GH4 should be the natural successor, but noise at high ISO's looks unattractive and the dynamic range for video (according to Cinema5d) looks weak against the A7s.

In theory the A7s ticks all the boxes, but the lack of 4k and dependency on S-log to attain a good dynamic range let it down for me. I would like to get pretty decent footage straight out of the camera without grading which I'm sure I'd be pretty bad at. I've seen very little graded A7s S-log footage on the web that I've found pleasing to the eye (but then beauty is in the eye of the beholder). I'm also puzzled that Sony promotes this camera as having 15.3 stops of dynamic range yet I've seen no independent tests that get close to this!

Of interest to me for time lapse is that both these cameras have electronic shutters which should extend the life of the camera. If you shoot a minimum of 250 frames per time lapse, then every 4 time lapses you've consumed 1% of a mechanical shutter's life with a 100,000 frame life span!

Let's hope the Samsung NX1 is our saviour! I Just hope the high ISO noise is reasonaby well controlled.

An outsider might be the Olympus OMD-E5. I think I've seen somewhere that an updated version of this is iminent. Since they've been a little weak in the video department and there have been 4k Olympus rumours, perhaps they'll give us 4k with on-sensor 5 axis stabilisation! Well it has to happen some time!

Sounds like this camera could shoot HDR/AEB video and maybe at 50/60 frame rates. It all sounds just too good!

AF Tracking looks impressive:

Cheers @Andrew re: electronic shutter. Could be useful for timelapse.

BTW, thanks for gleaning all this info. I was looking forward to getting an A7s, but I'm going to hang on a while now. I just sold one camera system, so I want to buy a decent replacement. If low light performance of the NX1 sits somewhere between the GH4 and A7s, I would be tempted.

@Andrew - Can you find out if it has a full electronic shutter mode? Shutter isn't mentioned in any specs I've seen.