Samsung NX1 review

Samsung NX cameras have been steadily improving over the last couple of years, but we've mostly admired them for their dependable quality and keen prices rather than for outstanding features. The NX1 looks set to change this, though. It's a significant step up from its predecessors in almost every respect, from image and video quality to performance and ergonomics. It's also significantly more expensive, with a body-only price that puts it in competition with entry-level full-frame SLRs. The NX1 must also compete with the Panasonic GH4, Fujifilm X-T1 and the Sony a7 series of compact system cameras (CSCs). It's a tall order, but one that the NX1 has no trouble living up to.

The specifications read like a wish list of advanced features. The 28-megapixel sensor offers the highest resolution to date for this sensor size, and includes 205 phase-detect autofocus points for lightning fast autofocus. Burst shooting is at an astonishing 15fps with continuous autofocus. The magnesium alloy body is weather sealed and covered with buttons and dials. Both the rear screen and electronic viewfinder (EVF) use OLED technology for deep contrast and excellent viewing angles, and their high resolutions mean they're pin sharp. The rear screen tilts up and down and is touch-sensitive. There's also a passive, backlit LCD screen for relaying settings. Video recording is at resolutions up to 4K.

With so many alluring features, it's easy to see where your money is going. We can always find something to moan about, though, so let's get them over and done with.

There's no PC sync socket for triggering studio flashes. It's easy enough to use an adapter in the hotshoe, but a dedicated socket would be neater. The 500-shot battery life is relatively modest at this price, and in-camera charging via the USB port means it's not possible to shoot with one battery while charging another. An optional vertical grip (ED-VGNX01) helps here by housing an additional battery, and it's keenly priced at around £180. Additional batteries cost around £50 and an external charger is available for £25.

Ergonomics and controls

We've always admired Samsung NX cameras' controls, and the NX1 lives up to the highest expectations. It's a big camera – much bigger than its predecessors, and its controls and ergonomics are much closer to a mid-price SLR than other CSCs.

There are dual command dials plus a rear wheel for direct access to exposure settings. The wheel can be assigned to exposure compensation or ISO speed, among other options. There's a dedicated dial to the left of the viewfinder for drive mode, and four buttons perched on top for ISO speed, autofocus mode, metering mode and white balance. An AF On button means it's possible to assign autofocus and shutter release to separate buttons, thereby only refocusing when necessary. With buttons for exposure compensation, DOF preview, AE Lock and various customisable buttons, there's nothing left to be desired. The layout is excellent too, with controls that are easy to locate and adjust while using the viewfinder. The dials themselves are well designed, with just the right amount of resistance and textured for a firm grip.

We also appreciated the Custom focus range limiter on the 50-150mm f/2.8 lens we were sent to test with. Flipping a switch on the lens barrel let us limit the minimum and maximum focus distances with the dual command dial, with the help of an on-screen readout in metres and feet and a marker to show the current focus distance. The Sony a77 Mark II includes a similar feature that works with any attached lens, whereas here it's only available on this lens, which costs £1200.

Incidentally, this is one of two new lenses that match the NX1's weather-proofing credentials, the other being an 16-50mm f/2-2.8, which costs £940. These prices are in line with comparable lenses for Micro Four Thirds and Sony FE mounts. There are now 15 Samsung lenses for the NX mount, and no significant gaps in the range except for long telephotos.

Another button on the back of the camera accesses Wi-Fi functions. NFC is built in for automatic configuration with compatible Android devices. The NX1 also includes Bluetooth, which establishes a constant connection between the camera and Android device whenever both devices are on. That means image transfers and the remote viewfinder mode can be launched directly from the app rather than having to launch them on both the camera and the app. There's also an option to trigger the shutter via Bluetooth, albeit without a remote viewfinder function.

There's a risk that the NX1's wireless features serve more to complicate than simplify the process. We had to install three Android apps, two of which ran constantly on our Android phone, and which seemed to drain the phone's battery. Launching the wireless features from the phone still wasn't particularly quick, and it often took a couple of attempts to get them to connect.

Performance

Shooting performance is simply outstanding. 15fps continuous shooting is the fastest sustained performance we've ever seen. The fact that the NX1 delivers it with continuous autofocus is an incredible achievement. We measured 13.4fps with a 1/100s shutter speed, slowing to 2.3fps after 60 JPEGs. Shooting with a 1/500s shutter, it managed 15.2fps. RAW capture lasted for 20 frames before slowing to 2fps.

15 photos per second doesn't give much time to update autofocus between shots, but tracking accuracy was excellent in our tests. Shooting a moving subject at f/2.8 with a 150mm focal length for an extremely narrow depth of field, the majority of frames were sharp. There are lots of autofocus modes to choose from including a flexible spot mode with a variable area size, plus subject tracking. The touchscreen makes it quick to move the spot position, although it's also possible via the OK button and dials when shooting with the viewfinder. Invoking subject tracking is only possible via the touchscreen, which could be frustrating.

The camera performed reasonably well in normal use, too. It took one second to switch on and capture a photo. Autofocus was usually extremely responsive, but on a few occasions it was flummoxed by a scene and was unable to focus at all, despite repeated attempts. This was infrequent enough for us not to be too concerned. Shot-to-shot times in the Single drive mode were 0.6 seconds when using the viewfinder and 0.7 seconds when shooting with the screen. Full power flash shots were just 1.8 seconds apart.

Video quality

4K recording suggests that the NX1 is a serious video camera. There's Cinema 4K (4096x2160) at 24fps, plus UHD (3840x2160) at a choice of 24, 25 and 30fps frame rates. Selecting 1080p adds 50 and 60fps capture, plus 100fps and 120fps with slow motion playback. Recordings are up to 30 minutes, but seemingly only to SDXC cards. We got card error messages after a few minutes of recording to SDHC cards, even though the card was easily fast enough.

Videos are encoded in HEVC format, which it's claimed is twice as efficient as the widely used AVC codec. This keeps file sizes down, but it's currently at the expense of compatibility. None of the Windows editing software we tried could handle these files, and barely any playback software could either. Salvation came from a bundled copy of CyberLink Power Media Player 12, and there's also a Samsung utility that converts footage to AVC format. These applications are only available by connecting the camera to a PC via USB and installing another utility directly from the camera, whereupon the other software can be downloaded. We doubt many NX1 owners will find these without help. HEVC is undoubtedly the future, it's the format Netflix uses to stream its 4K video, it's just a shame that the NX1 doesn't simply have an AVC option to be getting on with.

When we finally gained access to the 4K footage, we saw blisteringly sharp details, even outperforming the fantastic Panasonic GH4. 1080p footage wasn't quite as impressive, with digital sharpening giving a slightly pixelated appearance and increased susceptibility to moiré interference. The GH4 also took the lead for colour handling in videos, with its Cinelike colour profiles providing a flat contrast with lots of highlight and shadow information, making for an ideal starting place for colour grading. The Samsung NX1 has various colour controls specifically for video but we weren't able to achieve the same extended dynamic range here.

^ We thought the Panasonic GH4's 4K output was good, but the NX1 looks breathtakingly sharp.

^ We're not quite as sold on the 1080p output, which looks a little over-sharpened, resulting in some pixellation on diagonal lines such as the circular robot dials.

There's an impressive supporting cast of video features, such as the full complement of priority and manual exposure control modes. We were able to set the shutter speed, aperture and exposure compensation and still leave the camera to adjust the overall exposure level using automatic ISO speed. The touchscreen and phase-detect points help to deliver responsive, highly controllable autofocus. The iOS and Android apps can act as a remote monitor, complete with touchscreen autofocus control. There was still a bit of focus hunting at times so manual focus is the safest option. Focus peaking helped here, highlighting sharply focused areas of the frame. The camera can stream a clean, uncompressed 4K output with timecode over HDMI. We'd have preferred a more substantial HDMI socket, though; the Micro HDMI design is a little fragile simply because it's so small.

Overall, the GH4 remains our top choice for video production with its more widely compatible AVC codec and superior colour management. The NX1 comes a very close second, though.

Photo quality

The NX1 had no trouble outperforming the GH4 in our photo tests. Details from its 28-megapixel sensor were sharp and smooth. Even when attaching a basic kit lens borrowed from an NX300, it managed to resolve sharper details in our studio scene than the 24-megapixel Nikon D7100 and D610 – and that was with much pricier lenses attached. The NX1 was far ahead of rival CSCs such as the Panasonic GH4 and Fujifilm X-T1 for details, and on a par with the full-frame Sony a7.

The sensor is back-illuminated, which means the circuitry is on the rear of the sensor so it doesn't obstruct incoming light. It's the biggest sensor to date to use this technology, and should help to reduce noise levels. It's a welcome move considering the massive 28-megapixel resolution – a new record for an APS-C sensor size.

In practice, noise levels were broadly on a par with the current generation of APS-C SLRs. It outperformed the Panasonic GH4 (which uses a smaller sensor) but didn't match the Fujifilm X-T1 or Sony a7. Fine details such as hair and foliage began to lose their definition in JPEGs as the ISO speed went up. By ISO 3200 fine details looked smudged and shadows were grainy, but the camera continued to produce passable snaps up to ISO 6400.

^ The camera's JPEG engine has plucked a huge amount of fine detail from these wispy fine textures. (1/400s, f/4, ISO 100, 104mm equivalent)

^ The fine lines of this brickwork are pin sharp without any sign of blocky aliasing artefacts. (1/250s, f/3.5, ISO 100, 77mm equivalent)

^ Skin textures are detailed and natural, and colour rendition is excellent. (1/200s, f/3.2, ISO 100, 77mm equivalent)

^ Even Samsung's budget 18-55mm zoom lens delivers the goods in front of the NX1's 28-megapixel sensor. (1/125s, f/4.5, ISO 100, 27mm equivalent)

^ Telephoto photography in overcast weather has pushed the ISO speed up, but there's plenty of detail and not much noise at ISO 800. (1/160s, f/4.5, ISO 800, 231mm equivalent)

^ Skin tones are a demanding test for noise levels, but the results at ISO 1000 remain excellent. (1/100s, f/2.8, ISO 1000, 112mm equivalent)

^ Fine details are heavily smudged at ISO 4000 and skin tones look blotchy, but this shot is still usable at modest sizes. (1/80s, f/2.8, ISO 4000, 77mm equivalent)

A new champion?

We really admire Samsung for biding its time and refining its camera technology before releasing the NX1. A couple of years ago the NX range had some strengths and some weaknesses, but today even its budget models are reliably excellent. It's this consistency of high-quality design that underpins the NX1. Everything from its ergonomics and performance to its image and video quality impresses, and it's stuffed to the gills with superb features. It's not as gorgeous looking as the Fujifilm X-T1, and falls behind for image quality in low light. Meanwhile, the Panasonic GH4 narrowly clings onto its crown as the best camera for video. However, if you need one camera for both tasks, the NX1 is our top recommendation. 

If none of these quite suit your needs then check out our regularly updated Best Cameras, including top picks and a buying guide.