Samsung NX1 Review: A bumpy road for early adopters, but a winner in the end

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posted Friday, August 7, 2015 at 5:42 PM EDT

 
 

At last, we've published our full, finalized Samsung NX1 review, complete with our image quality comparison, print quality analysis, and of course, our final review conclusion. The NX1 proved to be a rather tricky camera for us to test, as in addition to some worrying bugs and performance issues with version 1.0 firmware, the quick pace of subsquent firmware updates made it difficult to complete full lab testing and get real-world shooting experience all nailed down.

However, the review is now complete, and we found the camera impressive on multiple fronts. The high-resolution 28.2-megapixel APS-C sensor and beefy multi-core DRIMe V image processor allowed the NX1 to chew through stills at up to 15 frames per seconds. And all that horsepower also permits 4K video recording and uncompressed 8-bit 4:2:2 4K video via HDMI. 

 
16-50mm Lens: 16mm, f/2.0, 10s, ISO 1600

The Samsung NX1 is an excitingly ambitious camera for Samsung, as they pretty much pulled out all the stops to make a high-performance, professional-level mirrorless camera. In a time when many camera makers are making smaller and smaller cameras, Samsung went the opposite direction with the NX1, which shares more in common with DSLRs in size, shape and physical controls, than with its mirrorless cousins.

Image quality, for both stills and video, proved to be impressive, with lots of crisp fine detail, as well as really nice high ISO performance, especially if you shoot RAW. Performance wise, the NX1 is also quite nimble with great single-shot AF and a deep buffer for great continuous burst shooting.

So, are you ready to "ditch your DSLR," as they say? Does the Samsung NX1 have what it takes to overtake the DSLR for professional and advanced enthusiast photographers? Find out in our full Samsung NX1 review.

 
50-150mm Lens: 150mm, f/2.8, 1/8000s, ISO 1000
 
 
50-150mm f/2.8 S OIS lens: 100mm, f/2.8, 1/500s, ISO 6400, manual exposure

Samsung NX1 Review

Lab SamplesShooter's ReportsImage QualityConclusion •