Samsung NX1 Comparison Review

The Samsung NX1 is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera that was revealed to the public in September 2014 and is equipped with an APS-C sensor. It offers a resolution of 28 megapixel.

Is the Samsung NX1 a good camera? The NX1 has a Camera Elo of 2703. This rating puts the NX1 among the top 30 percent of all mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (APS cameras), the NX1 ranks among the top 10 percent. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 4.5-star performance rating.

Headline Specifications

Samsung NX1
Mirrorless system camera
Samsung NX mount lenses
28 MP, APS-C Sensor
4K/30p Video
ISO 100-25600 (100-51200)
Electronic viewfinder (2360k dots)
3.0" LCD, 1036k dots
Tilting touchscreen
15 shutter flaps per second
Weathersealed body
500 shots per battery charge
139 x 102 x 66 mm, 550 g

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

The side-by-side display below illustrates the physical size of the Samsung NX1 vis-à-vis a credit card. Three successive views from the front, the top, and the rear are shown. All width, height and depth dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Samsung NX1 alongside a set of comparators. If you want to review a camera pair side-by-side, just select a right-side comparator from among the camera models in the table. Alternatively, you can also move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Camera Body Specifications

	Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life (CIPA)	Weather Sealing (yes/no)	Camera Launch (announced)	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price (USD)	Used Price (USD)	Camera Model
	Samsung NX1	5.5 in	4.0 in	2.6 in	19.4 oz	500	Y	Sep 2014	1,499	-		Samsung NX1
	Fujifilm X-Pro2« »	5.6 in	3.3 in	1.8 in	17.5 oz	350	Y	Jan 2016	1,699			Fujifilm X-Pro2
	Fujifilm X-T2« »	5.2 in	3.6 in	1.9 in	17.9 oz	340	Y	Jul 2016	1,599	-		Fujifilm X-T2
	Nikon D7200« »	5.4 in	4.2 in	3.0 in	27.0 oz	1110	Y	Mar 2015	1,199	-		Nikon D7200
	Nikon D7100« »	5.4 in	4.2 in	3.0 in	27.0 oz	950	Y	Feb 2013	1,199	-		Nikon D7100
	Nikon D5300« »	4.9 in	3.9 in	3.0 in	16.9 oz	600	n	Oct 2013	799	-		Nikon D5300
	Panasonic GH4« »	5.2 in	3.7 in	3.3 in	19.8 oz	500	Y	Feb 2014	1,499	-		Panasonic GH4
	Pentax K-3« »	5.2 in	3.9 in	3.0 in	28.2 oz	560	Y	Oct 2013	1,299	-		Pentax K-3
	Samsung NX500« »	4.7 in	2.5 in	1.7 in	10.1 oz	370	n	Feb 2015	799	-		Samsung NX500
	Sony A6500« »	4.7 in	2.6 in	2.1 in	16.0 oz	350	Y	Oct 2016	1,399			Sony A6500
	Sony A7« »	5.0 in	3.7 in	1.9 in	16.7 oz	340	Y	Oct 2013	1,699	-		Sony A7
Convert to Metric
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Samsung NX1 was launched in the US market at a price of $1,499. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The imaging sensor is at the core of digital cameras and its size is one of the main determining factors of image quality. A large sensor will generally have larger individual pixels that offer better low-light sensitivity, provide wider dynamic range, and have richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Furthermore, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more possibilities to use shallow depth-of-field in order to isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors are more costly to manufacture and tent to lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Samsung NX1 features an APS-C sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.5. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Samsung NX1 among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability.

For most cameras, data on sensor performance has been reported by DXO Mark. This service is based on lab testing and assigns an overall score to each camera sensor, as well as ratings for dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), color depth ("DXO Portrait"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"). The table below summarizes the physical sensor characteristics and sensor quality findings and compares them across a set of similar cameras.

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but also of capturing video footage. The NX1 indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the NX1 can use is 4K/30p.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a variety of features. For example, the NX1 has an electronic viewfinder with a resolution of 2360k dots. The viewfinder offers a field of view of 100% and a magnification of 0.69x. The adjacent tables list some of the other core features of the Samsung NX1 along with similar information for a selection of comparators.

One convenient feature of the NX1 is the presence of an on-board flash. While this built-in flash is not very powerful, it can at times be useful as a fill-in light to brighten deep shadow areas.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Samsung NX1 and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

It is notable that the NX1 has a microphone port. Such an external microphone input can help to substantially improve the quality of audio recordings when a good external microphone is used.

Expert reviews

While the specs-based evaluation of cameras is instructive in revealing their potential as photographic tools, it says nothing about, for example, the handling, responsiveness, and overall imaging quality of the NX1 in practical situations. User reviews, such as those found at amazon, can sometimes inform about these issues, but such feedback is often incomplete, inconsistent, and biased. This is why expert reviews are important. The table below summarizes the assessments of some of the best known camera review sites (cameralabs, dpreview, ephotozine, imaging-resource, photographyblog).

Review Scores

	Camera Model						Camera Launch (announced)	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price (USD)	Used Price (USD)	Camera Model
	Samsung NX1	-	87/100	5/5	4.5/5	5/5	Sep 2014	1,499	-		Samsung NX1
	Fujifilm X-Pro2« »	+	83/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jan 2016	1,699			Fujifilm X-Pro2
	Fujifilm X-T2« »	+ +	86/100	4.5/5	5/5	5/5	Jul 2016	1,599	-		Fujifilm X-T2
	Nikon D7200« »	+ +	84/100	4.5/5	4/5	4.5/5	Mar 2015	1,199	-		Nikon D7200
	Nikon D7100« »	+ +	85/100	4.5/5	5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2013	1,199	-		Nikon D7100
	Nikon D5300« »	+ +	79/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Oct 2013	799	-		Nikon D5300
	Panasonic GH4« »	+ +	85/100	5/5	5/5	5/5	Feb 2014	1,499	-		Panasonic GH4
	Pentax K-3« »	-	83/100	5/5	4.5/5	5/5	Oct 2013	1,299	-		Pentax K-3
	Samsung NX500« »	-	81/100	5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2015	799	-		Samsung NX500
	Sony A6500« »	+ +	85/100	4.5/5	5/5	4.5/5	Oct 2016	1,399			Sony A6500
	Sony A7« »	+ +	80/100	5/5	4.5/5	5/5	Oct 2013	1,699	-		Sony A7
Notes: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (-) not available.

Care should be taken when interpreting the review scores above, though. The assessments were made in relation to similar cameras of the same technological generation. Hence, a score should always be seen in the context of the camera's market launch date and its price, and comparisons of ratings among very different cameras or across long time periods have little meaning. It should also be noted that some of the review sites have over time altered the way they render their verdicts.

Camera to camera comparisons

In case you are interested in seeing how this camera compares to another one, just use the search menu below. There is also a set of direct links to comparison reviews that other users of the CAM-parator app explored.

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