Samsung NX1 settings

As a mirrorless system camera with the appearance of a SLR model, the Samsung NX1 ranks among the best cameras with APS-C format sensor: 28 megapixels are record-suspect in this class, but also contain the danger of increased noise including texture losses at higher ISO Settings. In this context, we will investigate the question whether the RAW mode delivers a higher picture quality compared to JPEGs directly from the camera, and if so, to what extent.


Remote control of the camera


Another focus of this paper is on the sensor AF of the NX1, designed here as a hybrid autofocus with 205 fields for phase detection and 209 fields for contrast detection. With a triggering delay of 0.31 / 0.40 s at 300/30 Lux, the AF system sets a decent pace, which can only sometimes be too high when shooting. The setting options of the NX1 are diverse, especially in conjunction with the touch monitor, which allows both touch-AF and touch-triggering. It is also about linking autofocus and exposure metering.


Transferring Images


Third point: We illuminate the extensive wireless functions of the Samsung NX1 (test). The camera has a built-in WLAN module including NFC communication, supplemented by a Bluetooth interface. This allows you to wirelessly exchange images between the camera and the smartphone or tablet, or to remotely control the camera.


Autofocus settings


To connect the NX1 to a smartphone, first the Samsung Camera Manager must be installed, the compatibility is according to the manufacturer from Android 4.2.2 or Apple iOS 6.1 given. In addition, it is recommended to download the latest firmware from the Samsung homepage (during the test phase version 1.21), and the Bluetooth interface may not work in older versions. The first contact is made by hand over NFC (near field communication): Hold the N-symbol of your smartphone on the right side of the camera, where you also find the N-symbol. This only works if the WLAN lock in the camera is deactivated (Settings menu). Otherwise, you must enter a PIN that is displayed on the camera monitor.


Focusing and Exposure


For remote control of the NX1 via the smartphone, you have two options: "Bluetooth Shutter" and "Remote Viewfinder". The Bluetooth variant is a radio trigger, with which you can take a still picture or record a video - select "Press". When you switch to "Press & Lock", you can achieve long-term exposure beyond the 30-second limit.


To do this, set the program dial to "M" (Manual), select your workspace, and turn the front dial counterclockwise until "Bulb" appears in the display. When you press the camera trigger on the smartphone, the shutter opens. At the same time, a stopwatch will start, where you can check the duration of the exposure. To stop the exposure, press the shutter button again.


Apart from the Bulb function, "Remote Viewfinder" offers much more extensive possibilities of remote control via smartphone or tablet PC. As soon as the WLAN connection to the camera is set up, the smartphone monitor displays a live image - in both portrait and landscape format. According to the manufacturer, the camera and smartphone must be a maximum of seven meters apart to keep the connection stable.


The smartphone gives you access to almost all important camera settings, including exposure mode, exposure metering mode, white balance (presets only), shutter modes (single / serial, timer 2/10 sec), flash modes With / without red-eye correction), photo size or video format. Aperture, shutter speed and exposure compensation can be quickly adjusted by wiping the finger on a scale.


Unfortunately, no access from the smartphone is the flash compensation - here you have to work directly on the camera. Thanks to the touch-AF function, AF points can be defined by touching a subject detail in the live image or even triggered when "One Touch" is activated.


The Camera Manager app provides several ways to share data between the camera and the smartphone. Select "MobileLink" to transfer single or multiple images from the camera to your smartphone. You have the choice to transfer the images in original size or limited to a maximum of two megabytes. RAW files can not be sent in principle. Is.


Quick Transfer "is used to transfer the images taken with the camera to the smartphone immediately after shooting, and the captured photo will initially be in original size on the memory card of the camera, while a preview will be sent to the smartphone The camera's electronic viewfinder must be switched off for image transmission, if you forget it, a pop-up window reminds you of the smartphone Code>

The third possibility of the image transmission is the sending of an e-mail directly from the camera. For this purpose, the camera must be connected to a WLAN network - on the road, this can also be your smartphone with activated WLAN hotspot. Touch the letter icon when an image is displayed in the camera's playback mode. On the opening e-mail page, enter the recipient or select a previously entered address from a list. Then tap "Send", and the e-mail goes on a Samsung server, and the e-mail address Camera@samsungcamera.com appears as the sender.


The NX1's Hybrid AF allows you to select the AF, Continuous AF, and Active AF modes. (When moving an initially static subject, it is switched from "Single-frame AF" to "Continuous AF"). In AF areas, you can choose between multi-AF (multi-field), selectable AF (selectable single-field), and face detection. A nice extra is the self-portrait AF: In the absence of an optical control - the monitor can not be adjusted far enough - signals an accelerating beep when the face is sharp and central in the image field.

Also interesting is


In single-field AF, the measuring frame can be moved to any position in the image field, thus also until the picture covers move and change in size. To do this, press the center button (OK) of the directional switch, direction arrows are visible on the measuring frame. Use the two wheels on the rear or the arrow buttons to change the position, with the dial on the release button to adjust the size of the frame in four steps. This work is quickly intuitive and is a guarantor for precise positioning.


Because the 3-inch OLED monitor of the NX1 is sensitive to touch, there are other focusing options: Touch-AF is used to focus the subject area touched by the finger and vary the size of the measurement frame as described above. In the "one-touch" recording, the camera is released immediately after focusing. If you select "AF Point", you only need to focus on the area to be focused with your finger; the focus will be on pressing the shutter button. And in "AF Tracking", a green frame indicates that the motif (detail) selected with the finger is tracked when it moves or when you change the image segment.


Better images by RAW?


As a rule, focusing and exposure metering are closely linked. This means that the area selected for focusing influences the measurement (multi-field measurement) or dominates (spot measurement). However, this constraint can be canceled by various means if the motive requires: Measure e.g. Select any detail with the AF frame, save the exposure values ​​by pressing the AEL button (AEL is displayed in green), and then focus on another subject detail. Only when the shutter button is pressed will the exposure memory be erased (green AEL indicator will go out).


The decoupling of focus and exposure works with the Touch-AF particularly clever. To do this, select "Exposure / Focus Range Separation" in the shooting menu, and then tap an image detail on the monitor to focus. The AF frame now shows a double edge at a corner, indicating that you can use a finger to pull a second frame out of the focus frame. This second frame is responsible for the exposure measurement and can be drawn to any part of the subject regardless of the position of the focus frame. Focus and exposure frames can be combined at any time if you want to. This is especially recommended when working with the tripod, ie if the camera position is fixed.


The BSX-CMOS of the NX1 in the APS-C format (23.5 x 15.7 mm), which is illuminated from the rear, promises a resolution of 28 megapixels and a high efficiency in light evaluation, Is signaled by the ISO maximum of 51,200. Excellent is the quality of the JPEGs from the camera with regard to the border resolution (over 2000 LP / BH) and the dead-Leaves values ​​(maximum approx. 1500 LP / BH) especially up to ISO 400. Also with ISO 800 is the picture quality Still very good, with ISO 1600 it goes more clearly, from ISO 3200 strongly back. Then there is also a strong luminance and large-area color noise.


In the JPEG-RAW comparison, it can be seen that the JPEGs up to ISO 800 can compete - unlike the Canon EOS 7D MkII. However, the TIFFs from RAW allow a lower edge gain with less hard image impression. From ISO 800 the RAW mode offers the possibility to perform a differentiated fine-tuning between noise reduction and sharpening. In addition, you gain more scope with contrasting motifs. If you want to be on the safe side, you can shoot in RAW + RAW + JPEG mode.


As a disadvantage, it was in the Praxistest, however, that for the used Samsung lenses was not a profile in Lightroom 5 was created: color fringes can not be completely eliminated - unlike the JPEG from the camera.