Page 126 - NyghtVision Magazine Volume 5 #2

camera bag.
The same attention to detail is present everywhere. The 50-150 MM lens which
quickly became my favorite shows the same attention to detail. Compared to the
Canon 70-200, the 50-150 moves far more smoothly, reacts more quickly, is easier to
mount, and is designed to perform under almost any conditions. There's even an "o"
ring in the base of the lens to better ensure the sensors stays dust free. To the best
of my knowledge, Canon relies on the meeting of the surfaces between the lens and
the camera mount. Nothing more.
The NX-1 has a number of innovative features that aren't well documented in the
press. One of our favorite is the Intelli-Zoom. While it doesn't work in raw, this fea-
ture allows you to digitally zoom in on anything quickly. While the resulting image is
in effect an in-camera crop, it still renders a surprisingly clear, sharp, color-rich im-
age. While we might not use this feature on a commercial shoot, it is great to know
that when I'm hiking and see an owl in a tree well out of range of the 50-150, I can
quickly make that lens a 100-300, or even 150-450.
Then there's the iFunction. If you have ever been in the field and have struggled to
change your f-stop, ISO or shutter speed, or, if you have moved from one camera
to another even if those cameras were made by the same company, no two work
the same way, and some are just too complex to adjust quickly. My old 1Ds Mark II
required as many as three fingers to change some of the settings. On all Samsung
cameras, just press a button on the lens and on the LCD you can quickly change ap-
erture, ISO, shutter speed and white balance. Wow.
Is there a downside to owning and using an NX-1? There is, however, it's more of
an inconvenience than a downside. The NX-1 is, after all, new and different. It is
well ahead of the curve. While other cameras have mirror-less design and electronic
viewfinders, they are still largely film cameras converted to digital format. The NX-1
isn't. From the ground up, it is digital. I suppose too that a lot of people - even peo-
ple like me who should know better - don't take Samsung seriously. So, while every
maker of raw converts rushes to support each new camera released by the big three,
support for the NX-1 lags behind. Adobe Camera Raw supports the NX-1 but only
with a subset of lenses. In time, this will change.
The NX-1 might not be full frame, but it is everything a digital camera should be.

ll This image was created
before dawn. ISO 4000
using only ambient light. I
used the 18-50 mm which
proved to be an excellent
lens for macro work.

126 |NX1