Sony a7s or Samsung nx1

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baksteen

New member
Hi, I'm sorry if i post in the wrong sub-forum. I've got no idea where to post this.

I'm in little dilemma. Im looking to get a new camera and I'm doubting between these 2.
First of all, I'm looking for a camera that is both strong in taking stills and video. I prefer video a bit over stills. Image stabilization, auto focus, good walk around lens which isn't too expensive (I'm a student), these are the main issues I'm encountering.

I prefer the lowlight capability of the a7s over the 4k recording of the nx1. Also I dislike the cropped sensor of the nx1 as I've been using a fullframe body before. The shallow depth of field is something that attracts me.
The 16-50 f2-2.8S of samsung looks like the perfect lens. It does everything I need. I can compare this to the 24-70 F4 OSS sony lens, only downside is that I cannot afford it right away. The NX1 kit is way cheaper and affordable than the a7s + 24-70 'kit'. I've been using the 24-105L canon lens and I think this is the ideal lens. Good coverage, fast AF, IS, you name it. Use an adapter and use this with the a7s? Nope.. AF sucks with it.

My computer isn't high end and I'm not sure if I can edit the NX1 files. Also encoding them is a bit of a hassle. The IQ is absurdly good though. Just a bit lower than the IQ of the a7s as I prefer lowlight over 4k.

There are so many ups and downs, I can't choose.
 
I've been using the A7s since it came out, with the 24-70 Zeiss, and have been very happy. But now I've purchased the A7rii and find myself using that one more on a day-to-day basis, and not missing the low-light capabilities too much, so I'm selling the A7s and 24-70 as a kit if you're interested. You can see footage from this exact camera/lens combo on this video: Walk With Me on Vimeo (vimeo.com/135587727) and my original asking price was $2400, but make me an offer and we'll see what we can do if that's what you really want. Hope that helps :) PM me or my email is Jemmoore at hotmail dot com
 
Currently in the process of selling my a7s kit as well, with the thought of maybe getting an nx1. My situation might not be like yours though. As much as I loved the a7s/shogun combo, most of my gigs now use rented gear... I maybe get to use my rig on one paid gig per month. So I was thinking of downsizing to the nx1 with its superior mp count for photos, and its good (maybe not better than a7s/shogun) 4k for home and occasional job use.
Downside is the nx might be a dead system. With Samsung pulling out of so many markets, it doesn't bode well generally for the camera... So native lenses will continue to be elusive
And like you, I love full frame.
So ultimately... I'm not sure what I'm going to do... Which probably doesn't help you at all, sorry!
 
I see the A7S with 24-70 and the NX1 kit as about the same price.

The A7S is running about $1,400 used. The 24-70 4.0 is about $860 new from Canada, or less used.

The NX1 does look like a dead camera though, with Samsung pulling out of more countries. At the very least you might wait for possible discounts if it is discontinued.

I shoot stills and video. For now I have decided on two separate systems. I bought a Nikon D750 and a D5300 for stills, and a Panasonic G7 and GH4 for 4K video. But I also use all 4 cameras at the same time for events, and I needed long running 4k, 1+ hours. I also really need a DSLR for wildlife photography with the Sigma 150-600 Contemporary and similar long lenses.

I had a Sony A7II. The autofocus wasn't adequate for my needs for stills, and the Sony full frame lenses were so expensive. You might go down the list and prioritize your needs in each category, stills and video.

The APS-C cameras and lenses are incredibly cheap when compared with full frame. Like the Nikon D5300 and Sigma 17-50 2.8 OS for about $750, witj a great 24MP Sony sensor. Then there are other options, like the Sony RX10II on the video side for about $1,100 as an open box or less used.

I have been thinking about buying a Samsung NX500 to play with, for about $500. But I don't see a really good one camera system for both stills and video yet. At least not at a reasonable price.

Good luck!
 
I would give GX8 a try. It has a GH4 quality 4K (although, off YouTube, it seems even better) and a higher pixel count (20M) for stills. Lens prices are reasonable and the MFT can take a variety of the third party glass via adapters. It's been generally well reviewed as an all-purpose type of a cam.
 
It's very difficult to go wrong these days. Both the NX1 with 16-50 f/2.0-2.8 and a7S with 24-70 f/4 should fit your needs nicely.
Then again, so would a D5300 or an a6000 with f/2.8 zoom, probably. (BTW an f/2.8 zoom on APS-C gives you almost the same DoF of an f/4 zoom in FF, so if that's shallow enough for you, sensor size shouldn't be an issue).

My advice would be: don't burn all your money on a camera+lens unless you already have all your other bases covered (lights, tripod, steady/gimbal, sound equipment, PC hardware and software, and also assets, etc).
 
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