Samsung’s first professional camera, the NX1, arrives in Australia, aims, shoots and fires at the competition

SAMSUNG has a new focus this Christmas, as the company releases its first professional level camera designed to push its rivals out of the frame.

Samsung shooter takes aim at rivals

Samsung NX1

Samsung / 4.5/5 / $1899 body / samsung.com/au

PHOTOGRAPHIC expectations just keep climbing.

Enthusiasts now demand larger image sensors in smaller camera bodies, more megapixels but quicker speeds, sharper focus with smaller lenses, and easier ways to share images from traditional camera forms.

These contradictions make it hard for any camera company to get ahead, much less a challenger, yet it’s into this market Samsung is launching its first professional level camera, the NX1.

The company is not just relying on experience from its NX camera range, launched in 2010, but its smartphone technology.

The result is a 28-megapixel, APS-C camera that can capture 15 photos per second, record 4K video, use 205 autofocus points, and stand in for a DSLR even though its body is smaller and lighter.

Naturally, it also delivers plenty of connectivity options to share the photos with phones, tablets and the internet at large.

At the heart of this camera is a large APS-C-sized sensor, like other NX cameras. This 28-megapixel sensor features backside illumination, however, which minimises image noise and lets in more light.

Photographers should also appreciate its lowlight credentials, spanning 100 to 25,600 ISO, its built-in flash, hot shoe for accessories, and the OLED electronic viewfinder atop the unit, turned on automatically by a sensor.

These features are powered by a new quad-core chip derived from technology created for Samsung smartphones.

The DRMe V Image Processor not only powers its speedy 15 frames-per-second shooting speed, but enables 4K video recording without the added equipment required by some cameras.

The chip also delivers an autofocus speed of just .055 seconds, as well as minimal delay sending live images to its viewfinder (.005 seconds).

Another element borrowed from Samung’s phones is the camera’s screen — a bright, 3-inch Super AMOLED display that flips up — as well as Bluetooth, wi-fi and NFC connections.

These connections can be accessed using Samsung’s Camera Manager app in Apple or Google Android phones. Users can connect a camera and phone via Bluetooth to have thumbnail images delivered to as they are captured, or choose full-sized images to be delivered later.

Transfers are simple and incredibly handy in an environment where even the most prized photos are shared online rather than printed.

But even photographers without a smartphone obsession should appreciate this camera, simply because it offers plenty of tweaks and easy access to them.

Three dials are within reach of your right hand, the PASM dial is sturdy but can be locked, and a left dial offers quick access to focus, ISO, white balance, bracketing and more, in a move Nikon users should appreciate in particular.

Fresh photographers can also find shortcuts inside the NX1 menus, including an excellent sweeping panorama mode, several Scene modes, and Picture Wizard settings that will adjust a photo’s colour to suit portrait, landscape or retro photography.

The NX1 is large for a mirrorless camera, however, with a body that is 6.5cm deep and weighs 550g before the battery is installed. Its Bluetooth transfer feature can also be tricky to disable, and its shutter speed setting only offers a top exposure of 30 seconds.

The biggest concern for some may be its price, however, with an entry of $1899 for its body and $3398 if you add its excellent 16-50mm lens.

Samsung's NX1 delivers plenty of speed, connectivity, and picture quality for that price, however, and enthusiasts should appreciate its finer details.