Samsung EX-1 Review

[Sol81]

Thanks for your effort Dennis ...

To my untrained eyes.. I would have thought that LX3 has applied less noise reduction and hence the sharper image....The EX1 has applied more noise reduction and hence details are lost.

I think to be fair, raw should be compared... in anycase.... I believe DP review has aleady done a proper job in their review.

Also IMHO (no punt intended)
After using both LX3 and EX1... I feel that the difference is really not that great.... and to be frank both camera are way below any entry level dslr... so I feel it is quite pointless to talk about image quality on small sensor camera like this.

I am more geared towards EX1 as I am impressed with the ease of accessing controls and of cse convenience the swivel screen gave.

I believe the amount of control it can offer to the photographer is really what will truly differentiate the two camera.

Again I am not a Samsung fanboy...

 

[Sol81]

Sharing some picture I took with EX1.
All picture hand held. Night photos are taken at ISO 400 and low shutter speed of less then 1/15. So if the picture are not sharp .. pls pardon me.
Personally ISO 400 is the max I will push the EX1 to if JPEG processing is used.

 

[kentwong81]

Some snapshots by Samsung EX1:

 

[kentwong81]

 

[ahsosl1e8]

A little contribution to this wonderful thread:

For those complaining about detail loss from NR, go get the just released ACR 6.2, and set the EX1 to shoot RAW all the way. The difference is HUGE =)


raw_jpg_compare by coloursplash, on Flickr

 

[denniskee]

well, how many want to buy a camera that has this huge difference between raw and jpeg? and that they want to do pp to all the raw (i know of only few who shoots only in raw, can count using one hand, among my friends) photos they shot as jpeg really cant make it, even when compare to a 2yrs old camera, not to mention ex1 cant even do hd recording like the 2yr old lx3?

those who dont mind pping all their raws from ex1, i have this question, what will be the difference interm of image quality if lx3 also shoot in raw?

than again, image quality is subjective like i mentioned earlier, if one can live with it, sure why not. else, think carefully before buying if u dont want to pp every single photo.

for casual shooter, is the swivel screen more important or ability to do hd recording?

also, for full compatibilities with flash, ex1 uses their own external flash ($$$), lx3 can use a small little oly fl36 which is cheap.

not sue if the poor image from ex1 is because they dont do incamera pp or they do too much nr, this only samsung will know.

 

[kentwong81]

well, how many want to buy a camera that has this huge difference between raw and jpeg? and that they want to do pp to all the raw (i know of only few who shoots only in raw, can count using one hand, among my friends) photos they shot as jpeg really cant make it, even when compare to a 2yrs old camera, not to mention ex1 cant even do hd recording like the 2yr old lx3?

those who dont mind pping all their raws from ex1, i have this question, what will be the difference interm of image quality if lx3 also shoot in raw?

than again, image quality is subjective like i mentioned earlier, if one can live with it, sure why not. else, think carefully before buying if u dont want to pp every single photo.

for casual shooter, is the swivel screen more important or ability to do hd recording?

also, for full compatibilities with flash, ex1 uses their own external flash ($$$), lx3 can use a small little oly fl36 which is cheap.

not sue if the poor image from ex1 is because they dont do incamera pp or they do too much nr, this only samsung will know.

To be fair, I don't think the images came out from EX1 are poor, given so many good reviews from other reputable websites. If it is poor, I think it is the photographer's problem, who don't know how to use the camera. You may say that it is not the best compact camera based on your personal preference, but it is definitely not a lousy camera that produce poor images.

I encountered similar problem in tennis few days ago. A friend of mine complained that the high-end Wilson racquet he bought is not good and he is unable to hit the ball with power. Well, we have played tennis together for many years and we all know that he never use the right technique to hit the ball. So of course the ball is soft and no power. This has nothing to do with the racquet. The thing I want to say is, always make sure you have the right skill and knowledge to get the best out of the camera before you give a fair judgement on the camera performance.

Regarding the PP, it's all down to personal preference and their own aesthetics. Many DSLR users also PP the photos taken by their DSLR which costs a few thousand dollars. For me, I don't expect EX1 to perform as good as a DSLR and I find the images from EX1 are good and acceptable, I don't PP every photo even if it is taken under low-light condition, unless I want to add some imaginations to it.

 

[denniskee]

To be fair, I don't think the images came out from EX1 are poor, given so many good reviews from other reputable websites. If it is poor, I think it is the photographer's problem, who don't know how to use the camera.

like i said, its individual's preference. but fact is fact, i not talking about composition, just image quality straight out of camera (mounted on camera with timer mode).

i wonder if nikon, canon,etc 85mm f1.2 / f1.4, their best portrait lens, couple with d3s or 5dmkll produce such soft image, will anyone still buy the lens? shoot than pp? in raw only else jpeg cant make it?

still, u have not ans my question about ur concern that the 2nd test i did, by not having ex1 in 16:9, how does it affect the image quality?

also, if test i did was indoor shot, 2nd test i did was outdoor like the link, how than, is it up the the photog in this case? were u present when he did the test shoot? how do u justify his is "correct" & mine is flawed (or u like to out it, photog's problem). again, we r not talking about composition cause i dont see anything good about the photo shown in the link.

also, i wonder really, how difficult is it for a hobbist like myself to use ex1?:dunno:

also, how does snap shots shows the ex1's true capabilities / potential? based on ur on comment earlier.

also, my 2 tests show same result as dpreview, thats 4pcs of different ex1 cameras altogether. so what is the true image quality of ex1? do we see it differently than other dpreview's review for other camera when we look for sharpness, sat, contrast straight out of the camera in jpeg?

many questions, no answers.:dunno:

 

[ShaneKua]

A little contribution to this wonderful thread:

For those complaining about detail loss from NR, go get the just released ACR 6.2, and set the EX1 to shoot RAW all the way. The difference is HUGE =)

That's wonderful!! Because Samsung's Raw Converter is bad!!!

Wait. But this is for CS5 only? How about CS4 users? :/

 

[motionstills]

just got the EX1, got poisoned by ed1919, thanks ed1919 for the review and the rest for sharing your views, now i can take some good quality pictures even during office lunch hours.

here's a test shot taken on national day at mbs.

 

[kentwong81]

The outcome of the comparison you did above has already been reported by dpreview.com and CNet Asia before. Frankly speaking, at first I would expect that the comparison you did is as professional and complete as other websites. I salute the efforts that you guys made to find out the difference between LX3 and EX1 anyway. No offence. Please see my other comments in red below:

i wonder if nikon, canon,etc 85mm f1.2 / f1.4, their best portrait lens, couple with d3s or 5dmkll produce such soft image, will anyone still buy the lens? shoot than pp? in raw only else jpeg cant make it?
--> Regarding the "soft image", as mentioned by Sol81, at above ISO400, LX3 has applied less noise reduction and hence the sharper image....The EX1 has applied more noise reduction and hence details are lost. So when you shoot above ISO400, it's either you accept more details but more noises(LX3) or you accept less details but less noises too(EX1). For me, the F1.8 lens enables me to shoot well at low light condition with hand held(or you can use tripod as well) so it's not necessary to use ISO above 200. Just personal preference anyway.

still, u have not ans my question about ur concern that the 2nd test i did, by not having ex1 in 16:9, how does it affect the image quality?
---> I can't answer you this as I'm not expert. I will leave this to the experts if they happen to see this thread. I just can voice out my question if I have doubt.

also, if test i did was indoor shot, 2nd test i did was outdoor like the link, how than, is it up the the photog in this case? were u present when he did the test shoot? how do u justify his is "correct" & mine is flawed (or u like to out it, photog's problem). again, we r not talking about composition cause i dont see anything good about the photo shown in the link.
---> errr...I don't quite understand your language and sentence. Anyway, all the testings, comparisons and reviews are subjective and cannot be 100% trusted. But if you want me to choose, I would prefer the comparisons done by those websites compared to yours as they are more detailed. No offence anyway.

also, i wonder really, how difficult is it for a hobbist like myself to use ex1?:dunno:
---> If photography is your hobby, it doesn't mean that you are good into it. Just like some tennis hobbists play tennis many times a week but it doesn't mean that they are good in using the racquet. Some people play tennis well using a head-heavy racquet but some only play well when using a head-light racquet. You should choose the camera that suits your needs so that you can shoot well. Sorry if my statement offence you but it is true in this world.

also, how does snap shots shows the ex1's true capabilities / potential? based on ur on comment earlier.
---> EX1 is a compact camera which is meant for snapshoots, isn't it? If you want DSLR-like quality, you should buy a DSLR. EX1 works considerably well as a compact camera, at this price range.

 

[ed9119]

ok you 2 ....... the last few pages of this thread has been a back and forth and a tug-of-war between u guys (yes I AM referring to u Dennis and Ken) which I think has gone on long enough...

Thank you for not outright flaming one another.... I appreciate that..... but respect each other's stand/position please

take it offline or via PM or start a diff thread discussing the point thats been ding-doiingging back and forth if you feel it worthy of discussion.

Post if you want to add something NEW which adds to the evaluation which has not been previously discussed.... if it makes you a happier/unhappy photographer using it etc etc

DO NOT even THINK about replying my post defending yourselves

 

[kentwong81]

Thanks ed9119. Tried Bokeh using Manual Focus:

 

[motionstills]

A close-up of my lamp at ISO 100, 1/10 sec, F2.0, 36mm, think it produces very good sharpness.

 

[kentwong81]

Snapshots at night with hand held:

Bokeh:

 

[Sol81]

So what camera case are you guys using now? care to share?

 

[fudoushin]

Hi guys,

i have one complaint using built-in flash with the EX1... no matter how i adjust the FE it doesn't change at all.. its the same whether -2 / -1 / 0 / +1... is it just my camera, am i doing something wrong or do you guys face the same problem too as well? also, i don't know why they wouldn't let me underexpose the scene when i pop up the flash .. which is weird! i can only stick to normal exposure (which defeats the purpose of shooting in manual)

i used to be able to do that with my lx3, controlling manual exposure/ flash exposure... no problems.

let me know if you guys know whats wrong . or perhaps i should write into samsung to ask them to create a firmware update to solve these

 

[ed9119]

get it checked, mine is ok although my complaint is about the need for 1/3 intervals rather than half stops

 

[motionstills]

mine no problem, did u use the zoom dial to get down to the settings?

 

[fudoushin]

get it checked, mine is ok although my complaint is about the need for 1/3 intervals rather than half stops

mine no problem, did u use the zoom dial to get down to the settings?

Hi guys,

Thanks for your reponses. I re-checked my camera and realized that it was actually working fine.. the thing is that i found out i have to set the manual settings first (e.g. underexpose it) before i pop up the built-in flash cause everytime when i pop up the flash, the exposure will go back to "0" even if i underexposed the ambient exposure... which can be quite confusing imho.

Is that the same for you guys? Or is it just me? Cause on my LX3 last time, even after when i pop up the flash, i can still see the manual exposure moving down when i underexpose the scene and it doesnt go back to "0".

Cheers