Why has NX been such a failure?

Bad international marketing.

If people hear "Samsung" they do not think of cameras. TVs, laptops, smartphone yes, but not cameras - at least here in Germany.
 
I had a lot of interest in the camera initially. But what I was really "after" was simply a compact version of my film SLR with a "nifty fifty" (50/f1.8 equiv in APS-C and was this too much to ask?) Initially, the Samsung fit the bill with their NX10 offering with their 30mm f2 pancake. I was ready to buy. Actually anxious to buy. However, the camera was never making it to the US. It was in the Asian and European markets for months. I waited, waited. In the interim I learned of the $200 Nikon 35/f1.8. This was a better bargain than the Samsung 30/2. So I went with an entry-level Nikon and the 35/1.8.

So, if I'm a case-study, Samsung missed the boat by not releasing their their camera before competitors moved in and filled the niche they were trying to fill. I still think it's a compelling camera. Might pick up a used one still if I can steal one cheap used in a year or so. These are the kind a solid offerings you can pick up cheap used.
 
The NX10 or NX100 with 30/2 pancake is a great alternative to the NEX series.

Slightly old tech sensor but the user interface is better.
 
Has nothing to do with Samsung name really. Sony isn't that far out in this respect.

Pentax, with their ridiculous SLR-flange mirrorless, is not doing any better.

As mentioned they missed the adapter bandwagon. Any mirrorless that can't adapt Leica lenses is doomed on the market.
 
varjag said:
As mentioned they missed the adapter bandwagon. Any mirrorless that can't adapt Leica lenses is doomed on the market.
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Sort of. In general, it does not seem to be a smart strategy to tie consumers into a new lens system any more - the more so as you cannot hope to win SLR users over to yet another mount. At any rate, Sony, with barely any lenses to their E mount system, have done best so far. But I doubt that the odd few Leica lenses within that potential customer base are the determining factor when selling sub $700 cameras. However, the mere notion that a camera cannot adapt everything will shrink the potential market - and both Pentax and Samsung tripped there, psychologically by excluding LTM, and even more so by effectively excluding the cheap, fast C-mount lenses that seem to be all the rage in Asia.
 
I used the Samsung ex-1/tl500 for a few years and found it to be a brilliant camera! Well built, fast and a 24mm f1.9 equivalent on the wide end.
 
Samsung NX100 + 20-50 + 30/2 + 16/2.5 all for half the price of the Nex-7 body... Everything fits in a jacket (summer is over already)... the battery lasts forever... There's nothing to dislike about this.
 
Samsung have just announced an updated NX, the 300.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/2013/0...-20MP-mirrorless-camera-with-WVGA-touchscreen

can't quite tell if the new model takes an EVF.

In the context here of the suggestions that Samsung an't really interested in the enthusiast audience, I found dpreview's mention that Samsung don't hand out review cameras intriguing. I've known this with a few companies - normally the ones who are resistant to feedback, and hate reviewers who have the temerity to criticise.

Interesting that the new version has hybrid AF with phase detect. Would be great to see more manufacturers introduce this.
 
I've considered EX1 as a compact, then cooled down because of Samsung-unrelated reasons. I guess NX-something could be my next APS-C digital. I don't care if they aren't considered a heritage camera maker, as long as they offer good value for reasonable price.
 
Avotius said:
Face it, Samsung's NX line of cameras and lenses has been a catastrophic failure.

No one buys them. I have never seen a person with one.

Yet there is a lot of lenses and bodies to choose from. Still, no one can be bothered.

What the heck did Samsung do wrong? Maybe they should have removed the name Samsung and it would have done better.
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1) Lens reputation: despite the use of the Schneider-K brand, whose 35mm and "above" I highly admire and respect, is trash in their (Samsung's) offerings.

2) New lens mount. Bad move. Like Canon's "EOS-M", but at least they're supposed to take the (now-legacy?) EF mount, so it's not a closed system.

3) I've used their products; poor support, horrible user interface design, although everything else is above average (and hence good enough).

Had they used the m4/3 mount, they would have had a better chance. But try convincing a VP whose only experience is delegating work.
 
Gabriel

1) Does not apply to the NX line. You must be thinking of the old DSLR line of a few years ago.

2) Applies to every APS C mirrorless except Pentax does it not?
 
I used to have an NX 200, and used it for about six months until recently. I found this Samsung highly under-rated. It is an excellent camera with lots of useful features but at only a fraction of what a Sony would cost.

The 20mp sensor is surprisingly good for such a low-cost camera. It's high ISO abilities are also good- at 1600, it is still free from noise.

The body is very compact. The layout for the controls is very practical. This makes access for changing values also very convenient. Until the NEX 6 or 7 came along, Sony's mirrorless cameras made access to controls very challenging by digging through layers of menus throught just a cursor or two.

The body fits the hands well too. It's so easy to have stable handling just by gripping it. This makes stable shots for movies too.

Lens adaptability was one of the two reservations with it. It takes most of the LTM lenses but not the ones with bulging rears. So my 15mm Heliar was out. And the other was the lack of a provision for electronic viewfinders, making the 3" rear LCD the only easy choice.

However, it did take other lenses easily. The M42 SLR lenses mated easily, making all that one ever wanted with Takumars, Jupiters, and Helioses an easy reality on digital.

The compact light body, and an adapted LTM 28mm made a very small camera which easily fit in the bag. When I had the Samsung, I had it with me almost all the time.

Here are a couple of shots from the Samsung NX200, with a mated M42 1.4/50mm Super Takumar:

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Their impression to me is more likely gimmicks rather than photography. Ive heard their phot quality seems average these days but not superior even though they have always top resolusion.
 
j j said:
1) Does not apply to the NX line. You must be thinking of the old DSLR line of a few years ago.
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Correct. I was thinking of that, hence my thinking about their reputation (which by definition involves the past). Samsung-brand (or should I state, "not other brand stated otherwise") glass does not inspire even further confidence.

j j said:
2) Applies to every APS C mirrorless except Pentax does it not?
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Correct. Other manufacturers have provided adaptors, hence their mounts are not exactly closed mounts. This (Samsung NX) one is.
 
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