Let me preface this article by stating that this is based on educated rumors. Late in September, the rumor mill was flying with speculation about Samsung shutting down its Digital Camera Division and the NX line in particular. This was sad news because many photographers throughout the industry have found that they really like the NX cameras and their price point values. Samsung officials responded stating that this was just a rumor and that the camera division was very much alive. Well, this week, several factors seem to be hinting to the contrary.
Samsung's official statement back in late September:
"Withdrawing from the camera business is not true and there is no official plan to stop production of cameras and lenses. Samsung continuously analyzes the varying needs and requirements of consumers in each market and region very carefully. However, we do not officially comment on rumors or speculation."
Well, recently people have been calling stores in Europe and Asia about buying new Samsung NX gear, but were met with a consistent response pattern, that Samsung has not supplied them with new cameras and that the manufacturer is pulling the product line due to disappointing sales numbers.
Samsung's European division made an official statement today that they will be discontinuing the NX1 camera system, but just in Europe:
We quickly adapt to market needs and demands. In Europe, we will be discontinuing sales of NX1 cameras for now since there is already much better and upgraded cameras. This is specific to the region – and is not necessarily reflective of conditions in other markets. We will continue to thoroughly evaluate market conditions and will make further adjustments to maintain our competitiveness in emerging Camera categories.
Photo Rumors speculates that this is a clear sign that Samsung may either be jumping out of the camera business or just scrapping the entire NX line. My personal opinion is that based on their interest in other graphics technology, such as virtual reality headsets and a 360/virtual reality camera that I personally saw teased at the PDN Photoexpo in NYC last month, I doubt they will completely dip out of the digital camera game. My guess is that they may attack the market with the release of a newer or different camera system.
What do you guys think?
I think it's a waste of time to speculate...why not wait and see?
Besides...do you know anyone personally who has adopted the Samsung eco-system after giving up DSLRs or other more mainstream systems?
I don't. Lot's of people have tried it out, made a few reviews and sent them back.
I found your comment to be a bigger waste of my time. Thanks for eliminating your 20 friends from the need to know — perhaps some of the other 7 billion people on the planet may care.
I am not surprised if the sale numbers of the NX1 are disappointing in Europe. It surely is a good camera but for 1300 (!) Euros body-alone it seems very expensive... for 100 € more you can get a Nikon D610 or Sony A7r
I always thought Samsung had nice cameras (i've never owned one). The P&S market has really taken a hit due to advancement of cell phone cameras. Samsung is a player in smartphones. So if P&S continues to dive, probably no economic reason to keep developing their advanced cameras (probably a small market outside the traditional brands-Canon, Nikon, Fuji, Sony etc). I'm not certain if Samsung outsources their P&S production like Kodak, Casio etc.
I think it's rather odd of Samsung to pull out so soon after entering the market, especially when they have what appears to be a decent APS-C camera (I've never used one).
However, if it's true then I think that despite buying into an orphaned system, if these cameras start selling for under $1000 with their kit lenses, it's certainly worth snapping one up as a secondary camera. This would be especially so if the NX line of lenses are also heavily discounted.
very true, not a bad time to pick up a good deal. youd think theyd wait until after black friday at least or something
They should have worked w/ Pentax to add a K-mount to it...would have a sold a crapload more. I would have strongly considered it instead of going to a GH4...
If the NX1 had a H.264 option as well as h.265 it would be more successful. Or, if the NLE's took H.265 files