What the heck is an #Imagelogger? (and #DitchtheDSLR)

The Imagelogger program was an influencer marketing initiative setup by Samsung Camera to market its NX line of cameras. The program has since been discontinued Below is more information about the program along with a roster of influencers from 2015.

I was asked to participate in the Samsung #Imagelogger program back in December of 2013. The company had launched their new “NX” line, a family of mirrorless, wireless connected, small form-factor cameras that were looking to compete with the mainstream DSLR cameras in an extremely competitive market.

Samsung and their PR partner were looking for bloggers and various photo professionals to participate in the program by contributing photos throughout the 3-month program duration. I’m not pro, but I do enjoy snapping a few photos now and again. I was ecstatic to be selected as a participant and was definitely in good company (the full list of program members from 2014 are below).

There was one catch to this program, though.

I had to “Ditch my DSLR” camera and use their mirrorless NX cameras instead. I’ll be honest, I had no clue what mirrorless even meant, so I took to Wikipedia and looked it up:

The mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera (MILC) is a class of digital system cameras. This type of camera provides an interchangeable lens mount. They do not have a mirror reflex optical viewfinder. MILC cameras comprise 5% of total camera shipments.

Is the #Imagelogger program still active?

No, the program was discontinued in March of 2016. Here’s the email I received from the PR firm announcing it was placing the program “on hold”:

Good Afternoon Imageloggers,

First and foremost, thank you for your dedication and commitment to the Imageogger program. We’ve built a great community around amazing content, and hopefully forged a few new friendships in the process.

With that, we want to inform you that the Imagelogger program in its current form is on hold and your five image/video and one social post a week is no longer a requirement. Please feel free though to continue sharing with the hashtag and model, if you would like.

At the moment, we are continuing to discuss with Samsung the evolution of the program for 2016, and will be in touch directly if any applicable opportunities develop. In the meantime, we’ll be leaving the closed Facebook group open so you can continue to chat and share all of your great work!

If you have any questions, please reach out to me. Additionally, if you receive any press inquiries, please feel free to pass them along to us.

We appreciate all of your contributions, and thank you for all of the hard work.

Despite the ending of the program, I think #Imagelogger overall was a success, not only for Samsung but also for the participants. The camaraderie created within the group endures even today after the program has closed. The community and love for photography we’ve built is unlike any other that I’ve seen between 50 (essentially) perfect strangers.

What equipment did you receive during the #Imagelogger program?

As mentioned, the program ran in 3-month cycles. I started with the program back in December and particpated through the program conclusion in March of 2016. I received a lot of gear during this time. Below is a chronological list of the equipment I received:

Samsung NX Cameras Received

• Samsung NX300 Camera
• Samsung NX Mini Camera
• Samsung NX3000 Camera
• Samsung NX30 Camera
• Samsung NX1 Camera
• Samsung NX500 Camera

Samsung NX Lenses Received

• 18-55mm F3.5-5.6
• 18-200mm F3.5-6.3
• 85mm F1.4
• 60mm F2.8
• 45mm F1.8
• 30mm F2.0
• 20mm F2.8
• 10mm F3.5 Fisheye
• 50-150mm F2.8 S ED “S”
• 16-50mm F2-2.8 “S”

About the Samsung NX300

The first camera I received was the Samsung NX300. It’s a small form-factor camera with interchangeable lenses. The one I received looked just like what you see here with the brown faux leather accent. It was a cool, classic looking unit that was about 1/2 the size of my Canon DSLR.

I was intrigued and couldn’t wait to start snapping a few shots!

I am no professional photographer but I was still pretty impressed with the images I was seeing come out of this camera. The various SMART modes really help novices like me look good.

The NX300 program has concluded, but this camera is such a workhorse I know I’ll get some great photos out of it for years to come. I recommend this unit to all of my friends. Ease of use, simplicity, connectivity (built-in WIFI), HD movie capabilities and the quality of photos just can’t be beat. Not to mention you don’t have to lug around a back-breaking full-size DSLR. I couldn’t be happier with the performance of this camera!

About the Samsung NX30

The second unit I received was the Samsung NX30. The NX30 is the “big brother” to the NX 300 and looks a lot more like a traditional DSLR. It’s still considerably smaller than my Canon with many of the same features. The NX30 comes with a more traditional view finder, unlike the NX300 cousin, which offers only the screen display.

My favorite feature by far about this camera is the swivel display. You can twist and turn it just about any way you’d like to get those tough shots (and the right angle for the sun). You can even twist it “closed”, which I really liked because I hate a scratched screen!

About the Samsung NX Mini

The last camera I received was their NX Mini. It’s a point-and-shoot form factor mirrorless camera with a special feature – its flip-up screen. The screen on the back flips up (and over) so that you can see yourself when taking “selfies“. I love this camera for is compactness. With the “kit” 9mm lens, it easily fits into my pants pocket. I take it everywhere I go.

It’s also a pretty quick shot. When you flip the screen up, the camera automatically powers on for those quick selfie shots. To me, this seems to be the near-perfect candid shot camera. The only thing I’ve noticed so far that I don’t care for is that when shooting in certain SMART modes, the image takes a LONG time to save / process, even with a high-quality memory card.

I’ve just started shooting with this camera, so I don’t have as much experience or history, but I’m already liking what I see from this unit. I also only have the “kit” 9mm lens, so as I accumulate more lenses my capabilities will expand as well. Here are a few of my favorite shots in the 4 weeks or so that I’ve had the camera.

About The Samsung NX3000

The Samsung NX3000 was probably my least favorite camera of the #Imagelogger program. The NX3000 is still a solid unit, but seemed like it lacked much of the innovation the other units had over the previous versions.

The NX3000 seemed like it was produced so that someone could check a box that a new model was released. That said, at the time it was still better than many DSLR’s on the market and had most of the features available on the NX300.

If you can find an NX3000 for a reasonable price, I’d definitely pick it up.

About the Samsung NX1

By far, this was the best camera I received during the #Imagelogger program. It’s also the “flagship” Samsung camera as well. I received my NX1 back in November of 2014 and still use it almost every week to this day.

I primarily shoot with the 16-50 S and 50-150 S lenses. I also use the battery grip frequently with my NX1. I’ve done full event photo shoots with this camera and have yet to run out of battery power during a 4+ hour shoot.

The majority of the images you see on this site, especially from 2014 and later, come from my NX1.

About the Samsung NX500

This was the final NX camera Samsung #Imagelogger program participants received. This is a great little camera, and looks nearly identical to the NX300 that I received as my first camera in the program. There are quite a few differences on the inside, though.

The specs on the NX500 are so good, I almost think they’re too close to the NX1. The NX500 gives you 4k video capabilities, a high megapixel rating, relatively high burst rates and advanced controls just like the NX1 provides.

The only thing I didn’t love about this camera (and the NX300, for that matter) was that there is no viewfinder option. The only way to take photos using this camera is with the screen view.

Updated 2015 Samsung #ImageLogger Roster

Last but not least, I wanted to post an updated roster of the current members of the group. This is roster of participants from 2015 and is very close to the roster that ended the #Imagelogger program. I really feel fortunate to have gotten the chance to get to know these fine folks. The group is truly inspiring.