Samsung's new NV camera line features a unique new control interface. The NV10 is a 10-megapixel pocket-sized camera with features and controls to mak
Samsung's new NV camera line features a unique new control interface. The NV10 is a 10-megapixel pocket-sized camera with features and controls to make almost every photographer happy.
The Samsung NV10 is a compact, sleek, 10-megapixel camera with a 3x optical zoom lens, a 2.5-inch color LCD display, and an innovative touch pad Graphical User Interface. The NV10 is equipped with Samsung's Advanced Shake Reduction (ASR) technology to combat camera shake.
The Samsung NV10 is a small, light, simple point and shoot digital camera with a unique touch pad graphical navigation called 'Smart Touch.' Turning on the camera and taking pictures is very easy and the 'Smart Touch' interface is intuitive and easy to use. In addition to still image capture the camera has the ability to capture video with sound up to VGA 640x480 at 30 frames per second. I took the camera out on the streets of San Francisco to see how the camera would perform for spontaneous photos and light travel photography.
Samsung Samsung NV10 Features
The NV10 has several features that are worth mentioning. But it's Samsung's unique 'Smart Touch' interface that really makes the NV10 stand out from other compact digital cameras. Other important NV10 digital camera features are:
The Samsung NV10 has a 10-Megapixel CCD that captures images at 3648 x 2736 pixels.
The NV10's Advanced Shake Reduction technology helps keep images in sharp by compensating for camera shake.
The Samsung NV10's Movie Mode can record in VGA (640 x 480) at 30 frames-per-second (fps). Advanced Shake Reduction is also available in Movie Mode.
The camera features a large 2.5-inch glare-resistant color LCD display.
The NV10 has full Auto, Program, and Manual exposure modes. To assist with a variety of shooting
conditions the NV10 also has 11 scene modes, including Night, Portrait, Children, Landscape, Close-up, Sunset, Backlight, Fireworks, Beach and Snow, and even Text Recognition.
Samsung Samsung NV10 Design
Left: Samsung NV10 Mode Dial shutter release and power buttons Right: Samsung NV10 Schneider-Kreuznach 3x zoom lens
The Samsung NV10 is a good-looking camera that feels as nice as it looks. The camera is only 0.7-inches thick and weighs 148.7 grams (5.24 ounces). A slight but effective grip on the front of the body helps the small camera feel solid in the hand. On the top of the Samsung NV10 there's an eight-position mode dial, shutter release, and main power button. The fully retracting Schneider lens has Samsung's trademark blue ring around it and is equivalent to 35-105mm in the 35mm format. The flash is located under the top faceplate and pops up automatically when needed. On the back of the camera is a large, 2.5-inch color LCD display with unmarked soft touch buttons on the bottom and along the side, each accessing a single function or option. The overall construction of the camera is exceptionally solid and the black anodized metal body looks great.
Left: Samsung NV10 pop-up flash Right: Samsung NV10 2.5-inch color LCD with touch-sensitive "Smart Touch" navigation buttons
Camera Experience
The Samsung NV10 digital camera is a joy to use. The body is compact and slim and feels very nice in the hand. It was a joy to travel with in my coat pocket while exploring the streets of San Francisco. The most unique part of the camera is the "Smart Touch" navigation feature with its touch-sensitive menu buttons. The N10 does have Manual exposure controls. However, the aperture is limited to an adjustment of f/2.8 or f/7.1. Manual control of the shutter options between 15 seconds and 1/1500 of a second are very nice and provided for some fun long exposures.
Samsung's "Smart Touch" system attempts to speed up menu navigation and improve access to advanced controls. At times the navigation system did not keep up with my fingers passing over the touch-sensitive buttons. Other times my fingers would make contact with two buttons at the same time, confusing the touch-sensitive navigation system. It's too sensitive at times and not sensitive enough other times. However, the touch-sensitive controls are fun to use and work well the majority of the time. Using the touch-sensitive virtual sliders for exposure compensation, aperture, or shutter speed adjustment is quick and easy and you can see the change in real time on the LCD.
When attempting to focus on close subjects the camera sometimes had trouble locking onto the subject and it often took several attempts before the camera successfully focused. I also discovered that wearing polarized sunglasses while photographing vertical shots rendered the LCD display un-viewable. The LCD display must have a polarized coating that reacts to the polarization on my sunglasses.
The NV10 captures movies at up to 640x480 pixels (VGA) at 30 fps. Movies are saved as AVI MPEG-4 files using the DiVX codec. Viewing the movies on the computer requires a decoder, which is supplied for Windows users. But Mac users need to find and download the decoder software themselves, which I found disappointing. I wanted to review my movies on a friend's computer after a day of shooting, but we were only able to hear the audio. I had to wait to get home and install the decoder before I could actually watch my new NV10 movies.
The NV10's rechargeable battery is charged in-camera using the supplied AC adapter, which connects to a USB type cord. Using the same supplied cord you can detach the AC adapter and charge the NV10 through your computer's USB connection. The USB/AC adapter itself is unique and provides a compact and innovative battery charging solution.
Samsung NV10 in Record mode with shutter speed control display
Samsung NV10 in Record mode with extended menu display
Samsung NV10 in Play mode with info on (there is no histogram option)
Samsung NV10 in Play mode with Effect menu selected
Image Quality
The Samsung NV10 has good image quality at low sensitivity settings. Images look their best at ISO 100 and at ISO 200 they remain sharp with little noise. Above ISO 200, NV10 images start to suffer from obvious noise. In bright sunlight the camera produces a bit of excessive saturation and contrast. However, in dull lighting conditions the added saturation and contrast helped produce better looking images than would normally be possible - at least without a little help from Photoshop or another image editing program.
Overall, color and sharpness in NV10 images are good. And in spite of the camera processor's tendency to oversharpen, I ended up with digital photos that I was very happy with.
Click on thumbnails to view sample photos.
Click on thumbnails to view sample photos.
Conclusion
The Samsung NV10 is a nice, small digital camera that feels good in the hand. It's well built and the unique ' Smart Touch' navigation make this 10-megapixel camera a worthy alternative to the Casio Exilims and Canon Elph digital cameras that dominate the market. I would prefer more aperture adjustment options as well as not needing special software to watch movies captured with the NV10. However I can still recommend the Samsung NV10 as a solid, fun point-and-shoot digital camera.
Who Should Buy The Samsung Samsung NV10
The NV10 camera is a good digital camera for someone who wants a small, light camera for candid photos. The Auto mode makes good exposures and the Manual mode offers more control for advanced photographers. The large LCD display and unique 'Smart Touch' navigation make the Samsung NV10 a joy to use.
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