The Samsung Digimax NV10 is a 10 megapixel digital camera with a 3x optical zoom lens. It has a distinctive design. In terms of features the camera has a fairly standard set of controls although there is a manual exposure function. The menu system is also unique to this range of cameras. The Digimax NV10 also has a pop up flash unit.
Image Quality Samsung Digimax NV10 test shots
Outdoor 1 (Medium Zoom)
My first test shot shows what is to become an ongoing problem, noise. Noise is basically a decrease in picture quality and is similar to static on a television screen. It is hard to say if the camera struggles to focus or it is simply a problem caused by noise levels. The Digimax NV10 also struggles where the sun falls on the boats, with high levels of detail lost. This is not a very good photo.
Outdoor 2 (No Zoom)
Noise causes a problem in this picture too. I am also not convinced by the focusing and I can also see some purple fringing creeping in. This is a problem that is quite rare on cameras with shorter lenses, especially when the zoom is not being used.
Outdoor 3 (Maximum Zoom)
My feeling is that the camera struggles with any landscape type shots where the scene is distant. This is another photo with noise and sun glare problems.
Outdoor Portrait
This is a better effort. At least I like the colours in the shot. Once again if you blow the photo up you will start to notice levels of noise. These can be seen in the hair as you move away from the centre of the photo.
Indoor Portrait with Flash
With flash indoors the Digimax NV10 produces a decent photo. There is a greater degree of red eye in the shot then I expected to see. I had hoped that the flash popping up away from the lens would help with this common problem.
Indoor Portrait without Flash
This is another one of the better shots taken with the Digimax NV10. Although noise is visible in this shot it is more understandable as it is taken indoors in fading light.
Colours
The colours in the portrait shots are about right for me. I would like to see more vivid colours in the scenic shots. This is especially true of the skies that lack a bit of colour for my liking.
Macro
At last a test photo where I have little to complain about. The photo is bright and clear.
ISO 400
Pushing up the ISO level to 400 adds even more noise and also causes a problem with colour. A strange purple tinge starts to appear.
ISO 1600
At this level the photo is pretty grim.
Overall
Overall the Digimax NV10 is a big disappointment. This is meant to be an award winning camera, but all of my tests have been blighted by noise.
Shutter Lag
I was able to take a single photo in 0.36 seconds and five photos in 9.74 seconds. With flash turned on there was a small increase to 0.58 seconds for a single photo and 10.23 seconds for five photos. These are all average times.
You can compare this camera to other models by taking a look at the Shutter Lag Comparison Table.
Style: This set of Samsung cameras look a bit different to other digital cameras in general. They have a small grip on the front to help you hold the camera steady. Personally I think the Digimax NV10 is an attractive camera.
Dimensions: 96.5 x 60 x 27mm
Weight: 149g
Batteries: Lithium ion (SLB-0837(B)).
Memory cards: 20mb of storage have been built into the Digimax NV10. I was able to take 8 photos before the memory was full. The camera is also compatible with SD cards.
Click here to save money on SD cards.
Ease of use rating: Average. This series of cameras have a different set up to most others. Options are controlled through lines of buttons down one side and along the bottom of the camera. In my opinion it is not always obvious what you need to do to select an option.
Points I like:
Looks good - feels good it the hand - large LCD screen - after photo effects
Where it could improve:
Photo quality - shutter lag can be a problem from time to time
Verdict:
According to the Samsung website the Digimax NV10 has won a number of awards. This leaves me scratching my head as I found it difficult to take a decent photo with out high levels of noise. Aside from this problem it is a decent enough camera, but I cannot recommend it owing to the poor quality of test photos I managed to take.
Front View
Back View
Top View
Sample Menus
| Samsung Digimax NV10 Summary |
| Description: | 10 megapixels and a 3x zoom lens |
| Ease of Use: | 7 |
| Features: | 8 |
| Colour: | 8 |
| Macro: | 8 |
| Indoors: | 8 |
| Value for Money: | 6 |
| Style: | 8 |
| Movie Mode: | 8 |
| Image Quality: | 5 |
| Build Quality: | 8 |
| Total: | 74 |
| Verdict: | "I was left disappointed by the picture quality I achieved with the Samsung Digimax NV10. Reading the Samsung website I see this camera has won a number of awards, but it failed to produce the goods in a number of my test shots." |
| Review Date: | October 2007 |
| Click for: | Specification Sample Images Features |
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