REVIEW4Cameras

“The camera is a real pleasure to use, and the lightweight build means it’s a real ‘go anywhere’ shooter”

8amateur movie makes plenty to play with, especially

as each clip is limited to 25 minutes. On to the stills performance and colours straight out

of the camera were very faithful indeed. The saturation is spot-on and our prints were vibrant and punchy. The camera metered well even in diffi cult conditions with lots of dark shadow and bright highlights, even when left to meter automatically. The dynamic range within our shots was really pleasing, with plenty of detail from one end of the light spectrum to the other, providing images with lots of richness and depth. White balance also performed well when left on automatic settings, producing pleasingly neutral tones, and the aforementioned One Touch White Balance produced good results too - perfect for day-to- day casual shooting. The autofocus was very effective for the most part,

although on occasions it did struggle a little in low light and on fast moving subjects. Manual focus is also on offer here and this worked extremely well, especially via the EVF using a magnifi ed image. Noise proved not to be a big problem for the NX10,

with only the higher settings showing up any grain on the Jpg images we shot. There is in-camera noise reduction, which can be switched on or off, and did a fairly good job for the most part without too much smoothing of image

Contenders

Panasonic Lumix G10

Price: £499

Web:www.panasonic.co.uk Tel: 0844 844 3852

This entry-level model is the newest addition to the Micro Four

Thirds line up and the fi rst to be aimed at beginners to photography. It looks set to be a very popular contender.

Olympus E-PL1

Price: £549

Web:www.olympus.co.uk Tel: 01923 831201

Incorporating more features than past incarnations, this Pen will likely turn some heads with its wonderful retro styling, all metal body and rugged build. It’s a modern-day classic.

INDETAIL4

details. ISO can be pushed up to 3200, which is less than some ranges we’ve seen on recent launches, but enough to enable handheld shooting in low-light conditions if you really need to. Raw fi les show slightly more noise, but the bundled Samsung Raw convertor can easily sort this out and is very easy to set up and navigate. Aimed at step up users, the Samsung NX10 does

lack a few custom features that more experienced photographers may miss, but the more you use the camera, the less this seems to matter. Handling and ease of use was as much of a joy as the images themselves. The camera is a real pleasure to use, and the lightweight build means it’s a real ‘go anywhere’ shooter. Whether you’re shooting still life on the kitchen table, portraits in a studio or even on a ten-mile hike, the NX10 fi ts perfectly in to your life, shooting style and most importantly, your kit bag. The on board editing options, like the Picture

Wizard is great fun too and preset styles like the Black and White are very effective. Use this to ramp up the colours in your shots and employ some great creative effects. For newcomers to DSLR-style cameras, the

Display button on the rear of the camera serves a great dual purpose: use it to toggle through display options such as live histogram or press it whilst in the menu to access a brief guide explaining what each feature does. It is little touches like this that will aid the new photographer, but won’t stand in the way of those who are more experienced. Hybrid cameras have truly been one of the

greatest successes of recent years within digital camera technology. With three manufacturers already boasting system cameras, and Sony about to enter the fray, it’s a segment that will only grow stronger over the next few years. Whilst Olympus and Panasonic were the pioneers in

the hybrid market, Samsung has cleverly watched and waited. Having seen where criticisms were levelled at their competitors, such as the lack of viewfi nder, on board fl ash, high def movies, Samsung has developed a system that is more of a miniaturised DSLR, than any of its rivals. Add an APS-C sized sensor into the mix and you have a camera system that not only appeals to step up compact users, but also presents itself as a viable alternative or backup to a DSLR.

DP

Menu functions

MAIN MENU: The

Samsung menu is extremely easy to use and is clear, well labelled and not overly complicated. It’s perfect for checking settings at a glance.

GUIDE MODE: Whilst

navigating the Menus press the Disp button to call up a Guide Mode, explaining what each feature does. This makes it ideal for photography beginners.

SHOOTING MENU:

Press the Disp button to rotate through the shooting screen, including the ability to activate or deactivate the live histogram. It’s fast and responsive.

EXAMINE THE EVIDENCE FOR YOURSELF:Load up your free feature-packed CD to discover the test shots taken with the Samsung NX10,

FOCUS ASSIST

Ideal in low-light situations, the Focus Assist lamp is a real boon

LENS MOUNT

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