GEAR
SAMSUNG NX10
»£490 (WITH 18-55MM OIS LENS) »14.6MP » HD MOVIE 720P/30FPS
»WWW.SAMSUNG.COM/UK
In launching a completely new NX camera system, Samsung has taken the brave step of trying to win over new consumers, but will it pay off?
TEST BY PAUL CARROLL
WHILE SAMSUNG HAS BEEN
busy releasing compacts, it’s been over two years since its last D-SLR, the GX-20, was launched back in January 2008. This is no surprise, as the Korean electronics manufacturer announced in 2009 it was developing a new NX camera system. Looking to cash in on the market’s appetite for smaller D-SLR-style cameras, the new NX system promised interchangeable lenses and a large APS-C sensor, all housed in a
KNOWLEDGE
body with the mirror box removed. Step forward the NX10… Eager to see if Samsung’s claims
that it would deliver , “the performance and image quality of a D-SLR, with the portability and convenience of a compact” we put one through a rigorous DP testing schedule.
FEATURES & BUILD
Recent evolutions in camera design have seen the traditional D-SLR mirror box removed to
enable the construction of much smaller cameras, and this has been the principle behind the Olympus and Panasonic Micro FourThirds offerings. The NX10 has similarly modest proportions and, when compared to entry- level D-SLRs like the Nikon D3000 or Canon 1000D, it’s noticeably smaller. It has a body-only depth of just 39.8mm, although this increases to around 100mm with the standard 18-55mm lens attached.
Despite its modest dimensions, the build quality is very good and it feels reassuringly solid. The plastic finish is the mottled variety, which gives the exterior a more refined feel and there’s a rubberised finish to the handgrip and rear thumb-rest. The NX10 is no lightweight
when it comes to features, either. At its heart is a 14.6Mp APS-C size CMOS sensor, which records both high-resolution stills and HD movies. With its target audience in mind, the NX10 also features 6 point-and-shoot modes including a Scene mode with 9 options for subjects like Children or Dawn. There’s also a Smart mode that uses scene recognition to automatically select the appropriate exposure with a good degree of accuracy. For those more familiar with creative shooting modes, however, there’s Shutter and Aperture priority, alongside full Manual exposure. The NX10 uses contrast-detect
The NX10 measures a svelte 39.8mm with its 18-55mm OIS lens retracted.
SIZE MATTERS
By removing the mirror box traditionally found on D-SLRs, Samsung has reduced the distance between the back of the lens and the APS-C sized image sensor, known as the ‘flange distance’. This makes it possible to build a very thin camera and the NX10 has a depth of just 39.8mm, which is around half the size of ‘small’ entry-level D-SLRs like the Nikon D5000. On the downside, it means the NX10 has to use an Electronic Viewfinder (EVF) rather than a Through The Lens (TTL) system.
The compact body will appeal to some, but once the 18-55mm lens goes on, it’s not really ‘pocketable’.
Niam iuscin volutem diam essenibh eugait niat alit erosto corem do euisci erat lore erit velis aci blam,
autofocus, so comparisons with the number of selectable phase detection autofocus targets doesn’t apply here, and you’re not limited to 7, 9 or 11 selectable targets. Instead you can move the point to virtually any part of the screen, and it’s also possible to adjust the size of the autofocus target even down to a spot target for very precise focusing. The downside is that the autofocus is not as fast as you’d get on a D-SLR. It’s also prone to hunting in low-contrast scenes, although there is an autofocus assist beam which helps and if you prefer manual focus there’s a magnified view, which enlarges to fill the
94 DIGITAL PHOTO WWW.PHOTOANSWERS.CO.UK
IS SHOWN AT
CAMERA THE
ACTUAL SIZE!
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36