Camera test Samsung NX10
NOISE, RESOLUTION AND SENSITIVITY
As it features a 14.6-million-pixel sensor, you would expect the Samsung NX10 to perform well in
our resolution chart test, and it did, reaching past 24 when shooting at ISO 100 and 200. Of course, the in-camera noise reduction
does reduce the amount of detail in JPEG images as the sensitivity increases, but at ISO 3200 the NX10 is still able to reach up to around 18 on our chart. This is impressive and is as good, if not better than many DSLRs with similar resolutions. What is very impressive is that colour noise
is extremely well controlled in JPEG fi les; there is barely any colour noise visible even when the image brightness is dramatically increased. Obviously, noise is more visible in raw fi les throughout the sensitivity range, but this is easily reduced using the comprehensive settings that can be found in the bundled Samsung raw software. By leaving some luminance noise in the
image, the amount of detail that can be resolved is improved, particularly at higher sensitivities. It would have been useful if Samsung had allowed the user to select the level of noise reduction in JPEG fi les rather than just providing simple on or off options. Another issue is the presence of
curvilinear lens distortion in both the kit and pancake lenses. This isn’t really noticeable when shooting natural scenes, but it does become an issue when shooting architectural images. I hope that Samsung will release a fi rmware update in the future to combat this distortion issue in the camera body software.
28/30
METERING
There are three metering modes available in the Samsung NX10: multi, centreweighted and spot. Of these, most users will probably leave the camera in its multi-segment metering mode, which measures the level of brightness across an entire scene and sets the exposure according to the conditions. I found that the Samsung NX10 produces
quite a ‘standard’ exposure when in multi- metering mode. By this I mean it produces the results you would expect. For example, I found that if I had a large shaded area, the NX10 would try to lighten this area, but this would cause some areas in the sky to burn out. Conversely, the foreground in images that contained a large expanse of bright sky was a few stops too dark, although detail in the sky was retained. This makes it very easy when using
the camera to know how the evaluative multi-metering will react in most scenes. In turn, this makes it easy to dial in the correct amount of exposure compensation when you are photographing certain scenes. The exposure compensation is also
linked to the Live View display, which is a defi nite advantage over fi lm cameras. While this preview isn’t 100% accurate and obviously depends on the screen’s brightness
48
www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 3 April 2010
Facts & fi gures
RRP Sensor Output size
Focal length mag Lens mount File format
Compression Colour space Shutter type
Shutter speeds Max flash sync ISO
Exposure modes Metering system Exposure comp
White balance
£599.99 (with 18-55mm kit lens)
CMOS with 14.6 million effective pixels 4592x3056 pixels 1.5x
Samsung NX
Raw (SRW), JPEG, raw + JPEG simultaneously Three-stage JPEG Adobe RGB, sRGB
Electronically controlled vertical-run focal-plane shutter
30secs-1/4000sec in 1/3EV steps plus bulb 1/180sec
ISO 100-3200
Smart Auto, Program, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Manual
Multi-segment, centreweighted and spot ±3EV in 1/3EV steps
Auto, 6 presets, plus manual and custom
White balance bracket No Drive mode
LCD
Viewfinder type Field of view
Dioptre adjustment Focusing modes AF points
AF assist
DoF preview PC socket
Built-in flash Cable release
Memory card Power
Connectivity Weight
Dimensions
3fps up to 10 shots in JPEG mode, 3fps for 3 shots in raw mode.
3in AMOLED with 614,000 dots
EVF VGA 640x480 pixels, 921,000 dots Approx 100%
-4.0 to +2 dioptre, 20.2mm eye point Manual, single AF, continuous AF, Face Detection
15 mode or up to 35 in close-up mode, auto or manual selection possible
Yes Yes No
Yes – GN 11m @ ISO 100, with a 28mm angle (equivalent to 35mm)
Remote release socket SD and SDHC
Rechargeable BP1310 Li-Ion battery USB 2.0 Hi-Speed
355g (without battery or card/s) 123x87x39.8mm
SAMSUNG UK LTD, Samsung House, 1,000 Hillswood Drive, Chertsey, Surrey KT16 0PS. Tel: 01932 455 000.
www.samsungcamera.com/uk
1EV 6EV
Noise as a % of pixels
600 3200 16400
2800
Brightness255
200 150 100 50
14EV
UNDERSTANDING THE GRAPH This graph shows the brightness values recorded by the test camera when it is used to photograph a stepped graduation wedge. The wedge has transmission values in 1⁄2EV steps ranging from 0 to 12EV. The camera’s exposure is set so the 12EV section in the wedge has a brightness value of 255. Software analysis of the image then determines the recorded brightness values of all the other steps and calculates the camera’s dynamic range.
subscribe 0845 676 7778
ISO
100 200 400 1800
1.0 2.03.0
NR ON
■ LUMINANCE
■ RED CHANNEL ■ GREEN CHANNEL ■ BLUE CHANNEL
JPEG ISO 3200
18
RAW ISO 3200
22
RESOLUTION, NOISE & DYNAMIC RANGE
These images show 72ppi (100% on a computer screen) sections of images of a resolution chart, captured using matching 105mm macro lenses. We show the section of the resolution chart where the camera starts to fail to reproduce the lines separately. The higher the number visible in these images, the better the camera’s detail resolution is at the specified sensitivity setting.
JPEG ISO 100
24
RAW ISO 100
26
JPEG ISO 400
22
RAW ISO 400
26
JPEG ISO 800
22
RAW ISO 800
24
JPEG ISO 1600
20
RAW ISO 1600
22
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