Compact

Slimmer and more elegant looking than the NV5 model, Samsung's new NV11 combines a slightly larger, 10.1-megapixel CCD image sensor with a Schneider-Kreuznach 5x optical zoom lens. It has the same 'Smart Touch' user interface as the NV5 model but a larger, 2.7-inch TFT LCD. Samsung's ISO-boosting ASR (Advanced Shake Reduction) system, along with the face recognition technology that adjusts both AF and AE to deliver sharp, correctly exposed people shots.

A top sensitivity of ISO 1600 allows users to shoot without flash in low light levels and provides more scope for the ASR system. Users can also set the camera to automatically eliminate red eyes from flash pictures, either in playback more or when the picture is taken, thanks to a special red-eye fix algorithm that detects and eliminates red-eye from shots as part of the image processing system.

The pop-up flash on the test camera was a little flimsy when raised but slipped neatly back into the camera body. The flaps covering the lens when power is off were also easily dislodged. The lens itself protrudes about a centimeter out from the camera body and extends a further 1.5 cm or so when power is switched on, making the NV11 less pocketable than other Samsung cameras with fully retracting lenses. (It's the price you pay for the longer zoom.) The recessed power switch was at times difficult to activate but the mode dial, although awkwardly located, had positive click stops, making it easy to engage the desired setting.

Experienced photographers can use P, A, S and M shooting modes and select between multi-segment, centre-weighted and spot metering. In the S and M modes and with the Night Scene mode, the longest exposure time is 15 seconds. Three sharpness adjustments are provided, along with eight colour effects (including a Custom setting).

The NV11 provides 12 scene modes to help novice users to set the camera's shooting parameters correctly. They include: Night Scene, Portrait, Children, Landscape, Text, Sunset, Dawn, Backlight, Fireworks, Close-up, Beach and Snow and an innovative Biz mode that allows users to photograph business cards and then download them to a PC for future reference.

Movie clips are recorded in MPEG4 format with both VGA and QVGA resolution selectable and frame rates of either 30 fps or 15 fps. You can use the optical zoom while shooting video clips and the NV11 supports the same Successive Recording setting as other recent models, allowing photographers to pause without dividing a clip. In camera editing allows users to trim movies, again without dividing clips. The camera can be used as a digital voice recorder, with capacity depending on available memory.

Playback functions have been extended with a new Advanced Photo Gallery that allows users to view and tag pictures as they shoot. Tags are provided for identifying single portraits, group shots, scenics and other subject types to make cataloguing easier. The camera is supplied with Digimax Master software, which combines basic image and video editing with file organisation.

Performance
Pictures taken with the test camera were similar to those from the S1050 model, which has the same sized image sensor. Colours were generally bright with well-controlled saturation levels. The overall dynamic range in outdoor shots was slightly wider than the S1050 produced, although a tendency towards blown-out highlights in bright conditions remained. More JPEG options are provided and compression rates were slightly lower than the S1050, as shown in the table below.

Imatest showed resolution to be slightly better than average for a 10-megapixel digicam up to ISO 400 but there was a marked deterioration thereafter. Colour saturation was very close to natural and colour accuracy was extremely high. Lateral chromatic aberration was low at all focal lengths and ISO settings. Coloured fringing was observed in outdoor shots, but not to a high degree.

The flash needed ISO 400 sensitivity to illuminate an average-sized room and produced slightly warm pictures at ISO 800 and above. Noise was visible in long exposures at high ISO settings but at a lower level than most competing cameras. A reddish cast was also observed in long exposures, particularly at low ISO settings. Close-ups were competently handled.

The test camera produced similar white balance results to most digicams, failing to remove the colour casts from either incandescent or fluorescent lighting. Only manual measurement produced natural-looking colours, although the residual casts left by the pre-sets would be easily removable with editing software.

It took an average of 2.5 seconds to power-up the camera and extend its lens. We measured an average capture lag of 0.7 seconds, which reduced to a consistent 0.1 seconds with pre-focusing. Shot-to-shot times averaged 1.8 seconds without flash and just over five seconds with. The standard burst mode captured six 4.2MB JPEGs at 1.6 second intervals, while the high-speed setting recorded three files of the same size at 0.6 second intervals. The M-Capture mode recorded 20 shots with an average file size of 350KB at 0.15 second intervals. It took approximately seven seconds to process a burst of shots.

IMATEST GRAPHS

SAMPLE IMAGES

Close-up

Digital zoom

Auto white balance with fluorescent lighting.

Auto white balance with incandescent lighting.

ISO 100

ISO 1000

Long exposure at ISO 100.

Long exposure at ISO 1000.

Image sensor: 7.18 x 5.32 mm CCD with 10.3 million photosites (10.1 megapixels effective)
Lens: Schneider-Kreuznach 7.8-39mm f/2.8-4.4 zoom (38-190mm in 35mm format)
Zoom ratio: 5x optical, up to 5x digital
Image formats: Stills – JPEG (Exif 2.2); Movies – AVI (MPEG4)/WAV
Image Sizes: Stills – 3648 x 2436, 3136 x 2352, 3648 x 2056, 2688 X 2016, 2240 X1680, 1024 x 768; Movies – 640 x 480, 320 x 240 at 30 or 15 fps
Shutter speed range: Auto – 1/2000 sec; Manual/S Mode/Night – 15-1/2000 sec; Fireworks – 4 sec.
Image Stabilisation: ASR processing
Exposure Compensation: +/- 2 EV in 1⁄ 3 EV steps.
Focus system/range: TTL AF/manual focus; range 80 cm to infinity; macro 10-80 cm; Super Macro 1-10 cm
Exposure metering/control: Multi, centre, spot metering; P, A, S, M plus 12 scene pre-sets
ISO range: Auto, ISO 100, 200, 400, 800, 1000
White balance: Auto, daylight, cloudy, fluorescent (x2), tungsten, Custom (x2)
Flash modes/range (ISO auto): Auto (with/without red-eye reduction), fill-in, slow synch, off, red-eye fix; range 0.3-4.9 m
Sequence shooting:  2.5 fps normal; 7 fps M-Capture (up to 20 frames at 1024 x 768 pixel resolution)
Storage Media: 20MB internal memory plus SD/SDHC/MMC expansion slot (up to 4GB)
Viewfinder:.n.a.
LCD monitor: 2.7-inch TFT LCD (230,000 pixels)
Power supply:  SLB-1137D rechargeable lithium-ion battery
Dimensions (wxhxd): 106.6 x 64.3 x 21.9 mm (excluding protruding lens)
Weight: 195.3 grams (without battery and card)