Compact

Superficially, Samsung's new NV7 OPS resembles the recently-reviewed ultra-slim NV10 model but sports a longer, 7x optical zoom lens and lower-resolution (7.2-megapixel) sensor. Its black metal body has the same 'quality' feel as the 10-megapixel NV10 but the lens (which is also made by Schneider-Kreuznach) does not tuck into the camera body but projects forwards about 36 mm. An attractive zip-up camera case is supplied with the camera but the plastic lens cap (also supplied) detracts from the overall quality of the package.



The 'Smart Touch' user interface featured on the NV10 is also used on the NV7 OPS, along with the 2.5-inch LCD monitor. However, the NV7 OPS replaces the M setting on the NV10's mode dial with an ASM mode that accesses aperture and shutter priority AE settings plus manual exposure. The pop-up flash units appear to be identical in both models and, like the NV10, no viewfinder is provided. An AF-assist lamp and IR remote control sensor are located on the front panel. There's also a slightly raised circular knob with no identified purpose at the left end of the top panel.

The ASR (Advanced Shake Reduction) mode is another feature inherited from the NV10. However, the NV7 OPS adds CCD-shift optical picture stabilisation (which counteracts camera movement by shifting the image sensor) to the NV10's ISO-boost plus processing system. Two shake-detection sensors are installed in the camera to pick up horizontal and vertical movement and the results are processed to apply appropriate shake correction. Further processing (as in the NV10) recovers image clarity and colour that can be lost with flash photography and in low light levels.

An impressive addition to the white balance menu is a Kelvin temperature scale, which lets you adjust image colour by sliding your finger along the bottom row of buttons. The image colour changes on the LCD as you slide backwards and forwards, allowing you to come close to a neutral colour with almost any type of lighting. Like the NV10, the NV7 OPS includes 11 pre-set scene modes, one of which is Text Recognition for copying documents. (A separate OCR program is required to convert these files into editable text.)
MPEG-4 movie clips can be recorded with or without audio in VGA or QVGA format at 30 or 15 frames/second. A range of editing functions is provided in-camera, enabling users to trim clips and combine clips into a single file. There's also a Successive Recording mode that lets you start and stop video recording by pressing the shutter button so you can record long video clips.



Supplied with the NV7 OPS is an AC adaptor, which connects to a USB cable that has a 24-pin plug at one end. This plug slots into the base of the camera and allows the battery to be charged from the mains. The same cable is also used for connecting the camera to a PC so shots can be downloaded. An optional cradle is also available.
The test camera produced pictures that were typical of a compact digicam, with elevated contrast and saturation (and no way to control either parameter). Imatest testing found resolution to be slightly below expectations and showed a tendency to over-sharpening that produced aberrations in digital zoom shots. Chromatic aberration was low across a range of apertures and focal lengths and only minor coloured fringing was found.
Image noise became apparent in low light shots at ISO 400, increasing progressively thereafter. Shots taken at ISO 1000 were seriously noise affected. We detected colour shifts in flash shots as the ISO setting was changed, with ISO 400 producing more accurate colours than other settings and ISO 1000 the worst colour rendition. The auto white balance setting handled fluorescent lighting well but failed to fully correct the orange cast of incandescent lighting. However, the manual pre-sets and custom measurement produced natural looking colours, while the Kelvin adjustment came close but was hampered by slightly inaccurate colour rendition on the camera's LCD.
The test camera took roughly three seconds to power up but shut down slightly faster. We measured an average capture lag of 0.7 seconds, which reduced to 0.25 seconds with pre-focusing. The high-speed burst mode recorded three shots at half-second intervals, while the standard continuous mode captured shots at 1.8 second intervals. Shot-to-shot times averaged two seconds without flash.

IMATEST GRAPHS

SAMPLE IMAGES

Close-up.

Digital zoom shots show visible processing artefacts.

Obvious noise and colour shifts affect shots taken at high ISO settings.

Normal shots are slightly over-sharpened.

Image sensor: 5.76 x 4.29 mm CCD with 7.4 million photosites (7.2 megapixels effective)
Lens: Schneider-Kreuznach 6.3-44.7mm f2.8-4.0 zoom (38-270mm in 35mm format)
Zoom ratio: 7x optical, up to 5x digital (playback zoom up to 8x)
Image formats: Stills – JPEG (Exif 2.2); Movies – AVI (MPEG4)/WAV (VGA/QVGA at 30/15 fps)
Image Sizes: 3072x2304, 2688x2016. 1920x1440, 1024x768.
Shutter speed range: 1-1/1500 sec. (to 4 sec. in Night and Fireworks modes; 15 sec. in Manual & S modes)
Exposure Compensation: +/- 2EV in 1/2EV steps
Focus system/range: TTL AF plus manual focus; range – 80 cm to infinity; macro 10-80 cm; Super macro 1-10cm (wide only); Manual 1cm to infinity.
Exposure metering/control: Multi, Centre & Spot metering; Auto, P, A/S/M, Anti-shake, Effects (9), Scene (11).
White balance: Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent (x2), Tungsten, Custom, Manual setting (8 steps)
Flash modes/range (ISO auto): Auto, Red-eye reduction, Fill-in, Slow synch, Flash off; range 0.2-5.8 m
ISO range: Auto, ISO 100, 200, 400, 800, 1000
Storage Media: 19 MB internal memory plus SD/MMC expansion slot
Viewfinder: n.a.
LCD monitor: 2.5-inch colour LCD (230,000 pixels)
Power supply: SLB-0837  rechargeable lithium-ion battery
Dimensions (wxhxd): 106 x 62.3 x 20.9 mm (projecting lens adds another 36mm)
Weight: 245.2 grams (without battery and card)