Samsung NX10 review and first few images.
I was sent a Samsung NX10 just before the weekend to take a look at and I have managed to take it out very briefly and to take a few images with it locally.
The kit I was sent was supposed to contain both the 18-55 and th 50-200 lens. Unfortunatly it only arrived with the 18-55 so I have to wait until monday until I can start testing the 50-200 lens.
Now as I only work on a Mac Pro I have yet been unable to use the camera in RAW mode so all the images below were taken as super fine jpegs with in camera noise reduction turned off and the colour mode set to normal.
This will not be a full review as until I can get into using the cameras RAW files I really do not feel that I can pass final judgment on the cameras quality as I only ever work in RAW. Why Samsung did not use a more compatible RAW file format is one of the major complaints about the NX10 at the moment. Hopefully the guys over at Raw Developer will open it up and update their fantastic raw developer for the NX10.
I used raw developer in the past fro all my Olympus E-P1 files as it produced better images than lightroom did. Unfortunately Aperture are always behind in updating their software to process the raw files from manufacturers other than Canon or Nikon.
First few images: all taken with the 18-55 lens and hand held. I have kept the processing of these first mages down to just curves and contrast tweaks with some colour balance tweaks in a couple.
I have not used my usual methods of processing such as adding noise so that the images are easier to asses.
This top image was shot at iso 3200 1/10th sec at f3.5 the is really helped here in very low light. Shot as a superfine jpeg no noise reduction applied.
The above image is a good example of how well the fast focus works using the continuous AF mode in single shot. 
I am very impressed so far with the Samsung NX10. The major advantage for me over the Olympus E-P1 is that the Samsung NX10 has an electronic viewfinder. That was the main reason why I eventually sold my Olympus E-P1 as sometimes I just could not live without the viewfinder and I did not like the fact that I had to shell out another couple of hundred quid to buy one.
The Olympus E-P2 has resolved the issue with it now having its own optional electronic viewfinder but at a price of around £1000 for the kit with the standard 14-42 lens and the viewfinder.
The Samsung NX10 with all 3 current lenses: 18-55, 50-200 and the 30 f2 pancake comes in at just under £900 and it also has a flash!
Samsung has got the pricing of the NX10 absolutely right! The olympus E-P1 and the Panasonic GF1 and GH1 are in my opinion well over priced, so much so that they are on par with the current SLR offerings from both Canon and Nikon.
I think the big question is will I be keeping the Samsung? Well for now it really does beat the offerings from panasonic and olympus for what I need it to do, i.e. stills and not video. I know that there has been some comments on the video quality and I do feel that they need to patch the video side to allow manual control over the iso settings as it can be very noisy even outside in bright daylight.
But I personally did not buy it for its video as I have the 5D mark 2 for that, yes the video is a nice touch and I will use it for some personal note taking and diary stuff but when I make some short films I will pull out the 5D mark 2. What I will be using the Samsung NX10 for is its stills mode, as it has an Aps-c sized sensor so it should outperform the micro four thirds offerings, especially in the high iso area. In the few images that I have taken I can already see that even in the jpegs it does show more detail and less noise than the Olympud e-P1 with the equivalent standard zoom lens.
It also feels better in the hand as its more styled like a standard SLR with a grip on the side, just smaller but not to small.
A few reasons why I prefer the Samsung NX10 over the Olympus E-P1 and also the Sigma DP1 which I have also owned:
Better focusing speed especially in low light
Better feel and built in grip
easier to navigate menu
brighter screen
built in electronic viewfinder
better high iso noise
more detail in jpegs ( have not yet managed to use RAW)
buttons in better layout especially the on off switch which is in the same position as on the Nikons
built in flash
Were heading off to the Isle of Skye on Thursday and I will be taking along the Samsung NX10 along with the Canon 5D mark 2 and I will set up some side by side comparison shots and post the results when I get back.
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