Showing posts with label CNET. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CNET. Show all posts
Monday, June 20, 2011
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Samsung unleashes five stylish compacts
Following is a reviews of Samsung's new cameras including ST6500 posed by CNET Asia.
CNET Asia Review Samsung NX100
Following is a review of NX100 mirrorless interchangeable lens camera posted by CNET Asia.
Compacts for shooting in low-light environments
CNET Asia posted a ranking of compact digital cameras.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Pair this Samsung camera with an Android handset.
Following is a review of SH100 digtial camera posted by CNET.com.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Samsung NX11 Information from CNET
CNET posted the following information about Samsung NX11.
Here is the link to the source: http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-cameras/samsung-nx11/4505-6501_7-34467029.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody;1r
Sunday, January 9, 2011
CES 2011 CNET: Samsung budget HD camcorder a boon for lefties
CNET posted an article about Samung's HMX-10 camcorder for lefites that was shown at CES 2011.
Here is the original link to the site: http://ces.cnet.com/8301-32254_1-20026978-283.html
(Credit: Samsung)
Here is the original link to the site: http://ces.cnet.com/8301-32254_1-20026978-283.html
(Credit: Samsung)Samsung heads into CES week with an early announcement of its HMX-Q10 camcorder, a really aggressively priced model that should have a lot of people asking "what's the catch?" At a price of $299, I'd expect the ultracompact Q10 to have some obvious omissions, but Samsung seems to make better trade-off choices with this model than the manufacturers of similarly priced competitors.
Most notably, almost all competitors play the specsmanship game and opt for lower-than-HD resolution sensor and pair it with a longer (20x-plus) zoom lens, which results in pretty poor video quality. The Q10, however, uses a 5-megapixel backside-illuminated CMOS and a shorter--but quite sufficient--optically stabilized 10x f1.8 zoom. Though the Samsung's 1/5.8-inch sensor is still pretty small (and the way the spec is reported is odd, so I'm not quite sure what's going on), that's typical for the class.
The rest looks pretty reasonable as well. In theory, the new Switch Grip allows you to record with the camcorder flipped over--in other words, it should be usable left-handed as well as right. That's a nice feature, if it works as advertised. It's got a 2.7-inch touch screen, and the company's spinning the complete lack of direct controls, with the exception of the record and zoom switches, as an ease-of-use windfall.
The camcorder supports 1080/60i and 720/60p recording (still waiting for info about the format, but I'd wager its H.264 MPEG-4). Another nice-sounding feature is Record Pause technology, which allows you to pause recording without creating a new clip on resume. And though it doesn't seem to have a built-in USB cable, the battery charges via USB.
Slated to ship in February, the Samsung HMX-Q10 actually looks like it might be a decent budget model.
Monday, October 18, 2010
CNET Asia Review: Samsung EX1
Following is a review from CNET Asia for Samsung EX1 camera.
It's been almost two years since Panasonic announced the Lumix DMC-LX3, an advanced point-and-shoot that pretty much dominated the compact market since. Other manufacturers tried to develop their own version to topple the Lumix LX3 from its top spot, with Canon being the most aggressive with its PowerShot S90 and G11. Though it appears the Lumix has held its ground against the competition, it now faces its most intense rival yet from Samsung.
The EX1 has been touted the "LX3 killer" on the Web since the Samsung was announced in February this year. It has all the good bits from the LX3 and G11 combined into one package, finished with a touch of Samsung in the form of an AMOLED screen. Can this enthusiasts-grade compact really give the LX3 a run for its money as rumored? Here's our verdict.
Design
The EX1 has a very solid build. In fact, it feels like it's been carved out of a single piece of metal block. Each component, from the scroll wheels to the buttons, hardly feels flimsy. Of all the point-and-shoots we've tested in the past few years, the EX1 delivers one of the best overall build. Here's a pictorial analysis of the various parts of the EX1.
The brushed metal texture on the front of the EX1 gives the camera a sophisticated look and an overall uncluttered design. The large lens barrel takes up most of the front, but there is still ample space on the rubberized grip for our hands to hold onto. The onboard flash pops up from the top of the snapper, just like the LX3's.
Read more: http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/digitalcameras/0,39005881,45210946p,00.htm
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Samsung NX100, a $600 entry-level ILC
Following is a review of Samsung NX100 mirrorless interchangeable lens camera.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Samsung NX100 Review
CNetAsia has reviews Samsung NX100 mirrorless interchangeable lens camera.
Please click http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/digitalcameras/0,39005881,45302982p,00.htm? for more information.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
CNET News: Samsung HMX-E10 Camcorder
The CNET news announced Samsung HMX-E10 full HD camcorder as well as other brand products.
Samsung NX100 Review from CNET
Following is a review of Samsung NX100 from CNET.com.
The Samsung NX100 is the company's third mirrorless interchangeable lens system camera, after the launch of the NX10 in January and subsequently the NX5. What's new about this shooter is not just its design, but also the features which the firm has implemented into the accompanying lenses.
Currently, four brands have mirrorless system cameras under their belts--Olympus and Panasonic back the Micro Four Thirds format, Sony has the NEX standard and Samsung with the NX line. For the NX100, its closest competitor in terms of specifications and design is probably the Olympus E-P2. Check out some comparison pictures we have below of these two cameras, as well as a more in-depth look at the Samsung shooter.
Design
According to Samsung, the NX100's design was inspired by a dew droplet forming on a leaf. Hence, this explains the curves around the body, which is most accentuated near the shutter button area.
In terms of body size, the NX100 feels a tad thick, but it is definitely lighter. The firm said the shooter's chassis is made with a type of plastic which isn't used by other camera manufacturers (though it didn't specify what kind), and this makes the snapper more durable.
The front of the NX100 is pretty standard, though you can see the portion near the shutter button drooping downward slightly.
On the top you'll find the hotshoe, mode dial and a command wheel to adjust different exposure parameters, depending on which setting the camera is set to. You'll also notice the handgrip area is slightly thicker.
Round the back of this Samsung camera is a 3-inch AMOLED display and other controls to access the menu or other options. Above the screen is the accessory port which allows users to attach the electronic viewfinder (EVF) or GPS module.
The side of the camera has a flap to hide the USB, mini-HDMI, remote control and DC charging ports. The C button is used to activate depth-of-field preview.
Here are some pictures of the NX100 (left) and its closest rival, the Olympus E-P2 (right).
Features
One new feature the NX100 has is the Lens Priority mode. When the camera is in this setting, new optics which has i-Function will tell the camera what exposure options to use. These new lenses also have icons on the barrel to indicate what type of pictures--landscape and/or portrait--they are most suited for.
i-Function is not just limited to overriding the camera system. There is a button on the side of the lens barrel which allows you to toggle between different options such as exposure compensation, aperture, shutter speed, white balance etc, and use the focusing ring to adjust the accompanying parameters. Currently, settings are changed via the camera on the body for interchangeable lens system shooters, so the i-Function feature is a new way for shutterbugs to use their lenses. However, there are compacts which come with a similar function. The Canon PowerShot S90 and S95 allow users to change settings by using a ring around the lens barrel.
One thing we noticed about using the focus ring to adjust settings is that it rotates a bit too smoothly. While turning it, we sometimes overshot the intended setting. Hopefully, when these optics go on sale, it will have a bit more resistance for a more intuitive operation.
Samsung also told CNET Asia that NX10 and NX5 owners can use i-Function equipped lenses on their cameras, though they would require a firmware update to employ the Lens Priority feature.
We tried the EF-100F EVF on the NX100 and compared it with the VF2 which the Olympus E-P2 uses. The Samsung EVF has a resolution of 201k dots while the VF2 has 1,440k dots. The Olympus EVF shows a much bigger display than the Samsung, but we found no discernable differences in terms of how fine the dots appear to be. But one advantage the VF2 has over the EF-100F is that it is able to tilt upward, while the Samsung EVF is fixed in position.
Sample shots
Below are some sample pictures we took with the NX100. Note that it is a preproduction unit, so the image quality is not definitive of the final product. The photos were shot with the new 20-50mm F3.5-5.6 lens at ISO 400 in Program mode.
Source from http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/digitalcameras/0,39005881,45302982p,00.htm#mainreview
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Samsung EX1 - Excellent Score from CNET Asia
The CNET Asia Review gave Samsung EX1 the highest score.
It's been almost two years since Panasonic announced the Lumix DMC-LX3, an advanced point-and-shoot that pretty much dominated the compact market since. Other manufacturers tried to develop their own version to topple the Lumix LX3 from its top spot, with Canon being the most aggressive with its PowerShot S90 and G11. Though it appears the Lumix has held its ground against the competition, it now faces its most intense rival yet from Samsung.
The EX1 has been touted the "LX3 killer" on the Web since the Samsung was announced in February this year. It has all the good bits from the LX3 and G11 combined into one package, finished with a touch of Samsung in the form of an AMOLED screen. Can this enthusiasts-grade compact really give the LX3 a run for its money as rumored? Here's our verdict.
The brushed metal texture on the front of the EX1 gives the camera a sophisticated look and an overall uncluttered design. The large lens barrel takes up most of the front, but there is still ample space on the rubberized grip for our hands to hold onto. The onboard flash pops up from the top of the snapper, just like the LX3's.
The top of the Samsung camera houses controls for the shooting modes, commonly used functions such as bracketing and shutter button which has a zoom lever around it. Having physical controls is a plus for a pro-oriented point-and-shoot because you won't have to dive into the menu each time you want to change an option.
Other controls are situated on the rear. There is a useful scroll wheel which doubles as a four-way navigation pad and access to ISO, flash, and the macro and display modes. Also, there is a dedicated video-recording button (which is useful, but we're not sure how many people will make use of the VGA movie capture mode) and a Func key that calls up commonly changed settings.
Another noteworthy aspect of the EX1 is the front dial located on the handgrip. Like the scroll wheel, the front dial lets you tweak settings when in manual shooting mode or to navigate menus.
Compared with the LX3, the EX1 is bigger and heavier. We attribute that to the multitude of features the Samsung shooter has, as well as the material used to craft the camera. That said, the EX1 is still pretty portable; it fitted nicely into our small shoulder bag and even our jeans pocket (though it made for a tight fit).
We used the EX1 for a few weeks and found operating it a joy. Controls were within fingertips reach, and once we got used to the menu, it was quick enough to change settings on-the-go. The weight distribution of the camera was pretty good, too, and this made holding the snapper with one hand an easy task. Overall, we were impressed with the EX1's design.
In terms of lens specifications, the EX1 trumps the LX3 and S90 with its bright F1.8 optics, which offers about 1 stop more in exposure. For example, instead of having to shoot at 1/15 second in low light (which may be blur due to shaky hands), shutterbugs can shoot at 1/30 second instead and this minimizes the chances of getting blurry shots.
As with the Canon G11, the EX1 has a swivel LCD that flips the screen inward. This is useful for preventing scratches when you're not using the camera.
Screen-wise, the Samsung shooter uses a 3-inch, 920k-dot resolution AMOLED. The hi-res display is great for checking focus manually. However, we doubt the color accuracy of the screen. When we reviewed pictures on the AMOLED, tones and hues look great with plenty of saturation and contrast. But when we viewed the same images on our color-calibrated PC monitor, they looked duller and tones lacked punch. If the EX1 were a consumer-level point-and-shoot, we probably wouldn't have bothered much with the color accuracy of the screen. But since this is a pro-oriented camera, we figured that professionals would want to see the most accurate shades and contrast so they can make changes on the spot if necessary.
In terms of customizing buttons functions, the EX1 doesn't offer a lot. In manual exposure mode, the front dial adjusts only shutter speed and the scroll wheel controls shutter speed. This also applies even when you're shooting in shutter/aperture priority modes. We wished Samsung allowed users to customize the functions.
The EX1 employs a 1/1.7-inch image sensor, which is slightly smaller than the LX3's 1/1.63-inch one. In the latter part of this review, we'll see if this impacts the picture quality.
Focusing was generally fast, but we noticed the EX1 struggled a bit with closeup shots, though it surprisingly handled low-light situations pretty well in our tests.
Exposure-wise, the Samsung shooter tended to overexpose highlights under bright sunlight, so we recommend that users underexpose shots by about -1/3 stop or shoot in RAW where possible to have more control over the post-editing process. When we shot indoors, the exposure was correct and we didn't have to make any adjustments.
Looking at the ISO comparison picture above, you'll see that at ISO 400 and below, the EX1 churned out clean-looking shots with few traces of digital artifacts. Sure, there is noise in the midtones and shadow regions at ISO 400, but if you don't enlarge the picture to 100 percent on the computer screen or print at 8R size, you probably won't notice them. At ISO 800, the edges of the subjects start to get a bit fuzzy and colored noise is more prominent. But considering the EX1 has a F1.8 lens, you probably won't need to venture to ISO 800 even for night shots. Even if you have to, there is a RAW image option, which will probably let you clean up the digital artifacts in the post-processing stage.
We compared the EX1's ISO 400 and 800 JPEG samples with the LX3's and noticed the Samsung camera had a bit more noise than the Panasonic shooter at ISO 400, but that's negligible as you have to scrutinize the images just to spot the difference. Both cameras were on par at ISO 800.
Color reproduction of the EX1 was accurate, with pleasing tones that were not overly saturated (unlike those displayed on the AMOLED). The automatic white balance was spot on for most situations as well, and we didn't get weird color tinges in our shots.
The EX1 has been touted the "LX3 killer" on the Web since the Samsung was announced in February this year. It has all the good bits from the LX3 and G11 combined into one package, finished with a touch of Samsung in the form of an AMOLED screen. Can this enthusiasts-grade compact really give the LX3 a run for its money as rumored? Here's our verdict.
Design
The EX1 has a very solid build. In fact, it feels like it's been carved out of a single piece of metal block. Each component, from the scroll wheels to the buttons, hardly feels flimsy. Of all the point-and-shoots we've tested in the past few years, the EX1 delivers one of the best overall build. Here's a pictorial analysis of the various parts of the EX1.The brushed metal texture on the front of the EX1 gives the camera a sophisticated look and an overall uncluttered design. The large lens barrel takes up most of the front, but there is still ample space on the rubberized grip for our hands to hold onto. The onboard flash pops up from the top of the snapper, just like the LX3's.
The top of the Samsung camera houses controls for the shooting modes, commonly used functions such as bracketing and shutter button which has a zoom lever around it. Having physical controls is a plus for a pro-oriented point-and-shoot because you won't have to dive into the menu each time you want to change an option.
Other controls are situated on the rear. There is a useful scroll wheel which doubles as a four-way navigation pad and access to ISO, flash, and the macro and display modes. Also, there is a dedicated video-recording button (which is useful, but we're not sure how many people will make use of the VGA movie capture mode) and a Func key that calls up commonly changed settings.
Another noteworthy aspect of the EX1 is the front dial located on the handgrip. Like the scroll wheel, the front dial lets you tweak settings when in manual shooting mode or to navigate menus.
Compared with the LX3, the EX1 is bigger and heavier. We attribute that to the multitude of features the Samsung shooter has, as well as the material used to craft the camera. That said, the EX1 is still pretty portable; it fitted nicely into our small shoulder bag and even our jeans pocket (though it made for a tight fit).
We used the EX1 for a few weeks and found operating it a joy. Controls were within fingertips reach, and once we got used to the menu, it was quick enough to change settings on-the-go. The weight distribution of the camera was pretty good, too, and this made holding the snapper with one hand an easy task. Overall, we were impressed with the EX1's design.
Features
The EX1 doesn't come with fancy features. There's no panoramic mode, HDR option or 720p video recording. However, that didn't discount its scores because as a pro-level point-and-shoot, it has all the prerequisites. Its fiercest competitor is the Panasonic LX3, with the Canon S90 behind. Then, there's also the G11 and Ricoh GRD III, which are pro-level compacts as well. Here's a quick comparison chart to see how all these cameras stack up against each other.| Model/Specifications | Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 | Samsung EX1 | Ricoh GRD III |
| Sensor size/resolution | 1/1.63 inch/10 megapixels | 1/1.7 inch /10 megapixels | 1/1.7 inch /10 megapixels |
| Dimension/weight | 108.7 x 59.5 x 27.1mm/229g | 114.3 x 63.2 x 29.2mm/Weight TBC | 108.6 x 59.8 x 25.5mm/188g |
| LCD size | 3-inch fixed | 3-inch swiveling AMOLED | 3-inch fixed |
| Lens specifications | 24-60mm F2.0-2.8 | 24-72mm F1.8-2.4 | 28mm fixed F1.9 |
| Zoom range | 2.5x | 3x | N.A. |
| Max video resolution | 1,280 x 720 pixels at 24fps | 640 x 480 pixels at 30fps | 640 x 480 pixels at 30fps |
| Image stabilizer | Optical (via lens) | Optical (via lens) | N.A. |
| Hotshoe | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Memory media | SD/SDHC | SD/SDHC | SD/SDHC |
| Related link | Review | Crave |
| Model/Specifications | Canon PowerShot S90 | Samsung EX1 | Canon PowerShot G11 |
| Sensor size/resolution | 1/1.7 inch /10 megapixels | 1/1.7 inch /10 megapixels | 1/1.7 inch /10 megapixels |
| Dimension/weight | 100 x 58 x 31mm/175g | 114.3 x 63.2 x 29.2mm/Weight TBC | 112.1 x 76.2 x 48.3mm/355g |
| LCD size | 3-inch fixed | 3-inch swiveling AMOLED | 2.8-inch articulated |
| Lens specifications | 28-106mm F2.0-4.9 | 24-72mm F1.8-2.4 | 28-140mm F2.8-4.5 |
| Zoom range | 3.8x | 3x | 5x |
| Max video resolution | 640 x 480 pixels at 30fps | 640 x 480 pixels at 30fps | 640 x 480 pixels at 30fps |
| Image stabilizer | Optical (via lens) | Optical (via lens) | Optical (via lens) |
| Hotshoe | No | Yes | Yes |
| Memory media | SD/SDHC | SD/SDHC | SD/SDHC |
| Related link | Review | Review |
In terms of lens specifications, the EX1 trumps the LX3 and S90 with its bright F1.8 optics, which offers about 1 stop more in exposure. For example, instead of having to shoot at 1/15 second in low light (which may be blur due to shaky hands), shutterbugs can shoot at 1/30 second instead and this minimizes the chances of getting blurry shots.
As with the Canon G11, the EX1 has a swivel LCD that flips the screen inward. This is useful for preventing scratches when you're not using the camera.
Screen-wise, the Samsung shooter uses a 3-inch, 920k-dot resolution AMOLED. The hi-res display is great for checking focus manually. However, we doubt the color accuracy of the screen. When we reviewed pictures on the AMOLED, tones and hues look great with plenty of saturation and contrast. But when we viewed the same images on our color-calibrated PC monitor, they looked duller and tones lacked punch. If the EX1 were a consumer-level point-and-shoot, we probably wouldn't have bothered much with the color accuracy of the screen. But since this is a pro-oriented camera, we figured that professionals would want to see the most accurate shades and contrast so they can make changes on the spot if necessary.
In terms of customizing buttons functions, the EX1 doesn't offer a lot. In manual exposure mode, the front dial adjusts only shutter speed and the scroll wheel controls shutter speed. This also applies even when you're shooting in shutter/aperture priority modes. We wished Samsung allowed users to customize the functions.
The EX1 employs a 1/1.7-inch image sensor, which is slightly smaller than the LX3's 1/1.63-inch one. In the latter part of this review, we'll see if this impacts the picture quality.
Performance
The EX1 took slightly over 1 second to start up, but needed about 3 seconds more to initialize the camera. Shutter lag measured a zippy 0.1 second. Time-to-first-shot, though, was disappointing at 5 seconds.Focusing was generally fast, but we noticed the EX1 struggled a bit with closeup shots, though it surprisingly handled low-light situations pretty well in our tests.
Exposure-wise, the Samsung shooter tended to overexpose highlights under bright sunlight, so we recommend that users underexpose shots by about -1/3 stop or shoot in RAW where possible to have more control over the post-editing process. When we shot indoors, the exposure was correct and we didn't have to make any adjustments.
Image Quality
A question that's been bugging shutterbugs since the EX1 was announced is: Can Samsung deliver a camera that takes pictures as good as the LX3? The short answer is: Yes. The long answer depends on the type of images you like. In general, the EX1's pictures appear softer than the Panasonic camera's, but this can be easily resolved if you sharpen them in an image-editing program such as Adobe Photoshop.Looking at the ISO comparison picture above, you'll see that at ISO 400 and below, the EX1 churned out clean-looking shots with few traces of digital artifacts. Sure, there is noise in the midtones and shadow regions at ISO 400, but if you don't enlarge the picture to 100 percent on the computer screen or print at 8R size, you probably won't notice them. At ISO 800, the edges of the subjects start to get a bit fuzzy and colored noise is more prominent. But considering the EX1 has a F1.8 lens, you probably won't need to venture to ISO 800 even for night shots. Even if you have to, there is a RAW image option, which will probably let you clean up the digital artifacts in the post-processing stage.
We compared the EX1's ISO 400 and 800 JPEG samples with the LX3's and noticed the Samsung camera had a bit more noise than the Panasonic shooter at ISO 400, but that's negligible as you have to scrutinize the images just to spot the difference. Both cameras were on par at ISO 800.
Color reproduction of the EX1 was accurate, with pleasing tones that were not overly saturated (unlike those displayed on the AMOLED). The automatic white balance was spot on for most situations as well, and we didn't get weird color tinges in our shots.
Conclusion
We were very impressed by the Samsung EX1. In terms of function and operation, this camera is tops in the market now. The EX1 is probably the most advanced point-and-shoot on the market today, let down only by the inaccurate color reproduction of the AMOLED screen. That to us is quite a big deal since this camera is directed at enthusiasts and professional users. Also, the sluggish performance didn't go down too well with us. But if you want a shooter that has a fast lens and is capable of delivering good pictures, the EX1 is worth a serious consideration.Here is the link to the original source. http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/digitalcameras/0,39005881,45210946p,00.htm
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