Samsung Point and Shoot and Non-DSLR
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Samsung NV40 Digital Camera Review

by Tim Barribeau
Published on August 18, 2008

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Connectivity
Software (3.00)
The NV40 comes bundled with Samsung Master, a basic image viewer and editor. The application is quite limited, and allows you to crop, edit and retouch your photos. The user interface is unintuitive, and the tools are minimal. It also functions as a simple movie editor for movie files taken with the camera.

Unfortunately this program is PC only. If you're using a Mac, though, there's a good chance you use iPhoto which provides the majority of functions found in Samsung Master with a far better user interface.

Jacks, ports, plugs (2.00)
The NV40 eschews the traditional mini USB or composite video-out port for a dual-purpose proprietary port. This is an increasing trend in digital cameras as a space-saving measure, and with a camera as small as the NV40, real estate is at a premium. However, this necessitates carrying camera-specific cables and paying dearly if they're lost.

Direct Print Options (6.00)
The NV40 offers both PictBridge and DPOF technologies. The former allows the camera to connect directly to a compatible printer via USB, without using a computer. The latter lets you create a print order indicating file selection, print size and quantity, so you can give your memory card directly to a commercial print service. Once again, this avoids the need for a computer, and can be a time saver when traveling. However, the DPOF controls are once again marred by the difficult navigation system of the camera.

Battery (5.00)
The NV40's battery lasted about a day of solid use during our intensive shooting tests. The rechargeable 3.7 volt, 1100mAh required recharging three times over the course of four days of relatively heavy use. While this isn't a problem when you have access to a ready power source, it is something to keep in mind if you plan on traveling to locations where you might be away from wall sockets for an extended time.



The NV40's battery is housed beneath the camera
 
Memory (3.00)
The NV40 has 20MB of built in memory, and can take SD and SDHC memory cards. While SDHC cards are available at much higher capacities, Samsung only guarantees the NV40 up to 8GB. The memory card slot is flush against the battery, both of which are blocked when using a tripod.
Other features (2.00)

The NV40 offers two levels of image stabilization, both optical and digital, the latter of which is only available in a Dual Stabilization mode. Optical image stabilization uses a gyroscope to steady the lens, and according to Samsung, the NV40's digital image stabilization system "uses proprietary algorithms to produce a final image using the extracted color data and shape information from a captured image". In our informal testing, we did not find any benefit to using both levels of stabilization.




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