Samsung NV40 Digital Camera Review

Value (8.00)
If you can get past the difficult user interface, the NV40 is a solid value due to its excellent shooting ability. It performed very well in all our tests, especially for shots taken in automatic mode. If you like just being able to turn on your camera and get good-looking shots, the NV40 is worth the price.

Comparisons

Canon Powershot SD1100 IS – The SD100 IS outperformed the Samsung in color accuracy testing and some speed tests. However, the noise level performance with the NV40 was superior, as was the low light performance. The NV40 also has more extensive editing modes during playback and more extensive manual controls. In its favor, the Canon does have a stitch mode, which allows you to make panoramic images. The SD1100 debuted at a price of $250, and is now available for $195.

 Pentax Optio Z10 –  When the Optio Z10 was launched for Christmas 2007, it had a price tag of $250, which has since dropped to an affordable $140, almost $100 cheaper than the NV40. While the Pentax resolution maxes out at 8 megapixels versus 10 for the Samsung, that is enough for most situations, and it has an impressive 7x optical zoom compared to 3x for the NV40. The Z10 has a wider array of editing tools in the camera, including more image effects and the ability to add borders to your images. It can also recognize 15 faces in facial recognition mode, but has a slower auto focus than the NV40. While the NV40 beat the Z10 in all the performance tests we run, the Pentax did score well in dynamic range, but poorly in image noise testing. The primary advantage to the Z10 at this point is its considerably lower price, and the 7x optical zoom.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ8 – The Lumix DMC-LZ8 is a budget-friendly point-and-shoot from Panasonic that can be found for about $150. It has a 5x optical zoom, and outperformed the NV40 on the color, ISO and low light tests. The Lumix also has aperture and shutter priority in addition to manual and auto modes, as well as scene detection, which will automatically choose the most appropriate preset mode. However, the resolution, at 8 megapixels, is lower than the NV40, and testing results for resolution, timing and dynamic range were unimpressive.

Olympus Stylus 830 – The Stylus 830 offers a weatherproof body and a 5x zoom, both of which are improvements over the NV40, especially in less than ideal conditions. The Stylus was introduced at $330 but is now available for $180, and boasts a more diverse set of editing and playback options than the Samsung. Of the cameras we chose for comparison purposes, the Olympus had the best auto noise and low light scores.  It has a larger number of scene modes than the Samsung, but the image quality from the NV40 far surpassed the Olympus.