Samsung NX10

Color (9.07)

The NX10 performed adequately in our tests of color accuracy, but the results were not outstanding. We test color accuracy by shooting an X-Rite color chart under studio lighting and analyzing the photos using Imatest software to determine how accurately the camera captured the range of colors that this chart contains. We found that the most accurate color was captured in the Standard color mode, but this had a few issues.

Although all of the colors were mostly accurately captured, we found that they were all overly saturated, making them look deeper than they are. This is particularly evident with the pale blues and oranges, which come out looking more like cartoon colors than the subtle originals. This will make your flowers look bright, but it might also mean that you miss some of the natural colors that make them look real. Fortunately, the color modes can be adjusted, and the results of your tweaking saved as custom settings. More on how we test color.

Camera Color Comparisons
	Ideal	Samsung NX10	Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1	Olympus PEN E-P1	Nikon D5000	Pentax K-x
Dark Skin
Light Skin
Blue Sky
Foliage
Blue Flower
Bluish Green
	Ideal	Samsung NX10	Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1	Olympus PEN E-P1	Nikon D5000	Pentax K-x
Orange
Purplish Blue
Moderate Red
Purple
Yellow Green
Orange Yellow
	Ideal	Samsung NX10	Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1	Olympus PEN E-P1	Nikon D5000	Pentax K-x
Blue
Green
Red
Yellow
Magenta
Cyan

NOTE: Because of the way computer monitors reproduce colors, the images above do not exactly match the originals found on the chart or in the captured images. The chart should be used to judge the relative color shift, not the absolute captured colors.

Compared to other cameras, the color accuracy of the NX10 was disappointing: with more deviation from the true hues than the Pentax K-x and the Panasonic GF1, and far worse than the Olympus E-P1.

Color Modes (5.00)

The NX 10 offers nine color modes, called picture wizards: Standard, Vivid, Portrait, Landscape, Forest, Retro, Cool, Calm and Classic. You can see examples of six of these modes below, and the complete range in the Picture Effects section. Most of the effects do what you would expect, with Retro producing a look that mirrors old film prints and Classic producing black and white images. Each picture wizard can be adjusted for color, saturation, sharpness and contrast. As for the oddball name, suffice it to say we would have gone a different way.

White Balance (7.50)

The results of our white balance testing were an odd mix. We examine performance under three light sources, daylight, incandescent and compact white fluorescent, first using the camera’s automatic white balance system, then taking a custom white balance reading and testing again. With the Samsung NX10, when the system worked well, it worked exceptionally well. On the other hand….

Automatic White Balance (12.43)

The camera’s overall score for automatic white balance is a bit skewed, since the NX10 proved strikingly accurate under compact white fluorescent lights and in daylight, and awful under incandescents (like the tungsten bulbs used in many homes).

Daylight white balance performance was far more accurate than the Pentax K-x or Panasonic GF1. Shots taken with the NX10 using the automatic WB setting under incandescent lights looked a lot like sepia tones, but the NX10 turned in one of the most accurate results in our fluorescent lighting test.

Custom White Balance (2.57)

The good news here is that using custom white balance effectively solved the incandescent light problem we experienced when shooting with auto WB. However, we expect a high level of overall white balance accuracy after taking a manual reading, and the NX10 results were poor compared to other tested cameras.

The unimpressive custom white balance performance undermined what would otherwise have been a decent overall score here.

White Balance Options (10.00)

In addition to auto white balance, the NX10 offers custom white balance, direct color temperature entry and seven presets, three of them for different types of fluorescent bulb.

Taking a custom white balance is quick and simple, even if the procedure isn’t described with perfect accuracy in the manual. The manual tells you to press the Fn button to access the setting procedure, which in fact does nothing. You actually move the cursor upward with the four-way controller, point at a white object and press the shutter — simple, once you learn to ignore instructions.

Advanced users can also dial in a white balance setting in degrees Kelvin. Since the effect is previewed live on-screen, this hands-on method may appeal to those interested in playing around freely with color effects.

There’s a surprisingly usable white balance fine-tuning function, which brings up an on-screen grid with 14 settings along both the green-magenta and blue-amber axes. It’s easy to adjust your position on the grid using the four-way controller. The changes you’re making are reflected live on-screen, making this is an effective way to quickly tweak the colors in your photo without monkeying around with customizing picture wizard (color mode) settings. Custom white balance settings can’t be manually adjusted, though.

White balance color bracketing is also provided, You set a 1-, 2- or 3-step bracket range on either the amber-blue or magenta-green axis. The camera then stores three versions of a single exposure, one with the unaltered white balance setting, the others with adjustments above and below. The occasionally accurate user manual says the camera takes three consecutive shots, which would be less desirable than the actual procedure of one shot, three versions.

Long Exposure (11.06)

The Samsung NX10 performed well in our long exposure test, which looks at both noise levels and color error when shooting at shutter speeds ranging from 1 second to 30 seconds. We shoot with and without the camera’s long exposure noise reduction processing. More on how we test long exposure.

Color error was quite low, and basically unaffected by either the length of the exposure or the presence or absence of long exposure noise reduction processing. As for image noise, the results are impressive, with noise levels below 0.75% across the board with noise reduction turned off. Using long exposure noise reduction had a limited effect, and hurt the level of fine detail.

In our comparison group, the NX10 scored slightly lower than the Nikon D5000 here, which had more accurate color reproduction but slightly higher noise. The Micro Four Thirds cameras suffered here primarily due to high image noise levels.