Samsung NX10

Noise Reduction (7.01)

Our first test looks at how the noise level rises as the ISO is increased, with noise reduction both on and off (unlike many other cameras, the NX10 offers only a single level of high ISO noise reduction). Also unusual is the fact that noise reduction is only available at the ISO 3200 level, despite the spike in image noise after ISO 800.

We also found that the different color channels have a very similar pattern of noise; there is not one color that is contributing more significantly to the noise in the images than the other. More on how we test noise.

One of the major issues with the Four Thirds sensor format, used in both Four Thirds and Micro Four Thirds cameras, is noise. These sensors are roughly 50% smaller than the APS-C format sensor used in most DSLRs, but with about the same megapixel count. And squeezing lots of megapixels into a smaller area means these cameras are prone to image noise problems. Samsung claims this difference as a key advantage for the NX format, which maintains the APS-C-size sensor in a relatively compact camera. In our lab testing, we found that the NX10 did produce less noisy images than the Micro Four Thirds cameras, but there’s a catch: other SLRs we’ve tested with APS-C sized sensors had lower noise than the Samsung.

ISO Options

The NX10 has an ISO range of 100 up to 3200, all at the full resolution of the camera. There is also an Auto ISO setting, which unfortunately doesn’t provide a user setting for maximum acceptable ISO level, a feature found on many other cameras.

There are only two settings for high ISO noise reduction: on and off. Some other cameras offer multiple levels of noise reduction, but Samsung decided not to bother with that sort of fancy stuff here. Below are 100 per cent crops of our still life taken at all of the ISO levels that the camera supports, along with samples taken under the same conditions using our comparison cameras.

Focus Performance

Like other mirrorless cameras, the NX10 relies on contrast detect autofocus, using data directly from the image sensor, rather than the faster SLR-style phase-detect autofocus, which uses a mirror to bounce light to a separate autofocus sensor. On the plus side, the NX10 autofocus feels about as fast as the Panasonic Micro Four Thirds cameras, which are significantly faster than the Olympus models. At the same time, if you’re doing a lot of sports or nature photography, the hesitation between pressing the shutter halfway and acquiring focus is still irritating, especially if you’re used to shooting with a conventional SLR. For less action-packed scenes, like photographing guests at a party, it won’t be a problem.

The camera supports three focus modes: Single, Continuous, and Manual.

There are two basic focus area options, one which lets the camera choose multiple points, the other which leaves the focus area selection up to the user. In addition, face detection and self-portrait autofocus are provided.

There is a bright, green autofocus assist lamp located below the mode dial, which proved effective even in large rooms.

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.

Video: Low Light Sensitivity (1.99)

The Samsung NX10 required 19 lux of light to reach 50 IRE on our waveform monitor, which is a disappointing performance overall. Since all the video-capable DSLRs in this set did poorly on this test, however, the NX10’s performance doesn’t seem all that bad.

Of course, when determining a camera’s low light sensitivity the results are heavily influenced by what kind of lens you have attached to the camera. We did all our video testing with the NX10’s 18-55mm kit lens. Using a faster lens will most likely get you a better low light sensitivity.