Photos: Hands-on with the slinky Samsung NV15
We got our paws on the Samsung NV15, a classily-styled 10-megapixel compact that utilises the 'smart touch' user interface, a fun and innovative button layout that begs to be played with
In today's compact camera market, genuinely unusual features are pretty thin on the ground. Face detection is no longer the groundbreaking feature it once was, and some manufacturers are even resorting to facile nonsense like the 'smile shutter'. Which is why we love the Samsung NV series, with their innovative 'smart touch' user interface. It's a system that begs to be played with, so that's exactly what we're going to do with the Samsung NV15 that arrived at Crave this week.
First, the specs. The £160 NV15 boasts a 10.1-megapixel sensor and 3x optical zoom. You get face recognition -- of course -- as well as in-camera red-eye fix, aperture and shutter priority, and one of the most satisfying shutter noises we've ever heard. It's the simple things in life that we love.
The Schneider-Kreuznach lens is equivalent to 34mm on a 35mm camera at the wide end. Macro function allows you to get as close as 4cm from your subject.
Come with us for some pictures of the NV15 in action.
Update: A full review of the NV15 is now available. -Rich Trenholm
The N15 is a solidly put-together beast, with a metal frame and SLR styling in a compact form factor. There's a pop-up flash, chunky hand grip and retro black looks offset by a contemporary-looking blue stripe around the lens. And it even has a face on the front!
From looking at pictures of the SLR-like style cues we expected the NV15 to be much bigger, so it was a pleasant surprise to open the box and find such a slender camera inside.
The beauty of the NV series' signature smart touch is in its simplicity. You simply click the button next to the onscreen icon of the setting you want to alter -- in this case the flash.
Then you go to the opposite axis and select the option you want -- in this case red-eye. It sounds like a faff, but it really isn't.
We recognise that this is probably a Marmite feature -- love it or hate it -- but you really have to try it for yourself. In fact, stop reading this and go now. Run to the shops!
Even better, the buttons are touch-sensitive, so the merest brush of your fingertips across the buttons can act like a slider. We've added arrows to the picture to show what's happening. Here we're monkeying with the colour temperature, and the brightness can also be tinkered with in this way.
A full review is on its way, in which we'll answer the question of whether the smart touch interface will continue to be practical after the wow factor has worn off. The slinky Samsung NV15 is available now for around £160.