Oh man I love this camera. I’ve had it for a handful of weeks now and it’s become an absolute staple of my pocket. Now admittedly, I haven’t tried every point-and-shoot, pocket camera on the market, but I’m going to venture a guess that the Samsung NV3 is probably the best one to be had.
Pocket cameras are a necessity for any photography nerd. I have a Canon EOS-30D that I love, but she’s a little fat around the hips and sometimes I’m embarrassed to be seen in public with her.
I used a Canon PowerShot S50 as my point-and-shoot for a long time. It’s a great camera, but a bit too large to be a legitimate pocket camera. Couple its size with the fact that I essentially smashed the case and the stage was set for early retirement. I searched for a viable replacement for a long time and came up blanks for quite awhile.
I’m relieved to say that my search ended the day the Samsung NV3 arrived on my doorstep. The NV3 packs a 7.2MP punch that I found to be more than adequate for the types of shots I expected to use it for. It comes in a tiny case that is about the size of a cell phone and flat enough to fit comfortably in my back pocket. And the case isn’t just a stylish feature, it’s an incredibly functional one—I never once questioned its durability.
The camera can only shoot to ISO 1000, but I found it to be more capable of shooting in low light than that of similar models that I’ve tried. Well-lit shots come out beautiful. I’ve taken to leaving my SLR behind more-and-more because the NV3 is such a capable little beastie.
A big highlight of this device is its ability to function a full PMP, meaning it can play audio and video files. There are some problems with playing video though in that all files need to be converted to a proprietary XviD format. It’s a bit of a pain in the ass that admittedly deterred me from watching video on it. I was, however, able to stop carrying my iPod and simply using the NV3 for music. The sound quality is respectable and there are two stereo speakers concealed on the top of the case.
Another issue I had with the NV3 was the zoom. The 3x optical zoom is sufficient, but because the zoom switch is horizontal, it can be difficult to toggle while aiming the camera. This can get pretty irritating because it can often unsteady your shots when you’re trying to do everything on the go. Also, and I could be wrong about this, I don’t think there is a way to make the camera stop before going into digital zoom. There is a little indicator bar on the zoom gauge, but it’d be better if you could set it to pause before entering optical. Finally, the anti-shake function can be a little slow, but it definitely produces solid images.
So the moral of the story is thus: the NV3 is not perfect, but definitely my favorite pocket camera I’ve encountered. I’m giving it my first ever Best Bytes award, because I really like this product despite its minor flaws. It does exactly what I need it to do and adds a bit of icing to the cake as well. The Samsung NV3 can be had for about $300.
I’ve considered buying this camera to replace my aging Cybershot T1. However, I’ve read mixed reviews about the NV3 not being able to take pictures in poorly lit rooms, like the inside of a dim restuarant.
Whats your take on it?
Just got one for Xmas from circuit city however it did not come with neither a case nor a cradle. Can you pls clarify where you got those?
I love this Camera. It’s a good alternative to my Canon digital Rebel SLR when going on vacation and festivals. I love the metal casing and the foolproof shooting software. The video PMP is very easy to use but Samsung didn’t take the time to fully explain what you need to do. But once you have all the required software it’s a breeze.
Of course it’s also Mac compatible without really needing any included software. However I do have to switch over to Windows in order to use Samsung’s software and just drag the files over to the Mac window.
I love the fact that the camera is smart enough to decide what ISO and aperture it needs without any input from me and it tries very hard to keep the ISO low to minimize noise.
Also, don’t let that little flash fool you, combined with a clever shooting software it’s able to take pictures in such low light condition over a decent distance.
In addition, you could switch modes and settings easily without having to go into the sub menus all the time. All the settings you leave in the modes stay where you left it. For example, if you’re in P mode at 80 ISO with no flash in sepia tone…it stays there!! you can choose different modes for regular pictures and come back right away to what you need.
Since the camera doesn’t have any protruding lens, there’s less chance of failure over multiple on/off cycles.
Moreover, it has a USB charger that could be used to charge from your laptop or your car (if you have a USB adaptor) making it very convenient. Although I wish the USB cord isn’t proprietary.
I’ve always thought an optical viewfinder was a must but thanks to the LCD power save mode, you could easily set the screen to turn off quickly while leaving the camera on; giving you extra shooting time. You could leave the camera on for up to 10 minutes with no screen activity but once you touch the shutter button, the camera comes to life in half a second. So you won’t miss any opportunity.
Say what you will about the up/down zoom button while it’s not as convenient in horizontal position, it’s excellent when you turn the camera vertically.
And now for the disappointing side of this camera. Poor instruction from Samsung for starter. Then there’s the proprietary USB cord. The battery life is also shorter than it should be (when you have the screen on constantly) It also doesn’t take SDHC (over 2GB card)and there’s no firmware update either. Lastly there’s the ASR mode (digital stability) it works great and you can shoot with no flash in the craziest lighting situations but does it have to take so long? Oh and why isn’t a docking cradle included?
Overall, I would recommend this camera to anyone who already has a great digital SLR. I truly believe it fills that gap nicely and help to reduce your gadgets while traveling. I still don’t understand how some “experts” have such low opinions of this camera. It’s as if they want a Canon D1 capabilities in a camera the size and price of an iPod. Of course Samsung could improve this product but they should be given a tremendous amount of credit for having done so well. It oozes quality and minute size. Kudos to Samsung for not including a rediculously small SD chip like some other company. Seriously, how many 7.4 MP pictures can you take with a 32MB chip?
I dare say, the NV3 is the best camera for my money. Not since my antiquated and recently deceased Canon SD100 (the handsome heavy gauge stainless steal champion)have I ever been so happy with my point and shoot.