Johannesburg, 18 Feb 2013
White has never been a colour I would associate with cameras, but Samsung has managed to bring an aura of sleekness to its NX1000 smart camera, thanks to this choice.
Samsung says its NX1000 is an entry-level digital single-lens reflex camera suitable for those who are really interested in photography but have not yet turned professional. Samsung also appears to be targeting fashion-conscious photographers as the camera also comes in pink and black.
Look and feel
Straight out of the box, the NX1000 body feels surprisingly light. The camera measures 114x62.5x37.5mm.
The imaging prowess of the NX1000, combined with the stunning design and portable form-factor, make the camera extremely attractive.
The plastic-bodied NX1000 features a 20.3MP APS-C CMOS sensor, high-speed capture and fast auto focusing, an ISO range of 100 to 12 800, 1080p HD movie recording, built-in WiFi connectivity, a three-inch LCD screen, 8fps continuous shooting, Sweep Panoramas and Samsung's i-Function lens.
Picture sharing
The smartness of the camera, I think, centres on its WiFi functionality. The built-in WiFi capability allows users to instantly share pictures even when they are on the move. Connectivity is achieved at the touch of the dedicated Smart Link button, positioned on the top of the camera.
The integration of WiFi in the NX1000 also enables users to instantly upload images and videos to social networking sites like Facebook and YouTube or even to the cloud with Microsoft Sky Drive. Users can also e-mail photos directly from the camera at the touch of a button.
Regarding the actual photography, I would say one of the coolest functionalities on this camera is the Smart Auto setting, which sees the camera analysing, identifying and automatically selecting the most appropriate shooting mode for the best results.
Scene detection technology identifies conditions and automatically adjusts settings to help achieve dynamic images. So whether users are capturing an image of an athlete in action or stars in the sky at night, the camera is quite intelligent, producing the best picture. With Smart Auto 2.0, the camera can analyse key elements in the composition and automatically adjusts its 16 photo modes and four movie modes to capture the best shot.
i-Function
The NX1000 also boasts an i-Function (or iFn) button. A user simply has to press it to access the aperture, shutter speed, exposure compensation, ISO, white balance and iZoom settings.
It also comes with an 18 to 200mm lens, which is capable of shooting a wide variety of subject matter without sacrificing on quality. This multifunctional long-zoom lens is also capable of shooting high-quality videos, with its voice coil motor for quiet operation, fast zoom tracking and AF support.
The lens can also be removed from the camera and replaced with another one. However, this will mean paying more.
With regards to video recording, the NX1000 does an awesome job. According to Samsung, it can shoot at a maximum 1080/30/24p full HD. Audio is recorded in stereo by default via two microphones on the camera body, while movie files stored in the MPEG4/H.264 format.
The other pro about this camera is its quick charger; the battery was fully charged in less than an hour.
User interface
One thing I found rather off-putting about the NX1000 is its somewhat complex user interface, especially when playing around with the niche functionalities. If you are new to photography, this will not help you at all. You will have to be very observant if you are to come to terms with all the functionalities. However, after some trial and error, one should start understanding.
On this interface, users can look up everything they need by quickly glancing at the features along the bottom of the screen. Here users will find everything from the camera's shooting mode, shutter speed, diaphragm figures and exposure compensation, to the number of shots remaining.
This dashboard provides users with all the information they need to compose the perfect shot. For example, when watching a sporting event and wanting to capture a wide-angle shot of the action, one simply selects the Panorama setting to shoot like a pro.
Depending on the lighting, one can easily adjust the white balance and ISO based on how fast the subject matter is moving.
With the Beauty mode, face tones can be calibrated, while Magic Frame can combine images into one for a unique and memorable photo.
In a nutshell
Selling at R5 999, I would say the Samsung NX1000 is too expensive for an entry-level gadget. However, for those who need to up their games in the art of photography, this will certainly be their gateway.
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