2. Camera Tour, Continued

• NV10 Black Digital...
• • Tech for Less Store
  • $137.25
• • Tech for Less Store
  • $137.25

The NV10 has 20 MB of built-in memory - probably just enough for 8 to 10 pictures at 10 MP with fine resolution. Interestingly, the manual cautions you not to use a card reader for transferring your files, and warns that you might lose your pictures if you do. This prompted me to test the transfer speed. Though the NV10 has a USB 2.0 interface, it took significantly longer - more than 3 times longer - to transfer my test files of video (282 MB) from the camera than it did from my Sandisk card reader. Transferring the files from the camera took 135 seconds; from the card reader, 41 seconds. For transferring a lot of data, I’ll take my chances with the card reader; I’ve transferred thousands of images using a card reader and have never had a problem.

Rear view of the Samsung NV10

If there were awards for innovative digital camera user interfaces, Samsung surely would be in contention. In addition to the zoom switch, convenient located for thumb operation the back of the camera, there are 13 touch-sensitive buttons along with a button marked with the familiar "Play" symbol. Except for the back button, essentially an ESC key for your camera, all of the buttons are unlabeled; the function of each button changes depending on which shooting mode you’ve selected. Though I think that the printed user manual could have done a better job of explaining how the user interface works, it is fairly intuitive.

After using the camera for a short period of time, you may wonder why someone didn’t come up with this scheme before. Here’s how it works. Adjacent to each touch-sensitive button is an icon; these show the current settings for each corresponding function. For the screen shots below, I chose the program mode, as most of the available icons appear on screen.

As you press on the touch-sensitive button, an additional description appears. In the photo above, I’m touching the button corresponding to the ISO speed setting. To the left, you’ll see the additional description "ISO"; when you depress the button, available settings appear across the screen.

As you slide your fingers across the bottom row of buttons, you’ll see each option highlighted. To choose the setting, you merely have to press the corresponding button on the bottom row.

Similarly, if you select an icon on the bottom row, the options appear vertically, and you select the option by pressing the corresponding button on the right side of the screen.