The Samsung NV3 ($250 as of February 15, 2007) is more than an inexpensive 7-megapixel camera--it's an elegant-looking multimedia device. Unfortunately, its fashionable appearance turns out to be its best characteristic.
Samsung NV3 Digital Camera (7.2MP, 3072x2304, 3x Opt, 15MB Internal Memory, SD/MMC Slot)

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- Spec Navigator
- Digital Format
- Display
- Exposure
- Image Processor
- Included Hardware
- Included Software
- Lens
- Shutter
- Storage
- LCD Screen
- Exposure Controls
- Dimensions
- Power
- Flash
- Lens Features
- Connectivity
- Other Features
Image Processor
| Number of image sensor pixels | 7 megapixels |
| Image sensor | CCD |
| Maximum horizontal image resolution | 3072 |
| Maximum vertical image resolution | 2304 |
| Image sensor quantity | 1 |
| Image format | JPEG |
| White balance | 0 |
Lens
| Accessory Lens | No |
| Lens Model | NV Lens |
| Telephoto Aperture Maximum | 4.5 mm |
| Wide-Angle Aperture Maximum | 3.5 mm |
Exposure Controls
| Maximum shutter speed | 2000 |
| Minimum shutter speed | 2 |
| Bulb setting | 0 |
| ISO equivalencies |
|
| Exposure settings | 0 |
| Exposure compensation range | 0 |
| Number of scene modes | 12 |
- Lab Tested
- How We Test Cameras »
Pros
Attractive, thin-profile case
Plays music through built-in speakers
Cons
Image quality is lackluster
Battery life is below average
Bottom Line
The stylish NV3 has built-in speakers and earbuds for listening to music, but battery life and image quality are subpar.
Samsung NV3
NV3 Digital Camera (7.2MP, 3072x2304, 3x Opt, 15MB Internal Memory, SD/MMC Slot) Review, by Tracey Capen March 13, 2007
The NV3 is pleasant to use, and Samsung's inclusion of an MP3 player, a video player, and a text reader certainly makes it novel, though in the end these features seem tacked on. This is the first camera I've seen with built-in stereo speakers; as you might expect, they sound extremely tinny. The included earbuds, however, sound quite good, but because the NV3's earphone jack is smaller than standard, you can't use the headphones of your choice. Nor can you play music and take photos simultaneously: To play .MOV or .AVI files on it, you must first run them through a Windows-only conversion app on your computer. (The NV3 lacks Mac-compatible software of any kind.) The two videos I converted looked fine, but I'm not convinced the feature is worth investing in SD Cards so you can watch video on the device.
The NV3 is quite eye-catching, with a brushed-chrome-and-black-metal finish on its thin-profile case, and a bright, 2.5-inch LCD. Its controls consist of three small dedicated buttons and a standard four-way thumb button; the relatively large zoom button operates smoothly and comfortably. In fact, everything about this camera feels smooth and durable. The menu system could be better organized, but it is certainly workable once you get to know it. There is no help system, however. The NV3 includes auto-exposure bracketing and a novel Effects button for applying sepia tones and other looks while photos are still in the camera; a menu lets you add digital frames and make various composite photos.
But image quality isn't a strong point of the NV3. In our tests, the camera earned below-average scores in all categories, compared to other recently tested point-and-shoots. Among other things, it scored poorly on image distortion and on color accuracy. Most of my informal shots looked bluer than they should have, though they tended to be well exposed and looked sharp. Fortunately, one of the NV3's controls lets you tune the camera's red-green-blue balance. The battery life of the camera's lithium-ion battery was a paltry 190 shots per charge, significantly below the category average of 270 shots.
One small bonus with this quirky camera is its PC connector--the USB cable can be plugged into a small power adapter for charging the camera (no need for a separate cable). So, you can charge the camera by plugging it into your notebook--a rare feature.
If you're looking for a good $250 digital camera, you have bunches to choose from--and many candidates offer better image quality than the NV3 does. On the other hand, its novel multimedia capabilities come at no significant price premium, giving it an odd sort of attraction.
Tracey Capen
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- Rating Breakdown
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65
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76
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78
- See Complete Lab Results »
Performance Comparison with Similar Cameras
65
81
69
73
Performance
| Battery Life (minutes) | 103 |
| Battery Life Score | Fair |
| Image Quality Score | Fair |
| Image Quality, Color | 50.2 |
| Image Quality, Distortion | 41.4 |
| Image Quality, Exposure | 46.3 |
| Image Quality, Exposure--Flash | 50.6 |
| Image Quality, Exposure--Normal | 44.5 |
| Image Quality, Overall | 47.4 |
| Image Quality, Sharpness | 39.3 |
| Number of Batteries | 1 |
| Number of Shots | 190 |
Average User Reviews for Samsung NV3 Digital Camera (7.2MP, 3072x2304, 3x Opt, 15MB Internal Memory, SD/MMC Slot)
- Latest User Reviews 1 review
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Reviewed by: young
Duration of ownership: 2 Months
Review Now! Already own it? Tell us What You Think
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Reviewed by: kstojanovsk
Strengths: Great reload time, LCD is nice and big, very attractive and slim, all in all AWESOME!!!
Weaknesses: None
Overall: I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a small camera with a large lcd that takes great pictures night and day. Great look that everyone loves, cool features and much more.
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Reviewed by: fanskyer
Strengths: very good looking, good mp3 quality, Xvid supported long time video shooting. So many functions that won't you feel boring
Weaknesses: Just soso image quality, feel little warm after long time use.
Overall: I think this is a great camara, I just used for 3 days and I am now taking it with me everywhere. Comparing to other camaras, this one has more functions, espeically long time Mp4 640*480 30fps video. You don't have to buy another DV.I have to admit the image quality is not as good as my Sony V1, However, it is not that important because you review your photo in 130W pixels,[1280*1024]. So I will give it 4/5.
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Reviewed by: maylh
Strengths: Solid construction, lots of features
Weaknesses: shutter delay, poor video.
Overall: I have a Panasonic FX9 and Canon S2. Both can shoot excellent video, especially the Canon. But the video size is big. I hoped to replace the Panasoic with this Samsung when I saw this Samsung can record video in MPEG-4. Indeed the video size is much smaller but I couldn't live with the video quality. In addition the shutter lag is not as good as the other ones. Color is too saturated. I only tried indoors. The camera was returned.
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Reviewed by: pierre1973
Strengths: Very nice looking Nice LCD (except for outdoors) Good speakers (for a camera!) Good focus times and cycle times
Weaknesses: Color saturation too high on images Controls took a bit to get used to Zoom speed too slow
Overall: The NV3 has the looks to make a fashion statement. Your friends will definitely want to check it out when you pull it out of your pocket. The NV3 takes good pictures, but its main point of difference is the personal media player capabilities. Once you have a high capacity memory card, you can take your mp3s and videos with you. You no longer have to carry your ipod and your camera!While image quality, in my opinion, is average, the multimedia capabilities of the camera are attractive, so make sure you consider them if you're considering this camera. The stereo speakers are quite powerful, for being so small, and the included ear buds ensure that you're all set to listen right out of the box.
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Reviewed by: fishforfish
Strengths: -7.2MP-2.5" LCD-Takes good pictures, ASR works well (read cons)-Movie mode is very useful, can store al ot of video on this little cam-Tiny, really one of the smallest cameras out there
Weaknesses: -ASR slows down pic taking-MP3 player could have better features/better interface
Overall: For what this little cam does, I give it 5 clams; it is THE only camera in its class to combine all these features coherently. Yes, the photos are not the absolute best, but for what this cam does it is the best. I cannot tell you how many times I've used the MP3 feature; very handy indeed! Turn the resolution down to 5M and the pics still look really great. Glad I got mine when I did; a steal! There is no particular bad thing about this cam!

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