Nearly new Samsung Nv7 Ops what you see is what you get in excellent condition no box Featuring a design that can only be classified as unusual, the Samsung NV7 is stylish yet strange. Duncan Evans is just strange, so he checks it out.

There's always been a market for a lightweight compact that was stuffed with exciting features, and in the NV7 Samsung has taken that on board. The smooth and lovely black, metal body features a touch-sensitive button control system on the back, but in a totally bizarre move, has wedged a huge fixed lens shape on the front that's almost twice the thickness of the body itself.

Specifications

• 7.2Mp resolution

• 7x optical zoom

• 2.5” LCD monitor

• Mechanical shake reduction

• 1cm Macro

• ISO100-1000

• Voice recording

• VGA movies

• 19Mb internal memory

• Weighs 245.2g

Modes and features

The dial on the top right of the body contains all the shooting options, including Program, ASM, Advanced Shake Reduction, Effects mode, Scene mode, Video, Auto and slideshow playback. The ASM allows selection of aperture or shutter priority mode or manual. The aperture selection runs from f/2.8 to f/7.3, which is a slightly smaller range than is normal on a compact. With the 7x optical zoom at the telephoto end, this range changes to f/4.0-f/10.1. As far as shutter speed goes, what is available depends on the mode being used. Auto for example only uses up to 1sec, Fireworks mode uses 4secs, Night time mode 6secs and manual or shutter priority mode a more useful and handy 15secs. The maximum shooting speed is only 1/1500secs though, which makes it harder to use wide open apertures – suitable for portraits – on a very bright day.

The ISO range runs from 100 up to 800 and then tags an ISO1000 option on the end. This will help make shots easier to get in darker conditions, though the Advanced Shake Reduction system, which is a system compensation feature, should be considered as well. There is also the OPS system, which is the optical, moving sensor technology to counter camera shake.

The video system records up to 640x480 resolution at either 15fps or 25fps and there is the option to use voice recording or add voice comments to pictures. A19Mb store of internal memory is there for emergencies and to back up the SD/MMC card.

Like almost all the actual menu-orientated functions, Exposure compensation (a +/-2EV range isn't huge), White balance and Focus mode are easy to select from the 2.5” LCD screen. The Focus mode has options for manual, macro and super macro. This latter option is hugely impressive allowing the camera lens to get right up next to whatever is being photographed.

The scene modes cover the usual subjects, but as each one is selected on the LCD, a vignette image of that mode appears along with a description. The use of the screen modes ties in specific photo processing functions, so that for portraits, tones are healthy and not over-done while for sunsets extra red and yellow is added to make even more dramatic.

There are also the usual three spot, centre weighted and zone, effects and sharpness options that can be applied.

Build and handling

It has something of an industrial feel to it, but in a nice way, with a really solid, matte black metal body and a sharp ridge on the front for the hand grip. This works quite well so the camera is good to hold. The mode dial has a very firm feel to it and while the zoom rocker doesn't move that far, it has a positive feedback to it.