Samsung has revealed a new series of interesting-looking premium cameras under the 'NV' (New Vision) banner. The all-black cameras are the result of two years of consumer research and feature a new user interface and several unique features. We've had our hands on pre-production versions of all three cameras for the last day or two and so far have been impressed with the build and design. First up is the NV3 - a 7.2MP ultra compact with multimedia capabilities and - unusually - stereo speakers built-in.

Press Release:

Samsung offers a brand new vision
with premium “NV Series”

NV Series strengthens digital compact camera portfolio for Samsung

London , UK - Samsung Cameras is bringing a new vision to the digital compact camera market with the NV Series. Consisting of three cameras, the NV7 OPS, NV10 and NV3, the NV Series was developed following a two year consumer research study to gain insight into the lifestyle and needs of consumers and their picture-taking interests. Samsung has devised attractive designs and new user interface (UI) concepts to create a premium product group. As well as offering practical technology and easy usability, the new NV Series stands for individuality and style. Launched with a new blue ring, this design concept aims to become a consistent mark for Samsung quality and design in the digital camera market.

The NV Series introduces the innovative UI using Smart Touch buttons for the first time in a digital camera, offering easy and convenient control for the NV7 OPS and NV10 – a gentle touch is all it takes to navigate menu items, manipulate the settings, or view your pictures.

“The NV cameras present a unique offering to users with new and additional features not currently available on the market,” said Jake Kim, managing director, Samsung Cameras UK.

“We are proud to use this range as the cornerstone of our compact camera vision and believe it will benchmark the quality and innovation that photographers of all levels can expect from Samsung.”

Samsung NV3

Functioning as a high resolution 7.2 mega-pixel digital camera, the NV3 is both a luxurious and practical multimedia device sure to attract the next generation of digital photographers. Encased in a thin 17.5mm metal body, it also acts as an MP3 player using a special audio processing chip delivering 3D, Jazz, Rock, and other sound effects. Listen to the music via the built-in stereo speakers or included headphones. The NV3 includes a Portable Multimedia Player (PMP) to watch downloaded movies. The NV3 also doubles as a digital camcorder with MPEG-4 TVD (720x480) 20fps & VGA (640x480) 30fps, Auto Gain Control (AGC) technology minimizes zoom noise during video recording. A text viewer allows the user to read text on the LCD, or to use as an e-book, whilst the multi-tasking ability enables you to listen to music while taking pictures.

The NV3 is priced at £229 and is available from leading high street and online retailers by September.

Samsung NV3 specifications