Rear of camera controls

The back of the NX10 is mainly taken up by its 3.0" 614K dot OLED screen with a fairly standard - but also fairly comprehensive - selection of buttons to its right. As was the case with the Panasonic G1, Samsung has clearly decided that it makes more sense to ape the layout familiar from entry-level DSLRs and super zoom 'Bridge' cameras, rather than risking anything too avant garde or idiosyncratic. So there are AEL, Exposure Compensation and Function buttons in easy reach while shooting, and a four-way controller, Display, Play and Delete buttons for non-shooting moments. It may not be terribly adventurous but it works when you try to use it, which is undeniably a more sensible way to do things.

Interestingly, although the NX10 offers a comprehensive selection of direct external controls, there's no button that directly changes anything or toggles between options - everything brings up a settings screen which then requires the use of the dial or four-way controller. Again, this will be immediately familiar to compact camera users and will prevent accidental changes, but does prevent really fast operation.

On screen settings adjustment

Because all its shooting settings can be shown as compact-camera-like icons around the sides of the display, the NX10 doesn't offer a status panel screen. Instead there's a function menu that gives access to those shooting parameters that don't already have their own button. In the Scene, Smart Auto and Move modes you get a cut-down version of the menu described below.

The Function menu (and those invoked by pressing the dedicated buttons on the body) is very pretty to look at and the use of a virtual 'loupe' (the circular thing in the middle of the screens below) makes it quick and easy to see the current setting you've selected. It's not that quick, however, as changing anything requires several button presses.

The Function menu	Setting image size

Buttons / controls (Record mode)

Button	Function
MENU	Menu Takes you to the camera settings section of the menu system detailed later in this preview
DISP	Display Cycles through the different preview displays available:  • Preview image with basic shooting info strip  • Preview image with icons for all settings  • User Display, with choice of icons, grid lines and histogram (set in menu)
Fn	Function button Brings up the function menu (shown further up the page), giving relative quick access to seven commonly-used settings that don't have their own direct-access buttons:  • Photo Size  • Quality  • AF Area  • Flash mode / output level  • Color space  • Smart Range (shadow compensation)  • OIS mode
	Four-way controller Used to give direct access to four commonly-used shooting settings:  • AF mode - selects between single AF, continuous AF and manual focus modes  • WB - displays the white balance options  • ISO - select the sensitivity or engage Auto ISO mode  • Metering - chose between Multi, Spot and Center-weighted
	OK/AF point selection Acts as a confirmation button or, when in 'Selection AF' mode, allows you to move and choose the size of the AF area.
	Exposure compensation Adjusts the exposure settings to produce an image brighter or darker than the camera's meter would give. In aperture priority mode this changes the shutter speed and vice versa in shutter speed priority mode. In program mode it will adjust either. (Not available in Smart Auto mode).
AEL	Auto Exposure Lock Locks the exposure settings based on the current metered value.
	Picture wizard Allows you to adjust the JPEG image parameters (Saturation, Sharpening and Contrast), select on of the nine presets and save your own custom settings:  • Standard  • Vivid  • Portrait  • Landscape  • Forest  • Retro  • Cool  • Calm  • Classic  • C1  • C2  • C3

Buttons / controls (Play mode)

Button	Function
	Play Enters the camera's image playback mode
MENU	Menu Takes you to the playback section of the menu system detailed later in this preview
DISP	Display Changes the level of information shown in playback mode. Cycles between three available review modes:  • Image with basic shooting info strip  • Image with gray overlay of full shooting info  • Thumbnail image with shooting info and histograms
Fn	Function button Allows post-shot editing, with the following options:  • Red-eye Fix  • Back light (Attempts to lift the brightness of shadow regions)  • Photo Style Selector (Soft, Vivid, Forest, Autumn, Misty, Gloomy, Classic)  • Resize (10MP, 6MP, 2MP)  • Rotate  • Face Retouch (Three levels)
	Four-way controller Advances through the images, when the left or right edges are pressed. When an image is magnified, all four directions of the controller work, allowing navigation around the chose image.
	Protect Marks an image to prevent accidental deletion.
	Delete button Deletes either the selected image or lets you mark multiple images for deletion. Selecting 'Multiple Images' adds a tick box to the bottom of each image (in single image mode or thumbnail view), which can be selected using the OK button - pressing delete again erases all selected images.