Samsung NX11 and 18-55II Lens (First Impressions)

Concept: 2 out of 5
Execution: 2 out of 5
Yeah, but: This has a high chance of RTFM errors.

The Long Version: The Samsung NX11 is not exactly cutting edge anymore, but I was able to spend a little time with one recently. It came with the 18-55 II lens, and I have to admit that it's my first time working with a standard zoom with that particular pair of focal lengths. What can I say? I lead a sheltered life.

My first impression of the NX11 is that it's a nicely built little camera, with a solid and nicely sculpted hand grip. The pedestal for the shutter button looks awkward but feels perfect, and the right-side strap lug is slightly recessed into the body. Cameras from makers with dozens of designs haven't exhibited that level of thoughtfulness. There's a distinct camera-ness to the NX11 – something that I don't see in a lot of the mirrorless cameras from other makers whose names start with an "S" – that I find reassuring in such an untested brand.

The NX11 keeps the SLR-esque design that sets it apart from the Panasonic GF series, Olympus Pens, Sony NEX, Pentax Q, or Nikon 1's. It has a flash-equipped fairing for its EVF that also houses a hot shoe, which is TTL-compatible with Samsung's own flash system. It uses an eye-sensor to toggle between the EVF and LCD, but I had to learn not to look through the top of my glasses to be able to trigger it. Otherwise switching between the LCD and EVF needs a trip to the menu. I'm not sure why they weren't able to assign this function to one of the sixteen buttons on the outside of the camera – the one marked "DISP" would have been my pick – or add another one specifically for the purpose, but I suppose they have their reasons. Not having enough input from actual photographers or sufficient design testing is a reason, isn't it?

The overall size of the camera is about the same as the Panasonic GH1 that I own, and without a measuring tape or an internet flame war to guide me, I'd say that the sensors look pretty close as well. The Samsung is a 14.6 megapixel camera – it's quite proud of that – while the GH1 has twelve pickles. The result is a pair of sensors that are pretty much equivalent, although the generational difference does give an advantage to the Samsung at high-iso settings. It's not a huge difference, but I'd be a little happier using the NX11 at iso3200 than I would with the older Panasonic.

I've been known to take photos in parking garages even when I'm not trying out a loaner camera, so it was a natural place to take the Samsung. The NX11 goes up to iso3200, and does it fairly well. The photos above are heavily cropped (but still not 100%), one from a JPG straight out of the camera, and the other from the raw file that has had auto-levels and auto-WB in Lightroom. I don't find the noise in the raw photo all that objectionable, and vastly prefer it to the noise reduction that the camera applies. This can be minimized in the camera set-up, but the best choice is just to shoot raw when image quality is the priority.

Focusing in the dark is a slightly different matter. Comparing the NX11 and GH1 at a 28mm-e, the Samsung at f/3.5 and the Panasonic at f/4 widest apertures, the GH1 could lock focus in scenes where the NX11 struggled or failed completely. This takes a pretty low light level, on the order of a 60-watt bulb on the far side of the living room, but the AF targets had plenty of contrast. For fun I tried my c.1999 Nikon F100 with an ancient 35-70/2.8 lens, and it had no problem at all in conditions that sent both mirrorless cameras running away screaming. Even my 2003 Olympus E-1 with its 50mm f/2 macro lens did a little better than the mirrorless cameras, but took much longer to do it.

The NX11 has (optional) distortion correction for its jpeg files, which is effective if something of an under-achiever. Normally I'm quite picky about this, but people who are using a good-enough camera for jpegs will be well served by it. For comparison I tried the 18-55 lens on the Sony NEX-5, and the distortion changes visible on its LCD when zooming in and out on a fluorescent light fixture looked like a seagull flapping its wings.

For those who want to work harder at post-processing, Lightroom/ACR includes profiles for the 18-55II lens which remove more of the distortion. For this class of camera and lens, 'fix it in post' isn't an unreasonable solution. I also have to admit that the 18-55 lens performs better than I expected it to. It's nicely balanced and suits the camera, and while the whole package isn't exactly petite, it's smaller-enough that I would prefer it to a Rebel or similarly-sized camera.

Product photography is where I usually put cameras through their paces, and I learned a few things about the NX11 when I decided to do a Kleen Kanteen family portrait. That's where I fell over the NX11's exposure control. Being able to override the camera meter is essential for creative control, and a huge advantage for LCD/EVF cameras is that they can show exactly what the photo will look like. Not so much with the Samsung. Changing the exposure compensation doesn't alter the brightness of the pre-capture display, which is bad but tolerable, but the live histogram also doesn't change as the exposure compensation is adjusted. (UPDATED 4 oct: I've since been able to work with another NX11, and it performed properly, with both the display brightness and histogram responding to the exposure control. I'm not sure what the difference between the two was, but it's good to know that there's a fix.)

Colour reproduction and general image quality are quite good with the NX11. I didn't have enough time to spend with the camera to reach any solid conclusions, and there are much better sources to draw those from anyway, but I was satisfied with what the little Samsung could do. I would happily use it in the same way that I use my GH1 if I were to buy the NX11, which I won't, if Samsung had the same range of lenses available for it, which they don't. It's good at being the camera that it is, and that all I can really ask of it.

And penultimately, I do have to extend a note of compassion to Samsung. There's a tremendous shortage of letters and numbers for camera companies to choose from when naming products, especially when they want to convey the aura of modernity wrapped in fashionable shades of plastic. The letters "i", as in "iFunction," and "d", like in "DRIM processor" are particularly in demand. So I suppose it's inevitable that Sony and Samsung have picked very similar names for their new systems, names that just happen to sound reminiscent of the word "next". NeXT, of course, was the company that took over Apple Computer and installed Steve Jobs as its CEO, making it synonymous with revolutionary consumer electronics.

Naming snark aside, I have no doubt that someone who is committed to an NX11 can learn its quirks and navigate its limitations, which is always needed with any camera. I personally don't find it compelling, but that's also true for the EOS system and it appears to be doing quite well without me. As a former owner of an uncommon camera format, I wouldn't endorse buying into the NX system in the hope that it will eventually add the things that will make it right. If it's right for right now, then that's great and it will serve its owner well. There's no such thing as a universal camera, and there's no requirement to only own one at a time.

With my usual exceptional timing, the NX11 is discontinued and about to be replaced by the NX200 and (surely) another camera that shares the NX11's form factor. When spending time with it I wasn't looking at it as a buy/don't buy decision, but rather trying to learn a bit about the camera and system before I meet the NX200 and its siblings. Overall I like what I've seen, but there are a few issues that Samsung needs to improve before the camera is ready to be taken completely seriously. Hopefully the system will continue to grow and mature, and eventually break double-digits for the lens lineup. I can't see them rivalling the two big brands that make up the majority of the mirrorless camera market, but then people used to say that about Olympus SLRs as well.

Time will tell. Until then, there's no point in worrying or arguing about it. The NX11 is a decent machine and not a bad deal while it lasts.


The camera used for this review is an evaluation sample that I was able to borrow for a week; I had access to it because my day job has me standing around in a camera store. Samsung has no idea that I exist, and probably wouldn't care if they did.

last updated 4 oct 2011

Spyderco CF Caly3

Concept: 3 out of 5
Execution: 4 out of 5
Yeah, but: It's a review with a surprise ending.

The Long Version: Sometimes I'll like something so much that I'll go out and buy something different. It sounds odd, but that's what happened when I started thinking about my Spyderco Native and the potential that it would have with a plain edge. I love the Native's blade shape, but life's too short (and funds are too limited) to keep re-buying the same things. So instead I picked up an unserrated Spyderco Caly3.

The Japan-made Caly3, née Calypso, has a cutting edge that's almost exactly the same as the Native. The profile of the back of the blade is slightly different, but where the two completely depart company is the handle/blade junction and the choil. The Native is like a typical knife, with the top of the blade aligned with the top of the handle, while the Caly is like a typical Spyderco knife with a pronounced curve that houses its opening hole. That combines with a modest choil to make a knife that's great to hold by the handle but not very easy to hold by the blade.

Spyderco has been doing some interesting things since I bought my first-generation Native, and the Caly3 showcases a lot of different materials. The liner within the handle is steel that has been drilled out for lightness combined with a carbon-fiber shell, melding the technologies that went into racing bicycles in the `70's and today. The blade is the ridiculously high-carbon ZDP189 steel that's laminated between two softer 420J2 steel layers, simultaneously optimizing it for the contradictory goals of high sharpness and low maintenance. The result is a visible and tactile line between the materials, which isn't the prettiest, but it's worth it.

The Caly 3 is an incredibly sharp knife, in fact simply carrying a photograph of it is enough to accomplish many common cutting tasks. The blade has a flat grind – a continuous taper toward the sharpened egde, like a kitchen knife – which makes for an excellent cutting blade. Remember that once the sharpened edge is through the material, the rest of the knife just becomes a wedge, and sturdy blades with a steep grind can be like trying to cut with a doorstopper.

If carrying a knife with the intention of hurting someone seems like a solution instead of a problem, then you have some fundamental life-choice issues that a weapon isn't going to resolve.

The compromise with a thin flat-ground blade is that a narrow wedge is weaker than a steeper one, but with modern steels and light-duty knives this seems to be less of an issue. After a month of use the tip on my ZDP189 Calypso is still as perfectly pointed as it was when it was brand new. I still wouldn't suggest using the Caly to split firewood, but that's a bad idea for hunting knives too.

The cutting power of the laminated steel Caly is awesome; I've never used anything like it. I recently needed to cut through some hard plastic, and my first thought was to try to find metal shears. Realizing that I don't own any, my next move was to grab the Calypso, and it had no problem with the job. None of my other knives have the edge sharpness or the low-profile blade that made the cuts so easy. I do still prefer the overall feel and handle design of the Native, so my Caly isn't about to retire it completely, but it's great to have options to suit my different moods.

The Caly 3 is my first encounter with Spyderco's wire pocket clip; I've heard it called a "paper clip" and now can't think of it any other way. It's carries the knife much lower than the sheet-metal design, and I've had to re-learn how to take the knife out of my pocket. With the Native, and all of my other knives, I can grasp the end between my thumb and the first knuckle of my index finger, with the Caly I need to loop my finger down around the bottom of the wire clip and use it to pull the knife out. The new clip style holds the knife very securely, just like the old one did.

The opening action with the Caly isn't the smoothest, partly because of its metal-on-metal construction and partly because of the locking mechanism. The blade also scratches very easily, so while it starts off as a knife with selective aesthetics, it also doesn't really improve with age. Neither is an issue for a working tool; they make the knife slightly less pleasant to play with, but don't diminish its usability or cutting performance.

But after buying and reviewing two broadly similar knives, I'm not really in a position to strongly recommend either one over the other. The classic Native and the latest Caly models are both great, but it gets even better. Rumour has it that Spyderco is making a new model of the Native that updates its blade to the laminated steel and flat grind of the Caly3. The blade-handle junction of the Caly is best for people who primarily hold the knife by the handle, while the Native is better for people who like to choke up and hold it by the blade for fine work. Beyond that distinction it's hard to go wrong with either one – there just aren't any bad choices. Personally, I'm hoping that it will be a couple of years before I buy another knife, but you never know.

last updated 24 sep 2011

Kleen Kanteen 40oz Wide-Mouth Bottle

Concept: 2 out of 5
Execution: 3 out of 5
Yeah, but: I'm still not such a fan of the spelling.

The Long Version: Metal water bottles are nothing new, and Kleen Kanteen has been in the business for a while. At last count my household owns eight of them, and the standard and insulated designs have already been the subjects of reviews. So I'll make this quick.

The latest addition to my Kleen Kanteen collection is the 40oz Wide Mouth bottle. Its signature design is spacious enough to let it fit ice-cubes through sideways, which is a great benefit, but one that's tempered by having a thin lip that's not quite as nice to drink from as the rolled top of the standard design. It's also worth noting that despite the prominent 40oz markings – 1182ml – the actual capacity that I measured is almost 200ml more than that.

As always, the steel doesn't change the taste of the water, and it's very nicely made. While all big bottles have the same diameter, I find the 40oz size is right at the limit of what I can comfortably hold with my average-sized hands.

This bottle recently had a misadventure. When I was last at the Leslie Street Spit I knocked the half-full Kanteen over, and it fell almost four feet onto broken concrete slabs and then skittered across a couple of fairly ugly rocks. While this treatment would probably have chipped the paint on one of their coloured bottles, the plain steel made it through with just a small dent and a couple of scratches. The plastic cap also took a gouge, but it's so minor that it barely serves to distinguish it from my other wide-mouth lid. I wouldn't endorse mistreating one, but I have no doubt that it can take a fair bit of abuse.

Just don't put it in the freezer and forget about it.

last updated 21 sep 2011