Camera group test: Nokia N86 8MP, N97, N82 and Samsung i8510

[slitchfield]

In this photo-centric review Rafe performs a group test of some of the heavyweight S60-powered cameraphones. It's the Nokia N86 8MP versus the Nokia N97, Nokia N82 and Samsung i8510 (Innov8). That's some test and Rafe tries each out in a range of conditions and settings. Summary: The N97 disappoints, but the new kid on the block, the camera-specialist N86 8MP delivers in spades.

Read on in the full article.

[tkboxer]

N86 is the clear winner. With adjustable aperature it should be.
N97 seems to suffer the same fate as N95, slightly over-exposed photos, still very good quality for a phone camera.

[viipottaja]

Fantastic, this is the kind of test that everybody has been begging for!

Can you PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE (hmm.. more begging) take a picture in pitch black/very dark condidtions with the flashes on but say 2-3 meters away rather than very close like in your snail picture. I would love to see the difference between Xenon and Led under such a scenarion. PLEASE!

[snoyt]

I did a bit of tweaking on the colors and levels of N82 and N97 images. The best I could get out of the N97 image was much nicer and colorrealistic than that of the N82 (=more bluish). I think there is a lot of space for firmware improvement. Shaming the N86 even a bit ;-) Give it a try yourself!

[rvirga]

(/me looks at the N97 strawberries shot) Those strawberries are rotten; you'd better throw them away... (now /me looks at the N86 shot) No, wait! They're still good, and they look delicious! Seriously, what's wrong with the N97's camera?!?
Also, the flash test shows what I've maintained for a while now, namely that two leds are not necessarily better than a single one. In the N97 shot the grass in the two lower corners appears darker, while in the INNOV8 one both lower corners are well-lit.

The N82 is dead?
The N86 - "Nokia's new Nseries imaging flagship"- make it completely obsolet?
I own a N82 and for me the photographic performance it is super important, so in this case: it is mandatory the upgrade?
Wath do you think about it?
I'll appreciate all your opinions.

Are these all handheld shots, or did you use some form of stabilisation to enable a degree of consistency between the non-flash pics?

[Rafe]

viipottaja - since you asked so nicely (and because I know you're a regular commenter), I've just popped outside and taken one more group of photos as you suggested. Sorry the subject is a bit boring, but it is quite revealing.

snoyt - yes, you can tweak the images and get interesting results. I definitely expect the N97 camera to improve with future firmware. Potentially quite a lot too.

Unregistered - yes they are all hand held pictures. I really like to take the i8510 strawberry one again if I could (so I'd suggest ignoring it). Stabilization would help, but its rather artificial compare to the typical real world shot.

[viipottaja]

Thanks Rafe! Really appreciate that. And indeed, quite interesting results. I was expecting the N86 to do ok, but am still very suprised to see it perform that well. Obviously, N82 is still better but not quite as big a margin as I would have guessed.

Every time there is camera review there is a flame war of Xenon vs LED. The following article compares the benefits and disadvantages of both (though the manufacturer is biased towards LED) when used in cell phones.

http://www.cap-xx.com/news/photoarchive.htm#Xenon

Once you read it I hope you will know that there is just now way to stick that cap into any of the new slim phones...

Besides, it's all software nowadays anyhow since there is only a handful of cmos manufacturers left.

Most objects(my wee daughter i mean) wont be that still tough....would be crucial to see how n86 performs, in low light/moving objects versus xenon on N82.

thanks , czarnikjak

rafe, i always hear that firmware updates improve camera performance and it does (it certainly did on my n96) but nokia are using the same camera modules and sensors in these devices, what is stopping them from using an already good algorithm on another device using the same camera and flash hardware then it would be good out of the box, right?

[shadamehr]

Steve...

I too have to echo many of the comments above...

Can you PLEASE take some of PEOPLE in dark or low light conditions.

In other words the EXACT sort of photo we really ARE likely to be taking most, and for whcih, the absence of a Xenon flash used to make things a waste of time.

We all want to see if the new LED Flash of the N86 makes it at least a possible option.

As these are arguably (under those conditions at least) the very sort of photo we are most likely to take (us normal people, not you clever techno sorts - winks), then these are what we also want to see included.

As such, by not including these sort, you'[ve left as much UNKNOWN and not answered for us, as answered, wher the N86 is concerned.

If doing these sort of shots means a FAIL, at least be honest enough to show us this.

On the other hand, if it is a revalation and shows that it is possible of a decent fashion, it will be great news.

But as it stands, without these sort of shots, we simply know nothing/are no further forward in answering one of the burning key questions of the N86...

Cheers mate - great review as ever, excepting these omissions...

[seki]

1. I'd like to see a low-light test of a moving subject. say a crowd scene or band at a pub. you can try the video under the same conditions <smile>

2. I'd really like to see how the i8910 would go in this test. cf the i8510

3. Please do a video comparison too!

@Rafe .. yes the N97 will improve out of site with firmware updates. Hopefully we don't die of old age first.. or wander off to buy an iPhone, Samsung or Sony.

[Kazutoyo]

I mostly use my phone camera for pictures at the table in a pub with friends. Seeing something similiar would be great. The xenon flash should be a clear winner there, though, as everyone are fairly close.

I would love to see Nokia release a S60 candybar with the N86 camera and a xenon flash. Kinda like the N82, but just the camera replaced. Replacing it with the N86 keypad would be nice too

Originally Posted by Rafi

Once you read it I hope you will know that there is just no way to stick that cap into any of the new slim phones...

SE C901 have a xenon flash and is 13mm thick. That's certainly thin enough for me.