N97 Camera features (Wow!)

15 replies · 7,924 views · Started 21 June 2009

rdcinhou 21 Jun 2009, 22:03

I'm tired of posting about my problems with Contacts, Accuweather and a few other warts of the N97, so I'm going to change the subject to something really positive.

I took my N97 NAM on a trip with me for the last two days and tried to get used to all of the features. This morning I had some time on my hands so I started "digging" into the menu picks of various applications.

When I got around to the camera--I WAS AMAZED!!!

When you're in the 5.1 MP camera mode, pick the CBA button that looks like three horizontal lines--I'll call this "MENU"

You'll be greeted with the following options:

1. SCENE MODE --- this presets your camera for everything from portraits, Close-up (like 4" away!), Landscape, Sports, Night and Night Portrait

2. VIDEO MODE --- take video instead of stills

3. SHOW GRID --- for planning scene composition

4. SELF TIMER --- off, 2 seconds, 10 seconds, 20 seconds. Now we just need a way to put the N97 on a tripod (any suggestions?)

5. COLOR TONE --- Normal, Sepia, Black & White, Vivid and Negative.

6. WHITE BALANCE --- Automatic, Sunny, Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent.

7. EXPOSURE --- +/1 2.0 in increments of 0.5

8. LIGHT SENSITIVITY --- Automatic, Low, Medium, High.

9. CONTRAST --- +/- 5 levels.

10. SHARPNESS --- Hard, Normal, Soft.

11. SEQUENCE --- WOW!! Think rapid fire shooting like a auto-advance professional camera.

12. PHOTOS --- a photo browser, editor for changing or adding image information, or deleting bad shots, emailing/uploading.

I like to think that I'm a bit more of an advanced user than most--I use my Olympus digital camera in manual mode a lot to get just the right effect and partly because the AUTO settings on most cameras, just don't get it right.

I am pleasantly surprised to find a rich assortment of settings on the N97 to make my picture-taking better.

I strongly suggest that those of you out there learn to adjust and set the WHITE BALANCE on your camera. This is probably the most important setting on digital still *AND* video cameras. Setting this feature on your camera will let you take better photos in low light situations without a flash.

seki 21 Jun 2009, 22:21

image stabilisation in Video mode and decent focus control.

its not very good in low light, even in b&w mode.

Still not as bad as the N95 when it first arrived.

rdcinhou 22 Jun 2009, 11:37

I have to agree on the video mode drawbacks.

It doesn't appear that the autofocusing or scene mode works for the video side, so no close-ups with detail.

The low-light and white-balance settings do make for generally acceptable videos indoors as long as you don't make a lot of rapid pan or zoom movements.

Jammnjp 02 Aug 2009, 23:32

Try taking a picture in the dark with the flash, I get a white stripe of Flash bleed on the left hand side of pictures 😞

makes it pretty useless as a camera at night, turning out to be a big pile of steaming poo

I don't see how a firmware update will help as it could be a design fault?

Can anyone else confirm this is a problem?

TIA

rdcinhou 02 Aug 2009, 23:45

I don't have the problem with the flash glare as others have reported.

Most people who have reported this problem have noticed a scratch on the lens cover caused by foreign material under the sliding lens cover.

Take a look and see if yours has a scratch that may be capturing and causing some internal reflection glare.

angiepea 03 Aug 2009, 05:50

i too am not impressed much with the photos i've taken indoors but i'm not sure if its me or the camera - i haven't delved much into setting up the camera beforehand as i'm more of a point and snap kind of a woman. If anyone can tell me what they've discovered as best settings for indoor pics that would be great.

I did however take this, i ran from the garden, grabbed the camera and snapped it before it flew away so it's definitely down to the camera and auto focus facility and nothing to do with me 😊

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ironass 03 Aug 2009, 06:57

Nice shot angiepea.

Overall, I'm quite impressed with the camera on the N97, I even loved the camera on the N95 8GB in the end.

I'm sure that there are purists out there who will try and compare it's camera to a stand alone digital camera and they may be right to do so but the fact of the matter is that my mobile phone is always with me, unlike my camera, and therefore is ready to hand for those "Kodak moments" which would otherwise have been lost.

That is not to say that Nokia cannot improve on the N97's picture quality but IMHO the N97 is streets ahead of what the N95 was when it was first released.

It does seem ironic that when the N95 8GB first came out, nearly two years ago, that much was made about the lack of a lens cover and how it would become scratched. Well, two years down the line, my N95 8GB, without a case, is not scratched and takes really good pictures.

I have now taken in the region of 200 photo's with the N97, mostly on Auto settings, and have no lens scratching or flash bleeding in on the left hand side, so perhaps I'm lucky.

davecozens 03 Aug 2009, 07:13

nice pic...

The n97 camera would have great promise, if I could use the flash without the horrible flash glare from the scratches it did to itself... As it is I can't take quick pics because I have to turn on the camera and turn off the flash...

And there's a real glare risk from light sources too...

I've requested a return from expansys but they seem reluctant... I'm going to nokia care again this week

😞

Jammnjp 03 Aug 2009, 18:16

I know the phone will never be as good as my Canon SD800, but the Nokia N81 has a much better camera as its a xenon flash

The N97 is supposed to be the flagship model!
Well I don't know if I can put up with the poor camera and constant phone freezing while we wait for a new firmware.

I'm off to Carphone tomorrow to try and take it back and cancel the orange contract, I'm really hacked off with the phone, well more frustrated than anything!

My N95 was pretty good but the N97 gave me the ability to do emails and browse the web better.......

as you can see the pic of my car in the dark with a light behind me is shocking! also the kitchen you can see the white on the left 😞 just crap!

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angiepea 03 Aug 2009, 19:50

Jammnjp wrote:I know the phone will never be as good as my Canon SD800, but the Nokia N81 has a much better camera as its a xenon flash
The N97 is supposed to be the flagship model!
Well I don't know if I can put up with the poor camera and constant phone freezing while we wait for a new firmware.
I'm off to Carphone tomorrow to try and take it back and cancel the orange contract, I'm really hacked off with the phone, well more frustrated than anything!
My N95 was pretty good but the N97 gave me the ability to do emails and browse the web better.......
as you can see the pic of my car in the dark with a light behind me is shocking! also the kitchen you can see the white on the left 😞 just crap!

that's really bad ...... come back and tell us how you got on with carphone warehouse - how long have you had the phone/contract ?

Jammnjp 03 Aug 2009, 21:57

Will do 😊

well I took out a new contract 14th July, still have my old contract but sold the N95 to CW.

Will see what they say I don't think I can put up with the N97 for 2 years!

Jammnjp 04 Aug 2009, 19:05

Well there getting new phones in tomorrow and will swap this phone for another N97. Well that's if they contact me!

They said I could not cancel the contract, he even tried to get a special calendar out and tell me that I had had the phone for over 28days its actually been 21 so I need to move fast!!

After talking to orange, as I posted the N97 failed the Orange test!!

angiepea 05 Aug 2009, 07:48

well ..... at least it's something and hopefully this time your camera will be fine 😊 - maybe take a photo of the cpw staff before you leave the store lol lol.

Adrik 06 Jan 2010, 02:50

Jammnjp wrote:I know the phone will never be as good as my Canon SD800, but the Nokia N81 has a much better camera as its a xenon flash
The N97 is supposed to be the flagship model!
Well I don't know if I can put up with the poor camera and constant phone freezing while we wait for a new firmware.
I'm off to Carphone tomorrow to try and take it back and cancel the orange contract, I'm really hacked off with the phone, well more frustrated than anything!
My N95 was pretty good but the N97 gave me the ability to do emails and browse the web better.......
as you can see the pic of my car in the dark with a light behind me is shocking! also the kitchen you can see the white on the left 😞 just crap!

Hi!
I had the exact same problem!
and I seem to have solved it!!
My guess is that The light was filtering from between the little black plastic that is placed between the flash and the camera...
So I tried sticking some electrical tape to isolate the light. It looks something like this:

User posted image

Now The white bleeding is completely gone!!
I hope you guys can fix this issue the same way!
Cheers!

Adrik 06 Jan 2010, 02:52

Sorry about the size of the image!!
Please feel free to rezise it!
lol

buxz777 07 Jan 2010, 01:32

using a sharpie/permanent marker where you put the tape has the same affect and looks a bit neater mate 😊