Pic: What’s next to my N82? N8 vs N82 thickness. :)

Hey All! Half way through exams at the moment. Just finished one and am having my Nokia Blogging fix just before I continue revision again.

Today I want to share this pic so you could sort of get an appreciation for how slim the Nokia N8 (which is lined up next to my N82)

Check out how far we’ve now come to having such a fantastic camera squeezed into such a relatively petite phone.

It’s no ordinary camera – it has the biggest sensor of any phone camera and bigger than some digital cameras – and it still sports my ever favourite XENON flash.

The only flash worth having.

Note though that this is a very, very, very early N8.

There is a slight angle distortion, but if both were laid flat on the table (due to protruding buttons of N8 keypad) this photo would be a fair representation.

This photo is taken by Sergejs with N900!

Ode to Nokia N82’s successor – the upcoming Nokia camera phone king; killer of the digicam.

Everyone must have heard the rumours of the N82 may finally get a worthy successor.

Whilst not commenting directly on any specific rumours, here’s an ode (poem, whatever!) to new camera phone king; the supposed N82 successor, “the Nokia”, celebrating the possible return of dear beloved xenon, maybe higher MP and even high definition video. It has been on everyone’s wish list for over a year now, so let’s hope it comes true.

This is also a kind of response to the news of some mighty daayuum cool camera phone from Nokia supposedly gonna be killing off Digital SLRs and also to Steve Litchfield’s post on Nokia Conversations on the perfect camera phone.

N82’s Successor

A telephone is what you are
just by my side, never too far
but a camera you pack inside
a frame so small where does it hide?

Twelve million is your pixel strength
Such sharp, wide angle beauty
A dream we have waited at length:
replace N82’s xenon duty

of being true, real lightning flash
not L.E.D., what worthless trash
you bathe in light the darkest rooms
bring vibrant colours when others gloom
about their blurry lifeless snaps
yours bright as day, theirs dull and crap

cos memories you freeze in time
suspend animation whatever the weather
precious moments lasting seconds yet I’m
gonna remember them forever

what’s more, videos you also shoot
in glorious high definition
sound so compelling, others you might as well mute
this is a smartphone on a mission

to fly the flag of imaging;
show others how it’s done
the compact cam’s no competition
box it back up, the Nokia has won

because this phone is with you always
in your pocket, just close by
to capture those spontaneous moments
cameras in drawers will miss whislt I

with the Nokia, i have the magic
of a mirror looking back at time
reflecting memories most nostalgic
the smiles from past moments most sublime.

Take note of this photo: After a long 3 year reign, can N82 finally rest up and retire in 2010?

I  guess apart from certain exact features, the whole “capturing a memory” could go for much of Nokia’s imaging line up, particularly those equipped with Carl Zeiss Optics. Properly implemented xenon (not just tickbox features, xenon that actually works) gives even more situations that a cameraphone could be useful.

In terms of “taking over DSLR” I’m not entirely convinced they literally meant feature for feature a Nokia CZ phone would outgun. More that if you are specifically going out somewhere to take a photo, these higher end Nokia cam phones are sufficient tools for the job.

For the most beautiful photography, the biggest determining factor is the eye and talent behind the lens. That’s not to say any phone camera will do. Nokia CZ Cam phones have great picture quality and so much versatility compared to its rivals. JeeBus phone is only just getting freakin digital zoom this summer!

The potential of these Nokia devices as tools for serious photography is showcased by the phenomenal work of professional commercial photographer, RALPH HIGGO who is based in Cape Town, South Africa.  His portfolio on myphotographer.posterous.com using just the Nokia N97 (yes N97!) is absolutely unbelievable (via WOMWorld!)

[RALPH has an alternative professional page for his commercial photography here]

Legendary Nseries gets V35 Firmware update – Nokia N95, N95 8GB and N82 has new firmware!!

I don't normally make a fuss about firmware updates except for (current) flagships, but it's great to see that after all this time, the N82 and N95 are still getting some love from Nokia

Fire up your Nokia Software Updater, there’s new firmware a brew.  But it’s not for any phones released in the past 12 months….it’s for some 06/07 releases!

The venerable Nokia N95 (including US varient), N958GB,  and the mighty N82 have all received updates to V35!

I’m not sure what changes this brings, I’ll update as I find out. I’m gonna have a go and update this evening.

@MickyFin via @gerrymoth

Low light photo and flash test: Nokia N97 versus Nokia N900 versus Nokia N82

Here’s some low light photo conditions with the N900; testing out its flash against the N97 and the king of flash, and over 2 years old (absolutely ancient in tech), the N82.

I know I harp on about Xenon, but these set of photos demonstrate yet again why it’s just so good! Real xenon flash as opposed to LED, gives you a higher percentage of good looking photos in a wider range of lighting situations. This is especially useful if you’re taking photos of people.

Nseries in general are fantastic in ample lighting conditions, but only the N82 has ever excelled in dark conditions. The N900 would have been fantastic with Xenon. [Note, good low light isn’t all about Xenon, but it gives it a mighty helping hand]

There are excuses of space, possibility of advantages of LED for video light (though you don’t have video light option in N900) – possibly the real reason is that the N900 is only stage 4/5 on the path to Maemo greatness. (I really don’t want the N87 to be the only xenon flash enabled phone in Nokia’s 2010 lineup)

In general day to day camera use, I prefer the N900 to the N97 (but N82 above N900)

The N900, though not photo centric does have some advantages on its side:

• Camera interface is just so much easier to use!
• 16:9 photo option
• N900 remembers last saved photo settings
• N900 low light without flash is better than N97/N82
• N900 colours/white balance usually more accurate than N97
• N900 doesn’t have the camera glass fault that some N97s do mucking up the photos when
• N900 video absolutely superior with initial autofocus
• Framing subjects much nicer on N900 with large, high res screen.

1. This first set is just a colour test: Under fluorescent lighting,  no flash, distance about 20cm. Beginning always with N97, N900 then N82.

2. Pitch black, flash on.

3. Light on, no flash, distance about 1 metre. Apologies for the messiness of the shelves.

Pitch black, flash on. Distance 1m

Note here: N900 has much sharper photo than N97

Light on, flash on, distance 1m

Pitch black, flash on, distance 2-3 metres.

Now just N900 vs N82

Low light, flash on.

Low light, flash on

Low light, no flash

A bad shot below by N82’s standards (got focus point wrong), but still more vibrant colours. Check out another photo set with N97 vs N82.

Note, in some situations (like macro – not shown) N82’s xenon can be too bright. I’m not a photography buff so I don’t know how it works, but some digital cameras I’ve tried (mostly the Fuji variety, Samsungs/Panasonics I’ve tried failed) they take excellent macro with xenon

Video: Break Dancing Fly – N82 Macro Video: Test Blog, Post – Full RSS

A while ago I asked WordPress about full RSS for my blog, and they mentioned Google Reader may just not be getting full RSS, but wordpress had it so I assumed there was nothing that could be done my end. Today, just read from Stefan on intomobile that I’ve actually just got partial feeds. A google search later and noticed stupidly that I haven’t even turned Full RSS on within wordpress settings (Didn’t see that first time round >_<).

So this is just a test post. [Update: Full RSS on the go. Though for some reason it took 1 hour before appearing in the reader]

Test Video:

Break Dancing Fly caught in June with N82 and its macro video capability.

[Youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNFlAXTx71Q]

Test Image:

People in the Sky….well in the London Eye…

…Courtesy of WOMWorld for the OneDotZero weekend

Test List:

11 things the next Nokia Camera flagship needs

1. Capacitive OLED WVGA
2. Multitouch
3. Xenon Flash
4. Dual LED for Video
5. N86’s Camera
6. HD Video
7. Touch Focus
8. Gallery Button
9. Flash Button
10. Video/Photo Switch
11. Optical Zoom

Test LINK:

• MYNOKIABLOG YOUTUBE ACCOUNT
• My Twitter Account

Comparison photos: Nokia N900 vs N97 vs N95(1) vs N800 vs N82 vs a proporta charger.

OK, did not have the best conditions, either lighting/situation (in middle of a talk)/timing (had to rush). This post is just to give you an idea of how the N900 sizes up in comparison to some classic Nseries handsets, the N800, the N82, N97 and of course the N95.

The N800 looks gigantic and the N95 looks so thick! N900 is nearing the optimum size for a smartphone. Of course current technology dictates the minimum area is defined by screen size. There’s still room to shave off either side of the screen, and the thickness could be greatly reduced. Although it is thicker than many phones at 18mm, because of it’s squareness, it looks a lot thicker than it actually is (and of course, you are getting a really good QWERTY keyboard in the mix). In the hand, the N900 very comfortable to hold and use. It’s also quite pocketable – (feels like the N97 in my pocket)

Photos: Nights out with the Nokia N97 (with Nokia N82 comparison samples)

YesteRday was my friends’ graduation. I knew that if I wanted some decent photos of the evening, I’d need to bring a proper camera (with real xenon flash) as dual LED has never cut it on previous occasions in really low light with the Nokia N97. Whilst not a dedicated point and shoot, I brought the N82 which was damn good enough to light up those moments which the N97 could not.

Unfortunately, not that many pictures from last night are going to make it on this post as I wasn’t really paying attention to making photo tests (they aren’t appropriate for a public blog – ha they’d kill me if I put some of these pictures up), but there are some from a different night. As expected in both occasions, the N82 was the downright winner – freezing every single shot, lighting up the scene in vivid bright colours, whereas the N97 just produced murky, often blurred pictures.

Note these two pictures below. (Big thanks to the random guy who took the photo – they were taken about 5 minutes in between each other as he didn’t know how to work either phones).

Nokia N97 (below) V11 firmware

Nokia N82

Nights out make up a significant bulk of my albums on facebook (as well as my friends’ albums). It’s the most convenient place for me to share my photos with the people that matter to me. The Nokia N82 has been a trooper in bringing back some quality pictures of the night before, to the point that I’ve rarely had to bring a separate camera (of which was brought out only when I forgot to charge the N82).

I love that I the N82’s camera with xenon flash is sufficiently good enough that I don’t have to bring out a phone AND a camera when I’m going out. It means less bulky pockets and more importantly, less of a chance that I’ll lose/drop/break, particularly as the alcohol consumption goes up and the concentration goes rapidly down. (And even so, the N82 has dealt with the drops, scrapes, scratches and even being dunked in Guiness remarkably. The only thing that’s hampered it is debranding to get the v31 firmware – a lesson I’ve learned NEVER to do again)

Bleak and murky, by N97

It’s annoying to think that I can’t have the same reliance for low-lit-people shots with the N97. Yeah, it’ll capture it, but never how it could have been, had Nokia included Xenon Flash.

It’s a shame particularly with the integration of facebook on the N97, and even being called the facebook phone, you’d think it’s the perfect marriage for the whole “connecting people” theme.

I know that not everyone’s pictures consist predominantly of indoor/nights out. In fact, with the summer, proportions of outdoor sunny holiday snaps are increasing (at least that’s how it’s appearning on my FB news feeds).

My perceptions maybe skewed as a (UK) student, but whenever people congregate and photos are being taken, that’s often almost always taken indoors where the lighting isn’t always the best it could be. The only N97 shot of the night out I was happy with was the macro below.

N97 – macro – low light – flash on

These are though the harshest of lighting conditions. The N97 does perform alright when there’s sufficient lighting. Here’s an indoor shot taken earlier on in the evening during a meal at Harvester. There was still some sunlight poking through the windows.

I was actually surprised when I checked that this had actually come from the N97 as shot by the N82 came out blurry (though this maybe a focusing error on my part and not the phone)

N82 – focus got locked to the white shirts at the back.

Here’s a set of comparisons of the N97 (firmware V10) against the N82 when I went to see my mate’s band at Barfly. Sometimes, when the N97’s flash is turned off (and there’s already some illumination in the scene), the colours look more natural than with the N82 with the xenon flash on. But head to head, xenon always wins against dual led. Note that the N97 shot is (at least I think it is) the first of each pair.

In terms of photos, and people in low light, and flash on, the Nokia N82 wins hands down. I haven’t tested the Nokia N86, the supposed imaging flagship by Nokia, but I’m hazarding an informed guess (based on early low light review sample) that even with the N86’s improved dual LED and better sensor, the N82 simply with xenon will still win the very low light/people test.

The only use I have for the dual LED is in the torch application (and I actually find this genuinely really useful). It doesn’t help that much in video, unless you set night mode on. This lights up the scene considerably, although frame rate is reduced and the video becomes very jerky.

Another area the N82 wins at is transferring pictures to the computer.

N82 >

1. Gallery button >
2. Hold “#” >
3. press left on the dpad, quickly selecting several photos/videos at once >
4. – send via bluetooth

N97 >

1. Homescreen/menu >
2. Photos >
3. Captured>
4. tick icon >
5. tap tap tap …or drag finger across screen
6. send via bluetooth

For my criteria of low light/people shots, the Nokia N97 doesn’t cut it. But is that enough reason not to get it? Unless all you’re looking to get is a clubbing phone that upgrades on the N82, the answer is NO . There are still plenty of reasons to choose the N97.

I’ve grown really attached to the homescreen and live information from my social networks and email. The keyboard, though not the best, I’ve also grown slightly accustomed to – maybe more due to the actual laptop looking/slide out form factor than actual usability of the keyboard itself.

For a lot of other users, as aforementioned, good performance in low light isn’t important at all. The camera is quite decent in better lighting conditions, and certainly performs better than most other smartphones, some of which don’t even have a flash (*cough*iPhone).

– This post is way too long now, I’m way too tired, wanted to talk about the Sony Ericsson Satio a bit, but I’m going straight to bed now.

___________________

There were videos taken from the gig too, but I’ll upload those another time. I’m too knackered right now. Verdict was surprising on the video as on a previous initial test, the N82 won on low light video, but it wasn’t so clear cut this time. When set at the right angle, the N97 handles contrasts between low light and bright stage lights better, producing more natural colours, whereas the N82 continually provides well lit video, no matter where it’s pointed, although this does mean the videos appear bleached with light. e.g. The N97 could pick out the writing on the shirts – but the background is blacked out. On  the N82 just shows the shirts as plain white but you can still watch the background.

In sufficient lighting – the video is very good. It does seem less jerky than the N82, although the far focus is annoying when filming people.

Videos and Photos: Nokia N97 vs Nokia N82 in low light.

[Sidenote: This test was done with pre-release early edition firmware V10.0.009, and not the “final” firmware V10.0.012]

Just before we went to see “The Hangover”, we went to the pub for a quick drink. Here were three shots I took with the N97 and the N82 in your average moderate/low lighting pub.

Preferably, for a comparison, I would have actually tested it on a proper night out in a club (like the collection here with the N82)- with much less light and a little more thought into certain making the tests fair.

Nevertheless, here’s what I managed with 5 minutes to spare – some “real world” testing of the N97 and the N82 in low lighting conditions (with flash).

N97 (and dual LED Flash)

N82 (And Xenon Flash)

N97

N82

N97

N82

For me – I prefer what the N82 produces. Crisp, non blurry, well lit images as opposed to the N97 under low lighting appears to be taking pictures through a murky muddy bottle.

Video

Supposedly – the LED light is meant to help, but as you can see – the N82 manages fine without it (seen in first few seconds of N82 video, thereafter “assisted” by N97). But the focus is blurry, the video is grainy and overall poor. I guess if it was pitch black then the N97 may have won slightly by having the LED light to give your face a slight gray halloween tint.

Sample from a Nokia N97

Sample from a Nokia N82

I really want to get the N97, but it kills me that for something so important to me (people photos – nights out – I am a student :p) there’s a lot I’ll have to sacrifice in terms of no longer being able to carry just one device again. Unless that is, I go and wait for the Satio. Hmm. It’s early days yet. I’ve not even had the N97 for half a day.

(Note though, it’s not all bad, the N97 performs well in optimum conditions – i.e. bright sunlight – something of a rarity in Wales)

Camera Tests: Nokia N82 vs Samsung Innov8 vs Nokia N97 vs Nokia N86

Nokia and Carl Zeiss have bestowed upon the N86 imaging enhancements beyond just upping the resolution from 5MP to 8MP; wide angle, improved latency, large aperture, better sensor in general all resulting (at least on paper) in improved image quality.

Check out full size photos from AAS

As you can see from Rafe’s test, the N86 is superior in all conditions, except low light, where the N82 and its Xenon flash show exactly how to freeze time in .jpeg format.

Check out full size photos from AAS

When there’s a low light scene however, and no flash is used, the N86 is leaps and bounds beyond the other three in the tests. That’s great for:

• low light situations where  xenon flash would not help because the subject is too far away
• Situations where you’re not allowed to use flash (although it would really help) – e.g. in an art gallery or music/sport event.
• when flash would produce too much gastly reflections (e.g. trying to take a photo through glass)
• when you want to take quick successive shots in low light (xenon flash takes a second or two to charge up)
• taking pictures of your pets/other animals [in low light] – they may not enjoy the sudden bright flash, of either xenon or dual led.
• [insert other reason for not using flash]

As you can see when the scene was pitch black – the N82 was able to light it up and produce vivid reds of the car, the Innov8 and N97 poorly just bouncing off reflections, but the N86 – although only dual LED, with the combination of improved sensor,  illuminates the scene, though not to the standard of the N82.

However, as pointed out in the AAS podcast by Steve Litchfield, though it can light up the scene a bit more than usual dual LED, it doesn’t freeze it like Xenon, so expect some blurs if you’re taking pictures of say…erm…people…in low light situations.

nj7 sums up best what I think of the N86:

…..:( Without a Xenon flash it´s not possible to have a great all situation camera.

It’s a shame really, that with the Xenon flash, the N86 could have been the best still-photo cameraphone for all lighting conditions.

Don’t even get me started on how dreadful the low light pics of the N97 are (when you remember it’s meant to be the over all king and flagship and the price, you get more p’d off). Seems that I’ll have to start bringing a compact cam or switch back to the N82 for nights out and other occasions where I’m taking photos indoors. :(!

Oh well – tis your “Nokia thing” to upset the geeks and leave out a feature that we think is obvious to keep, justifying it with excuses of either space constraints or best option economically. Neither excuses fly in a world that’s starting to expect more from their phones.

Is Nokia playing too safe and making the wrong cuts and compromises? It may work out best business wise, but each “almost there” phone does not help Nokia’s, and particularly Nseries’ reputation amongst consumers.

Via All About Symbian

Nokia N97 Camera Test

James Burland of Nokia Creative is putting the Nokia N97 (which he helped his work colleague win from the Search for N… contest) through a series of rigorous tests.

Notice in the colour shots how much more vibrant the colours are from the N97 than the N95 8GB, particularly the yellows reds and pinks. Also worth noting is that it seems there’s less noise in the blue areas – a common problem the N95 suffers when taking photos that feature a lot of blue skies. There seems to be better contrast over all too.

Nokia N97

Nokia N95 8GB

James also tests out the resolution of the camera, and if you check out the full resultion [Nokia N97][Nokia N95 8GB] you’ll see that the N97 picks out slightly more detail, with lines looking more defined than on the N95 8GB.

N95 8GB on the left, N97 on the right. Notice that the lines are clearer on the N97.

N95 8GB on the top, N97 below - oddly the numbers and the splaying thicking fanned lines on the right looks sharper on the N95 8GB (bit of noise on the N97), even though the lines on the right appear sharper on the N97

Note below – the N97 seems to have very little or no barrel distortion. Much more obvious is that the N97 appears warmer whilst the N95 8GB appears to have a slight cool blue tinge.

Nokia N97

Nokia N95 8GB

James has uploaded original resolution photos of all these images to his flickr account >here<

via Nokia Creative

In his next post, James will be testing out a feature I’m excited yet dreading –  flash photography. We’ve seen the N97 produce some okay low light photos, but without flash here. It’s also worth noting the N82 sample pics under extreme low light at the bottom of that post with xenon flash.