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Cellphone Cameras, N97 First Impressions
By sirsnapalot | July 9, 2009
If you read this blog, you know I’m fairly critical of cellphone cameras. I haven’t tried a lot of models, and since I work for Nokia, I’m most likely to try those models over another, simply due to availability. I recently started using an N97, and the first thing I wanted to do was try out the camera.
Nokia N97
Nokia, in my opinion, has done a better job than a lot of cellphone manufacturers in not playing the megapixel game as much, especially Samsung, whom I find reprehensibly touts 10 and 12mp cellphone cameras (which by the laws of physics cannot produce that resolution with so small a lens).
And Nokia has tried to do well by using Carl Zeiss optics on their high-end models, with noticeably bigger apertures. All this goes into producing, or theoretically producing the best possible images for such a small device. Except for one thing- Nokia devices do not let you control image quality. Yes, they have a quality setting, but all it does is change the size of the image, not the JPEG quality.
My recommendation to Nokia (my employer, as stated), would be to offer a true quality setting, or even a RAW setting of sorts (go ahead an warn the user that a high setting will slow down the rate at which they can take pictures)- but give the user the choice. If we are going to spend $700 on an N97, at least give us an option.
So- on to the first impressions. I carried the camera out with me on a run the other evening. This first picture was just around the corner from my house. I must say, compared to the N95, the color is much better- very good saturation, considering that it’s a cellphone.
N97 Evaluation
Also, I’ve inserted a 1:1 inset to show detail. At least on objects closer to me, the detail seems pretty good, as seen here.
A second picture was taken of a small strip center down the street:
N97 Evaluation
I’ve also included a 1:1 inset here, but from the background. As you can see here, the below-average compression settings just obliterate the details. I think the resolution in this camera is decent, and the color saturation quite good- I just wish I could choose a higher JPEG quality setting. All that said, it is still probably one of the better cellphone cameras out there. More to come in a future post.
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