Symbian in Motion

Nokia N82 Camera Comparison

by Abul at 5:23 pm | March 17th, 2008 | Category: Handsets, Imaging

shoot-out

After my initial post on the Nokia N82 it has been a while since my promised update and my comparison of the camera capabilities of the N82 versus the N95. Apologies as I have been very busy with a few matters. I’m sure you’ve all read and have been keeping update with the crazy Stavros and his mission to create the greatest art ever. Now have you asked yourselves why he is doing it using the Nokia N82? I mean why not the N95? It also has a 5 Mega Pixel camera and as most of his journey is during daylight, the Xenon flash will not be a factor. So why the N82? Is it a Nokia PR stunt? Yes, it would seem at face value, it is to promote the N82’s capabilities and good reason too.

You have to realise on paper yes the only difference between the N95’s and the N82’s camera is the flash, but in reality and looking into it in more detail there are some other differences between the handsets that make the N82 ideal and on the whole a lot better than the N95. For one the GPS seems to lock on a lot quicker than the N95, the camera is quicker to respond and adjusts to light and the scene quicker than the N95, in lowlight the N95 obviously doesn’t compare against the N82, but there are also other issues to consider when taking a picture; colour, saturation, white balance and exposure, all these are not mentioned anywhere in the specs sheets. Hence this is why I always insist on hand testing a device before making judgement on it, obviously there are handsets which are just plainly not good enough and don’t deserve the time, but when comparing fine details like these it is essential. So the N82 does all these things better than the N95 but you wouldn’t know about it unless someone told you or you found out by trialling the devices themselves.

cameras

If you are still not sure what I’m on about or plain just don’t believe me I have taken a few comparison shots in different conditions to compare the differences between these two devices, my Casio Exilim also jumped in too, just to make it more fun (it is also a 5 Mega Pixel camera). So how do they all compare?

Bright sunlight, very good conditions, neither camera’s should have any problem capturing a good picture, which is what we get. But notice the difference in contrast and saturation the N82 has in comparison to the N95. The N82’s light sensor is much better at auto adjusting to bright light due to the support of the Xenon flash, which would be useless if the camera didn’t have the ability to adapt. Obviously the Casio Exilim wins due to the distinct sharpness of the picture but it IS a proper camera.

Casio Exilim
Outdoor_Sunny_Casio

Nokia N82
Outdoor_Sunny_N82

Nokia N95
Outdoor_Sunny_N95

Moving on to some close up shots using the macro mode and flash, it is even more evident to see the N95’s lack of support for bright light and a weak flash. The N82’s does very well in this instance, almost even capturing a better picture than the Casio Exilim to a certain extent.

Casio Exilim
Pistachio_Macro_Casio

Nokia N82
Pistachio_Macro_N82

Nokia N95
Pistachio_Macro_N95

I’ll leave you with one more example on how the software behind the camera also is key to what it can achieve, it’s not necessarily the hardware itself. Pictures are both taken in night mode with no flash, and with just the lights from the chandelier. Notice how the N95 struggles to capture the light and any details in comparison to the N82.

Nokia N82
Chandelier_N82

Nokia N95
Chandelier_N95

I have created a set on Flickr with all the different comparison shots unedited to give an example on the differences between these two 5 Mega Pixel camera’s. Head on over to the set to compare and see for yourselves.

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