Nokia 808 camera phone

 

Usually the progress of photographic tecnology is fast, but it is gradual: Nokia, instead, has made an huge jump forward by replacing the 12 megapixels Nokia N8 with the Nokia 808 that has... 38 megapixels! Of course, those who know photography will be skeptic about a camera phone with such resolution: is it a real improvement or just marketing?  
 
By looking carefully at the technical specifications, you will discover the incredible work done by Nokia to create a camera phone that is way better than any other similar product on the market. The sensor measures 10.7mm x 8mm, that is nearly twice as big than the previous N8. It is even bigger than the sensor of most compact cameras, and it comes close to the sensor size of Nikon mirrorless cameras (Nikon 1).  
 
Other than that, the lens is a Zeiss prime with excellent optical quality that captures enough detail for the 38 megapixels sensor; the aperture is very bright (f/2.4, the old N8 had a f/2.8) and there are manual controls for ISO, exposure compensation, white balance and many other parameters.  
 
Here you can see several image quality test, in comparison with the previous N8. The first crop is always from the 808, while the second crop is from the N8. The photo of Nokia 808 has been resized to 12 megapixels to make a more direct comparison with the N8; you can also download the original images without any crop or resizing.
 
 

Technical specifications (in comparison with Nokia N8)

 
 

Daylight test, low ISO

In daylight the Nokia 808 has an huge advantage: it captures a lot more detail than the Nokia N8. The possibility to shoot at ISO 50 contributes to the improvememt of the 808; the old N8 was limited to ISO 100 as lowest sensitivity.  
 
Download full resolution: Nokia 808 (38.4 megapixel, 15.2 MB) | Nokia N8 (12.0 megapixel, 3.2 MB)
 
 

Low light, ISO 400

In low light, without flash, the difference is smaller: the 808 shows a bit more detail and less noise, but even the N8 is not bad, thanks to its larger pixels.  
 
Download full resolution: Nokia 808 (38.4 megapixel, 13.0 MB) | Nokia N8 (12.0 megapixel, 11.7 MB)
 
 

Darkness, with flash

When you must use flash, the Nokia 808 has a big advantage thanks to the brighter lens (f/2.4 instead of f/2.8) and to the more powerful flash. If the subject is not close, the difference is very noticeable because the N8 is forced to raise the ISO about one stop more. In this test, the subject was at about 4 meters from the camera; both cameras have used a 1/33s shutter speed, but the N8 needed ISO 800, while the 808 managed to get the same brightness at ISO 320.  
 
Download full resolution: Nokia 808 (38.4 megapixel, 12.4 MB) | Nokia N8 (12.0 megapixel, 1.6 MB)
 
 

Video, daylight

The difference between 1080p and 720p video is clear: the Nokia 808 has more detail and overall better image quality thanks to its large sensor and to the bright lens.  
 
Download original screenshot: Nokia 808 (1920x1080px) | Nokia N8 (1280x720px)
 
 

Video, low light

The 808 wins again: it captures a lot more detail (the 1080p resolution once again shows its advantage); other than that, it has a much lower noise. The Nokia 808 has even a powerful video light, while the N8 lacks completely of this feature.  
 
Download original screenshot: Nokia 808 (1920x1080px) | Nokia N8 (1280x720px)
 
 

Overall Pros and Cons of the Nokia 808

In terms of image quality, it is clear that the Nokia 808 is by far the best smartphone on the market. Other than that, the camera has several advanced features that are thought for photographers: 4 stop exposure compensation, histogram, manual ISO, wide range of shutter speeds. The custom settings of saturation, contrast and sharpening, are no longer reseted every time that you close the camera, but they are saved and they stay on the selected values until you decide to change them - another great step forward.  
 
Of course, there are still some things that could be improved. The longest shutter speed is 2.7", that is a great improvement in comparison with the 1/5 of the N8, but I'd really like to have shutter speeds up to 30": they would be an huge help for low light photos, of course with the phone on a stable support.  
 
The shutter speed is displayed only after the photo: it would be great to see in real time the speed selected by the camera, so you can raise the iso when necessary. With 38 megapixels, it is very easy to get motion blur.  
 
The lens is really sharp and the f/2.4 aperture helps a lot in low light, but it lacks optical image stabilization: Nokia has added this feature on the Lumia 920, it would have been great to have it on the 808. Other than that, the macro performance is really poor: some compact cameras are able to focus at few centimeters from the lens, while the 808 has a minimum focussing distance of about 20 centimeters that gives very poor magnification.  
 
Of course, the 808 is not only a camera, it is also a smartphone. In this respect, it is average: it has the old Symbian OS that is far behind iOS, Windows Phone or Android. Of course the next 808 will have Windows Phone, but I wonder if Nokia will last enough to make a successor for this phone: currently, Nokia is really struggling and they may even go bankrupt in a couple of years. I really wish well to Nokia because the 808 is the demonstration that this company has a lot of potential for innovation...the 808 is, in terms of camera-phones, a photographer's dream.