The N8's launch hullabaloo is subsiding and I was pleased to note that Nokia's own social media team picked out its upgraded camera as the centre of the N8's being, if such can be said to exist. Certainly in terms of physical presence, the camera/camcorder is one of the most obvious features. In yesterday's editorial, I looked at the N8's photography heritage, stretching right back to the N90 in 2005; in this article, I want to break down some of the design decisions arrived at by the N8 design team - how can it be as good as it claims it is?

"Fixed aperture lens. The (experimental) variable aperture lens used in the N86 8MP added extra bulk, but the N8 is claimed to have even better low light performance than the N86 (even ignoring the Xenon flash), thanks to a more sensitive sensor. The problem of shooting in bright light (e.g. direct sunlight), which was handled spectacularly on the N86 by reducing aperture size, is handled on the N8 equally as effectively with a ND (Neutral Density) filter that automatically slides into the optics when light levels exceed a certain threshold."

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