Quantifying the improvements in the Nokia N86's camera
Published by Steve Litchfield at 20:49 UTC, April 14th 2009
It may not have Xenon flash, but the Nokia N86 8MP does have a camera with the next level of performance: a bigger, better sensor, variable (and wider) aperture, wide angle optics and faster shutter speeds. In theory, this means, among other things, that it will cope much better in low light situations without needing to use flash at all. Using photos from the latest N86 8MP prototype and comparing them to those from the current imaging king, the N82, I explore the theory below. [Text amended 11.30am]
The limiting factor with most camera phone photos is that there's simply not light registering on the small sensor for good indoor photos. So you get blurred images (a result of having to keep the shutter open for longer to gather enough photons) or 'noisy' images (a result of there simply not being enough photons captured to produce reliable and consistent colours). Or both.
The sensor in the N86 8MP is almost certainly bigger and more sensitive, plus the optics themselves are listed as 'wide angle' and the widest setting in the much trumpeted 'variable aperture' (f2.4) is half a stop wider than that (f2.8) in the fixed aperture N82, giving 50% more light in extreme conditions. It all adds up to better photos when the chips (and lights) are down.
See the example photos below, ripe for analysis. Firstly, a photo taken by the N86 8MP in normal indoor (but brightish) conditions. Click through to see a typical snap from the N86 8MP in all its glory:
(click to download or enlarge)
Now we'll deliberately take the N86 8MP to the limit, into conditions where the differences in sensor size and quality, plus the slightly larger aperture, should be evident. Here's an indoor composition in very poor (dusk) light, taken on the N82. The flash has been turned off deliberately:
Pretty horrible (and yes, it was soooo tempting to turn the Xenon flash back on!). Now look at the identical shot taken on the N86 8MP:
Still badly lit, to say the least, but it's significantly better than the N82's effort, showing the effect of the better and bigger sensor, plus the extra half stop on the variable aperture.
Let's look at a different example. Again, here's the N82's attempt first, again (obviously) without flash:
And here's the same shot, same conditions, but taken on the N86 8MP (again, remembering that these are worst case conditions for the small sensor in a camera phone):
Impressively, the N86 8MP manages to grab and capture enough light to almost make the shot worth keeping, or at least post-processing on a desktop. It's also worth noting that each of the N86 8MP shots includes more of the surrounding subjects, i.e. it's capturing a wider angle.
All these low light shots are a bit depressing though, so lets allow our two camera stars to use their flash units after all. Here's the N82's shot, with its Xenon flash:
As good as ever, even if the Xenon is perhaps a little too bright for such a close-up still-life scene. Here's the N86 8MP's version, lit by dual LED flash:
About what you'd expect from a dual LED flash and no worries for something this close, of course. What will be interesting will be comparing the dual LED unit in the N86 8MP to that in other older devices like the N85 and N96 - have any improvements been made? I suspect the main difference will continue to be in the larger sensor and variable aperture, giving more flexibility as to how effectively light gets gathered - in all light conditions.
Watch this space for more N86 8MP coverage.
Steve Litchfield, All About Symbian, 15 April 2009
PS. Thanks to Stefan for the raw images.
Categories: Hardware, Miscellaneous
Platforms: S60 3rd Edition
News Discussion
The better captures are due to a better, more sensitive image sensor. Maybe it is larger, or better made, or both. Aperture has nothing to do, because in dark conditions, the 2.8 aperture was surely chosen.
You are right in that the lower the F-Stop more light is let in. in fact for each F-stop smaller double the light is available.
In this case, where you started to speculate on sensor sensitivity you were wrong.
The N82 has an f2.8 lens, the N86 has a f2.4-4.8. the N86 has a 1/2 stop more light available to it. this means 50% more.
assuming that shutter speeds were the same. A variable aperture, probably indicates a better shutter may be available as well? (by better i mean have a wider range than before). there will be 50% more light available for the sensor.
I'll be able to do a lot more, including understanding how all this hangs together when I actually GET an N86 of my own [looks meaningfully in Nokia's direction....] of course!
Steve
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Originally Posted by Nokiacraze
You could also involve the innov8 in the comparision. It would have given us a better understanding of larger optics and sensors
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Why don't Nokia listen to the experience and wisdom of users - EXPERIENCED users, not some in the street market research poll?
And anyone who wants to "upgrade" their N82 - Why? What for? Even the N97 has turned me off with it's LED flash.
Seriously Nokia, Xenon's the only way to go. Not on every handset, sure, but on at least 3 or 4 in a range. And while we're at it, what's stopping Nokia producing an LED video light being plugged in the mini USB slot for the N82 or a Xenon flash plugged in for the other camera phones without one? Huh?
I think the best time for nokia is to come with new boooom because of competition ;
New N88 or N98 S60 5ed 600Mhz processor and 128 SDRAM no need huge internal memory like 8gb,with 3.5''/3.2'' touchscreen 1500mAh battery, 8 mpx Carl Zeiss high quality with ISO 50-800 auto, Xenon flash max 3.5meters ,with various lens aperture 2.4-3.2-5.2 and various focal length 4.5mm-6mm-10mm, high quality video recording with min20-max60 capture fps and with smooth playback 30 fps ,WVGA(848x480) and VGA(640x480) no need HD it's too much for phonecamera.
I don't care for price, I just want all in ONE and Nokia do it for as now.
What if we have dim lighting and the same pictures are taken from about 5 feet back. That is when LED starts to show grain
Any chance we can get some new samples?
Will Nokia ever bring out another handset with Xenon? A true upgrade to the N82! Not a phone with a slower processor, lack of a graphics accelerator and lacking Xenon and marketed as an upgrade.
We need an N83!
No Xenon practically makes any indoor photos useless, especially in bars and clubs.
This is the first year in 9, that I haven't upgraded my phone to a newer one! N82/N95 will remain the best phones Nokias has ever produced for a time to come. Nokia 95, 2 years old! 2 years and they can't top it! Lame.
Does anyone know something that I don't? my ideal phone would have the Psion 5mx keyboard, n82 camera, iphone abundance of tool development, and n95-8g size storage, with an oled VGA screen and capacitive touch, and android like integration to google services. Unfortunately I don't see that happening any time soon :)
It's true however that LED can be very bright (Look at those at Led shoppe)
Still Sony Ericsson with its upcoming Idou features a Xenon in addition to LED for video recording, why can't Nokia manage to squeeze that in. Not to talk about earlier phones from e.g. Motorola.
Battery consumption is also something that Nokia hasn't been the best to improve. (It has improved greatly but not enough). Compared to SE phones it's still not good enough.
With such pace that the other manufacturers are improving their phones Nokia will once again be outraced.
Read an article recently about rumors on upcoming Toshiba phones and they also look very nice touchscreen, gps and all. (Though with only 3.x and 5 mpx camera running WM 6.5 so not so related here).
Having the Nokia N82 myself I'm dissapointed. (Will buy the N97 though also keeping an eye on Idou, dissapointing me once again with their proprietary ports)
The nokia n86 kicks the nokia n82s ass big time.