Noknok

We’ve had our Nokia N8 for a little while now, and we’ve been incredibly impressed on nearly every level. Even now, one aspect stands out above the others, however, and that’s the much hyped 12-Megapixel camera. Can it live up to expectations? We think it definitely does – but join us after the cut to see the evidence…

The Nokia N8 is an excellent all-round package – from listening to music, to making telephone calls – but the 12-Megapixel camera with autofocus and Carl Zeiss optics is one area that it’s truly head and shoulders above its rivals. We’ve been putting it through its paces over the past couple of weeks. Read on to find out the results.

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As seen below in the first four photographs, snaps from the Nokia N8 in poor lighting conditions are surprisingly good for a mobile phone, with the flash doing its job very well. Sure, there are reflections in our moggie’s eyes, but this can easily be cut down with some intelligent photography. However, we found the lack of digital noise particularly impressive, with incredibly clear photographs on offer from the 12-Megapixel snapper. Along with the optics, this is also because the Nokia N8 has the biggest sensor yet seen on a mobile phone, helping to keep noise to a minimum without losing out on details.

The Nokia N8 proved every bit as good – if not more so – when out and about in the sunshine. The camera turns on in seconds when the shutter is pressed, and the autofocus is also particularly snappy. We pitched it head to head with a Samsung NV10 compact camera below – a 10-Megapixel snapper – and the Nokia N8 really does do itself proud. At first, the photographs from the Nokia N8 look a little anemic, but it’s actually the opposite – the snaps from the Samsung prove more saturated, with colours looking a lot warmer than they actually are. Colours around the edges of some of our outdoor snaps did look a little over-exposed at times, but overall we’re very happy with the results.

Outside of colour reproduction, digital noise levels are also fairly similar between the Nokia N8 and Samsung camera, with excellent photographs on offer right up until 90-100 per cent crops:

Macro mode proves just as impressive as regular shots, with a staggering amount of detail on offer from the Nokia N8. We never had any trouble focusing, and if you’re worried about your hand shaking when pressing the shutter, it’s also possible to tap the screen instead, letting the N8 focus for itself. Either way, we ended up with pin-sharp photographs.

What we like most about the Nokia N8, is the fact that it genuinely is a camera phone that can be used for more than just Facebook snaps, and it’s easily capable of producing photographs of A4 print quality.

We’ll be bringing you more photographs and examples of exactly what the Nokia N8 is capable of in the coming weeks, so stay tuned. In the meantime, if you want to check out the photographs above in all their glory, then head over to Flickr and have a gander.