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Camera-age: Puerview 808; A Camera Phone to Challenge Point & Shoots

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kehs

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This thing has an effective 38 megapixel camera on it. Sure it has no atual zoom, but it still captures 38 megapixels. This thing is fantastic for it's package.

Luckily it was bundled with symbian, a capable mobile os, which allowed it to have full usage of it's optics as well as being able to process the raw data.

Low light pictures were a little on the down side, but still better than most camera phones

You know what they say,

"The best camera is the one you have with you at the time."

thirty said:
very impressive that this camera phone got their gold award.

goldaward.png
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DP reviewed it solely on it's merits and independent of it's interface/software. Rather impressive, considering the software it's tied to.


http://www.dpreview.com/articles/8083837371/review-nokia-808-pureview
 
If I was looking for a new phone, I would probably get this. I hate being out and only having my really old iPhone with its terrible camera to take pictures.
 
quotes from dpreview comments are very positive. many saying their DSLR and the Pureview is all most will need for their photography needs.
 
thirty said:
quotes from dpreview comments are very positive. many saying their DSLR and the Pureview is all most will need for their photography needs.
Click to expand...

I'm not surprised, Nokia's N8 idea of using a high quality sensor instead of up sampling is brilliant.
 
Wow. This is exactly the sort of phone I've been waiting for.

Too bad it will be incredibly expensive off contract. Guess I will be waiting until the prices fall on used versions.
 
The reviews I have seen of the phone functionality have been extremely negative. Seems like that kind of negates a lot of the advantages.
 
"The best camera is the one you have with you at the time."

Indeed... but with the Symbian OS on it, are you really going to have it on with your all the time?


It's devices like this that make me think... Nokia probably still has sufficient cachet with the public to supplant manufacturers like Samsung - if they still wanted to enter the android market at this point in time.

Certainly, an android phone with a camera like this would sell gangbusters - would light up the imagination of anyone that wanted to take awesome photos anywhere, anytime - not just while carrying around bulky DSLR cameras.
 
It's nice of Nokia to improve the notoriously bad phone camera abilities, but I don't think Pureview is good enough, particularly with controls and interface and the price they're asking for it.

It's still best to carry a dedicated camera with you. Either a small enthusiast camera (like a LX5) or better yet a smallish mirrorless cam with a fast pancake prime.
 
Zaptruder said:
"The best camera is the one you have with you at the time."

Indeed... but with the Symbian OS on it, are you really going to have it on with your all the time?
Click to expand...

Well. If you ignore your irrational symbian hate and buy it, you will.
 
Fjolle said:
Well. If you ignore your irrational symbian hate and buy it, you will.
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It's not irrational. I simply want an OS on my smartphone that's not deprecated. A super nice camera is a huge draw, but not enough to overcome that pretty significant factor.
 
The real selling point of this phone is its OS, not its camera. What a unique and inspiring platform.
 
I really would like to buy one but I'm done with Symbian. I was drooling over one at the shop today but decided not to go for it.
 
I've never really understood the mega pixels thing. I always thought that you could have as many mega pixels as you like, but if the lens (and probably other things) isn't very good, then you'll just get X amount of mega pixels of a shit image.
 
MarkMclovin said:
I've never really understood the mega pixels thing. I always thought that you could have as many mega pixels as you like, but if the lens (and probably other things) isn't very good, then you'll just get X amount of mega pixels of a shit image.
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That's basically true. You can shoot more detail and have things like proper optical zoom on lower resolutions with a larger sensor. But if the parts aren't good you'll run into problems.

The 808 lens is near-DSLR good at 38MP. Also, you can shoot at 8 or less MP and get perfect shots. None of that grainy phone shit that you would normally get.

If you're a photographer/hobbyist and you can live with Symbian and a 640x360 screen, it's a worthy phone.
 
MarkMclovin said:
I've never really understood the mega pixels thing. I always thought that you could have as many mega pixels as you like, but if the lens (and probably other things) isn't very good, then you'll just get X amount of mega pixels of a shit image.
Click to expand...

The software in this thing oversamples the big image to get a better looking smaller image.
 
thirty said:
we'll see if it looks like the prototype
nokia-leak-wp8-pureview-model-windows-phoe.jpg
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That's a terrible, terrible fake render.

As for the phone, I've been toying around with it and is INSANE. Sure, Symbian is kind of stale unless you only use your phone for the most basic tasks and apps (ie: calling, texting and playing Angry Birds) but the photos are out of this world and the video is equally impressive. If you have an eye for photography you can take some absolutely stunning shots, even at night. My old compact camera doesn't hold a candle to the 808 Pureview.

If Nokia manages to slap one of those cameras on a Lumia, that shit is going to sell like hot fucking cakes.
 
I haven't owned a smartphone so far, as I'm prone to losing things so I'm currently using a cheap black and white phone, and I find myself in no rush to need a smartphone.

But this will be what I want to switch to.

When I traveled I don't really like to hold a camera as it's a pain to take out, and partly embarrassing as I don't really like to block people around me when I take a shot.

But one thing I had fun with was thanks to Google Plus' photo instant upload. I took much more pictures with a crappy smartphone even though I have a camera in my pocket (which I never used throughout the journey). It feels like liveblogging and my only want is for the pictures to be much better and clearer.

I considered getting this phone as I don't really mind using a lesser supported OS, but Symbian does not have support for instant upload, and will probably never... Also, Nokia has that compulsory shuttle click sound, so people are gonna be aware when you take a pic.

At least the Windows OS will have Google Plus support, and I will probably want to get this.
 
Castor Krieg said:
Cheap reflex are 38 megapixels? News to me.

This will be a perfect phone with Windows 8.
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you're not going to take 38-megapixel photos with SLR levels of detail, the lens can't resolve as much. the 38-megapixel mode is very much in the realm of smartphone quality, and it's at lower resolution (3, 5, 8 megapixels) where the pureview really produces amazing images thanks to its unique processing.

for about the price of the pureview you could buy something like a nex-5n, canon t3i or nikon d3100, all of which would destroy it in speed, flexibility, and quality (if not absolute resolution). even sony's new RX100, a compact camera, would outperform it. picking up a pureview purely for the camera would be misguided, and buying it for the software would be insane.

the only reason to buy it is if you're really into gadgets and like to collect incredibly bizarre ones — because it fits the bill like no other phone this year. that, or you really need nothing from a phone except the ability to make calls and take pictures.

i'd certainly give a windows phone with this camera a second look, don't get me wrong. i stopped using symbian in 2008 for a damn good reason, is all.
 
giga said:
The real selling point of this phone is its OS, not its camera. What a unique and inspiring platform.
Click to expand...

To be fair, compared to any other camera the symbian OS looks like a masterclass in usability. Which other 'real' camera allows for 3G and Wifi connectivity and a serve as a WiFi hotspot to boot? Which other camera has functioning twitter, Facebook, flickr and dropbox apps not to mention the web browser?
 
Greyface said:
To be fair, compared to any other camera the symbian OS looks like a masterclass in usability. Which other 'real' camera allows for 3G and Wifi connectivity and a serve as a WiFi hotspot to boot? Which other camera has functioning twitter, Facebook, flickr and dropbox apps not to mention the web browser?
Click to expand...
As a photographer, I would say "who gives a shit.gif" if other cameras of similar price best it at things like autofocus, dynamic range, bokeh/depth of field, lens aperture, viewfinder, operation/control, high iso noise, and raw output.

I can't see how it can be a masterclass "compared to any other camera" in usability when other cameras will be far quicker to adjust things like aperture, iso, metering mode, and exposure compensation. SLRs especially when you consider they have actual physical controls and dials.
 
giga said:
As a photographer, I would say "who gives a shit.gif" if other cameras of similar price best it at things like autofocus, dynamic range, bokeh/depth of field, lens aperture, viewfinder, operation/control, high iso noise, and raw output.

I can't see how it can be a masterclass "compared to any other camera" in usability when other cameras will be far quicker to adjust things like aperture, iso, metering mode, and exposure compensation. SLRs especially when you consider they have actual physical controls and dials.
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You were mocking the 808's OS to which I responded it's not that bad compared to other camera OS. Now you want to stack up its image quality to SLRs... *shrug* Nobody is claiming that 808 produces the best pictures ever. It has other advantages that the SLRs can't match. Similarly you can get some SLRs cheaper than a Nex 7n but we all know what tradeoffs would have to be made. Many photographers have multiple cameras and lens for different situations. The 808 can carve out a niche even at that price

That said, for many people who want to take photographs, the interface does matter. What good is better autofocus, raw output, etc if nobody is able to use it; What's Wrong with Digital Cameras
tidbits said:
Or rather, every photographer suffers from his digital camera's needless complexity. I have lost some spectacular pictures because I changed ISO speeds and file formats accidentally while carrying the camera or holding it in my lap. I have finally learned that every time I wake up the camera, I need to push the button that displays those settings, to make sure that they are still correct, and then push the button again so that I do not push another button that changes them.
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On the other hand, the trend is towards cameras with the connectivity features in which 808 clearly trumps other competitors in its price range:
New idea: Social Cameras!
How a wifi camera should work
You might feel that manual camera controls are the defining features of a $700 camera but others might find the connectivity features more important.
 
giga said:
As a photographer, I would say "who gives a shit.gif" if other cameras of similar price best it at things like autofocus, dynamic range, bokeh/depth of field, lens aperture, viewfinder, operation/control, high iso noise, and raw output.

I can't see how it can be a masterclass "compared to any other camera" in usability when other cameras will be far quicker to adjust things like aperture, iso, metering mode, and exposure compensation. SLRs especially when you consider they have actual physical controls and dials.
Click to expand...

My photographer friend has replaced the slim compact he used as "daily camera" with a 808. Of course he is not going to throw away his DSLRs for a Pureview, the idea is to whip it out to capture in a split moment whatever he finds cool.

thirty said:
one month and nokia will unveil the new WP8 Pureviews, bring it on.
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Where did you read this?
 
Greyface said:
You were mocking the 808's OS to which I responded it's not that bad compared to other camera OS. Now you want to stack up its image quality to SLRs... *shrug* Nobody is claiming that 808 produces the best pictures ever. It has other advantages that the SLRs can't match. Similarly you can get some SLRs cheaper than a Nex 7n but we all know what tradeoffs would have to be made. Many photographers have multiple cameras and lens for different situations. The 808 can carve out a niche even at that price

That said, for many people who want to take photographs, the interface does matter. What good is better autofocus, raw output, etc if nobody is able to use it; What's Wrong with Digital Cameras

On the other hand, the trend is clearly towards cameras with the connectivity features in which 808 clearly trumps other cameras in its price range:
New idea: Social Cameras!
How a wifi camera should work
You might feel that manual camera controls are the defining features of a $700 camera but others might find the connectivity features more important.
Click to expand...
I'm not just stacking it up against just SLRs. There are point and shoots that will easily best it too like the RX100. The only reason I brought the SLR into the picture is because you opened the can to compare to any other "real" camera.

I'm all for connectivity features, but not at the expense of critical features like AF, high iso noise, and the other factors I listed that dedicated cameras have. So this thing without a doubt has the best sensor out of any smartphone (at the cost of phone size), but if you plan to replace dedicated cameras of similar price with it then you will be making great sacrifices in those things I listed.
 
giga said:
I'm not just stacking it up against just SLRs. There are point and shoots that will easily best it too like the RX100. The only reason I brought the SLR into the picture is because you opened the can to compare to any other "real" camera.

I'm all for connectivity features, but not at the expense of critical features like AF, high iso noise, and the other factors I listed that dedicated cameras have. So this thing without a doubt has the best sensor out of any smartphone (at the cost of phone size), but if you plan to replace dedicated cameras of similar price with it then you will be making great sacrifices in those things I listed.
Click to expand...

Still missing the point. The idea is to replace your phone AND your camera. Two devices at the same time, for a reasonable price.
 
Funky Papa said:
Still missing the point. The idea is to replace your phone AND your camera. Two devices at the same time, for a reasonable price.
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Hey. That's why I was mocking the OS in my original post. It's shit.

And then Charred came in and started comparing it to "real" cameras.
 
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