N85 Review Part-4: Camera & Accessories

This is the fourth part of the N85 review, where we look at the camera and the accessories that come along with the phone. The previous parts we have looked at the design, lighting, software, music, battery and screen aspect.

Camera:

The N85 employs a 5 megapixel camera sensor with a Carl Zeiss lens. This 5MP camera as we know does not have xenon flash but the same dual LED setup that Nokia claims is very good for recording video in darkness.

The camera performed adequately. The pictures in daytime were really good. The camera clicked some really nice looking photos and when you look at it on the AM-OLED screen, they look even more ‘dynamic’. The portraits mode in daytime was great! The N85 focused very quickly on objects in daytime, but under artificial lights, it seemed to take longer.In portrait mode (daytime) too, it took a little time but the results were great.

Now another  one of my own tests is to click a TV screen when it is switched on. This will show you how good the camera is at capturing detail. Now The N96 really failed miserably at that, but overall was pretty ‘good’. The N85 clicked the TV screen really nicely and you could can clearly see the program being broadcast.

The dual LED in the night time or in dark areas is strictly ‘ok’. It’s seems to be better than the N96 in results, but this is more an estimation. The processing of the pictures is definitely a bit better on the N85. The processing done is of much better quality on the N85 than on the N96. While the N96 suffered with a horrible blue hue with the flash being used, the N85 suffers with a similar fate only the colour is yellow this time. I don’t know but, whenever I used the LED flash, I got a lot of ‘yellow’ colour in the pictures. But I can live with a yellow hue. It’s way better than the blue hue. The settings on the camera are the same that you will find on any standard S60 solution by Nokia.  here is a quick list:

1. Switch to camera/video mode.
2. Scene Modes> Auto, User Defined, Close-up mode, Portrait, Landscape, Night, Night portrait.
3. Flash Mode> Automatic, On, Red-eye, Off.
4. Self Timer> Off, 2 seconds, 10 seconds, 20 seconds.
5. Switch to Sequence mode
6. Go to Photos (takes you to the gallery! sweet!)
7. Colour Tone> Normal, Sepia, Black & white, Vivid, Negative.
8. Switch to view-finder grid.
9. White Balance> Automatic, Sunny, Incandescent, Fluorescent.
10. Exposure Compensation> every 3 notches from -2 to 2
11. Sharpness>Hard, Normal, Soft
12. Contrast> 20 notches (both directions)
13. brightness> 20 notches (both directions)
14. Light Sensitivity> Auto, Low, Medium, High.
15. Customize Toolbar.

As you can see there are two additions to this, item no.6 and item no.15 on the list are unique to this phone, as the N96 does not have it. The N79 may  have these features but I do not know at this time. Once a photo is clicked the sidebar allows you to tag a photo, so you find it easily.

Geo-tagging is also there on this phone and the GPS lock was pretty fast!

The macro mode on this is really good, the focusing on objects was lightning sharp just like the N96 in this mode. Overall the N85 performs better than the N96 in the camera department but only marginally. There was one thing I did notice in the image was it’s size. There were hardly a few images that went above or close to the 1MB mark.  I don’t think that’s a good thing, since it clearly tells you of how good the photo is likely to be.

The N82 in my opinion is still the imaging king. The N82 takes a bit longer to focus but gives excellent results.

Overall the N85 gets a good 8.2/10 in this area. The N96 certainly has competition!

On the video front, the N85’s dual LED setup worked better then the N96’s setup. But there was one big problem in the recording quality. The N85 I had for review had problems with recording itself. There were times when the video would record with a lot of lag and you could clearly see it in the final result. The N85’s video capabilities were thus severely handicapped and put me off completely. Atleast the N96 could record video smoothly. very bad Nokia!

I would give the N85 a 3/10 in this area. A complete letdown for me.

Accessories:

the N85 is a different phone. It is one of the first to have USB charging of the battery. What this means is that the charger you have for the Nokia N85 is completely different from the standard 2mm pin chargers.  So here is the complete list of what’s in the box.

1. AD-54 adapter with a pair of earphones.
2. Nokia AC-10E wall charger.
3. Nokia Micro USB cable CA-101
4. Nokia TV-Out CA-75U
5. The manuals and other related reading material
6. the PC Suite DVD.

Well first of all, the standard headset that comes with the N85 is pathetic. I tried it on the N85 and its absolutely not worth keeping. I suggest you lose the earphones part of the headset and buy a better pair of earphones/headphones.

The AC-10E charger is huge, reminiscent of the chargers that shipped with Nokia devices in early 2000-01. But it’s different from the regular chargers since it has a Micro USB slot and not a 2mm pin. This means that the chargers connects to the Micro USB slot in the N85 for charging. Now you must be wondering whether the data cable can also do the same or no? well the answer is yes. You can charge the N85 through the data cable when you connect it to a PC.

I loved the fact that I could use my data cable to charge my phone when I had it connected to my PC.

Overall the N85 gets a good 8/10. I have deducted a point simply because of the headset quality.

Gallery:

N96 Review Part-4: Camera and Accessories

The fourth instalment in the N96 review, today we shall be looking at the camera and accessories supplied alongwith the device. Previously we have covered the following aspects in the review – design, lighting, software, music, battery and screen.

Without wasting further time, let’s get to what is one of the most important things for an Nseries phone – the camera.

Camera:

The N96 sports a 5 mega pixel auto focus camera with Carl Zeiss lens. The sensor is a little different from the one employed on the N82,N85 and other 5MP phones withing Nokia’s portfolio.

The N96 is also very different from its predecessor, the N95 8GB. The Nokia N96 has a dual LED flash as compared to a single LED flash found on the N95 8GB. While it is an improvements over the N95 8GB, when compared to a 6220 classic or even the venerable the N82, the device is not at all an improvement. The reason for this move is that the dual LEDs allow for video recording to be done in dim lit conditions as well. I wish that the N96 had xenon flash and a single LED or the dual LED setup for the video.

These are the range of options available in the N96’s camera.

1. Switch to camera/video mode.
2. Scene Modes> Auto, User Defined, Close-up mode, Portrait, Landscape, Night, Night portrait.
3. Flash Mode> Automatic, On, Red-eye, Off.
4. Self Timer> Off, 2 seconds, 10 seconds, 20 seconds.
5. Switch to Sequence mode
6. Colour Tone> Normal, Sepia, Black & white, Vivid, Negative.
7. Switch to view-finder grid.
8. White Balance> Automatic, Sunny, Incandescent, Fluorescent.
9. Exposure Compensation> every 3 notches from -2 to 2
10. Sharpness>Hard, Normal, Soft
11. Contrast> 9 notches
12. Light Sensitivity> Auto, Low, Low-Medium, Medium, Medium-High, High.

Now this is a rather extensive list. and as you can see there have been changes to the ‘Exposure Compensation’ and ‘Light Sensitivity’ settings, they are more customizable. The N82 does not have these many variations. This clearly shows that the N96’s camera software is a step ahead. So how does the N96 actually fare? Well for starters the dual LED is simply pathetic. There is a blue hue to everything when the LED flash is used in the dark environments. The temperature on the image is rather ‘cold’. I don’t know why the software does that.

The other thing about the N96 which I did not like was that sometimes the photos just don’t give the desired results. I had a couple of photos which were completely spoilt, and that was not the case when I clicked them, they looked perfect during the preview. I wonder what happened?

The N96’s camera also just can’t compare to the N82’s clarity. In fact the size of the N82’s photo is more compared to the N96’s photo on the same subject. But this does not mean that the N96 has a bad camera. It is quite good. There are some things in which the N96 excels. I am biased towards the N82, but even I am forced to admit that there are areas where the N96 excels.

The macro for example is where the N96 outdoes the N82, 3 times out of 5. There were a few times when the N82 came out with stunning results. But the N96 outdid the N82 more number of times. The focusing is also super fast! I was astounded with the speed taken by the N96 to focus. The thing is in a hurry to focus and gets it right 99% of the times. I haven’t seen anything focus so fast. The colour representation in the open, during the day was more true and in sync with the actual colours. Where the N96 suffers is the processing of the images, when a few settings were changed in the N96 the output was grainy (noise) and really not something one would expect from such a high end device. My N82 performed better with similar setting changes.

Coming back to the LED flash, the good thing about it is that when you click a macro photo and you need a just a little lighting, the LED flash is the best thing to have.

I tried to take a photo in darkness of a ceiling fan and it did not do a good job. The same photo on the N82 was fabulous. By changing it to sports mode, I tried to click the same photo expecting to be dismayed. But it did a better job than the N82.

Overall, I think the N96’s camera is good and there can be some tweaking to the software made, and it would improve the output even more. The inherent weakness of not having a xenon flash is very apparent.

While taking a video, to see how much the dual LED made a difference, I thought it did not make any substantial difference. It was effective only when you came close to the subject, but that would really hurt a person’s eye as the light is really bright, but the throw is not that much.

The N96 has done a good job in this department and deserves a 7.5/10. I think it is a good camera, but not a replacement for the N82. The N82 is still the king in this department.

Accessories:

The next most important thing in the package. The N96 comes with a huge list of accessories.

Let me list them down for you.

1. AD-54 adapter with a pair of earphones.
2. Nokia AC-5E wall charger.
3. Nokia Micro USB cable CA-101
4. Nokia TV-Out CA-75U
5. Nokia Car Charger DC-4
6. The manuals and other related reading material
7. the PC Suite DVD.

This is a rather huge list and I guess the only thing missing in this list is a pouch to keep the phone when not in use. The headphones were a big disappointment. I was really disappointed by the output of the earphones. Never did I think that they would be  so bad. The earphones are strictly for calls. The N82’s headset performed better. What is really surprising is that the standard iPod earphones are way better. I used them on the N96 and boy what a difference! A capable music device as this deserved better.

The AC-5E charger, what do I say, I simply am in love with the size and capabilities of this eco-freindly charger. I am tempted to switch it with the big Nokia chargers that are sold here.

The TV-Out cable does its job very well. I think the inclusion of a TV-Out is very good move for Nseries phones. The car charger is one thing that I was surprised to see. I nver expected the N96 to come with one. I guess Nokia knew how badly the battery performs and so slipped one in the retail package. The Micro USB cable is the same that dos duty on the N82. No complaints there. It works like it should. I found it good for transfers. Huge transfers tend to be faster if done in “mass storage” mode.

The phone does not come with a Micro SD card as it has an inbuilt memory of 16GB and an additional 60 odd MB of usable phone memory. There is a slot for adding more storage to the Nokia N96. It is easily able to support a 16GB Micro SDHC card.

The accessories with the N96 scored 8/10. The inclusion of a car charger and AC-5E charger helping it. The headset could have been much better.

An advice to Nokia, please provide iPod quality earphones with such devices. An entertainment device is useless without one.

The photos taken from the N96 can be viewed here. This link will take you to my Ovi page and the specific channel. Do not worry the link will open in another window or tab as the case may be.

E63 Review Part-4: Camera and Accessories

A Merry Christmas to all the readers. I am sorry for having delayed on this post. I have been a little lazy lately. I guess the holiday mood has kicked in for good!

I have already reviewed the following aspects in my previous posts -
Design, Lighting & Software, music, battery and screen.

In this part of the review I will be concentrating on the camera and accessories.

Camera:

The camera on the E63 is just a 2 megapixel module. The main reason for putting in a lower resolution camera is only to cut costs. This camera is a very basic camera capable of outputting images of a maximum resolution of 1600*1200. There is no auto focus or any of the other features that you find on any Nokia S60 3rd edition phone. If you have used the Nokia N70 or the E50, you will be well versed with the kind of features you have available on the phone when it comes to the camera. The software to handle the camera on the E63 is the same that you would have seen on the N70 and E50. And may I tell you that software was not very user friendly. If I need to change something, I have to go into options and hunt for the setting, of which there are very few, change it… I cannot change it as quickly as I was able to on the E71 or the E66 for that matter. I was very disappointed by that. The clarity of the camera is also not that great. In daylight it can click good photos, but in a little darkness, the chinks in the E63’s camera become glaringly visible.

The video recording capabilities of the E63 are also poor and I don’t need to tell you why it is so. The video is recorded at 15fps at a maximum resolution of 320*240 (QVGA). But then that’s what you will get with a camera like that. This phone was meant to do DVD like video recording and so I really don’t feel they have done anything terribly wrong here.

Overall I was none too happy about the software implemented on the E63. The fact that it is a 2 megapixel camera is alright, but the software that makes it work is absolutely not acceptable. It is hard to believe but the N81 which is selling at similar prices to what the E63 will sell at, has not only a better camera, but also a better software for it. I wish Nokia changed that software soon, because it is a disaster in today’s day and age. I would give the camera a poor score of 4.5/10. If you are looking for a QWERTY phone with a camera, look elsewhere.

Accessories:
In this department, the E63 is virtually on par with it bigger brethren. The E63 comes with all the accessories you would expect to get with a smartphone. The only thing missing in the box is a leather pouch. The E63 does not have a leather pouch like its bigger sibling the E71 has. But then this is not an E71. The E63 is expected to come with a data cable, a pair of handsfree earphones, a 2GB memory card (Micro SD).

The data cable is the usual Micro USB variety. The handsfree solution though throws out any iota of doubt you have about the E63 being a decent smartphone. It ships with a a cheap pair of earphones, the WH-102. These earphones are the nearly same ones I got with the 1650 which by the way is very cheap (INR 1800 = US $36). The only exception is that the 1650 has a 2.5mm plug v/s the 3.5mm plug the E63’s(the 1650 comes with the WH-101, a 2.5mm pin variant). They are also very uncomfortable as you do not get any cushions with them. This means that they simply keep falling out of the ear. I could not keep a single earphone in my ear for more than 1 minute, its that bad. I did not know Nokia could go so low with the E63. If there was one thing that would make me not want to buy the E63 it would be this, simply because the phone has brilliant audio capabilities and it really sounds very good, better than even the E71! What a pity it is limited by such a poor set of handsfree solution. I would suggest you to toss the WH-102 as soon as you buy the phone and invest in a better set of headphones or earphones.

The phone supports bluetooth A2DP and AVRCP solutions, this means you can pair a stereo bluetooth headset and control it wirelessly. Thank you at least providing that Nokia. In this department, I would give the E63 a rather average score of 6.5/10. The absence of a pouch and a decent handsfree solution lowering its score here. If you are looking to use the music capabilities on this phone it will be worth your money to invest in a good pair of headphones.

The charger with the E63 is not the miniature AC-8 which I am a fan of. Instead it came with a variant of it perhaps, the AC-8X. This charger is huge compared to the AC-8 and doesn’t look as beautiful also.

With this there is only one more aspect of the review left to complete my review of the E63. I shall have that up by tonight.
Please leave your comments and opinions below… I am eager to know what you think of the E63.

To see the results of the camera, click here. This link will take you to my Ovi page and the specific channel. Do not worry the link will open in another window or tab as the case may be.

12.25 MP camera in your phone anyone?

The new Exmor camera sensors for mobile phones.

A few days ago, Sony announced the first commercial 12 megapixel camera sensor for mobile phones. Sony says that “IMX060PQ” sensor is for meeting the advanced image quality needs of cellular phones with cameras. The range has been named ‘Exmor’. Along with the 12.25 effective megapixel CMOS sensor, they also chowcased a 8.11 megapixel CMOS sensor(“IMX046PQ”) along with a 5.15 megapixel version (“IMX045PQ”).

Not only that, Sony will also be commercializing a new series of lenses “IU060F” and “IU046F” which is a 1/3.2 lens module with autofocus functions. The good news does not end there, there’s more.

The new CMOS camera sensors will allow future users to record in HD quality (1080p @ 27fps, and 720p @ 30fps). There also a few more technical enhancements. This one though, is most important.

THe development is nice, finally phones will be able to record HD quality video. But wait a minute, this opens up a new set of problems. let me list them below -
1. The mobile phones will become thicker for sure.
2. The current architecture (processor, RAM) might not be enough for HD quality videos and photos.
3. Battery life, what about that?

Unless these things are taken care of, it makes no sense to have 12 megapixel cameras in a phones. Also if you do not give the phones optical zoom, face recognition, image stabilizers and what have you, to these phones a la ‘point and shoot’ cameras, what good are they? Its high time consumers and manufacturers realized that this half convergence of the camera with the phone cannot continue. Either take a step forward or stop until you find a way to move ahead!

To me this megapixel race seems like a scam! My current phone, the N82 is a 5 megapixel phone. I bought it for the Xenon flash. I still wish that the phone had optical zoom and a few more digital camera features. It makes for a good camera, when you don’t have one and need to click a picture. But the fact that my ancient 4 megapixel Nikon (E4600) captures better quality images should make you, the reader realize, how futile this megapixel race is in the mobile phone industry.

The level of detail the 12MP sensor will be capable of capturing

Click here to read the Sony press release on the new camera sensors.

E71 Review Part-4: Camera & Accessories

Taken with the E71

In the first part of my review of the E71, I talked about the design aspect of the phone. In the second part it was the lighting aspect of the E71. In the third part, I concentrated on the software, music and battery life and screen orientation of the handset. Let us see how it performs when it comes to the camera and accessories.

Camera:
With the E66 setting very good marks in this camera department, I was expecting similar performance from the E71, and guess what!?! It was a revelation. The E71’s camera is pathetic. Well firstly, the camera application on the E71 is similar to the E66. One will find all the usual settings in the phone. Let me list it down…
1 ) Switch to camera/video mode.
2 ) Scene Modes> Auto, User Defined, Close-up mode, Portrait, Landscape, Night, Night portrait.
3 ) Flash Mode> Automatic, On, Red-eye, Off.
4 ) Self Timer> Off, 2 seconds, 10 seconds, 20 seconds.
5 ) Switch to Sequence mode
6 ) Colour Tone> Normal, Sepia, Black & white, Negative.
7 ) Switch to view-finder grid.
8 ) White Balance> Automatic, Sunny, Incandescent, Fluorescent.
9 ) Exposure Compensation> every 3 notches from -2 to 2.

The E71 possesses a 3.2 megapixel CMOS sensor with auto focus. And just like the E66, no Carl Zeiss. So what is so bad about the E71 camera. Remember I told you that there was a purple hue in the center of the E66’s pictures, in the E71 its there all across the image, its more pronounced at the edges. Photos taken with the E71 seem sharper in the phone. Put it on the computer and all of the sharpness vanishes. My N70 was way better than this camera. Unfortunately the E71’s camera is a complete letdown. In a well lit room also, it could not click photos properly. I used the colour tone just to see if they were good and would you believe it, the sepia tone… is not sepia at all. It just gave a slight brown colour to the image and retained all the colours of the image. Sepia tint means that the entire image is in shades of brown. The E71 did not do any of that. Playing around with the E71’s camera settings in order to get the right colours did not give me desired results, there was too much orange when the image was in Landscape mode, was too exposed too look good, etc. The flash was a so a big letdown. It was very weak! BTW the camera focuses only when you press the ‘T’ button. I honestly wish a dedicated camera button was present for this phone.

I am very disappointed with the E71’s camera. It is a waste to have a 3.2MP camera if it the results are going to be worse than the N70. If users are looking for a good camera in the E71, they are going to be very disappointed. I urge you to see the images clicked side by side a N82 and judge for yourself. Geo-tagging is also not there. It wasn’t present in the E66 also. I hope that it will be implemented in the next firmware update. Video recording is at 15fps in QVGA mode. Don’t expect miracles from it either. It took a good 5-6 seconds after I pressed the record button for the E71 to actually start recording.
I will give the E71 a poor 4/10 for the camera solution.

Accessories:
The phone came with the standard list of accessories that any smartphone comes with.
1 ) Data Cable.
2 ) Charger.
3 ) Memory card (Micro SD).
4 ) PC Suite (Eseries).
5 ) Headset.
6 ) Pouch.

The data cable is regular Micro USB affair (CA-101). There were no problems using the data cable and data transmission was fast. The charger (AC-5E) is the same one that was used by the E66. I really am a big fan of the size of this charger. I love it. I wish we get to see this charger being used in the N series devices also. The headset is black in colour and is of the same type that does duty with the E66. The black colour with plastic inserts for buttons really looks good. In white, it just seemed out of place. I just wish E71 did not have a 2.5mm headset plug.

I paired the BH-903 (big review and comparison with the Jabra BT3030 coming in the next few hours!) and it paired quickly, no hassles and worries. The AVRCP profile is present in the phone and allows one to change tracks, pause, rewind, etc. It worked like charm here. I must say the E71’s music output coupled with the BH-903 makes it a good replacement for some music during stressed periods and after work, even during the workout at the gym!

The pouch is black in colour, the material used on the outside is leather but its finish is different from the white pouch of the E66. I am confused as to which one look better. I am very happy that a pouch is a part of the standard package. Such high quality phones need pouches and if a good one is provided in the box, its great.

Overall the E71 gets a good 8.5/10. The music output is great and with the AVRCP profile working…. listening to music is simple. I just wish there was a 3.5mm plug instead of a 2.5mm one. The accessories provided are also of a high quality and are great to get the job done. Now if they were to only develop some more accessories for the E series.

Click here (Clicking will open a new window or tab as the case maybe, to www.ovi.com) to view the photos clicked by the E71 and the N82 which gave more realistic images. You will find two sets of the subject, the first one is clicked with the E71 and the next one is clicked with the N82.