Nokia 808 Pure View : Some more camera details !

What's the Nokia 808 Pure View camera is all about?

Folks over nokiabuff.com did give a nice overlook at it based on Nokia documentations about that, it's a :

• Carl Zeiss optics of focal length: 8.02mm
• 35mm equivalent focal length: 26mm, 16:9 | 28mm, 4:3
• F-number: f/2.4
• Focus range: 15cm – Infinity (throughout the zoom range)
• Construction:
· 5 elements, 1 group.All lens surfaces are aspherical
· One high-index, low-dispersion glass mould lens
· Mechanical shutter with neutral density filter
• Optical format: 1/1.2”
• Total number of pixels: 7728 x 5368
• Pixel Size: 1.4 microns

The sensor actually has 41 megapixels, meaning it is filled with 41 milion pixels with 7728 x 5368 pixels in horizontal and vertical respectively. It has a 4:3/16:9 hybrid sensor that manages to capture equivalent field of views on both the aspect ratios, just like the N9/Lumia 800. So, depending on the aspect ratio you choose, it will use 7728 x 4354 pixels for 16:9 images/videos, or 7152 x 5368 pixels for 4:3 images/videos. This image from the white paper explains it so clearly :

So, the sensor will provide a maximum 38 megapixel image on 4:3 aspect ratio at the resolution- 7152 x 5368 and a 34 megapixel image on 16:9 aspect ratio at the resolution- 7728 x 4354.

 “Pure View” is all about insane amounts of detail on a single photo. How do they do it? Let me explain as simple as possible.

The camera has two sensor modes: “Pure View” and “Full resolution”. The “full resolution” mode is what I explained above, there are two options for 4:3 and 16:9 with 38 and 34 MP respectively, while in the “Pure view” mode, these are the options-

There, you have three options, 5 megapixels being the default, and 8/3 megapixels being the only other two options. So, why does it have very low MP counts, you ask? Well, for enabling some insane amount of detail in a single pic, even after 100% zoom, they have used something called “Pixel oversampling”. Take for example, 5 megapixels, the resolution would be 3072 x 1728. Each pixel of that resolution is actually a “super” pixel, which has image data from 7 neighboring pixels. So, one pixel has image data of 8 pixels, making the ratio of Pixel Oversampling(O’sam.) for a single 5 megapixel image to be 8:1. Similarly, for an eight mpix image, the O’sam. ratio would be 5:1, meaning one super pixel contains image data from 5 pixels. Thus, processing several pixels at once, makes the image much more detailed, like insanely detailed, with virtually no grainy image noise, that you usually get from any other camera phone, even the N8 has fine grain noise on every picture.Not only that, thanks to the fricking huge 41 mpix sensor, we can use some lossless zoom on all the pure view modes.

For example, the 5 megapixel mode will have maximum O’sam. at minimum zoom, and when the zoom increases in steps, the O’sam. decreases until the zoom reaches the exact resolution at the center of the sensor at pure 3072×1728. At the center of the sensor at 5 mpix resolution, the O’sa. would be zero. So, until the full sensor crop is utilized, the image quality remains largely the same, and hence, lossless zoom without having to use optical zoom or interpolation techniques. Since the data processed during all this manipulation is huge, the CPU+GPU cannot handle everything, so, there is a dedicated scaling chip that takes care of the O’sam. range when the zoom is happening.

This graph might help you with what I told about O’sam. ratios and Zoom range-

 So, basically you can achieve nearly 4x lossless zoom at 3 Mpix setting and as you can see, at 1:1 O’sam. the zoom factor is highest. Ok, it may seem a bit intimidating if I explain more, let’s get to the next big thing in 808 pure view, the Video mode!

The 808 can take full HD videos at 1920×1080 resolution at 30 FPS, and I love the fact that they have used the same concept of Oversampling in video too, hence creating some stunning detail, and upto 4x lossless zoom. Words can’t really describe how awesome the low light performance, just watch this video in 1080p-



There are other frame rate options for 1080p like 24 and 15, while there are video modes for 720p which offers 6x lossless zoom and nHD(640×360) which offers 12x lossless zoom! Just like the crop video mode on the Canon EOS 550D, but I hope it did the 1080p crop like the 808 

And coming to other intricate details of the camera unit, the aperture at f2.4 is fixed, Nokia says it is an advantage when compared with DSLRs with optical zooms that reduce the maximum aperture at full zoom, like on the 18-55 kit lens, the max. aperture is f5.6 at 55mm. But since the 808 has no moving elements, there is no change in aperture and you get lossless zoom like optical zoom at same aperture throughout. Not really sure why Nokia has mentioned it in the whitepaper.And as a consequence of this, the flash range and shutter speed/ISO don’t get affected at  various zoom ranges. The maximum ISO for the 808 is 1600. And for brighter situations, the handy ND filter is present, just like the N8 

And the focal length at 8.04 mm coupled with a f/2.4 aperture gives you a shallower depth of field but a narrower view than the usual cameraphones which have 4 mm focal lengths. For comparisons sake, let’s take the 18mm focal length in a kit lens, it offers a very wide angle of view, while 50 mm offers a narrower view but a shallower depth of field. Likewise, the 8.04 mm focal length will provide a shallower DoF, which will in turn provide a nice Bokeh. Really looking forward to that!

Coming to pixel level details, the 808 has a 2.5 times larger sensor than the N8, with it’s size at 1/1.2″ while the N8 was 1/1.83″. Moreover, each pixel on the N8 was of 1.75 microns in length, while the 808′s pixels are even larger. Not really sure what’s the size though. And coming to audio-

In combination with the world’s first implementation of Nokia Rich Recording technology, Nokia 808 PureView records best in class stereo audio with every detail. Whilst most high end smartphones can only record without distortion to around 110db, the Nokia 808 can comfortably continue to around 140-145 db, which is 4 times louder than conventional mics can record. Apart from that Nokia Rich Recording can also record very low frequencies also without any distortion. The combination of all of these elements means the  Nokia 808 records audio with almost CD like quality. It has to be heard to be believed. In terms of both visual and audible performance, the Nokia 808 simply has no equal.



Are those words sufficient for convincing you how great it is? Concerts and noisy places will be handled much better than the N8, which was already too awesome!

Also, apart from these details about the sensor, there is a very much improved auto focus in all the video modes like touch to focus, conventional focus, and even the UI is vastly improved, with something really cool called “slide zoom” . You just slide your fingers over the screen and it lets you zoom selectively, the frame.

What else?

specifications over www.nokia.com

[Briefs] Symbian Trying to become MeeGo !

And since the early version of symbian^3 i did notice some user elements from Maemo5 UI, and i see more and more of these elements on Symbian Belle, now it's becoming more interesting as we'll get a UI almost similar of what we have on the lovely N9 which is one of the best UI till date :)

The UI components listed below are the basic Qt Quick building blocks of the Symbian OS. The Symbian UI style is achieved by following the guidelines for each component. as listed on the Overall UI model description and in fact they are a collection of realistic user interface views and components. The stencils can be used to create mockups which are close to the final visual result

More to read over here !

Nokia Store QML Client Update 3.20.050 Rolled-out via OTA

The key new features this client brings include:

- Easier navigation
- Improved product details view, for a rich and fluid discovery experience
- Quicker, smoother and more responsive than WRT client

For this version 3.20.050, just open your store client, you will be prompted for the update as shown below.

[MEGA Head to Head] N9 vs N8 camera test !

Hello folks,

Now that i have a little free time, i give you a more extended head to head between the N9 and the N8 in camera department !

As Damian Dinning alraedy pointed out in his post at Nokia Conversations, the Nokia N8 is still the camera king. But the N9 is a great performing camera considering the 70% reduction in size, you surely did see my brief head to head which gave you an idea how the N9 performs in front of the N8, but we'll go a little bit further to see how it does in general situations (to be completed when i'll have some more free time) :

As usual, all pictures were shooten in automatic mode, with no extra settings, grab the phone, open camera application, shoot !

The N8 followed by the N9 :

--> Sunny day

Results : The N8 is a little more saturated, the N9 capture more (even my left foot), thanks to its wide angle !

Another try :

Results : The same as above, plus the sky color rendering is more natural on the N8, the N9 give you two more palm tree in both sides, and we can see the whole right palm tree from the bottom to the top and even the shadow of the extreme right palm ! ah the magic of the wide angle !

Results : i have to admit that the N9 sometimes has some serious troubles to focus on a distant object, even if we set it up to landscape mode like this picture !

In a more complex situation :

Results : More light are gathered on the left side by the N9 but the color of the sky isn't that natural.

Results : The N9 does a nice job by gathering more light on the left and bottom side, really nice, and the picture is clearer than on the N8, but the sky color rendering and the "white" left wall is more natural on the N8 !

Lets go a little bit further with this complex situation :

Results : a huge blue hue on N9 results and fired (overexposed) results of the white wall, the N8 royally stay calm and give an outstanding natural performance !

Lets move to a cloudy context :

Results : N9 results are sharp and "processed" but color are more natural ! Yes you read that right ! the N8 is more saturated but doesn't reflect the situation as it was (more yellowish balance, like it was set up to cloud balance)

The same as above !

And again !

And again, N9 wins here in color rendering for the mid and bottom part of the picture, and the N8 the top part of the picture, yes i know a very confusing situation !

In an cloudy afternoon :

Results : The sky color rendering is greatly managed by the N8, not really the case with the N9 and on this later,

And now for close up scenes :

Results : The N9 does a better job both in limit distance and color rendering.

But, with the smart zoom, the N8 can do better (we're talking about distance here) :

Another try :

Results : The N8 is more natural and gather more light to the scene ! But the N9 can be even close to the subject!

But, again, the smart zoom on the N8 give an outstanding results :

How about the Low light conditions?

Without flash :

Results : Very complicated situation, the N8 grabs more light (look at the background behind the door on the right corner) without much noisy results (top right green area on the corner), but the N9 gives a clearer, saturated and a little bit noisy result, but all in all very good indeed !

A more complex situation :

Results : N9 overexposed a little bit the luster on the top but it grabs more light overall while the N8 focused royally on the center of the luster and did give more natural results but darker coins...

Look what happened when i did the focus on the luster :

Results : There's no need to say that the N8 screwed up this shot !

In more dark situation (only light coming is from the bathroom)

Another try :

Results : look on how the N8 blows the N9 out of the water grabbing more light with relatively acceptable level of noise indeed, you should not also that the N9 did a very good job for maintaining a very acceptable level of noise, not bad at all.

The same can be seen with this situation :

Results : It's true that the N8 did gather more light but it overexposed the background a little bit when we see how the N9 did ;)

Results : N9 is more noisy, colors are cold, the N8 on the other has a great noise management and outstanding natural color rendering !

And if i fire the flash?

Results : On the N9, the result is noisy, but for a dual LED camera, it does a great job !

Results : No comments !

Based on room light and if i fire the flash, i get the following :

Results : Still the N9 reminds me of N86 !

Almost complete dark situation (very little light coming from the left window)

With flash :

 Results : the N9 does a great job, it reminds me of the N86, very good noise management with a strong enough dual flash led, but the picture will be always yellowish, the xenon one remains untouchable !

Look at that :

You see that the rendering is more yellowish, the internal powerful photo editor is here to address this, well, somehow !



With auto-correction feature we can get something like this (more greenish but somehow more natural Flore) :

In video department : 

I wanted meanly to test low light conditions, and the N9 did a outstanding job grabbing more light than the N8, but rendering was a bit noisy, the N8 was almost free of noise !

A 44sec sequence costs the N8 55MB of the space and N9 34MB because the N9 compressed more the video :

N8 video file details

N9 video file details

N8 sample :






And here's the N9 sample :






Bottom line :

The N9 has proved that is has a great camera which can capture more details with the help to the f/2.2 aperture (largest ever in a mobile device) and Super wide-angle optics (the widest in the industry. Up to as much as 60% more viewing area than other broadly comparable devices), all in all with sharp results !

What drives me crazy with the N9 is its extremely responsive UI, especially switching from stills to video and vice-versa and shot to shot !

I like the Touch AF and Full time continuous AF in BOTH video and stills plus face detection.

But a little tweak on the color management field mainly in low light situation (with and without flash) could make of the N9 the best camera phone behind the N8, it has a lot of potential, and Nokia promise nice tweaks in the PR 1.2 update :)

What you should know :

- There's no flash assisted video for now !
- Zooming on video isn't supported as well
- Stereo capture is good, but not excellent as on the N8 (but great when compared to other devices from other brands)
- Video is more processed and compressed than on the N8 but quality remains fine
- Flash is so strong that it can burn your close up pictures...you've to play with iso and exposure settings here...

What do you think guys, which one do you prefer?