Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Canon S90 vs Nokia N8 follow-up

So that Canon S90 vs Nokia N8 thing was a huge hit. Nice to see plenty of misinformed Nokia fans trolling the post when they have NO clue. Just like a lot of them have no clue about Windows Phone, but I will leave that to Nokia blogs to take the brunt of the misinformed assault on the partnership.

Now, let me clear up some stuff. The N8 has a good camera, for a phone. But comparing it to a high-end compact? Don't make me laugh. I say this as a person who actually bought (and still use) the N8 for his birthday back in October 2010, purely because it was supposed to have this so-called fantastic camera module that apparently has even entry level DSLR beaten. I was wrong.

Another thing, a camera doesn't make great images. The person behind the camera does. Give someone like Ken Rockwell a disposable camera, and he can make much greater pictures than I can with a Leica M9, Nikon D3 or whatever. A good camera is supposed to only make it easier for the photographer. The N8 does not make things easier.

In fact the camera application is a frickin' disaster. A photographer's main job is to capture picture, not battle with a UI that crashes and generally throws a hissy fit. I was at an event this evening with my friend who writes for dailymobile.se. She also happens to own a N8. Like me she bought it for the supposed brilliant camera. She had so many problems with her N8, that by the time she got her N8 restarted, I have already finished taking 50 images.

The point of the post wasn't about making good images, it was all about image quality, and to debunk the stupid myth that the Nokia N8 is a digital camera killer. It is laughable to read that people think it is comparable to a good compact camera with fast lens and large sensor, much less a DSLR! The idea is so stupid it isn't even worth entertaining a rebuttal.

There were some complains that I didn't post comparison pictures. Well I did, the one - but even then some of you didn't actually notice. Should have gone to SpecSavers eh?. Well I went to the liberty of making some additional comparison pictures, which I shouldn't even bother. But I did.

All set to auto, with no flash, handheld shot:

And you know what? I will keep updating this post with even more comparison shots. Just wait.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Many thanks for your advice, Jon. Decided to take your advice and ditch Nokia n8 and go for a dedicated digital camera. Our Sony night was just one too many events when the N8 has kicked another 'hissy' fit and the touch ui has decided to freeze and unlock key for screen does not unlock. I do not take photos on a regular basis but when I do and particularly for events and occasions such as these, I just want my camera to work 'end of question'. The event, the timing, the people and the memories will not come again nor will it play itself out in the same way - so those images and features need to be captured on the day. I am not so in love with the looks of the Canon s90/s95 but I am enamoured by the Leica d-lux 5. I think it is partially the weight the name carries -'even though it is Panasonic made in Japan rather than German made Leica but also it is suitable for my needs but also incorporates a hotshot for advanced accessories should my photographic needs advance. Dilemma!