N97 / N82 / HTC Magic Camera Comparison

by Ben Smith on 4th June 2009

Initial impressions coming soon, but in the meantime – since lots of people were asking about the camera – here’s some comparison shots between the N97 and Nokia’s previous top-performing camera phone (in my opinion) the N82…. oh and the HTC Magic as a mid-range benchmark (and kicks, but mostly as a benchmark).

It’s not a scientific comparison by any means, but the shots represent real-world outdoors usage – snatching shots in a hurry amidst the tourist crowds, purely handheld and accepting all the default options.  To my eyes the N97 pips it visually (just) on the colouring of the images – quality’s trickier to call.  However it beats the N82 hands-down for ease of use, taking around 3 to 5 seconds to start the camera from cold (versus over 10 secs on my N82) and shooting / focussing much more quickly too.  Battery-wise taking and uploading this identical set of images via Shozu exhausted the entire N82 battery – the N97 was still showing over 80% at the same point.

Take a look at this Flickr set for all the images.

N97, N82 and HTC Magic Camera Comparison Images - click the image to see the gallery

N97, N82 and HTC Magic Camera Comparison Images - click the image to see the gallery

{ 16 comments }

MarkW June 4, 2009 at 12:31

Well, whichever you decide is the best image (close call between N82 and N97, IMHO) this demonstrates that the quality of the camera isn’t going to be a deal-breaker for anyone considering the N97. I might be considering it. I might be considering that I want one *this minute*!

jai June 4, 2009 at 12:42

I do love my n82, but it’s tiny screen and crappy keyboard do frustrate me.

Glad to know i can upgrade to an n97 without losing any image quality… well in the daylight at least

Anonymous June 4, 2009 at 13:18

Does N97 use dual LED supported by a supercapacitor?
In this document you can read how that kind of LED flashes could be better than xenon:

http://www.philipslumileds.com/pdfs/CS09-xenon_vs_LED_flash.pdf

Can you show us some pics taken in the dark (low light and even no light)?
Thank you in advance

MarkW June 4, 2009 at 13:31

Well, whichever you decide is the best image (close call between N82 and N97, IMHO) this demonstrates that the quality of the camera isn't going to be a deal-breaker for anyone considering the N97. I might be considering it. I might be considering that I want one *this minute*!

jai June 4, 2009 at 13:42

I do love my n82, but it's tiny screen and crappy keyboard do frustrate me.

Glad to know i can upgrade to an n97 without losing any image quality… well in the daylight at least

JC Rivas June 4, 2009 at 14:18

Does N97 use dual LED supported by a supercapacitor?
In this document you can read how that kind of LED flashes could be better than xenon:

http://www.philipslumileds.com/pdfs/CS09-xenon_...

Can you show us some pics taken in the dark (low light and even no light)?
Thank you in advance

Ms. Jen June 4, 2009 at 20:49

Hi Ben,

Good on you for doing this, I love side by side photo comparisons.

Now the big question is a side by side comparison with the N82, the N86, and the N97.

;o)

Ms. Jen June 4, 2009 at 21:49

Hi Ben,

Good on you for doing this, I love side by side photo comparisons.

Now the big question is a side by side comparison with the N82, the N86, and the N97.

;o)

Really Mobile June 5, 2009 at 07:47

No problem… given the effort the police have gone to in London to associate owing lots of phones with terrorism I did wonder if pulling out three to repeatedly photograph soldier on guard duty was wise, but they seemed to take it in their stride…!

I have no doubt the N86 will out-perform the N97 camera-wise overall – the pictures we got off the prototype we had were very promising, but 8MP images are going to be painful to get off a handset over the air so I think it will be things like low-light performance that are the deciders for N-series fans. Normobs will just choose on form factor…

Dr.Cochambre June 5, 2009 at 08:40

Excellent comparison! I can see now that i won’t regret when I change my n82 for the n97.
This has been really helpfull.

Really Mobile June 5, 2009 at 08:47

No problem… given the effort the police have gone to in London to associate owing lots of phones with terrorism I did wonder if pulling out three to repeatedly photograph soldier on guard duty was wise, but they seemed to take it in their stride…!

I have no doubt the N86 will out-perform the N97 camera-wise overall – the pictures we got off the prototype we had were very promising, but 8MP images are going to be painful to get off a handset over the air so I think it will be things like low-light performance that are the deciders for N-series fans. Normobs will just choose on form factor…

Dr.Cochambre June 5, 2009 at 09:40

Excellent comparison! I can see now that i won't regret when I change my n82 for the n97.
This has been really helpfull.

Micky June 6, 2009 at 12:18

N97 photos not looking to bad at all.

Micky June 6, 2009 at 13:18

N97 photos not looking to bad at all.

Dual Sim Mobile Phones September 13, 2009 at 14:53

nice

bulk_cameras December 12, 2009 at 13:27

Great! Thank for information, I'm looking for it for a long time,

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