Camera Talk

This is the last picture I took with my Nokia N82. I took this picture as the crowd was leaving the Gibson Amphitheater after the Conan O'Brien: The Legally Prohibited From Being Funny On Television show, which was spectacular by the way.

Monday morning came and I received a replacement case for my Nokia N82. I ordered it because my N82 was in bad shape. As I was dissembling the unit, I managed to crack the LCD and rip the ribbon to the Xenon flash. I was so sad.

To made matters worse, since I was supposed to send my N97 in for repair because the camera stopped working. I am now left with no working camera phone.

This morning Nokia announced the N8. I've waited a long time for this phone. The N8 hosts an upgraded version of the N86 camera, with the same wide angle lens and full sensor video zoom. Throw in the Xenon and 720P video stereo recording and I'm ecstatic.

I'm digging the return of the video editor. Adding titles and transitions just like on the N93 and N95. Very glad its back.
I like that is an aluminum shell and the color selection. I think I would want an orange one.
It has a five band 3G radio. That means no waiting for a firmware update.

I do have a few worries about the N8.
The sealed battery is a major concern since I go crazy with my energy use. I'll have to buy a DC-11.

Going from a hard qwerty like on my N97 to an onscreen keyboard is not something I am looking forward to. The lack of a lens cover will mean I need a sock.

I've already made plans to get the N8 right away. It's going to be hard waiting for it.

Taking pictures is fun again

After getting fed up with my N97 and its charger port problems, I sent it in for repair. In the meantime, I've been using my old N82.

The camera interface on the N97 is a total mess. Options are buried in menus and not easy to access. Some menus are touch optimized, others are d-pad optimized. It is very confusing and inconvenient for anyone who wants some control over their pictures. There's too much time wasted and the moment gets away.

Shooting in auto on the N97 sucks. The flash on the N97 especially pisses me off. It is often more harmful than helpful. It takes three or four clicks to turn it off. Never fun to take pictures with.

The camera interface on the N82 isn't much better. But since it is d-pad optimized, I can set up my pictures pretty quickly since the interface is fast.

The N82 has a xenon flash. It is still the gold standard that every camera phone is compared to. Hardly ever does the flash get in the way of a good shot. At the top there's a picture I took last week at the Griffith Observatory. Not only is the subject well lit, you can see the background.

While the N82 takes much better pictures, the N97 is still a better camera phone. The larger battery lets you take more pictures. The qwerty keyboard makes it easier to name and tag the photos. The 3G makes it faster to share and move on to the next moment.

I'm hopeful the N82 and the N97 would join in holy union and have a baby.