Camera Shootout: HTC One X vs Nokia N8 ...
Steve Litchfield the camera phone and imaging guru at AAS & AAWP compares the quality of photos for the new HTC One X with 8 MP snapper and the older Nokia N8 with its 12 MP camera with larger sensor and Xenon flash..
The N8 is generally considered to be today's best available imaging phone and most mobile phone reviewers that know photography regard the iPhone 4S with its illuminated 8MP sensor and more idiot proof controlling software to be second best and that's how Steve ranks them. He does now rate the HTC One X as 4th best behind the well regarded Samsung Galaxy S II and ahead of the new Sony Xperia S.
>> Camera Shootout: Nokia N8 vs HTC One X
Steve Litchfield
All About Symbian
April 4th 2012
allaboutsymbian.com
For a full review of the HTC One X, you'll have to be patient for another week and wait for Phones Show 166. It'll be a cracker, since the HTC One X is really generally a fabulous smartphone - the processor's quad core and the display is unbelievable. However, this is a camera comparison and the device produces photos which aren't as detailed or as pleasing as those from the 2010 Nokia N8 - the much larger sensor, the Carl Zeiss optics and the Xenon flash all add up to images which still rule the (camera) phone world in April 2012.
And it's worth remembering that the N8 itself produces images which, arguably, pale compared to its own successor, the 808 PureView, coming in a couple of months. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. I took the N8 and the One X and tried a number of test shots in various conditions.
People have asked why I keep comparing modern camera phones to the N8 - it's not that I see them as direct competitors in terms of overall aims and functionality. But one has to have a benchmark, something to measure everything else against. As the best (and something I always have to hand), the N8 camera is this benchmark, at least when comparing phone camera functions. So, for example, phone A's camera gets 'close' to the N8, while phone B's unit is miles away. You get the idea.
My previous comparisons have been criticised for cropping in too far when trying to compare captured detail, so in some of the test shots below, I've kept the crop level less severe, to look at things like coloration as well as detail.
<Big Snip: Use link above to view 6 tests shots from both cameras with crops of same and accompanying text>
I hope I've been flexible in cropping to appropriate degrees above, in order to test out different parameters in the phone cameras. In terms of ranking in the current smartphone line-up worldwide, arranged by camera performance in all conditions, I'd suggest:
1. Nokia N8 (2010)
2. iPhone 4S (2011)
3. Samsung Galaxy S II (2011)
4. HTC One X (2012)
5. Sony Xperia S (2012)
Comments welcome, as always. it's absolutely true that the clarity and size of the One X's next-gen display, combined with the speed of capture, make for a pleasant photography experience. Set against that is that there's no shutter button, so you have to use an inferior on-screen virtual button, plus (as shown above), the photos themselves aren't actually any better than the competition.
Still, progress overall from HTC, especially in the context of the One X's other significant redeeming features. Meanwhile my N8's still sitting smugly in the corner but keeping a watchful eye on the box marked '808'.... ###
Note: I'm having some problems linking to several sites today (appears to ve an ISP problem) including the 'Phones Show; so I don't know if Phones Show 166 with the full review of the HTC One X has yet been posted. A link to the site is ...
stevelitchfield.com
I didn't realize this board existed until today, but I'm glad it does and I've now bookmarked it.
Cheers,
- Eric - |
