Nokia Lumia 920 vs 808 PureView: Camera shootout
Matti Robinson
13 Nov 2012 11:02
We received the latest, greatest, and most hyped Nokia phone for a review and decided to take the camera for a spin. In addition to the super sensitive HD+ touch screen and wireless charging, the most important selling point of Lumia 920 must be the camera. Nokia has branded it PureView like the 41 megapixel monster on Nokia 808 PureView but does it deliver like a PureView camera should?
We took quite a few photos and videos in different situations but decided to have emphasis on the most noted feature of Lumia 920's camera, the optical image stabilization. This feature faced controversy after Nokia admitted to have faked the OIS video footage on their promotional video. We wanted to see if the low light pictures and shaky video really benefit from the floating lens technology.
We tried to use identical settings for each batch of photos but due to resolution and technology variance there might be slight differences. Most of the photos were shot by hand and the proportions of objects may differ as well. The flash settings were identical in each comparison and no zoom of any kind was used. The videos were recorded with each device held in a simple homemade stand to maintain a consistent amount of movement from one to the next.
Pen
Lumia 920
808 PureView
Lumia 800
In bright conditions the 808 PureView really shows what it's made of. More detail with less noise than the Lumia 920.
Corridor
Lumia 920
808 PureView
Lumia 800
In a dark corridor Lumia 920 shows why it carries PureView name. OIS allows a longer exposure time, resulting in a remarkable picture.
Corridor (with flash)
Lumia 920
808 PureView
Lumia 800
Turn the flash on and the 808 PureView takes the lead. The difference between Xenon and LED flashes is obvious.
Sky
Lumia 920
808 PureView
Lumia 800
More surprising was just how poorly the Lumia 920 performed taking this simple shot of a lit sky. The 808 PureView lived up to its name and even the Lumia 800 was more capable in these conditions.
Tyre
Lumia 920
808 PureView
Lumia 800
In low light the Lumia 920 manages to reproduce the original image almost perfrectly. The 808 PureView ends up a distant second and the Lumia 800 doesn't look like it belongs with the other two.
Tyre (with flash)
Lumia 920
808 PureView
Lumia 800
As you add flash the Xenon on 808 PureView gets ahead. Although you wouldn't even want to use flash on Lumia 920 in these kind of conditions.
Gas station
Lumia 920
808 PureView
In (cloudy) daylight 808 PureView beats Lumia 920 comfortably. 41 megapixel sensor and oversampling delivers a very detailed 8 megapixel image.
Ice cream truck
Lumia 920
Lumia 800
In low light Lumia 920 performs better than the previous generation Windows Phone. The differences grow bigger the less there is light.
House
Lumia 920
iPhone 4s
The Lumia 920's low light capabilities are so far beyond the iPhone 4S you would never guess the lighting was identical in both pictures
Planks
Lumia 920
iPhone 4s
Video comparison:
