It’s no surprise really, as smartphones are becoming more and more popular as one’s main camera for taking photos. While image quality is continuing to improve, it’s still a far way off when compared to some of the most inexpensive point-n-shoots. However, companies like Nokia and Carl Zeiss are looking to change all that. The new PureView camera technology that the companies are teaming up on is aimed to help Nokia compete with other leading smartphone models; like Apple’s iPhone.
The companies announced today that a partnership had been made for Carl Zeiss to incorporate their high-quality optics and a 41-megapixel image sensor unit into Nokia phones; with the first PureView model using the Carl Zeiss components, the Nikon 808 PureView, scheduled to ship later this month.
IDC analyst Francisco Jeronimo commented on the deal saying, “Manufacturers will continue to improve the cameras with higher resolutions, better focus, and several other features to differentiate their devices on a crowded market where touch screen smartphones look alike,”.
While some analysts feel the initial PureView offering might not fair too well due to it using Nokia’s near obsolete Symbian operating system, Nokia did mention that they plan to adopt the PureView technology into their new Windows platform models in the future.
The Nokia 808 PureView’s key features:
- 41-megapixel image sensor with Nokia PureView Pro imaging technology
- Carl Zeiss 8.02 mm lens (35 mm equivalent focal length -26 mm, 16:9 / 28 mm, 4:3)
- Huge 4.0-inch, 16:9 AMOLED display with easy on-screen touch controls
- Xenon flash with operating range up to 3.5 m depending on conditions. Automatic fill-flash
- Record Full HD (1920×1980) vide at 15, 24, 25, or 30fps
- LED for video recording
- Auto focus and touch to focus
- Focus modes: Hyperfocal, Macro, Infinity and Auto
- Focus range: 15 cm ~ infinity
- Macro focus 15-50 cm
- F number/aperture: F2.4
- Supported aspect ratios and resolutions True 16:9 (2 MP, 5 MP [Default], 8 MP, 34 MP) 4:3 (3 MP, 5 MP, 8 MP, 38 MP)
- Three shooting modes: Auto, Scenes, Creative
- Face detection software
- Launch camera from lock with full press of capture key
(Sources: Reuters and Nokia)
