GSM Cameraphone Comparison Q2 2007

Since mobile phones cameras are currently receiving unprecedented attention and for many people they represent the main feature of the whole product, we compared the most sophisticated up-market models of the top manufacturers at the end of last year. Our article was widely read and it helped a lot of people compare the cameras of the phones they were choosing from and make their conclusions. Seven months have passed since the said article came out and the cameras, being maybe the most interesting feature of mobile phones, have experienced an evolution and there are already 5-megapixel cameras, whose specifications promise that they are better than their earlier competitors. Unfortunately, however, only two of the tested phones boast that resolution (Nokia N95 and LG KG920). The other manufacturers have not yet launched worthy competitors (as far as resolution is concerned) and therefore we are testing the best cameraphones (Samsung D900, Sony Ericsson K800, Nokia N93i). Although it saw an heir with the launch of К810, the hardware of the cameras of the two phones is absolutely the same and the new model does not come with improved resolution, but even with lower quality in our tests. There is also the D900, which shared the first place in our previous test with K800, while N93i will try to make up for the shameful performance of N93.



Tested phones (in alphabetical order of the models):

• Samsung SGH-D900 (3 megapixels)
• Sony Ericsson K800 (3 megapixels)
• LG KG920 (5 megapixels)
• Nokia N93i (3 megapixels)
• Nokia N95 (5 megapixels)
• And, just to add some spice and achieve a more objective comparison, we have included a real pocket camera: Canon SD630 (6 megapixels)
  

The different models have different competitive advantages, but which one is going to perform the best, taking everything into account?!

* Are the new 5-megapixel phones going to defeat the well-known and widely-used 3-megapixel shooters?

* Or maybe the classic models will prove that the technologies are not yet enough advanced and it is the quality, rather than the quantity, that matters?

* Is the best cameraphone going to be competitive to a real camera?

You’ll able to find the answers to the above questions after you have seen the results of the tests. We shall add to those comments and evaluations for all phones in each different category, thus expressing our personal and SUBJECTIVE opinion. You could use our opinion as a reference, although you do not have to be influenced by it in any way. It’s up to you to choose what you like.

We have taken almost 50 pictures (48 scenes, with 6 cameras = 288! pictures) altogether, targeting identical objects at one and the same time and from the same position, but using different cameras. The pictures have been taken under the following conditions / categories:

1. in the open in broad daylight;
2. at night;
3. picture taken indoors with different degree of lighting and different distance from the objects;
4. we have also tested some comparative charts.
   
5. and close-up macro photos.
   

We have used the phones’ automatic settings; for the nighttime pictures and the macro photos we have selected the respective mode. We have re-taken a certain picture only in case we felt that the person behind the camera, rather than the camera, brought about a fault. If any of the pictures are not well exposed or focused, this means that this is what the respective phone’s camera is capable of doing. With nighttime pictures we attempted at taking the pictures with our hand, which explains why some of those are blurred.

In each category we have put a 100% crop image(s), which shows the cameras' performance difference. It helps you compare easily the performance, seeing the same object, reproduced by different devices. As 5-megapixel (and 6-megapixel) cameras take photo of the same object, but in bigger resolution, in our 100% crops you will see less of the object, but with more resolution. This is rather unfair, but that's the market - one offers 5-megapixel phone, the other doesn't. The stronger in the competition survives ...

Test 1: Pictures, taken in the open, in broad daylight

This is probably the easiest test, due to the fact that the sunlight is abundant, but, on the other hand, these are the most frequently taken pictures and therefore they tell a lot about the overall performance of a cameraphone.

N95 has come first, thanks to the good balance between the authentic colors (although oversaturated, which, however, most people like), the properly exposed detail and little noise. It is well ahead of the competition! The second place is occupied by К800 due to its colors, which are more realistic, compared to those of КG920. If the latter phone was not making almost invariably yellowish pictures (using auto white balance), it would have performed much better.


Cameraphone comparison samples. Scroll below for our category rating.




1) N95: N95 is capable of reproducing neutral colors situations best, but, unfortunately, they are all deliberately oversaturated. The brightly-lit objects burn easily, unlike D900. The 5 megapixels provide quite a lot of detail, but some pictures are blurred due to the noise reduction system.
2) K800: Wildly fighting for the first place, but the limitation of the 2 megapixels impacts the pictures negatively. It performs best as far as colors and exposition are concerned.
3) KG920: A little soft when taken, the pictures show the detail of the 5-megapixel CCD matrix after unsharpening. However, the poor color reproduction with a strong yellowish effect damages the photographs. After slight computer editing the pictures are way better than any of the other pictures! Unfortunately, the result is not the same when they are directly from the camera.
4) N93i: Just like N93, this phone generates a lot of noise in the pictures, which is either seen or it is strongly smeared by its noise reduction system and the detail simply vanishes as a consequence. The colors are realistic.
5) D900: In its attempt not to burn the pictures in the broad sunlight, D900 fails to expose enough the remaining objects, which, as a result, appear darker than normal. Very often the colors are not realistic, but the pictures show a lot of detail for their resolution, compared to N93i for instance.

Теst 2: Nighttime pictures

This test shows how cameraphones are doing in longer exposition, so that they are able to use the scarce light of lit objects at night.

Here again, the “multimedia computer” N95 outperformed the other competitors. Close behind is again K800. Both phones provide good detail and realistic colors. The third place is won by D900, while KG920 and N93i occupy the fourth and the fifth places, respectively.

Cameraphone comparison samples. Scroll below for our category rating.



1) N95: The impact of the noise reduction system is felt, since almost everything is blurred, but the correct exposition and the realistic colors make the pictures look better than those of the competition.
2) К800: The situation with К800 is the same as N95. The reduced resolution is a shortcoming, depriving the phone of the gold medal.
3) D900: D900 performs very well, too, but sometimes it confuses the colors and makes yellowish pictures.
4) КG920: the phone is not equipped with a strong noise reduction system and instead of blurred images you can see noise. Here, too, the colors are yellowish.
5) N93i: this phone is not performing well in any aspect. The pictures contain a lot of noise and are not well-focused.

Test 3: Pictures at artificial light: different power, different distances

When you are indoors, in the dark, the flash saves the day. You’ll use the flash in a dark room, in the bar, in the disco or in darker environment, anywhere where there is no powerful lighting.

The result of the previous test has been repeated in this one as well! K800’s Xenon flash beat the competition in the dark rooms, 8-9 ft (3 m) category. It produces abundant light, lighting the objects and producing the most detail in the pictures. In close-ups the N95’s LED does a good job and, combined with the good software, takes the phone to second position in this test. Although equipped with a Xenon-like flash, KG920 is much worse than К800, but still wins the bronze medal. D900 and N93i are almost on a par, but N93i is a little worse off.

Cameraphone comparison samples. Scroll below for our category rating.

We've shooted from 3 distances:
1)1-3 row: 1.5meters / 4.9feet         2)4-7 row: 2.5meters / 8.2feet         3) 8-9 row: 3.5meters / 11.5feet

The photos from the first distance are in 3 different lightning conditions. From the second distance, we've shooted in 4 lightning conditions, and in the third distance (the largest) we've shooted in 2 lightning conditions.

100% Crop

Теst 4: Test situation: colors and resolution

This could have been figured out from the previous photos as well, but here it is simpler and easier. N95 takes the gold with its 5 megapixels, followed by К800 and КG920, which would have been much better off without the yellow tint. The fourth and the fifth places are again for D900 and N93i.





Теst 5: Macro
If you want to take pictures of small objects, you have to appoach them, so that they can appear in the picture to be bigger than they actually are and all small details can be magnified as if looked through a magnifying glass / microscope. Most cameras have to be set in a special macro/closeup mode to prepare them to focus from close-up. D900 is an exception here, while N93i does not avail of auto-focus in this mode (just like N93), which impacts the pictures negatively.

In this test КG920 finally performed perfectly! This phone’s camera was able to focus from a very small distance; the high-quality 5-megapixel matrix provided a very fine detail without any noise (noise reduction system). The competition is way behind and the previous favorite N95 has received 3 points, just like D900. Next in the rating list are К800 and N93i with rather poor performance: in bright light the former almost invariably either wasn’t able to focus or provided wrong focus, while N93i with its fixing focus was mediocre, as can be seen from the pictures.

Cameraphone comparison samples. Scroll below for our category rating.

Overall: Total Rating

In each category we gave the five phones a different rating. The first place brings 5 points, 4 points for the second place……. 1 point for the fifth place. In the macro test two pairs of phones have a comparatively similar performance and have been awarded 3 and 1 point respectively.

Ratings

As you have seen, in each category we also posted the sample photos taken by our portable Canon SD630 digital camera with 6-megapixel resolution. We haven't rated it as it is not a PHONE, but have put it just as a refference. In the beggining we were wondering if any of the phones will be able to beat its performance - our final conclusion is that still, this moment hasn't arrived. Probably in our next cameraphone comparison we will see phones that will produce better images than a pocket camera.

Here is the final rating with points (out of 5):

#	Phone	Points	Comment
1)	Nokia N95	4.6	Perfect result, living up to our expectations!
2)	Sony Ericsson K800	3.6	The previous leader is still going strong.
3)	LG KG920	3.2	We have been disappointed by the colors and the flash.
4)	Samsung SGH-D900	2.2	A previous leader, now rather mediocre?
5)	Nokia N93i	1.2	N93iwas not able to improve N93’s result.

MISCELLANEOUS

Although it does not influence the quality of the pictures directly, the operation time of the camera is rather important for its use.

#	Phone	Starting	Focusing	Saving	Time between 2 pictures
1)	Nokia N93i	4	2	3	5
2)	Samsung D900	3.5	2	4	6
3)	Sony Ericsson K800	3	2	5	7
4)	Nokia N95	4	2	6	8
5)	LG KG920	3.5	3	15	18