How does the camera for Lumia 1020 match up to other phones now?

[louisrielle]

How does the camera for Lumia 1020 match up to other phones now

I am new to Windows phones so any input would be great. I am looking to buy a phone purely for the camera. Phone use secondary camera use primary. The Lumia 1020 is already 2 years old but it seems to still have the best camera of all smart phones. Opinions on how it matches up with the current smart phones for camera? Is it worth getting it? Any other Lumia that matches up to 1020 but more up to date. Would love to hear feedback from 1020 owners.

 

[kean5326]

Re: How does the camera for Lumia 1020 match up to other phones now

The camera has a great quality but is a little bit slow.

 

[Jack Neill]

Re: How does the camera for Lumia 1020 match up to other phones now

I think for still photos, its awesome, for pics of your kids playing soccer a 1520 or 930/Icon would be better.

 

[rAj06]

Re: How does the camera for Lumia 1020 match up to other phones now

S6 & iPhone 6 have very good cameras. Sometimes outclass 1020. But 1020 still is a great camera phone. With snapdragon 800 series processer it can do wonders probably.

 

[Miffywiffy]

Re: How does the camera for Lumia 1020 match up to other phones now

The 1020 is lacking an ND filter which it really needs for daylight shots, it's a big win that the 808 has since it can have more exposure. I find the 1020 to be a bit noisy as a result, to get around the lack of ND they just give it a really fast shutter, though you'd never tell due to the shutter lag. It's just really slow, you press the button and it's about 2 seconds between it takes the picture, then you have to wait another 5 for it to process. On top of that the camera app takes ages to open, even if you've left it in the background, I end up missing most the shots or not bothering to take them.

The camera also takes very yellow images and video, if you have any green colours then they'll tend to be be dumbed down to one shade. I don't like the processing of this camera, the 808 is very natural and very fast in pureview, but the 1020 is still really slow and has horrible colour reproduction.

When comparing it to the iPhone 6, I find the iPhone to have better colours and a more pleasing image. The only advantage the 1020 has is the ability to crop and the image will still look ok, but most people just use their phone camera to take images for Facebook or whatever. The video of the 1020 is terrible, the bitrate is so low and it's very wobbly, the OIS doesn't work well at all.


Overall I'd say phones like the GS6, iPhone 6 and G4 are better, the 1020 wasn't that good when it launched, but it's just slow and limited now.

 

[Miffywiffy]

Re: How does the camera for Lumia 1020 match up to other phones now

Plus Windows 10 breaks the 1020s camera, I doubt Microsoft will fix it so that puts the final nail in the coffin.

 

[DalekSnare]

Re: How does the camera for Lumia 1020 match up to other phones now

The 1020 is slow and needs work to get the colors right, but if all goes well it has the potential to get a much sharper image. When this site (I think it was this site) did a iPhone 6+/1520 comparison, even the 1520 could produce better images. The 1020 can do even better, although it might be more difficult. The 1020 is much better when it works if you are planning to load images into lightroom, but a faster, more convenient camera is going to be better if it's just for facebook. I actually like the zoom capability. Sometimes you want to have a picture of a detailed object you can't get close to, and then there's no substitute for brute force image detail.

 

[Allen Rhodes]

Re: How does the camera for Lumia 1020 match up to other phones now

Nail is in the coffin.... Read the above post to yours. If you didnt like the purchase "Miffy", you should have returned it. Win10 breaks it?! Wtf is that garbage? Plus, even if there is an issue or two... ITS BETA DILLHOLE! Don't put it on a daily driver for the umpteen millionth time on these stinking pages. I LOATHE public betas when the public cant look up the definition of BETA. The 1020 is the best CAMERA phone on the market still. The rest post process the pics, thus phones with cameras. Take shots in raw, edit. Pretty simple. Facebook photos and selfies shouldn't be the gauge for a quality pic. Forget the guys name but look up the National Geographic dude that used nothing but a 1020. AMAZING post edit photos that have the detail to print a stinking billboard. That's the power this camera has. Ya, you aren't going to be sitting end zone at a football game taking lightning fast shots. But considering the size, its a camera that's a phone. So yes, the iPhone 6 takes faster photos that post to facebook... Do you want a traveling monster minus lenses or skinny jeans and selfies? I know my choice.

 

[Topataco]

Re: How does the camera for Lumia 1020 match up to other phones now

Ugh you people deviating from the point. Anyways, I bought my 1020 mainly as a doorway into photography, as such I don't really shoot people, just daylight stills and the ilk. Mine doesn't have any of that yellow tint stuff, although that may be because of my special photosensitive eyes. The friends I have in my photography group love how my macros and landscapes turn out. I don't really take pictures of moving things so I can't help you there. Pros have been stated above. Cons are slower than a and mine gets particularly hot on an extended photo shoot, also dies out rather quickly.

 

[Marlon Bu]

Re: How does the camera for Lumia 1020 match up to other phones now

The Green on 1020 Photos is perfect.

 

[Summer_Moon]

Re: How does the camera for Lumia 1020 match up to other phones now

Don't listen to Miffywiffy he seems iffy to me

Honestly it depends on what type of pictures you'll be taking. It works best, as people have been mentioning, for still photos such as macro or landscape. However, believe it or not you can take burst photos with it. Still not exactly the same as some other phones that have quick processing and allow fast shots. If you are looking for a good balance of excellent camera with high mpx and fast shooting look no further than the LG G4. It's an excellent camera and really almost outshines the 1020. However, no camera currently on the market can outdo the 1020 as far as how much detail it can record. Keep in mind that the screen on the 1020 cannot show all of the pixels that the camera can take.

I would highly suggest trying out some of the phone cameras, idk if you have access to a 1020 but try it first if you can.

 

[Steve Adams]

Re: How does the camera for Lumia 1020 match up to other phones now

The Green on 1020 Photos is perfect.

I have yet to see another camera that can produce as nice a photo as the 1020. My buddy to a few photos with his iPhone and my 1020 just killed his. same photo, light conditions etc. A good side by side comparison.

 

[pureview_lvr]

I am new to Windows phones so any input would be great. I am looking to buy a phone purely for the camera. Phone use secondary camera use primary. The Lumia 1020 is already 2 years old but it seems to still have the best camera of all smart phones. Opinions on how it matches up with the current smart phones for camera? Is it worth getting it? Any other Lumia that matches up to 1020 but more up to date. Would love to hear feedback from 1020 owners.

Lumia 1020 is "camera" phone..41 mp pureview and ois just awesome....but I think its hardware is outdated little bit.....for flagship device reputation. It take noticeble time for processing images. Rather I would say nokia 808 was good in that.
I wont proudly recommend 1020 due it's hardware......but if you really want a camera phone.....just for photography and its your Main priority then Lumia 1020 is fine.
But Lumia 930 and 1520 also great devices.....20 mp pureview cams. And latest hardware. Yeehhh they cant match 41 mp but they are both good enough .....and balanced devices.

 

[Skamath]

Re: How does the camera for Lumia 1020 match up to other phones now

I am new to Windows phones so any input would be great. I am looking to buy a phone purely for the camera. Phone use secondary camera use primary. The Lumia 1020 is already 2 years old but it seems to still have the best camera of all smart phones. Opinions on how it matches up with the current smart phones for camera? Is it worth getting it? Any other Lumia that matches up to 1020 but more up to date. Would love to hear feedback from 1020 owners.

Mostly all have been posted above. The main killer is the lack of speed. From pocket to shot to shot. If you intend to use it for still using a tripod for a landscape photoshoot and things like that it is amazing, if not don't go for it. a 20 MP will suffice. Check these two pics. The grainy one is edited to increase the number of faint stars that can be seen and the clear one is without any editing but Obviously on a Tripod to avoid a shaky image. hope this helps.
If you want a touch screen not so "smart" phone but an awesome camera Nokia Pureview 808 is ideal. Camera speed is much faster than the 1020 ND filter helps take amazing shots and photos are brilliant even in darker conditions. Downside it is running an out dated not supported anymore OS Symbian S60. I use that as my camera along with the 1020.

 

[buxz777]

if you just want it for the camera and as a second device id get the 808 .......

it has bigger sensor , better oversampling , 8mp mode , settings that save , pre configured setting slots so you can set the cam up for certain situations before you go out , captures details and textures better , has a nd filter to help with highlights that might blow , better battery life , better standby time , swappable battery , can take micro sd cards , has usb2go , is smaller , quicker to start , capture time is quicker , xenon flash is stronger

the only thing the 1020 has over the 808 is ois and manual settings ;-) the 808 can be tricked into 2.7 seconds shutter time though compared to 4 of the 1020 ;-) no manual focus is the biggest drawback of the 808 ;-) oh and the editing apps i love the apps on the 1020 ;-)

the s6 and g4 also produce nice images in the day and people get good results with the 930 specced devices too ;-) then there is the panasonic 1" beast but its what ?800 lmao ;-)

you also have the option of the rx100 which can be had for ?250 in the uk now and is just over 200g and quite pocketable with a nice f1.8 carl zeis lens if you dont zoom ;-) it also offers much better night performance then any of the phones and is highly rated ;-)

 

[Aditya Palsule]

If you want camera as primary use better go for 1020 its best you can have now 808 is awesome but outdated. 1020 is not as heavy on pocket as iphone6 or s6 or g4 and offers better still photos in many scenarios. Then there is Xenon on top of it. You can also buy camera grip for 1020 which get extra battery and capability to attach stand. If you are too worried about being up to date with software and hardware wait till cityman/talkman are released. Am sure those would be better than iphone 6 and s6 or g4. But as of now nothing comes close to 1020 as an overall experience. Once you start editing raw images you would unleash next level of its photographic power and then it becomes an addiction to edit. I agree it lacks in video quality and front camera quality. But audio recording is again at another level.

 

[Miffywiffy]

Every picture the 1020 takes it makes it yellow, you can see that on any comparison. The 808 always beats the 1020, I have both phones and I see that as well. The 1020 takes forever to load that camera app and takes forever to save pictures. I miss most shots because of how slow it is, meanwhile my GS6 and iPhone 6 open up in a split second. My 808 takes pictures at 1/4 of the speed of the 1020, if you set both to pureview mode, the 1020 still takes as long as pureview + full res, where you'll get 8 shots off in that time with the 808.

+ The 1020 has a lot of white specs everywhere when you zoom in, the 808 has none of that, it's like shot noise or something.

The 808 suffers in low light the most, but when comparing with the 1020, it doesn't if you go into manual mode when you lower the ISO, then it's fine, I think they tie exposure to ISO and the 808 hates ISO.... both create blurry images in low light.

Tbh though I wouldn't be any of them, get an LG G4 or GS6, maybe wait until Windows Phone 10 at the end of the year or the iPhone 6s which has the RGBW arrangement that proves successful.

 

[Skamath]

I got an update for the 1020 Lumia camera app about 15 hours ago. I just installed it and I think the camera app now opens much quicker than before, doesn't show that resuming or loading screen and saving the photo is almost instant( half hearted instant). It is almost like it shows the saving ....... notification and then it remembers that it is the new version and just goes back to the camera.

Images tend to be a bit grainy when you look at the camera roll through the camera app and you get the reframe option as well. The same image when opened through the photos app is not as grainy but you cant zoom in as much as you can through the camera app.

It is just a matter of time to see how long this is going to last before the lagging returns for a sequel.
I still think the 808 is better quality camera than the 1020 ( on WP8.1 update 2)