Four days with my Lumia 900

[JOHNGAETANO]

I don't think this phone is being sold as "high end" Although with a 8MP camera, you would hope whatever is causing the grainy pics indoors can be fixed quickly with an update. I take a fair amount of pictures with my phone, and really hope the camera works out ok for my use.

I'm really not trying to offend anyone & please don't take this the wrong way OP (and everyone who's ordered this phone), but those shots look awful & it has me really worried about how well the 900 will sell here in the states (and abroad). I saw some pictures earlier on another thread that were from different sources, so I was hoping their bad quality was just a fluke. But this thread sorta confirms my fears that the camera is just not good at all.

This is all my opinion of course, but to my eye, the outdoor pictures all have that same hazy out of focus look to them with no definition. Not horrible, but just sorta "blah". And the indoor shots I've seen (including these) coming out of this camera are absolutely shameful, esp for a high end flagship phone in 2012. I've had the Focus S, the Titan (currently an iPhone 4S) & those cameras are a much MUCH higher caliber. I think even my old Focus could do better (I'm not joking).

Am I crazy? Are you guys really not seeing the quality issues here??

Again, I'm not looking for a fight, so please don't flame me. I really REALLY want this phone to succeed & am just concerned. Thanks.

 

[peestandingup]

Oh, Nokia's def pushing this as high end & their flagship device. That's why the $100 price was such a big deal & made headlines. Their ads are even going right after the iPhone, so yeah. The media's hyped it a lot too, but for good reason. Not to mention AT&T's "going bigger than we've ever gone" marketing, giving every employer one, etc. Its a big deal.

I'm just afraid if it doesn't deliver & isn't at least on par with what else is out there, they're going to look really silly & people won't take them (or the platform) seriously. They honestly shouldn't have released the phone if it couldn't go toe to toe with the iPhone (like in their ads) & everything else. Cause I can tell you right now, being the owner of those previous Windows Phones & the 4S right now, this photo quality isn't even close.

 

[JOHNGAETANO]

Well, if the camera is weak, that is a real deal breaker for me. I don't use my phone as my primary camera, but my job requires me to take pictures with my phone and I am spoiled with my iPhone 4s. The outdoor pics I have seen look pretty nice at first glance.

But like all the other negatives I keep hearing about, I will find out myself on Friday. There are a lot of people on these boards spreading bad info too. So I feel better trying stuff on my own.

IF the phone doesn't live up, it doesn't live up. No skin off my back, or any of ours. That is Nokia and big Bill's issue to deal with.

JOHN

Oh, Nokia's def pushing this as high end & their flagship device. That's why the $100 price was such a big deal & made headlines. Their ads are even going right after the iPhone, so yeah. The media's hyped it a lot too, but for good reason. Not to mention AT&T's "going bigger than we've ever gone" marketing, giving every employer one, etc. Its a big deal.

I'm just afraid if it doesn't deliver & isn't at least on par with what else is out there, they're going to look really silly & people won't take them (or the platform) seriously. They honestly shouldn't have released the phone if it couldn't go toe to toe with the iPhone (like in their ads) & everything else. Cause I can tell you right now, being the owner of those previous Windows Phones & the 4S right now, this photo quality isn't even close.

 

[mrjack]

So is the ear piece volume just low enough (at 10/10) to be irritating or would you say it is sufficient? Good to know the actual call quality is pretty good since the Titan I tried was terrible.

 

[hellomiggy]

In all honesty? I think the camera looks amazing, of course the person who took the picture. Just had some lighting issues, so what? I'm no professional photographer, yet I know how to work a camera. I don't, for one like using Flash, it just ruins the picture, of course, one is supposed to know where to place one's hands. If it is an issue, then as Steve Jobs said "you're holding it wrong." It's that simple, know where your hands are at all times, be aware of your surroundings, focus your picture, even then if it has auto focus until it is clearer! It's not that hard of a task to take a picture, point and shoot, if you want something better, buy a DSLR. Even then, it probably isn't even the person taking the picture with flash, it could be the flash itself, too close to the camera. We don't know! We haven't touched it yet, we haven't played with it for four days. You can't be the one to bite the guys head off. I know that camera is good, and looking at another post on this website, they had links of other peoples shots. They looked SPECTACULAR! Just give it time, clean your lens, and relax. This phone will be worth it. Wait, what am I saying... It IS worth it!

 

[Peter McCain]

In all honesty? I think the camera looks amazing, of course the person who took the picture. Just had some lighting issues, so what? I'm no professional photographer, yet I know how to work a camera. I don't, for one like using Flash, it just ruins the picture, of course, one is supposed to know where to place one's hands. If it is an issue, then as Steve Jobs said "you're holding it wrong." It's that simple, know where your hands are at all times, be aware of your surroundings, focus your picture, even then if it has auto focus until it is clearer! It's not that hard of a task to take a picture, point and shoot, if you want something better, buy a DSLR. Even then, it probably isn't even the person taking the picture with flash, it could be the flash itself, too close to the camera. We don't know! We haven't touched it yet, we haven't played with it for four days. You can't be the one to bite the guys head off. I know that camera is good, and looking at another post on this website, they had links of other peoples shots. They looked SPECTACULAR! Just give it time, clean your lens, and relax. This phone will be worth it. Wait, what am I saying... It IS worth it!

Please point us to the other post you mentioned. I would like to see more sample pictures from regular people (not nokia/ms website)
Thank you

 

[peestandingup]

Yes, I too would like to see these spectacular shots. I also love the "if you want something better then buy a DSLR" line. Really?? So the 900 is the best a phone can possibly do eh?? My Titan & 4S would beg to differ.

But you're right. We should withhold final judgment until we see some proper reviews. But I've seen dozens of shots around the web so far & not a single one of them impressed me. Quite the opposite.

And look. I'm pulling for Nokia. I really am, but I'm not gonna blow smoke up my own rear either. They need to come with the quality on every front. Basically to put up or shut up, because that's how the market will treat them.

 

[SAENZ_SCENE]

I have taken pics with the Lumia 900 and I also was wondering about it. I see lines all across the screen when in the camera. kind of like when using a front facing camera. I love the phone but the camera has not been great but that is just my opinion. Its no deal breaker for me.

 

[RiseAgainst94]

I have taken pics with the Lumia 900 and I also was wondering about it. I see lines all across the screen when in the camera. kind of like when using a front facing camera. I love the phone but the camera has not been great but that is just my opinion. Its no deal breaker for me.

You have a HTC One X as well? Which is better?

 

[hellomiggy]

Forgive the rant, I have yet to see anything on the web, just what has been on here. Everyone is all for iOS and Android, so it's kind of like "come on Nokia you can do this!" I mean just looking at those pictures that you had posted up @peestandingup. I don't understand where the quality looks bad? Comparing it to the 4S, it looks more natural. Not saying anything bad about the 4S quality, since I have one. The 4s has the Sun coming in and it makes it look very low lit. The 900's looks more natural. Which is like, "do I need to get my eyes checked out again?" I mean even looking at the quality as well on a iMac, which has a 1080p screen. It looked AMAZING!

Either way, it's just my opinion. We all have our own, hopefully it's just some bugs that is causing these camera issues. Hopefully this is great phone! I spent good money on it! :dry

 

[peestandingup]

Forgive the rant, I have yet to see anything on the web, just what has been on here. Everyone is all for iOS and Android, so it's kind of like "come on Nokia you can do this!" I mean just looking at those pictures that you had posted up @peestandingup. I don't understand where the quality looks bad? Comparing it to the 4S, it looks more natural. Not saying anything bad about the 4S quality, since I have one. The 4s has the Sun coming in and it makes it look very low lit. The 900's looks more natural. Which is like, "do I need to get my eyes checked out again?" I mean even looking at the quality as well on a iMac, which has a 1080p screen. It looked AMAZING!

Either way, it's just my opinion. We all have our own, hopefully it's just some bugs that is causing these camera issues. Hopefully this is great phone! I spent good money on it! :dry

No problem, and I understand completely. I too want nothing but the best for this phone & the ecosystem as a whole. I'm not so much a ****** anymore, I just want to use what I truly think is the best device out there as a whole. Right now its the 4S IMO. But Im not in love with Apple or the OS. I like Windows Phone better, but they need a real flagship device that kicks the crap out of the iPhone. And they also need all the top tier apps/developers that iOS has. So far those two things haven't really materialized yet, even though its getting better.

To answer your question about the photos. The quality is just way off. Like a poster said above, there's lines in the photos, esp in low light. Which would indicate low quality optics. Also they just lack any definition & have a hazy/out of focus look to them. Although still not great, its passable in bright sunlight, but in any kind of low light it seems to really fall apart. Which is odd to me since Nokia always touts their cameras as a big deal. But I'm not seeing that at all.

Its not terrible, but just sorta reeks of last year's tech. With the Titan & 4S, which are two of the best cameras in a phone IMO, Nokia should have really done better.

 

[doejoe007]

Here's a shot I just took in almost complete darkness using flash + autofocus.

Exif data is still in there.

Looks pretty good to me.


The major thing here is to actually use auto-focus. Just pressing the button does NOT pre-focus....

Have to press it half way, then press it again to actually take the picture. In that case, the camera focuses even in low light and provides sharp images.


Imho this phone takes great quality pics.

 

[jimmyjunk30]

Wow...

Here's a shot I just took in almost complete darkness using flash + autofocus.

Exif data is still in there.

Looks pretty good to me.


The major thing here is to actually use auto-focus. Just pressing the button does NOT pre-focus....

Have to press it half way, then press it again to actually take the picture. In that case, the camera focuses even in low light and provides sharp images.


Imho this phone takes great quality pics.

That does look good!

 

[PhilR8]

That looks pretty damn good. Do you have any other shots you can show us? I'm really interested to see more.

Here's a shot I just took in almost complete darkness using flash + autofocus.

Exif data is still in there.

Looks pretty good to me.


The major thing here is to actually use auto-focus. Just pressing the button does NOT pre-focus....

Have to press it half way, then press it again to actually take the picture. In that case, the camera focuses even in low light and provides sharp images.


Imho this phone takes great quality pics.

 

[peestandingup]

Yeah, thats much better & def the best I've seen from the 900. I'd like to see more too if you have them. Some "real life" shots is where the real tests are (stuff going on around you, action shots outside, etc).

 

[spitothec]

In regards to the photos posted back on page 1, I agree with pee. Those pictures look absolutely horrible. Pitiful.

 

[doejoe007]

Yeah, thats much better & def the best I've seen from the 900. I'd like to see more too if you have them. Some "real life" shots is where the real tests are (stuff going on around you, action shots outside, etc).

Attached couple more from today.


It can take decent pictures. Playing around with ISO, metering modes, etc can improve the quality considerably.

p.s. I'm not a photographer, so my photos are not the best.

 

[yaken]

The ISO goes down to 100. Even with the ISO as low as can be the pics look blurry. There is no real way to make these photos look good in low light. I have snapped a few photos in complete dark and they look fine. Just seems to be with low light.

 

[doublebullout]

The ISO goes down to 100. Even with the ISO as low as can be the pics look blurry. There is no real way to make these photos look good in low light. I have snapped a few photos in complete dark and they look fine. Just seems to be with low light.

Of course they look blurry at 100. Decreasing the ISO number also makes the shutter speed slower, which introduces blur unless you either use a tripod or image stabilization. To get the shutter speed faster and get rid of the blur, you need to use a higher ISO number. (Aperture value is also important, but I don't think you'll have direct control over the aperture on a smartphone camera.) In low light with a smartphone camera, you're going to get noise. You can fix the noise in post later; you can't fix the blur. So the best strategy is to at least make sure that the shot is in focus and sharp. (Or use a better camera.)