the verge 920 review

[dharmababa]

2. The camera score being the same as the iPhone's score. This is because he stated that the iPhone would be an easier camera to use for the general public, whereas it will mostly pros that enjoy the full benefits of the 920's camera.

7.9 seems right to me.

I agree the review was reasonably partial, but did they ever really explain this whole general public vs pros thing? I don't see how it takes a pro to take advantage of the low light capabilities or OIS.

Based on what I have read, it would have been reasonable to give it a 9 on camera, but an equal score to the "best phone camera" (iPhone 5) isn't bad either.

On the flip side, you could also argue that it could have scored lower on 'Design' since it is objectively significantly larger than the competition, even after you take into account screen size differences.

 

[MAERSK]

I'm assuming that was Vlad that took those shots in gloomy London. What amazing photos!

 

[Luminatic]

Well, I've reread this review thoroughly, and this ...


A legitimate criticism of Nokia?s 808 PureView camera is that while it can take amazing shots, it really requires the hands of a very knowledgeable user to pull them off. That same complaint applies to the Lumia 920?s camera as well. To most eyes, the images look a little washed out and don?t "pop," with not enough warm tones. A studied pro might say that they?re more accurate and true to life, but the vast majority of smartphone users don?t want to think about the nuances of optical imaging stabilization, they just want to take photos.



... made me realise that I really can't take that review seriously. So, a camera that takes photos with realistic colouring is now a disadvantage? If you take a picture in the middle of a sunny day, where everything seems to be whiter and cooler, the colours on the picture are supposed to look as if you have taken the picture in the late afternoon (when the colours look warmer and richer)? They've got to be kidding.


This though ...

Taking three shots of the same scene can sometimes produce as many as three different color temperatures: a beige coffee table appeared rosy in one image, a greenish yellow in the next, and the perfect pale taupe in the third.

is, IMHO, more of a problem. I had a similar issue on my Lumia 800: When I tried, for example, took a macro picture of a pure white object, the colour tended to have a rosy tint ... I solved this by swichting to "snow" when taking pictures, which resulted in pure white objects in the pictures. After some update during summer (I believe), the white balance became much better in automatic mode.
Still would like to try such scenarios out myself rather than just trusting a review.