[lightcaurby]

In landscape and sports modes (both focusing to infinity) images come out blurred when shooting with 5 Mpix. However, 3 Mpix shots are sharp as expected. Moreover, using the autofocus modes even with 5 Mpix are perfectly OK. I have updated the firmware to version 11.049.53.1, but no effect.

Any ideas?

Thanks a lot in advance,

MaLa

[lightcaurby]

For clarification, out-of-focus blurredness of 5 Mpix photos is not so obvious when viewing them on the phone screen, but it is really noticeable on the PC and printouts.

To rephrase my question: has this flaw somehow sneaked into my device only, or is it a common "feature" in N79? I'm sorry to say this, but from my point view there is currently no 5 Mpix camera in that phone.

Should I get the device replaced, or are there any software fixes in the pipeline?

Thanks,

-- MaLa

[lightcaurby]

Recent update:

The camera was replaced by an authorized service shop, and now the sports mode is ok, but the landscape still remains out of focus in 5 Mpix. I'm not sure if I want to re-iterate the process - maybe after another replacement I'll have three flawed modes, who knows...

-- MaLa 

Message Edited by lightcaurby on 28-Jan-2009 05:24 AM

[Tiger123]

I face the same problem in my n79, it seems like there's no 5 MP camera (especially in photographed text)

[sockatume]

Can you give us an example image?

Like all cameraphones, the N79 uses a very small sensor and correspondingly has a lot of noise. Smoothing out the noise causes a loss of image detail. While the Nseries have very good cameras by phone standards, you won't get anything like the picture quality of a standalone 5MP camera. I'd put the N79 about the same image quality as a good 1MP camera, good enough for standard-size prints.

Message Edited by sockatume on 07-Jan-2010 12:58 PM

[Tiger123]

If you're classifying the N79 camera as 1MP camera, and at the same time you say that all nokia phone cameras produce a lot of noise, how does a phone camera differ another phone camera, and why may a 3.2 MP camera be better than a 5MPcamera??
I'm kinda confused and I don't understand how this works

[sockatume]

Well, there are a few variables here:

1) The camera aperture is of a given size, which determines how much light gets into the camera in the first place.

2) The camera optics are of a particular quality, which affects how clear an image is actually put on the sensor. 

3) The camera sensor has a given number of pixels, the "megapixel" rating

4) The camera sensor is of a given size, which determines how big the pixels are, how much light each pixel gets, and how much random "noise" it picks up.

Phone cameras have small apertures, usually cheap optics, and small sensors. So if you have a camera and a phone, even though they may both have 5 million pixels on their sensors, in the phone each of those pixels is getting less light, so the signal is weaker, and each of the pixels is smaller, so it's getting more noise

When you have noise in the image, you have to remove it, and inevitably this involves smoothing out some of the actual picture information. So you're throwing away some of the pixels, and the details that they captured. On my N79 I'd say I'm typically not getting much more detail that I would get in a perfect 1MP picture, even though the sensor originally captured 5 megapixels.

This isn't constant or simple. If you have more light, then noise is less of an issue. So phones and cameras alike give you more information in the image in good light. If you use longer exposures or a wider aperture setting you get the same result. This is why phone and camera manufacturers typically just quote the resolution of the sensor, the number of megapixels. It's a simple, true statistic about the camera.

There's an interesting article here:

http://www.dansdata.com/gz059.htm

I should say, the Nseries has relatively good noise levels and detail for phone cameras.

Message Edited by sockatume on 07-Jan-2010 02:03 PM

[Tiger123]

So, do you think I should stick to my N79??
And do you mean that in strong light, the picture quality will be high enough??

[sockatume]

Good enough for getting prints done, I'd say, in normal daylight or a bright room. I've taken some nice pictures over the winter even though it's fairly dim outside.

I like the N79, unless you want a touchscreen, stick with it. The N86 is the only "upgrade" from it I can think of at the moment because the camera's much better (bigger sensor, bigger aperture, better video focus) but the Mobile World Congress is next month so you never know what's going to get announced.

[Tiger123]

Thank you very much for your opinion
But do you think that N79 is better than N85 and N95 as an overall performance?

[sockatume]

The N85 is essentially identical to the N79, except it uses a larger, different kind of screen (which is better in darkness but not as good in daylight) and is a slider, obviously. So that comes down to whether those matter to you. The N95 I think is a bit of a relic now, there's little it could do that the N79 and N85 can't.

[Tiger123]

According to your advice to stick to N79, what are your instructions to take a good and clear photo or TEXT with minimal degree of noise?

[el_loco]

Have lots of light.

Engage the Close-up scene mode.

Half press the shutter key and wait for the camera to focus (green box in screen)

Holding the camera steady- fully depress the shutter key. If you are not able to steady the camera I recommend using the timer and to tie the phone to a tripod or other steady holder.

I just took a couple of pictures in office light (no flash) of a book and the text is quite sharp at 5 mpix

[Tiger123]

Thanks you for your reply.
I want to ask about another problem concerning the vibration:
One time I found that my vibration didn't work, but after I switched off the phone and turned it on again, it worked
What's the problem?
That's in addition to another problem in this link:

/discussions/board/message?board.id=connectivity&thread.id=28357

I hope you can answer me

[el_loco]

What does this have to do with the camera?

No idea why vibration may have stopped working but was recovered after a reboot.

[Tiger123]

That has nothing to to with the camera but I mentioned this problem  cuz u may have the answer

[el_loco]

So you had an E71 then changed to N79 and now N97, but your problem is the camera.

Wouldn't the N82 or N86 be a better phone for you if you're interested in sharp images?

Just saying...

[Tiger123]

May be you're right concerning the N86 (but I don't like slide phones)
concernig N82: I think it lacks some features present in N79
So I just want a compromise

[sockatume]

The things you'll miss with the N82 are those added in Feature Pack 2, which you can see here. In exchange you get a better camera for both video and stills, and a xenon flash. That's a pretty fair trade to me, the ugliness of the N82 notwithstanding.

[Tiger123]

That's awesome.....I'm thinking now of N82
But what about the memory cards?? what's the maximum capacity?