Yesterday afternoon, Nokia announced their latest smartphone: the Lumia 1020. With a 41-megapixel camera, Nokia claims the device will revolutionise smartphone photography. We take a look at the new device and see how it compares against the iPhone 5 and Galaxy S4.
41 Megapixel PureView Camera: Clearer Images & Lossless Zoom
Instead of using full-resolution photos, Nokia believes the majority of people will use 5 megapixel photos. On the Lumia 1020, there are two ways of producing a 5-megapixel photo:
- Super Sampling. By capturing photos at 38 megapixels and later reducing the resolution to 5 megapixels, noise can be reduced substantially through a process called super sampling.
The following diagram illustrates the benefits of super sampling. Cameras are affected by noise – there’s small fluctuations causing each pixel to slightly differ from its true value. By sampling across a larger number of pixels, groups of pixels can later be combined and averaged across. The resulting data will be less noisy – you’ll get clearer photos, better sharpness and fewer grainy effects.
An example of how super sampling gives less noisy images. Source: Nokia.
On the Lumia 1020, seven pixels are combined to produce each “super pixel”. This gives a resulting photo at the resolution of 5 megapixels. - Lossless Zoom. Most smartphones have a digital zoom feature. When we zoom in on part of the image, the original image gets cropped and the selected region is enlarged. During this process, details are lost and sharpness is reduced. This is because digital zoom creates new pixels by interpolating the pixels around them.
On the Lumia 1020, the high-resolution sensor means it isn’t necessary to interpolate. Whenever zoom is used, the handset takes data from a smaller part of the sensor. For a 5-megapixel photo, you can zoom in 3x without losing any data. For full HD video (1080p), lossless zoom of 4x is possible. At 720p, it’s possible to obtain lossless zoom of 6x.
Lossless zoom works by selecting data from part of the sensor. No interpolation is necessary. With standard digital zoom, quality is lost due to interpolation. Source: Nokia.
For every photo you take, the Lumia 1020 will store two versions: a full-resolution photo at 38 megapixels and a super-sampled photo at 5 megapixels. If you choose to crop, straighten or re-frame a photo, this is performed on the full-resolution photo. The resulting image is then super-sampled back to 5 megapixels. This ensures minimum loss of quality.
Other notable features on the Lumia 1020’s camera include:
- Large 2/3” sensor. The Lumia 1020 has a 2/3” sensor. With a sensor area of 58mm2, there’s much more space to collect light. Compared to other high-end smartphones like the iPhone 5 and the Galaxy S4, the Lumia 1020 has almost four times the sensor area. This means it should give better photos in low-light conditions.
To scale comparison: Sensor sizes on an entry-level smartphone, a high-end smartphone (e.g. iPhone 5 & Galaxy S4), a point-and-shoot camera and the Nokia Lumia 1020.
Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS). The lens on the Lumia 1020 sits on an optically-stabilised assembly. The stabilisation system works by detecting camera shake. If movement is detected, the device compensates for this by moving the lens in the opposite direction. By stabilising the camera, blurring can be reduced in photos. You’ll see the most significant impact when taking long-exposure photos in dark conditions. Optical image stabilisation will also reduce camera shake in recorded videos. For more information, see our article on the Lumia 920 which first introduced OIS.
- Xenon Flash. The Lumia 1020 has a xenon flash. Compared to LED flash (which is found on most other smartphones), xenon flash is brighter and faster. It can emit a thousand times more light in the space of 1 millisecond. This means the flash can reach further – you can still take a good photo from 3m away. The quick flash can also freeze action within a photo.
- LED Flash. Xenon flash is not suitable for continuous operation (e.g. whilst recording video). For this reason, the Lumia 1020 also features a LED flash.
Nokia Pro Camera: Camera Application with Advanced Settings
As well as a larger sensor, the Lumia 1020 introduces a revamped camera application. This is called “Nokia Pro Camera” and it replaces the default camera application from Windows Phone 8. Casual photographers can leave everything on auto – just point and shoot and use the application as before.
For advanced users and professional photographers, Nokia Pro Camera offers a range of advanced controls. These allow you to adjust image composition in various ways:
White Balance. Allows you to adjust the photograph to have warmer or cooler tones.
- Focus. Most smartphones have a “tap to focus” feature. The Lumia 1020 adds extra flexibility with a manual focus feature. This can be used for artistic effect (e.g. for capturing bokeh photographs).
- ISO. You can manually adjust the ISO between 100 and 3200.
- Shutter Speed. The exposure time can be increased to as long as 4 seconds. A long exposure time allows you to capture light trails at night. It also allows you to take night-time photographs without a flash.
- Exposure Level. You can manually adjust the exposure value (EV).
The controls are presented as a series of dials. It works in much the same way as on the Samsung Galaxy Camera. Most other smartphones don’t have the capability to adjust these settings. For this reason, the functionality is likely to be welcomed amongst professionals and enthusiasts.
Design & Form Factor
There’s one major design change on the Lumia 1020 - that’s the camera bulge on the back of the device. As the Lumia 1020 has a much larger camera sensor, the thickness of the camera component has increased to accommodate it. Camera components are housed in a black circle. The circle is slightly raised and props up the back of the device.
There’s a slight bulge on the back of the device: this houses the camera and the xenon & LED flash bulbs.
The Lumia 1020 will be available in a choice of three colours: yellow, white and black.
If you’re looking for an alternative that’s lighter and thinner, consider the Lumia 925. It lacks the 41-megapixel sensor but most of the other specifications remain the same.
Camera Grip Accessory
If you’re a frequent photographer, the Lumia 1020 has an optional “camera grip” accessory. This snaps on to your phone and boosts the battery capacity from 2,000mAh to 3,020mAh. It also provides a tripod slot and a larger shutter button.
The Lumia 1020 has an optional camera grip accessory (available at extra cost).
Nokia Lumia 1020: Comparison to iPhone 5 & Galaxy S4
The Lumia 1020 compares as follows to the iPhone 5 and the Galaxy S4:
|
|
Nokia Lumia 1020 |
Apple iPhone 5
|
Samsung Galaxy S4
|
|
Processor |
1.5GHz dual-core |
1.3GHz dual-core |
1.9GHz quad-core |
|
Display |
4.5-inch AMOLED (organic LED) display |
4.0-inch TFT display |
5.0-inch AMOLED (organic LED) display |
|
Screen Resolution |
1280x768 pixels |
1136x640 pixels |
1920x1080 pixels |
|
Pixel Density |
332 pixels per inch (326 ppi) |
326 pixels per inch (326 ppi) |
441 pixels per inch (441 ppi) |
|
Operating System |
|||
|
RAM |
2GB |
1GB |
2GB |
|
Storage |
32GB |
16GB, 32GB or 64GB |
16GB, 32GB or 64GB |
|
MicroSD Expansion |
No |
No |
|
|
Cloud Storage |
7GB (Microsoft SkyDrive) |
5GB (Apple iCloud) |
50GB (Dropbox) |
|
Camera |
41 megapixels with xenon & LED flash |
8 megapixels with LED flash |
13 megapixels with LED flash |
|
Camera Aperture |
f/2.2 |
f/2.4 |
f/2.2 |
|
Video recording |
1080p, 30 frames per second |
1080p, 30 frames per second |
1080p, 30 frames per second |
|
Battery |
2,000mAh (non-removable, 13.3 hours talk time) |
1,440mAh (non-removable, 8 hours talk time) |
2,600mAh (removable, 17 hours talk time) |
|
Weight |
158g |
112g |
130g |
|
NFC |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
|
Text Input |
|||
|
Approx. Price |
TBC |
£529 |
£579 |
|
SIM Card Size |
Micro SIM |
Nano SIM |
Micro SIM |
All three devices are compatible with giffgaff. You can benefit from some great savings when you buy the device SIM-free and use a giffgaff goodybag.
Nokia Lumia 1020: UK Release Date
According to Nokia, the Lumia 1020 will launch in the UK during Q3. This means we should see it before the end of September. In the US, it’ll be available from July 26th. Hopefully we won’t have to wait too long until it arrives on our shores.
Your Thoughts…
In this article, we’ve looked at the new Nokia Lumia 1020. Featuring a 41-megapixel PureView sensor, the Lumia 1020 takes smartphone photography to the next level.
Were you impressed by the Lumia 1020? Are you a fan of the PureView camera functionality? Do you think Nokia have done enough or are they being held back by the Windows Phone operating system? We’d love to hear your thoughts… please drop us a comment below and let us know what you think!
Ken Lo writes about mobile technology and the mobile industry at Ken's Tech Tips.