introduction
Recent media reports claim that the increasing popularity of smartphones has led to a steep decline in digital compact sales, and as a result,
many camera manufacturers have stopped producing low-end models. With the emergence of social media sites with their convenience and connectivity it is not difficult to see why a smartphone would be more attractive for some applications than a purpose-designed compact camera.
Mobile phones have become so common now that in many social situations they are much easier to accept than cameras, or perhaps it is more accurate to say how easy it is to ignore a smartphone as a camera.
Like some recent up-market rivals, the Nokia Lumia 1020's camera module provides exposure, shutter speed (1 / 16,000 to 4 seconds), sensitivity (ISO 100-3200), white balance, and auto-focus control.
Nokia Lumia 1020 sensor review: Are mobiles comparable to compacts and DSLR
The tech specs are impressive and include a 41-Mpix (38-Mpix effective) 1 / 1.5-inch Type BSI CMOS sensor,
which is significantly larger than rival handsets of 8.8 x 6.6 mm (though still the company's 808 PureView Is slightly smaller than) its 1 / 1.2-inch sensor.
The stills output includes a native 38-MPX JPEG file, as well as oversmapped 5-MPX JPEG for more convenient sharing.
Although a six-element 26mm equivalent f2.2 in the lens stabilized the AF Zeiss Prime with a minimum focus distance (15 cm) of 5.9, the Nokia 1020 has a digital zoom option. It crops the original 38-Mpix image,
but does not affect the size of the overshooted 5-Mpix files, hence the 'lossless zoom' moniker. The course is only a part of the attraction, Lumia 1020 also records videos in full HD 1080p at 30 fps using MP4 / H.264 formats.
All of this is accessible via a 4.5-inch WXGA (1,280 x 768 pixel) AMOLED panel with a tight Gorilla Glass 3 cover and features a monoblock polycarbonate shell 4.8 oz (158 g) and an inconsistent 5.1 x 2.8 x 0.4 (130.4 ) Is measured. x 71.4 x 10.4 mm).
Nokia Lumia 1020 sensor Main Specifications:
38-Mpix 1 / 1.5 Inch Type (8.8 x 6.6 mm) BSI CMOS Sensor
Zeiss 26mm equivalent f2.2
Optical image stabilization
ISO 100-4000
4.5 inch AMOLED panel
Full HD 1080p video capture at 30 fps (MP4 / H.264)
The Nokia 1020 has a global ranking of 222 in our database (out of 242 cameras) with a DxOMark sensor score of 41 points.
Perhaps with the exception of low-light capabilities, each metric score is impressive; The color depth is 20.2 bits, while the dynamic range is an extender 10.4 eve.
The low-light ISO, however, is just 135 ISO. Given the physical size and pixel density of the sensor, this is an interesting start for our database.
Compared to a recent compact model in our database - the high-end zoom super-zoom 'Panasonic DMC-FZ70 sensor, the Nokia sensor actually performs very well.
While Nokia can claim a + ast stop increase in Panasonic's color depth, it may not quite match the dynamic range or low-light capabilities of that model; Panasonic has a +1/3 stop gain in both cases.
The gap is getting closer!
Compared to the 12-Mpix Canon PowerShot S120 and Nikon Coolpix P330, Nokia, with its high pixel density, is about 1 stop behind in sensor performance.
Canon's color sensitivity at base ISO equals +2/3 stop improvement over Nokia, while Nikon is slightly less capable but still about +1/2 stop better than mobile. The two compact cameras also have better dynamic range,
with the Canon and Nikon models showing a +1.5 and +1.3 EV improvement, respectively. The story is largely the same in low light, with Canon having a +1 stop advantage over Nokia, while Nikon's sensitivity is slightly lower than the gain of +2/3 stops.
Looking at the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 and RX100 II, which share the corresponding 20-Mpix 1-inch type (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor, the pattern repeats itself.
The two Sony models in this example, with their larger pixels and lower pixel density, have an approximate +1.5 to +2 stop gain in sensor performance for any metric.
Nokia has a color sensitivity of about -2 stops lower than the RX10 and around -1.5 stops compared to the RX10. Dynamic range and low light capabilities share a similar +2 stop gain with the Sony Compact, but it is still quite surprising that this difference is not more significant.
We thought we could compare the Nokia 1020 with the data display of the Canon EOS 100D and a Nikon D3200 -
sensors that feature cameras with larger pixel pitches. As you would expect the DSLR is capable of outright performance, but not every metric.
In fact the DSLR and Canon specifically equate to just a +1 stop improvement in color sensitivity, although this increases to +2.6 stops with separate sensors in the Nikon.
Canon's dynamic range at base ISO is not much wider than both of Nokia's (at +1 stop), while Nikon's is around +3 stops.
It is, unsurprisingly, in low light that Canon and Nikon show a significant advantage over Nokia's equivalent of +2.66 and +3 stops, respectively.
Nokia's use of the relatively large (6.6 x 8.8 mm) BSI CMOS sensor in the Lumia 1020 is a contributing factor regarding performance,
however, compared to the best in class digital compact cameras, its capability is still restricted in low light or high ISO Is used.
It is also worth noting that we do not take into account the performance of the lens in this review, which is clearly an important determination of image quality.
As cliché as it may be, the fact that the Nokia 1020's sensor performance is at a par with some current compact cameras at low levels is particularly revealing; Whatever your personal feelings about the smartphone, it shows remarkable promise.