Nokia shows off the Lumia 920 at the 2012 Photokina camera trade show
Nokia is busy making the rounds promoting the Lumia 920 Windows Phone and this past week they set up shop at the 2012 Photokina trade show. If you aren't familiar with Photokina it is the largest trade show for the photographic and imaging industries. The equivalent for smartphones would be the annual Consumer Electronics Show or Mobile World Congress.
Nokia jumped on the opportunity to set up shop at the Carl Zeiss booth at Photokina to show off the Pureview Cameras on both the Lumia 920 and Pureview 808. A demo box was set up, like we saw at the New York reception, to demo the low light performance of these cameras. Nokia reps also demoed the image stabilization and how it improves video quality.
While the Photokina coverage on the Lumia 920's performance has been positive, the fact that a smartphone camera has drawn so much attention at Photokina illustrates how far these tiny little cameras have come.
You have two Nokia smartphone cameras no larger than a quarter rubbing elbows with the likes of Canon, Nikon and Olympus. At this booth you would see Canon's latest full frame digital camera, the 6D and two booths over you'll find a Windows Phone. While the Windows Phone camera may seem out of place, it is a sign of changing times. It's like Henry Ford driving his Model T to a horse and buggy show.
Nokia's Pureview 808 and Lumia 920 cameras
I've been around cameras for as long as I can remember and have had my fair share of reservations on the smartphone cameras. Over the years I have seen these small cameras improve where they have gone from more or less a novelty to a legitimate camera. The last generation of Windows Phones showcased these improvements with the HTC Radar 4G and Titan II. The Titan II for it's higher resolution and independent processor. The Radar 4G for its BSI Sensor and large aperture lens.
These improvements haven't slowed down and the next crop of Windows Phones look to take our cameras to yet another level higher. Nokia leads the charge with it's Pureview camera that not only features a fast aperture lens but also optical image stabilization (OIS). HTC isn't relaxing either by continuing to use the BSI sensor, fast aperture lens and independent imaging processor in the 8X.
The technology that is in store for us with these cameras will make the way for better low light images, faster times in between pictures and a reduction in camera shake that blurs pictures. I fully expect that the cameras on both the 8X and Lumia 920 will replace some of the point and shoot digital cameras many rely on.
While Canon, Nikon, Olympus and other camera manufacturers continue to take center stage at Photokina, it is nice to see the development of Windows Phone cameras reach the level to earn them a seat at the table.
