41 mp phone

[Rhoads238]

Hey all,

Just thought I would share this. Nokia is coming out with a 41 megapixel phone. It sounds rediculus. But here's the link. Honestly I didn't believe it when my friend told me about it. So I had to look it up

http://www.theverge.com/2012/6/23/31...e-photos-video

I thought it was kind of cool that the lens used is manufactured by ziess.

-Jason

[Manfred M]

I think stating that Zeiss has licenced their name to be used on the camera is nearer the truth. This is simply a marketing deal like Zeiss has with Sony, Leica has with Panasonic (although I understand that Leica designed the high end Dicomar video lens, but Panasonic manufacture it) and Schneider-Kreuznach has with Samsung.

[davidedric]

I also read that "Nokia uses a clever algorithm to compress 41mp into 5mp, while improving fine detail and quality along the way". Now that would be cool

[Donald]

I"Nokia uses a clever algorithm to compress 41mp into 5mp,

I don't understand what that means. And why do I need it?

[KCBrecks]

Well I never did? What next? It seems a bit overkill though, 41Mp, to take snapshots of drunken teenagers pulling daft faces. Those are impressive pictures they show - I wonder where they attached the tripod? My poor old BlackBerry 8520 really is old hat now with it's 2Mp camera.

- Keith

[KCBrecks]

It could be that they are taking the pixels in blocks of 3 x 3 then interpolating the data to give an averaged level for the one in the middle of the block, hence the 41Mp becomes 5mp. They are also able to produce a picture from all 41Mp. Now the question has to be - What size are the Jpeg files.

- Keith

[oleleclos]

In my view this is pure pixelmania, but Nokia didn't invent that. The majority of compact cameras pack many more pixels than needed for the type of photography they are used for.

I use my compacts at 2MP for what I consider snapshots, and without being too disparaging I think it's safe to say that most compact camera (and certainly phone) pictures belong in that category. Not all but most, and 2MP will produce 4x6 inch prints at 300 ppi (not that I ever do that) and more than fill a computer screen at 100%. What more do we need from our snapshots?

In fact what we need much more is better lenses, but they cost a lot more than more pixels (which are a relatively low cost spinoff of ever denser computer chips), and that's why manufacturers push pixels rather than lens quality as a measure of camera capability.

When it comes to serious photography, I'll be the first to admit that more pixels are needed. I only recently completely converted to digital when the Nikon D800 came along. But even that I don't use at full resolution all the time. I look on it as three cameras in one: 9 MP, 20 MP and 36 MP (plus three more if you count the DX crop sizes), and I can switch between them at will. It's like having a 35 mm, a medium format and a large format film camera all in one compact package, and I love it.

But all those glorious pixels would be worthless without good lenses, which completes my circular argument

[davidedric]

I don't understand what that means. And why do I need it?

Neither do I, and I'm sure you don't! Just more ad-speak to flog phones.

[Manfred M]

I seem to remember reading that this is the way that they handle zoom shots, rather than building in a zoom lens. 100% electronic zoom from the massive sensor, while normal shots are downsampled to a more normal image size found on phones.

[AB26]

Hi Jason,

Being a grumpy old man these gadgets do not impress me. A phone is a thing to make calls with. A camera is a device for taking pictures.
Bloody old nag bag - me.

[carloshpvp]

By using 41mp to 5mp Nokia claims to get better results than average cameras in cell phones. I don't buy expensive mobile phone because I'm not exactly careful . However, if the compressing algorithm works as it promisses it will be fine to have a relatively good camera in the mobile to register something in daily life when you're not carrying your gear with yourself.

[Bobobird]

Despite what we may think, Nokia phones do produce imagery that is far superior to any similar device out there.

[Ady]

Being a grumpy old man these gadgets do not impress me. A phone is a thing to make calls with. A camera is a device for taking pictures.

Couldn't agree more!

Though on the other hand I would add that my phone is far more capable at taking photos than my camera is at making phone calls. It's good to work that one out before finding yourself stranded in the middle of nowhere with a bag full of cameras and no phone

Cheers,
A

[Rhoads238]

although I wouldn't buy this phone It would be so nice to have a reasonable quality camera in my pocket at all times. I would really be interested to try it out at the least. Using those megapixels as a zoom i think is really the point of this i think most people would not make a print from a phone camera. Who knows they may even come out with an app for a manual mode. Pop out tripod legs would also be awesome for this camera. Its cool because while I don't always have my dslr, I do always have my phone. So if it can produce a reasonable quality image or better that would be great.